CAPMEDIC-EMWFR Posted June 15, 2008 Author Share Posted June 15, 2008 It is great that you're enthusiastic but I am always concerned when I see young people (BTW I do not mean to talk down to you as I am by no means old) who are so keen about the profession because eventually they learn that really it is a job like any other job. For sure it is a good job, but it is a job. It is not a calling, not a way of life, and should not be how you define yourself. It is great that you're excited about the career you have ahead of you, but please do not rush into it and spend your time outside of EMS doing non-EMS things that you enjoy. You have no idea how many times I have heard that in the past 6 years, and I really wish that I would have taken everybody's advice and just left it along until I was old enough, but now that I am old enough to get the cert, and am already forced to work 50-60 hour work weeks because of the financial situation I am in, I might as well enjoy where I am during that timeframe. I understand that you are not talking down to me, and I really do see exactly why you would say that, except for the not a calling part, emergency medicine is what I have basically strived to live for (if that makes sense to anyone) for the past few years, and again, its the frustration of finally being old enough, but held back, by my own decisions, but still held back, from what I have wanted for the longest time. Maybe I will just get into a community college's program, take it in conjunction with a&p and try to get into medic school by the end of next year, which when I type it out sounds perfectly logical and rational, but like I said, I have made it my life for the past few years, and I just want the cert, just having the job and working on an ambulance or in a hospital instead of taking calls for Sprint-Nextel, where I work now, just sounds so appealing, I was hoping that maybe somebody knew of a program that was accelerated that could get me the cert, more soon then cheap... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEorP Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 It is good to hear that you have put a lot of thought into this. Just out of curiosity, have you looked at what you would make as an EMT-B compared to what you make at the call centre right now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAPMEDIC-EMWFR Posted June 15, 2008 Author Share Posted June 15, 2008 Yes, unfortunately, I have, and I figure I can just about break even if I work 40 hours a week at the call center, then part time, around 20 or so hours a week as a basic, to get the "1 years worth of experience as a basic" that most medic programs require, I will make enough, I am also moving to a cheaper place as far as rent goes and things like that to cut down on monthly expenses, so that hopefully I can quit the call center altogether. And for those of you that think I am being irrational with the full time and part time job, i'm not, i am used to working 2-3 jobs during the school year and a minimum of 3 during the summer, so it isn't completely impossible, and thats about consistent with how many hours I work right now, even just 1 12 or 24 hour shift a week with a private transfer service would keep me happy as far as actually doing something in the medical field, and allow me to keep the higher paying job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBEMT Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 Dude. Less commas, more periods. Damn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firedoc5 Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 As a member of the EMTCity Old Guard, and someone who started out at a very young age, Timmy is right. Don't have the cheap & fast attitude. You are young and have time. Patience is a virtue. :roll: Don't be is such a hurry. Take quality classes. Don't worry about studying ALS until you finish EMT-B and other basic courses. It will only confuse you. Focus on what you need to learn now. Study diligently and be responsible for your grades, and keep them up. DO NOT just "squeak by". I'm not sure how the grade scale is in your area, but if I remember right for EMT-A (way back when in IL) you could not get below a 87%, EMT-I 90 %, and EMT-P 93%. If you did you had two weeks of being on "probation" to bring it up and if you didn't you were out. Maturity is a factor. You must be more mature than your age. When others your age biggest concern is covering a zit or trying to get lucky by any means possible, you will be out there responsible for lives. OK, I'm done. Good luck to you. And no, your question was not one that would get laughed at. Rather you ask a question than not to and try to wing it. Ask questions anytime you need to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eydawn Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 Hi, fellow Coloradoan. First off, SLOW DOWN. If you really want this education, do yourself a favor and enroll in a full time EMT-B class at the local community college, and take Anat and Phys with it concurrently. You also seem to have a grave misconception about the COF stipend; it isn't a "limited fund" type deal that you can "save up" and use all at once. You get a certain amount of stipend PER CREDIT HOUR and DEPENDENT ON INSTITUTION- you just have to authorize its use. You can use it for both the Basic AND the Paramedic. And the Anatomy and Physiology. And Underwater Basket Weaving... see where this is going? You also may qualify for additional funding dependent on your parents' income, or your status on the FAFSA. *Always* fill out the FAFSA and submit it- it's worth a shot. You can also go "zero to hero" as it were through the Community College of Aurora; the program is designed to get you through and get your NREMT-B and CO EMT-B while you're taking the medic level classes. While not my first choice, it is a decent school (where I took my initial Basic) and will get you right on through to Paramedic. PM me if you have more specific questions... I can walk you through your options better if I know exactly where you are. Wendy CO EMT-B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n0ssb Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 One of the best deals is going through any community college in colorado, that has a ems program to it, I use Community College of Denver and Denver Health Paramedics do the classes, cof -which your allowed 147 hrs of education, paid per hour taken, helps knock the tuition costs greatly. For PARAMEDIC-Metro State has that set up for hours through Denver HEALTH...