AMR Rivedrside

[emtamaldonado]

Hello. This is my first post everyone. I will be finished with EMT school the first week of June. I have done a ride a long with Westmed/McCormick in LA County and also a ride along with AMR Rancho Cucamonga. In terms of where I would like to work, I am stuck between the two. AMR Rancho is only about 10-15 minutes from my house and after 6 months you can do 911 calls. The catch is, like most of you have mentioned, the EMT will be doing all the driving which means no pt contact in the back. Westmed on the other hand does BLS 911 calls and responds with the fire department. If its an als call the fire medic will hop in the back during transport. So that allows you to be in the back which is great. The catch with them is that I live an hour away. What do you guys think is the best choice? I want as much experience as I can get because I want to be a paramedic. My long term goal is to be a PA.

[JakeEMTP]

I want as much experience as I can get because I want to be a paramedic. My long term goal is to be a PA.

Welcome, I hope you enjoy this place.

If you want to be a paramedic, go to paramedic school now. Do not pass go. It is generally the consensus here that it serves no purpose in preparing you for medic classes. The experience you gain as a EMT-B will not prepare you for medic classes. Having gone the route you are currently on, I can safely say without hesitation that you'll be ill prepared for school. Get some pre-requisite classes such as A & P 1 and 2, college chemistry, alegbra, etc., then begin medic classes.

Of course, if you want to be a PA, why not bypass paramedic and go directly to PA classes. Again, the same thing as EMT-B before Medic applies.

[Dustdevil]

It is nearly impossible to work full-time as a low-paid ambulance driver and hold down a college GPA that will get you into PA school. In fact, working ambulance shifts -- especially an hour away -- the chances of you amassing any kind of college credits, much less with a decent GPA, is slim to none. As mentione, pick A goal (not several goals) and go for it. Stopping to play with the siren for a few years will do nothing but slow you down.

[emtamaldonado]

I don't know if I will be working full time. Besides, its not impossible. People do it all the time. Some people are smart enough to do it, some people just make great sacrifices. But good points. You have given me something to think about. We will see what happens when I finish the EMT program in a few weeks.

[Laura Anne]

under-dreaming wrote:

I am considering working Riverside because it is a huge city with a lot of diversity... should be interesting enough.

It's really the only job in SoCal for a non-fire paramedic, so it's not a difficult choice.

Is Gold Cross still out in El Centro? Now you can't get much more So Cali than that, LOL!! 8) How far away is Riverside from El Centro, by chance?

Good luck with your choice, btw!

[JPINFV]

Is Gold Cross still out in El Centro? Now you can't get much more So Cali than that, LOL!! 8) How far away is Riverside from El Centro, by chance?

158 miles.

[KKF]

Who works or did work for Riverside division? ??