I see a lot of people on here taking only the EMT class, with no mention of work experience (or anticipating to get some).
Is it the cert itself that adds a boost to an application; or does the cert need to be coupled with work expereice in order for it to be "worthy" of being put on the application? I would assume the later, but I'm not sure?
I'm asking this because this summer I was thinking about taking a class because it seems like something that would be enjoyable, but I know that the market in my area is completely saturated with EMT-B's so there is little to no chance to find work.
I like to think of it this way, what can it hurt?
Basically I'm lucky because part of my undergraduate degree has required me to obtain at least an EMT-B before graduation. I took that class three years ago. I enjoyed it immensely, and learned a lot. No, nothing was particularly difficult; and no, I don't think that the course should warrant me any pats on the back from adcom's, but I did learn a lot of neat clinical skills (rapid trauma assesment, focused patient examination etc) that will only help me as I get into medical school because I'll have a foundation (albeit a small one) that other students may not have.
I was given the opportunity to take an additional course as well, the EMT-Intermediate/advanced. There I learned a ton of really applicable stuff that will put me ahead of the curve during the second year of med-school. I learned about reading and interpreting EKG's, placing Endotracheal tubes (yes I can intubate), and determining when, why, and how to deliver a bunch of meds such as IV Lidocaine, Atropine, Epinephrine, Naloxone, and a whole list of others. So now between my EMT classes, and the associated classes in pharm/tox, medical terminology, and Health Promotion, I feel like I've got some nice background going into med school.
Another thing that I will say is that my EMT training has opened the doors to some pretty incredible extra curricular medical experiences. I was selected to participate in a US Navy humanitarian mission this past summer. I visited 4 countries, delivered medical care in two of them (Indonesia and East Timor, we visited Singapore and Australia for liberty), and was allowed to have some pretty intense hands on experience. I got to treat Indonesians, and East Timorese in both medical and surgical settings; under the supervision of the docs I was even allowed to try my hand at making diagnoses and dispensing meds. I helped coordinate and conduct an EMS training to the Search and Rescue team from the Maluku, Indonesia (over 120 people attended), and the East Timor National Fire Training academy in Dili. And that's just a small portion of what I did during this two month experience. I've done other, equally rewarding and intense things stateside as well.
The whole point in describing all that is not to brag, but rather to say that without my EMT training as a foundation I would not have been able to do any of these things. It's not that EMT's were needed by the Navy this past summer, they weren't, and I may have been the only non-nurse/non-physician medical volunteer. But the Navy were willing to allow me to participate because of my training, and I was able to make the rest happen purely by virtue of being in the right place at the right time and having some background. This has been the case in almost all my extracurricular Medical Activities, EMT (specifically EMT-I and it's far more advanced skills) has opened the door.
So if you can make it happen, I say do it. Then use it as a tool to find some awesome opportunities around you that aren't given to people without some patient care training/background.
Hope that helps.