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAPMEDIC-EMWFR Posted June 17, 2008 Author Share Posted June 17, 2008 As a member of the EMTCity Old Guard, and someone who started out at a very young age, Timmy is right. Don't have the cheap & fast attitude. You are young and have time. Patience is a virtue. :roll: Don't be is such a hurry. Take quality classes. Don't worry about studying ALS until you finish EMT-B and other basic courses. It will only confuse you. Focus on what you need to learn now. Study diligently and be responsible for your grades, and keep them up. DO NOT just "squeak by". I'm not sure how the grade scale is in your area, but if I remember right for EMT-A (way back when in IL) you could not get below a 87%, EMT-I 90 %, and EMT-P 93%. If you did you had two weeks of being on "probation" to bring it up and if you didn't you were out. Maturity is a factor. You must be more mature than your age. When others your age biggest concern is covering a zit or trying to get lucky by any means possible, you will be out there responsible for lives. OK, I'm done. Good luck to you. And no, your question was not one that would get laughed at. Rather you ask a question than not to and try to wing it. Ask questions anytime you need to. I know this wasn't meant to offend, but I have tried as hard as I can for the past 5 years to be a lot more then just another stereotypical teenager, and I don't have a "cheap and fast" attitude, I said that is what I am looking at for an EMT-B program because A) IMHO basic is a joke and As I have tried to explain, I have spent a great deal of what little time I have to myself studying things, not starting out at ACLS, but starting with basic first aid and cpr, I did a first responder class at 14, went on to anatomy then the EMT-B stuff at 15, got an intermediate textbook at 16 and ACLS book when the new guidelines came out. Recently got myself a paramedic book for christmas. I just want the basic cert because it is a stepping stone to medic, and it is something I have been wanting to get since I was 12. And as far as Timmy being "old gaurd EMT city", I was here and remember when it split off into traumacentral and emtcity, spent a great deal of time in the chatroom with the Ditch Doctor and PRPGfirerescuetech, back before I worked as much as I do, and I was the 8th member of CAPEM when that first started, so I have been around for a while, too. Not recently, because of family issues and how much I work. I have gotten the lecture, many, many times on what EMS is from a number of people that I have a lot of respect for, so please spare me the lecture. . That being said, You also seem to have a grave misconception about the COF stipend; it isn't a "limited fund" type deal that you can "save up" and use all at once. You get a certain amount of stipend PER CREDIT HOUR and DEPENDENT ON INSTITUTION- you just have to authorize its use. Oh yes, I know that, sorry if I made it sound like it earlier, when I was enrolled with ACC I used a little bit of it, but that got returned when I had to back out of the class to take a full time job, again due to family issues, I fully intend on using it for all my classes! That being said, I can get student loans and funding isn't really a problem, its where to get the education that I am asking for advice on. Thank you all for your replies! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gra_me_forever Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 A) IMHO basic is a joke and wow... why don't you chill out and take the time to get experience as a "joke" emt-b before going on to becoming a medic? Basics do more than you realize...and seeing as you have only READ about these things you really should get out in the field for a bit and get experience before you're a medic. i know you keep repeating that you have been into this stuff forever and have read all you can but reading and DOING are two very separate things. I really hope that somewhere along the line you are forced to sloowww down and take your time... there is no rush. I have been wanting to be a paramedic since 12/13 and am still working towards finishing all of my hours...you may realize some people will get annoyed with your over-enthusiastic attitude. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAPMEDIC-EMWFR Posted June 17, 2008 Author Share Posted June 17, 2008 I know, I do need to just slow down, and yes, there is a big difference between reading and studying and doing, and that experience does matter, most likely a lot more then I realize right now, I never said basics were useless, they do have a use and are an integral part of the team. The only reason that I think that basic is a joke is because the level of education required to attain the cert is incredibly minimal, it probably is different when your out there in the field, and yes, I probably do need to just grow up and be patient, I have ignored everyones advice to just be a kid and wait until I was old enough to get the cert before I started into it, and this is probably why. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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