So tell me what it's really like...

[Emmy]

I'm 16 year old sixth form student and am seriously considering getting a degree in Paramedic Science when I leave school. I've done a lot of research, on this site and others, and really do think that this is what I want. I've always wanted to work in a caring profession, it's just been a case of narrowing it down. My parents disagree right now and keep asking why I don't want to 'do a better job'. :roll:

Anyway, to cut to the point, I wanted to ask exactly what it is like training to be and working as a paramedic. What are the pros and cons? What do you dislike most about your job? What do you like most? What is the training like? What advice would you give someone in my position? Please be completely honest; I don't want anything sugar-coated, though from what I've seen of this forum, I don't expect it. Which is good.

Thanks in advance.

[8151]

Go be a Firefighter instead, all hero and no one will ever fault you. :roll:

[Dustdevil]

Give her a break, guys. And remember, she's in the UK, so let's not overwhelm her with all the negatives from the US system.

It's a respectable career that you can actually make a decent living at in the UK, Em. Sure, there are better jobs out there. Better in every single respect. And all the things that make EMS seem attractive in the beginning wear thin on you in just a few short years. What was once excitement becomes stress. And all the "caring" you once had fades into mere "toleration" after being abused for so long. Then it's just another job that you do because it is all you are educated to do. Not really any other jobs you can move to with a Paramedic Science degree once you are burned out with a bad back. And there is also a down side.

Can you tell us what aspects of the job are especially attractive to you? It would be helpful to address those in depth for you and make sure we don't miss any.

Plus 5 for asking these questions early. Too many people wait until they are halfway through school before bothering to find out what things are really like.

[zippyRN]

Go be a Firefighter instead, all hero and no one will ever fault you. :roll:

UK paramedics are paid the same as other registered health professionals ( as Uk paramedics are registered health professionals)

the NHS has a far better profile than the fire service who are best known i nthe Uk for going on strike, tumble drying recruits and polishing their helmets and poles ;-) ...

Higher education preparation for practice in UK paramedicine is however still relatively new ( that said the first UHerts direct entry cohort started in 1998 and graduated in 2001/2 so they will now be 5 or 6 years post registration, there are direct entrants fro mthe even earlier Sheffield uni course who are out and aobut but they had a hard time due to poor course design and failure to meet certain criteria so effectively 're started' on entry to a service - that said one of the guys is now a fairly senior training officer )

[StickEm]

Young lady,

Firstly, do not let the chapped and jaded responses get you down. Most people don't know how to maintain and keep a fresh mind; ergo the high burn-out rate and stored resentment.

If you can find ways to recharge and refresh, and NOT take a LOT of things the wrong way, or put yourself too much in the middle, then you will do fine in EMS.

You need NEED need a warped sense of humor.

-That's my favorite thing about EMS: the people. What a collection of screwballs. Also some of the most iron-willed folks you will ever work with. There's camaraderie that's hard to beat, and inevitable.

Another great thing about it is the adrenaline, though that wears off after a while and only the real s%*&-kickers will get you pumped. -It's still fun.

The downside IMO are the hours. The missed holidays. The sleeping in after a crap night and missing out on half of your next day off. Try not to plan things for the next morning if you are working overnight.

The worst part of ALL is when you respond to bad scenes involving kids, especially if you have some of your own. The other half of that same issue is when a parent doesn't restrain their kids, yaps on the phone, and has a rollover accident after plowing into an intersection. You arrive to find a kid here, a kid there, all covered in glass and lying in unnatural positions, and the mother still clutching cell phone strapped in her seat in hysterics. those kids can't choose who their stupid parents are, and they really become helpless victims. On the other hand, you are there to help.

Being in a situation like that and doing everything you've been trained to do almost flawlessly among the chaos really feels good. Especially when at least one kid makes it depsite a double tib-fib fx, a hip fx, a hematoma on the forehead and soft tissue damage. You pray as the chopper takes off that they will make it.

So even though you come in off a call like that and it rattles you, you can't help but think what the outcome would have been if you had NOT been there on time and ready.

Just find the good medics who aren't too burnt out, stick with them, and you'll do fine. Don't let a medic put you in the back with something that is clearly in their scope of practice, and pay no mind to all the nay-saying, the bitching, and the gossip. -Pretty much a good rule for ANY job!

-Good luck!

