Any Manchester NH EMT's?

[Icecuban]

I'm in a EMT-B course over here in manchester NH and I was wounder whats it like as an EMT here? If there are no manchester EMT's I'd like to know how it is in other cities.. Like is it overwhelming because its a city? Do you think a new EMT should be in a city?

[Dustdevil]

Do you think a new EMT should be in a city?

Absolutely! That's the only place for a new EMT to be!

There's just not that many non-emergency transfer ambulance driver jobs to be had in the rural areas.

[Icecuban]

well then I guess I'm in the right place lol

[Kim_Possible]

Hi

I am a medic with Rockingham. If you have any questions let me know.

Thanks.

[Dustdevil]

well then I guess I'm in the right place lol

Yeah, ideally, the rural areas are someplace you move to after you have established a career with solid education and experience in an urban environment for a few years. It just takes a lot longer to get that done in a rural community. And, of course, there tends to be fewer experienced people to help you develop in a rural system too. You're more likely to be cut loose on your own too early there. Not to mention that most of your educational opportunities will be in the big city where the colleges and large medical centres are.

The city is not overwhelming. More people = more ambulances, so while you will probably be busier, you should not be overwhelmed unless the place you are working just plain sucks, in which case you should leave. But busier means more experience in a shorter time, which is a definite plus. After a couple of years of that, then you can change gears and move to a slower pace, where your whole focus will change from rapid assessment and transport to long-term care of people in areas where the nearest hospital is at least half an hour away. Although your pace is slower, it is still an exciting challenge because the extended transport times allow you a much better assessment, as well as more time to use your skills on each patient. Even after a couple of years of city experience, you will still learn many new things working rural.

Of course, a lot of people -- if not the majority -- only work one or the other for their entire career, and do it well. But ideally, if you have the choice, you ultimately become a better balanced medic by having both experiences. On the other hand, if you can stay at your first job for 20 years and retire without ever going anywhere else for your entire career, there is something to be said for that too, lol.

I should mention that all of this is speaking strictly of 911 emergency EMS only. Anything else is just ambulance driving, and it doesn’t really matter where you work.

Anyhow, I can't speak specifically about your area, as I know nothing about it. But that is the conventional wisdom of urban vs. rural. Good luck!

[Kim_Possible]

Believe it or not, I started in a rural area then came to the city. I did this because at the time I was only a basic and the Manchester EMS system was hiring just intermediates and paramedics. Sometimes it's good to do both, if you want check in on Goffstown ambulance or check with Rock. They now hire basics and once you get your foot in the door, it can lead. With Rock yes for a little while you'll do a lot of interfacility transports, but it's great experience. With Goffstown, they only do 911 so you could get in on that, but with Rock if you're willing to stick out doing the interfacility transfers, you can have a lot of experience when you move on to the next levels of EMS.

[911WACKER]

IM AN EMT IN A PRETTY BUST SYSTEM IN MA LOOKING TO GET INFO ON ROCKINGHAM AMBULANCE

[Chief1C]

http://www.rockingham.org/

[sevenball842]

I am also a medic with Rock. Being a company man, I can say that rock is awesome. However, if it's 911 time you are seeking as a basic, go to mass. Lowell, Lawrence, Haverhill. They all use basics appropriately and you'll get fantastic experience from it.

[second_chance]

I work in the ManchVegas area as an EMT-B, on a FD based EMS service (haha, you'll probably identify where I work in a hurry!)

I initially started shadowing a medic for some hands on skills, so I could get some calls under my belt and get my state license. I do one 12 hour shift a week generally, and am on call at night from 1800 - 0600 seven days a week.

You could always check with Amherst or Milford Ambulance. Last I knew (later last year), Amherst wasn't hiring anyone but per-diem/call people; something which I wasn't interested in. Also, maybe check out Tri-Town, out of Pembroke.

Feel free to PM me if you'd like.