epr1 Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 Hi everyone, I was just wondering how long I should wait before I upgrade from EMT-B to the next level after that... whatever that may be... I'm pretty new to EMS so please excuse my newbishness, thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustdevil Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 Neither one. Both are a waste of time. Half-arse steps for those who aren't serious about the profession. Go to paramedic school. Do it as soon as you can possibly get into it. It'll teach you a lot more than driving an ambo will. If it's a college degree based program, start taking the prerequisites now. If it's not a degree based program, it probably sucks, so look elsewhere. Or at least go take the college courses (Anatomy & Physiology, English, Algebra, Psych, etc...) before you start the crummy medic school. Anybody who disagrees with me is wrong, so don't listen to them. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZCEP Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 First suggestion, get comfortable actually using the little bit of information you got from you EMT class. That does not mean work for a transfer service. It may mean you have to drive out to the sticks, or volunteer your time, but you have to have a feel for what managing a situation is all about. Get the thought of a mid-level upgrade out of your head. The EMT-Intermediate, in all of it's versions, is a complete waste of time. It was thought up only to provide minimal ALS care to areas that did not want to foot the bill for full paramedics. It is a half-assed attempt to tell the community that the government cares about it's citizens. It needs to be abandoned entirely. Dive headlong into some actual college courses that will directly affect your ability to think through a problem when you encounter it. Art appreciation, and Underwater Macrame will not fill the bill for this. Math/Science/Anthropology/Sociology/Psychology come in real handy at many different levels in the EMS world. The medics that haven't taken them are using them without even thinking about it, so by the time you have gotten your feet good and wet, and have some of them behind you, you will be that much further ahead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladyfirefighter36 Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 OK, you guys are probably right, that for those doing this as a profession, you need to go straight to paramedic. BUT, for those of us who are volunteers, work other jobs 6 days a week, we do not have a year's worth of time to put into the paramedic program, as much as we would like. The intermediate program enables us to provide that next level of care for our patients, that they would not have access to. The closest department to us, that has paid full-time personnel is 10 miles from our closest border and 20 miles to the outlying border. Go for your medic, if that is truly what you want to do with your career. Continue to take classes, to improve the skills that you have and to learn new techniques. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustdevil Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 You're absolutely right there, Patty. But remember, the reason your community won't pay for paramedics is NOT because they cannot afford it. It is because people like you give basic and intermediate service away for free. In the long run, that is not "helping" your community. It is hurting it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladyfirefighter36 Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 Dust, I think you are wrong. It is helping our community. We live in a very poor, senior citizen community. They don't have the money. I, for one, take pride in being able to GIVE those services to the community. Too many times, those who do it for a living, forget what service is all about. Would you still serve your community if you didn't get a paycheck? I do it because it makes me feel good to give something back to those around me. Yes, I wish I did have the time for a paramedic class. Yes, it would be funded, somehow. But I still feel we are offering the best that we can to those we help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UMSTUDENT Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 Dust, I think you are wrong. It is helping our community. We live in a very poor, senior citizen community. They don't have the money. I, for one, take pride in being able to GIVE those services to the community. Too many times, those who do it for a living, forget what service is all about. Would you still serve your community if you didn't get a paycheck? I do it because it makes me feel good to give something back to those around me. Yes, I wish I did have the time for a paramedic class. Yes, it would be funded, somehow. But I still feel we are offering the best that we can to those we help. No, I would not be a paramedic for free. At least not very long. I'm spending too much money getting an education as a paramedic to "give" my services away. As Dust always says, we don't have volunteer cable repair men, nor do we have volunteer plumbers, yet people expect the EMS profession to give the service away for free? We've seen people in my community who will actually bitch because we drive our units to get something to eat. They say I'm "waisting" their tax money. Apparently I'm supposed to give my technical services away AND not eat. People expect us to be supermen and it has to stop. Granted this is a very vocal minority. Why does this happen? Because there are people in the respective companies who actually believe that ho-hah. Volunteer companies rely on donations so much that they're afraid to piss someone off. Until providers start demanding that their services are compensated for, this is going to continue. I started as a volunteer, and I appreciate volunteers, but there will be a time when their existence will have to be limited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridryder 911 Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 But I still feel we are offering the best that we can to those we help. Nothing against volunteers....but; okay. Really are you doing the "best" ? If they are senior citizens then they are probably the best to have a funded EMS. Again, I believe most of the volunteer systems are in place for the EMS to feel good about themselves, not for the "good" of the community. (Nothing personal .. general summation) Have you checked into private contract EMS so ALS could provide EMS care ? Partially paid full time roving Paramedic, with BLS response for ALS transport ?.. There are many other options.... Until the patient receives prompt BLS with followed immediate ALS care.. then really "the best" has not been provided. Even after 40+ years of active EMS in the U.S. , we still allow and make excuses for communities. The priorities of communities are skewed on what is important. R/R 911 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paramedicmike Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 And to further the discussion, your community may be full of older folks, but there is still money to provide other services. Your roads are paved. Police protection is provided. You have indoor plumbing, electricity etc... There's money to provide all these services but no money to pay for proper EMS care? If you want to provide the best service to your community, doesn't it make sense to provide the highest level of care possible? And wouldn't that lie in paramedic level care? And before you label me anti-volly, too, keep in mind that I started as a volly. I worked to become a paid provider simply because, as a volly, I realized that providing this service for free did nothing to further either the industry as a whole or my local community. Thinking of moving up from EMT to another level? Go to paramedic. I agree with those above. Anything less would be a waste of your time and money. -be safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emt3225 Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 Dust, I think you are wrong. It is helping our community. We live in a very poor, senior citizen community. They don't have the money. I, for one, take pride in being able to GIVE those services to the community. Too many times, those who do it for a living, forget what service is all about. Would you still serve your community if you didn't get a paycheck? I do it because it makes me feel good to give something back to those around me. Yes, I wish I did have the time for a paramedic class. Yes, it would be funded, somehow. But I still feel we are offering the best that we can to those we help. Ladyfirefighter many people here dont believe in volunteering their time in EMS. I also volunteer for a ambulance corp in my community. I went from a EMT B to a EMT CC to be able to provide ALS services to those in need...Don't listen to them and feel proud in yourself for giving of your time to help people that need your care...I didn't get into EMS for the money but to help people..It's the greatest feeling in the world... :wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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