To become an EMT

[deleted158872]

1/ Is it absolutely required that you MUST take an EMT class ? Can you just buy a review book and take the test ?

2/ Are you required to volunteer for a certain amount of hrs before you can become EMT ?

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[eeyoreDO]

Think about it, dude

and don't do it just to make your AMCAS look spiffy

 

[cavalier329]

1. To obtain the state certification, many states REQUIRE a certain amount of in class instructional hours. Check your individual states DOH website for specific information. But to answer your question, you will probably have to take the class. There is also usually a practical along with the written. A simple review book will not be enough. You need the hands on instruction.

2. You do not have to volunteer at all before you become an EMT. In most instances, if you join a volunteer agency, they will PAY for your course if you volunteer with them. Check your local volunteer agencies policies for specific information. With that said, a certain amount of riding time will make the practical portion of your class easier. As smart as you may be, everyone needs practice.

I have been in EMS for about 7 years. Many people take it lightly and use it for medical school. Don't be that guy. Your patients and co-workers will see right through this and you will not get respect. You are caring for peoples lives and sometimes, you are their lifeline. Don't take this training lightly. Take the course, pay attention, get experience, don't rush it. You'll wish you had the experience when shi* hits the fan someday.

 

[HumidBeing]

Moving thread to the Pre-Hospital (EMT EMS) forum.

 

[cavalier329]

Also...if you are doing it for medical school, just ask yourself this: How many other EMT's will be applying to medical school? This isn't a unique idea. Its about what you do with your certification. A few hours here and there on the truck won't do much for you.

Have pride in the job. Don't insult the people who are out there everyday doing this job for a living.

 

[deleted158872]

Thanks for answering my questions, cavalier!

No, I'm not considering it simply as a boost-up on my resume.I want to get more familiar with the field.

 

[cavalier329]

Awesome. Enjoy it then. Just be careful. It is pretty easy to get wrapped up in the whole lights and sirens thing and with some of the people who work EMS. You will find a lot of full time EMT's are former premeds who wanted to be a doctor after seeing an exciting episode of ER but then realized its too much work. These people will try to tell you being a doctor isn't worth it. Don't let them discourage you

Another item to beware of: many people working EMS think they know everything after seeing a few "good" calls. Don't turn into that guy.

Also, you will see a lot of action junkies...looking for the messy traumas. These will be the same people who scoff at the frequent fliers who always complain of chest pain, the elderly woman who fell, or the older gentleman who is having trouble breathing. They will probably be less courteous to these people because they aren't a source of adrenaline. DON'T BECOME THIS PERSON. These people sometimes forget the possibility of that the elderly diff breather moving the wrong way and turning into a cardiac arrest.

You will see more medical emergencies than trauma. I can promise you this, even when working a place like the south bronx. Pay attention to these calls, they are the ones where you save lives, and also the ones that could get you jammed up big time if you stop caring.

Its an interesting job, one that people either love or hate. I hope you enjoy it and learn something from it. I can't even tell you the amount of things that I will take away from my time on. It has been a life changing experience. You will certainly learn to appreciate certain things in life.

Good luck though! Don't hesitate to PM me with any additional questions.

 

[TarHeelEMT]

Whatever you do, don't underestimate the class or the job. I taught an EMT class at Duke, filled with supposedly intelligent pre-meds, and a large portion of them ended up failing either the class or the state exam precisely because they didn't take it seriously. Out of the entire class of 25 students, there were maybe four that I'd be willing to work with on an ambulance.

 

[NiteOwl]

Not all pre-meds are doing it to make their app look good. I decided to take the EMT course because I have a couple years between not and med school, and I wanted something interesting to do in the meantime.

 

[AliVonKant]

well im gettin my emt-b and my mom works at the hospital,so i know alot of people, and im getting a job as an er tech. ill be in the er,where i plan on doing my residency, and be using my emt cert. im def. not doing it for padding and im using my apps.
plus ill have a good job for my undergrad..Im a senior in hs lol

 

[cavalier329]

admirable that you already know where you want to do your residency and that you are pretty passionate about becoming an emt.

Ive wanted to be at Mt. Sinai since the womb...however as Ive gone through undergrad Ive come to realize that I probably won't even apply.

Take things one day at a time, make sure your interests are genuine, and don't plan the future---you never know what will happen. Sometimes when you plan that far ahead, its easy to get overwhelmed or discouraged by an obstacle along the way.

 

[MedicFL]

well im gettin my emt-b and my mom works at the hospital,so i know alot of people, and im getting a job as an er tech. ill be in the er,where i plan on doing my residency, and be using my emt cert. im def. not doing it for padding and im using my apps.
plus ill have a good job for my undergrad..Im a senior in hs lol

You got a long road ahead yet.. Your not even in college, you need to worry about getting through EMT and then college before you even think about residency..

