EMT Basic Requesting Opinions

[Alanna]

Hi there,

I just joined this site, in hopes of communicating with fellow EMS providers, and getting any input and advice I can.

I just completed my EMT-B course (here in Washington state) in April. I am pretty young (20 y.o.f.), but I've known I am going to go into medicine for quite some time. Even in high school, I did 3 years of sports medicine and 1 year of nursing. I plan on going to Paramedic school, but of course am going to accumulate experiences and knowledge from being an EMT-B.

I was looking to see if there was any advice or tips you could give me, in regards to furthering my education in the meantime, what organizations I should possibly look into, etc. My application to volunteer at Harborview Medical Center ER is processing, because I feel like experiencing that environment would be quite beneficial.

So, again, any input, tips, tricks, or even general information to review would be entirely helpful! I would appreciate it from both EMT-B's, Intermediates, and Paramedics!

Thank you,

Alanna

[JPINFV]

When possible, get anatomy, physiology, and general chemistry out of the way at the college level. Algebra if you did take it in high school.

Bonus points for pathology, pharmacology, histology, and a potential handful of others.

Get into paramedic school ASAP after completing those. There really isn't any reason to stay at the EMT level.

If you are considering other health care fields (nursing medicine, etc) explore those options too. If you want to, for example, go to medical school, go to medical school and don't play around in EMS (numerous reasons for this. For medical school, for example, one reason is that you don't want to be mid to late 20s when you decide to start knocking out pre-reqs. Everyone suffers in medical school, but non-traditional applications suffer in unique ways.).

Among other books, The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat: And Other Clinical Tales (ISBN-10: 0684853949) and The House of God: The Classic Novel of Life and Death in an American Hospital (ISBN-10: 0440133688) are both good reads.

[spenac]

Get into paramedic school ASAP after completing those. There really isn't any reason to stay at the EMT level.

Exactly right. If EMS is what you want to do immediately get into a Paramedic program. Delaying your education benefits no one.

As young as you are please understand that EMS as it stands today really offers no advancement. Once you reach Paramedic level that's about it. You might eventually become a supervisor but those jobs are few and far between. So truly look at what you want to do. It is harder to start a new career later in life than it is now as a young person.

[paramedicmike]

Hello Alanna,

Welcome!

I'm going to echo JP's comments. If you want to go to paramedic school then get the classes he outlined and go as soon as you possibly can.

I'm going to suggest, however, that you seriously think about where you want to be down the road. I know you're young. I know it's hard for young people to think about where they want to be five, ten or twenty years down the road. I know I couldn't do that when I was your age. However, this is something you really should think about.

Working as a paramedic is a really great job. However, it is pretty limiting in terms of opportunities down the road. Nursing, according to my nurse coworkers, is a really great job. It offers *many* opportunities that are not available to someone with strictly an EMS background. If you're debating between the two, my suggestion is to go to nursing school *first*. Then, if you're still interested in EMS, go back and get your paramedic certification. It'll be much easier to go to nursing school then paramedic school than the other way around.

If you're thinking PA school or medical school, don't mess around with EMS at all. Go straight through and get it done. I can tell you first hand that JP is right. Non-traditional students face many unique challenges that their younger, more traditional students don't face. So if you decide this is what you want do it now and don't wait.

I don't know what it is about a lot of EMS-ers. A lot of people talk about going back to school but never do. The longer you wait, the harder it gets to go back. Don't be like them. If you want to go to school for anything do it now.

Talk to everyone you can (like you're doing here). Ask questions. Lots of questions. Consider as many angles as you can. Weigh your options and make the best choice for you.

Good luck!

Edited September 24, 2010 by paramedicmike

[Alex Woo]

I wouldn't ssay Nursing is easier. Its equally as tough but Nursing will take longer. If you go from EMT-P to RN its a smoothe transaction; if one has at least a AS Degree... Plz see my thread regarding EMT Certification Restructuring.... You can become both; I will before the end of next year.... Its easier to become a RN if you're an AS EMTP than it is to be an EMT-P if you're a MS RN....

[DwayneEMTP]

...If you go from EMT-P to RN its a smoothe transaction; if one has at least a AS Degree... Its easier to become a RN if you're an AS EMTP than it is to be an EMT-P if you're a MS RN....

How so?

[fiznat]

Definitely take a look at the next thread down (this one: http://www.emtcity.com/index.php/topic/19330-first-post-just-graduated-and-passed-the-nremt/). That guy is asking a lot of the same questions as you....