Questions about an EMT Career

[Tecumseh]

I ma thinking of becoming an EMT. The classes are offered at the local community college and seem interesting. I want to move to Seattle Washington to finish my degree in September. (The classes are at a different university.) I was wondering if I got my EMT certification would it be transferable to WA state?

[Victory]

I couldn't even use the 7 credits i got for EMT school as a free elective. Your milage may vary. Best to ask the college.

[RLDS45S]

You will need to contact the Washington State Health Dept. or http://www.doh.wa.gov/hsqa/emstrauma/default.htm

[toddthecat]

What state do you live in now? Washington recognizes paramedic level under the national registry. It depends if you live in a national registry state...

Also, if you are interested in going into emergency medicine, check out www.nremt.org

It may give you helpful insight about doing it for a career. It isn't for certain people. If you can't handle 12 hour shifts and low pay, then you might want to look into something else...

[Tecumseh]

I currently live in Illinois. I am interested in doing it because I want to help people. I figure it would be a good elective so I wll have to check with my college. I also believe it would allow me to join a Volunteer Fire Dept. in the area. A buddy of mine was doing it and is a volunteer fireman because of the connections he made. He also got a job while he goes to school. It doesnt sound to bad.

As for a career I would have to enjoy it. I have done the 12 hour shifts (although not continously) and am used to low pay. ;f

I think it looks to be an exciting career and one I may be interested in pursuing. Thanks for all of the links.

[hotpig]

I have just over twenty years of service. Exciting, is not the best way to describe EMS. It has been months since I had a run that I used lights and siren going to the hospital. Exciting runs a few and far between.

I bet it averages in the 90% range of BS calls and non urgent transports. The biggest waste of my time is transporting frequent flyer patients five hours round trip to a Psych Hospital.We get the same losers over and over. I can hardly force myself to be civil to these parasites on society.

Before you guys start calling me a burn out I not talking about every psych patient. Some times we do get people that have problems and need help. I can deal with these people. It is the ones that are psych for a living. They have to act out every once in a while to keep their government checks coming.

It just burns my *ss to take a truck off 911 calls for five hours to transport the same people all that way for nothing. Sorry end of rant.

[toddthecat]

Originally posted by hotpig

I bet it averages in the 90% range of BS calls and non urgent transports. The biggest waste of my time is transporting frequent flyer patients five hours round trip to a Psych Hospital.We get the same losers over and over. I can hardly force myself to be civil to these parasites on society.


Man tell me about it. I agree with you completely. There was this one woman we responded to who calls around one a week. She makes things up, one thing more stupid than the next. And of course, an ambulance turns into a taxi. It really steams me because now there are two paramedics transporting someone who doesn't need it when there is someone else out there needing our services...

[shortsleeve]

Originally posted by hotpig
I bet it averages in the 90% range of BS calls and non urgent transports. The biggest waste of my time is transporting frequent flyer patients five hours round trip to a Psych Hospital.We get the same losers over and over. I can hardly force myself to be civil to these parasites on society.

I agree with you!

[hotpig]

There have been incident of cardiac arrests were the Ambulance was delayed up to twenty minutes because of the BS runs that we do.

It is very hard being nice to our taxi customers when we have real Emergencies waiting. If I did not need the money to pay for my Step Daughters Master Degree and wedding I would be saying screw you guys I'm going home.

With some of the changes that they are talking about our ambulances are going to stay out of service longer playing nursemaid in homes instead of providing Emergency care and transportation.