 

[MichiganEMTInt]

Awesome. Enjoy it then. Just be careful. It is pretty easy to get wrapped up in the whole lights and sirens thing and with some of the people who work EMS. You will find a lot of full time EMT's are former premeds who wanted to be a doctor after seeing an exciting episode of ER but then realized its too much work. These people will try to tell you being a doctor isn't worth it. Don't let them discourage you

Another item to beware of: many people working EMS think they know everything after seeing a few "good" calls. Don't turn into that guy.

Also, you will see a lot of action junkies...looking for the messy traumas. These will be the same people who scoff at the frequent fliers who always complain of chest pain, the elderly woman who fell, or the older gentleman who is having trouble breathing. They will probably be less courteous to these people because they aren't a source of adrenaline. DON'T BECOME THIS PERSON. These people sometimes forget the possibility of that the elderly diff breather moving the wrong way and turning into a cardiac arrest.

You will see more medical emergencies than trauma. I can promise you this, even when working a place like the south bronx. Pay attention to these calls, they are the ones where you save lives, and also the ones that could get you jammed up big time if you stop caring.

Its an interesting job, one that people either love or hate. I hope you enjoy it and learn something from it. I can't even tell you the amount of things that I will take away from my time on. It has been a life changing experience. You will certainly learn to appreciate certain things in life.

Good luck though! Don't hesitate to PM me with any additional questions.

Best advice ever. It sounds like this guy has more experience than me, but I've been in EMS for a few years and even went beyond EMT-Basic to EMT-Specialist/intermediate to get some ALS experience. If you take any advice to heart this is it. EMS is extremely glorified through media and it draws people in. Realize you can touch many lives in EMS, and you will develop professional relationships with your patients. These experiences are invaluable to a pre medical student, but EMS is not for everyone. To elaborate...it's NOT for people who "love trauma" (this is sick by the way. Although trauma is pretty awesome and interesting to learn how to manage, don't be a closet trauma junkie.) It's NOT for people who are looking for something else to put on their medical school applications. It IS for people who have a gap year (years?) and want to get some meaningful clinical experience to reaffirm their interest in medicine. It IS for people who have a genuine interest in pre-hospital medicine. Keep in mind there is a VERY clear distinction between pre-hospital medicine and "hospital" medicine. Anyway, enough for now...best of luck to you.

 

[docB]

It's NOT for people who are looking for something else to put on their medical school applications. It IS for people who have a gap year (years?) and want to get some meaningful clinical experience to reaffirm their interest in medicine. It IS for people who have a genuine interest in pre-hospital medicine.

I disagree that EMS is a good thing to do if you have some gap years to fill. My feelings on this are well known but I firmly believe that EMS is for people who want to practice EMS. It is not a space filler, a resume builder or something to do to see you might like medicine.

 

[TarHeelEMT]

I disagree that EMS is a good thing to do if you have some gap years to fill. My feelings on this are well known but I firmly believe that EMS is for people who want to practice EMS. It is not a space filler, a resume builder or something to do to see you might like medicine.

Why not? I graduated school with no clue what I wanted to do. I was an EMT who volunteered with a local rescue squad, and after I graduated I started working full-time as an EMT and taking ALS classes. It's one of the best things I've ever done with myself and led me in the direction of medical school. EMS doesn't have to be a career.

 

[MichiganEMTInt]

I disagree that EMS is a good thing to do if you have some gap years to fill. My feelings on this are well known but I firmly believe that EMS is for people who want to practice EMS. It is not a space filler, a resume builder or something to do to see you might like medicine.

Absolutely agreed...I think its such a waste of time to use EMS for a resume or application. It's expensive, time consuming, and you won't get anything out of it (including respect from your colleagues...) if you do it for these reasons. However, if you have a considerable amount of time off, and you are curious about EMS and maybe talk to people/observe/etc to see if you'd maybe like to get involved, I think it's perfectly acceptable to do in gap year(s). I think too many people think that it gives you a "good idea of what medicine is like" because nothing could be farther from the truth. I don't even practice medicine in any way but I have been in hospitals, clinics, etc etc for hundreds of hours, and pre hospital medicine is very very different than the medicine most people refer to.

 

[premedmind]

Absolutely agreed...I think its such a waste of time to use EMS for a resume or application. It's expensive, time consuming, and you won't get anything out of it (including respect from your colleagues...) if you do it for these reasons. However, if you have a considerable amount of time off, and you are curious about EMS and maybe talk to people/observe/etc to see if you'd maybe like to get involved, I think it's perfectly acceptable to do in gap year(s). I think too many people think that it gives you a "good idea of what medicine is like" because nothing could be farther from the truth. I don't even practice medicine in any way but I have been in hospitals, clinics, etc etc for hundreds of hours, and pre hospital medicine is very very different than the medicine most people refer to.

