Will color blindness prevent me from EMS work?

[jhull40]

by any chance would colorblindness effect/eliminate your chances of being an EMT? I am red-green color blind and it has ruled out many jobs. I don't think it would matter but I just want to make sure.

Title changed to reflect content...AK

[paramedicmike]

It could. It depends on how picky the employer is about such things. I've known people to be passed over in a hiring situation due to color blindness who had no problem getting hired at a competing service.

Persistence will be your friend.

-be safe

[Kaisu]

My paramedic clinical partner is red/green color blind. He has worked for a couple of years on a 911 service as a basic. It hasn't bothered him or his employer. Good luck.

[Eydawn]

No. Have your partner check anything you're unsure of and you should be good! And make sure you can operate with stoplights...

Wendy

CO EMT-B

[Asysin2leads]

It varies from place to place. I know I am tested annually to make sure my vision is still kosher in all aspects.

[Ridryder 911]

I know of some areas that color blind cannot work in hospital settings. Determing pH, screening (urine, glucose, hemo) strips or sticks, to determine the levels one cannot be color blind. I know in the ED I could not have color blind nurses for detecting hemocult and gastrocult slides, and yes we tested regulary.

R/r 911

[jhull40]

No. Have your partner check anything you're unsure of and you should be good! And make sure you can operate with stoplights...

Wendy

CO EMT-B

Haha, yeah I'm good with stoplights. But if I get a call for a person in a green shirt, it might take me a couple tries to find them. But thanks for the help guys!

[Dustdevil]

Haha, yeah I'm good with stoplights. But if I get a call for a person in a green shirt, it might take me a couple tries to find them. But thanks for the help guys!

This is exactly why baring the chest is such an important step!

[EMT-B 55]

To help one of the employees to overcome his color blindness, the Pedi bag and ruler have the colors printed on each section of the strip and on each section of the Pedi bag. So his color blindness does not hinder him

[CodeBlueEMT]

Uncle Sam discovered I was color blind when I joined the Air Force. The lady doing the test got upset with me because she thought I was toying with her. I saw the number on the first card she showed me. After that, I didn't see the numbers. She had a "fit" after the 4th card. Being color blind did keep me out of some good career fields.

Color blindness hasn't been an issue in EMS for me.

Shayne