[scott33]

Zippy is right (did I just type that?) Paramedics are registered health care practitioners in the UK, unlike here.

As far as UK goes, the ambulance service is the way ahead. Degree based entry level to practice (EMT will be phased out over time) a bearable salary at last, room for growth up through the ranks, or continuing education for ECP, or Critical care para (coming soon I believe)

Fire Service? good if you have a desire to gain 30lbs by wanting to sleep all day. Not many calls compaired to the ambulance service...London ambulance alone, handle about 4 thousands calls A DAY

UK EMS is evolving, and moving in the right direction, we could do worse than take a leaf or two out of their book.

[zzyzx]

Emmy,

Being a paramedic is a great career! It's wonderful that you are considering getting involved. Be aware that many paramedics do get burned out, and they may only have negative things to say about this job. I suggest that you learn as much as you can about EMS. Also, be sure that you really want to help people and that you are ok with being around sick people all the time. Don't get into it if you want to just be a hero and drive around with lights and sirens.

[aussiephil]

Great job. I love it.

My advice, at 16 is to look at finishing your education first, then get some life experience.

EMS is firstly about education & understanding what you are doing. However, EMS is about people & knowing how to deal with people & the crap in their lives. That comes fromlife experience.

I know there are those who will shoot me down in flames, but i have seen the difference between someone who has experience in indusries other than health, that come into the industry. They seem to be able to relate better to people than those who come in straight from school.

Please hold onto your dream, but get some life experience first, then decide what you want to do with it.

Phil

[BushyFromOz]

Great job. I love it.

My advice, at 16 is to look at finishing your education first, then get some life experience.

EMS is firstly about education & understanding what you are doing. However, EMS is about people & knowing how to deal with people & the crap in their lives. That comes fromlife experience.

I know there are those who will shoot me down in flames, but i have seen the difference between someone who has experience in indusries other than health, that come into the industry. They seem to be able to relate better to people than those who come in straight from school.

Please hold onto your dream, but get some life experience first, then decide what you want to do with it.

Phil

Oh phil!

You know i love it when you talk like that! :love7: :love6:

[Dustdevil]

Hmmm.... Phil makes an excellent, and often overlooked point. But I am not sure exactly how I feel about it.

There is no doubt at all that the maturity and understanding that comes with life experience is an extremely important factor in your ultimate competency as a medic. Half the battle is being able to understand your patient and what he is experiencing, and that is only theoretical until you have lived a little.

On the other hand, your ability to learn and absorb didactic education is at its peak right after high school. The pump is primed, so to speak. If you lose that momentum by taking time off, it makes things more difficult for you down the line. Although the more mature medic student may have an easier time translating the theoretical into practice, the younger student potentially has an easier time grasping the theoretical to begin with. And, considering the time it takes to to complete that education in the first place, you already have four more years of life under your belt by the time you have your degree. And I don't see a problem with getting the rest of your life experience while you work your chosen profession instead of waiting. Yes, you will definitely get better with experience and maturity. However, I don't think that makes you inadequate to begin with.

Of course, that isn't the only point that Phil was trying to make. The other half of that argument is that youth is arguably not the ideal time to be making career choices. As I attempted to say in my original reply, this all seems quite exciting and rewarding to the outsider at any age, but especially to a young person full of idealism, adrenaline, and... well, you know. But the reality is that it is only exciting while it is new. Then it becomes just as routine, mundane, and non-rewarding as any other job after a few years. At that point, many of us start wishing we had chosen other career paths whose rewards are greater and longer lasting. Especially once a family enters your life and responsibilities.

I think my main point is, as I tried to state before, to totally eliminate the temporary excitement, rewards, and "cool factor" of EMS from your decision making process before you choose to study it. Take only what is left -- the hours, the pay, the flexibility, the stress, the risks, the average career length, and the number of available opportunities (how many jobs and employers are there for medics in England, and how many people are competing for them?) -- and decide if that is what you want for yourself and your future family the next thirty years.

And anybody who sits here and blows smoke up your arse with comments like "don't listen to the burn-outs" hasn't been in the profession long enough to offer you an honest, total assessment, which is exactly what you asked for.

I won't try to discourage you from EMS, because indeed, it can be a great career. But I like to see people come in with a realistic understanding of what it is all about, long term. That prevents serious burn-out. And the fewer burn-outs I have to work with in the future, the better.

Good luck!