Ridiculous...It certainly doesn't hurt when applying to med school - especially when you have great stories to tell from your calls (and if you are at it long enough, you will have great stories to tell to interviewers). Additionally, teching calls acts as leadership experience - another great thing to have on your resume. Also, it counts as volunteer experience.
If you THINK it may be ENJOYABLE, then do it! I agree with not doing it solely for the app, as this is a poor decision. But as far as patient interaction goes, there is NO better experience - and surely doctors DO deal with patients, so don't tell me that the two are entirely different.

I am glad I chose to become a NYS EMT - the rush I get on calls is like no other.

 

[docB]

EMS is not some med school minor league where you log hours and pick up stories to tell at your interviews. To treat it as such belittles the field.

 

[MichiganEMTInt]

Ridiculous...It certainly doesn't hurt when applying to med school - especially when you have great stories to tell from your calls (and if you are at it long enough, you will have great stories to tell to interviewers). Additionally, teching calls acts as leadership experience - another great thing to have on your resume. Also, it counts as volunteer experience.
If you THINK it may be ENJOYABLE, then do it! I agree with not doing it solely for the app, as this is a poor decision. But as far as patient interaction goes, there is NO better experience - and surely doctors DO deal with patients, so don't tell me that the two are entirely different.

I am glad I chose to become a NYS EMT - the rush I get on calls is like no other.

I never said it doesn't hurt, I mean they would never look at it negatively of course, but I'm saying if you do it solely for your application without any genuine interest in EMS you are wasting your time and money.

How does teching calls count as leadership experience...? If you have third riders maybe...

 

[MadMack]

Ridiculous...It certainly doesn't hurt when applying to med school - especially when you have great stories to tell from your calls (and if you are at it long enough, you will have great stories to tell to interviewers). Additionally, teching calls acts as leadership experience - another great thing to have on your resume. Also, it counts as volunteer experience.
If you THINK it may be ENJOYABLE, then do it! I agree with not doing it solely for the app, as this is a poor decision. But as far as patient interaction goes, there is NO better experience - and surely doctors DO deal with patients, so don't tell me that the two are entirely different.

I am glad I chose to become a NYS EMT - the rush I get on calls is like no other.

There's a huge difference between interaction as an EMT, where little to no thinking is involved, to patient interaction as a Doc or even as a Paramedic. The medicine in the street is radically different from how it is in the hospital, clinic or doctor's office. Personally, I like them both for different reasons. In the doc's office I get to know some of the patients and my scope of practice is much larger then it is in the street. However, in the street I get to make a real and immediate difference in people's lives, hopefully for the better.

What's a teching call and how does it count as leadership? The only thing thats going to count as leadership is leading the call and that means being the lead Medic or EMT on the truck.

I am personally of the opinion that the EMT-B cert is the gateway to a career in EMS. If you really like working as an Basic or Basic school, go for Paramedic and get on with an EMS Service or Fire Department. The people who set themselves apart as Basics are the ones who work at it for years and can do all their skills in the dark, upside down in the backseat of a car, during a hurricane. The same is true of Paramedics, there are medics who have enough experience and practice enough that if they had, they could tube a patient upside down in a wrecked car.

Man, maybe I'm being to hard on people, maybe I'm not. My end goal is to be good enough with my medic skills that I am the go-to guy when someone can't get the line or the tube. I want to be the best goddamn Paramedic out there, not the best doc, not the best surgeon. I'm getting an RN license so that I can better understand the why behind the problems the patients are suffering from. Go into EMS with the end goal of being the best possible EMT/Paramedic out there, not boosting a med school resume.

 

[nsx]

There's a huge difference between interaction as an EMT, where little to no thinking is involved, to patient interaction as a Doc or even as a Paramedic.

Comparing c**k size among the different levels of EMT certification does little to improve respect for the EMS profession as a whole.

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Pre-hospital medicine is a narrow slice of medicine, not medicine redux.

New grads climbing into a rig ready to "practice" being a doctor come off as incredibly arrogant. EMS does not pay much, and most workers could easily find jobs that pay more. Show some respect for a valuable profession by not treating it as a stepping stone.

 

[MadMack]

Comparing c**k size among the different levels of EMT certification does little to improve respect for the EMS profession as a whole.

I've been a Basic, I'm currently in the Medic program. To me, there's a huge difference between the two. I'm in no way disrespecting the Basics I work with, without those guys I wouldn't be able to my job as a Medic. I was just trying to explain that these guys are going to be in for a surprise if they expect any substantive patient interaction if they're anything besides the lead Paramedic or EMT on the truck; something that ain't too likely if they've not been in the field full time for a year or two.

 

[BostonEMT]

We need to sticky a thread that answers these basic questions so that we can just refer all of those asking "Should I become an EMT?" and "Will it help me get into medical school?" questions to it and delete these redundant threads.

Oh wait, we already have.