Considering EMS volunteering

[zeppelinpage4]

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I just finished my first semester in college and am starting to think about beginning volunteering soon.
I was working in a cool animal care program the first few weeks of school but my classes got so busy by the middle of the semester I had a hard time making the shifts.

I don't know how much time i'll have next semester but my schedule is more demanding and doing regular volunteering during the week could be a little tough for me. So I was thinking of doing something over the summer. I'll have several months to dedicate and I can put a lot of time into whatever I do.

However i'm a little unsure about what to do. I volunteered at the hospital during high school and it was something I dreaded. Most of it consisted of paper work or organizing parking permits for hours on end. Absolutely no patient interaction and I felt like I was getting very little out of it.

Does anyone know of good volunteering positions which could allow me to have actual interactions with patients and where I could learn more clinical related things?

The first thing that came to mind was the EMS in my city. It looks like something I could get a lot out of but I have no clue how much training is required to volunteer with them. Also i'm not sure how much training could cost or how much time I would be required to put into it.
If anyone could tell me more about what it's like to volunteer with an EMS squad or how you got the position, it would help a lot.

My college also offers a student EMS program where they give free EMT training if you stay with the program for a certain length of time. I really wanted to try it, but it is during the school year and I don't know if I can make the time commitment while classes are going.

Sorry for the long post, and much thanks to anyone that replies. 🙂

 

[oaklandguy]

To begin my statement I would just like to say that I am a certified EMT and have extreme respect for the work they do. At the same time, I do think EMS volunteering could be very beneficial, but may not be the optimal volunteering experience for you. EMS has a lot of down time and depending on who you volunteer for you may go on a majority of calls that are uninteresting and you may dread that more than hospital. Potentially, EMS could give you a variety of 911 calls that are pretty cool and interesting too.

That being said, if your major concern is patient interaction there are many other options other than EMS. The Emergency Department at hospitals usually gives patient interaction and if you can find a volunteer spot there I highly recommend it. I also recommend other spots at a hospital that give patient interaction for example transport, or surgical waiting. Not the "coolest" places to volunteer, but hospitals need volunteers there and you will definitely get to communicate with patients.

Other great places to volunteer are hospices, free clinics, and nursing homes.

You did mention your interest in pursuing an EMT certification and if you are not willing to put the time commitment in during the school year there are places that usually offer a summer course for it and it is usually extremely accelerated. I don't know how interested you would be in it, but you showed interest so I just thought I would inform you. Good luck on finding a volunteering opportunity and I'm sure you can converse with other pre-meds at your institute or an adviser to help you with a volunteering opportunity if you cannot find one on your own.

 

[sf3m]

Whether or not pre-meds enjoy EMS depends on what they like, of course, but also has a lot to do with how the EMS system works where you plan on volunteering. In my state, the EMT-B curriculum is 120 hours, and some of that includes some clinical time. During the semester, you can usually find a class that is offered, and the class typically meets 2 times a week for 4 hours for the whole semester. Summer sessions on a more condensed time scale are usually offered as well.

As for whether you would enjoy it or not, I've been in EMS and rescue for 3 years, and I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. Of our 200 members, about 60% of those are pre-meds (like me) from our local top 5 university. They may come into the squad at first because they simply want it to look good on their resume, but they come out of their volunteering with a changed perspective and a true love for the field. The fact that you have to single handedly manage an emergency team and care for your patient builds a lot of patient interaction and assessment skills that can be VERY valuable to you down the road, especially when you get to your clinical time in med school. All of our pre-med grads from the squad speak very highly of the positive impact EMS had on them in med school, and they said they felt ahead of their class in many aspects due to their EMS experience.

That said, the rescue squad I volunteer with is one of the busiest in the country, so we rarely have any down time as oaklandguy mentioned. We run back to back calls all shift and the excitement level is always high. If you're from an area with a low call volume, then the down time may be a factor in how much you will end up enjoying this. Due to how much I love being on rescue squad, I would say go for it either way because you will definitely learn a lot, but if your local squad doesn't run many calls, you should take that into consideration. Feel free to PM me if you have more questions.

 

[WholeLottaGame7]

I just finished my first semester in college and am starting to think about beginning volunteering soon.
I was working in a cool animal care program the first few weeks of school but my classes got so busy by the middle of the semester I had a hard time making the shifts.

I don't know how much time i'll have next semester but my schedule is more demanding and doing regular volunteering during the week could be a little tough for me. So I was thinking of doing something over the summer. I'll have several months to dedicate and I can put a lot of time into whatever I do.

However i'm a little unsure about what to do. I volunteered at the hospital during high school and it was something I dreaded. Most of it consisted of paper work or organizing parking permits for hours on end. Absolutely no patient interaction and I felt like I was getting very little out of it.

Does anyone know of good volunteering positions which could allow me to have actual interactions with patients and where I could learn more clinical related things?

The first thing that came to mind was the EMS in my city. It looks like something I could get a lot out of but I have no clue how much training is required to volunteer with them. Also i'm not sure how much training could cost or how much time I would be required to put into it.
If anyone could tell me more about what it's like to volunteer with an EMS squad or how you got the position, it would help a lot.

My college also offers a student EMS program where they give free EMT training if you stay with the program for a certain length of time. I really wanted to try it, but it is during the school year and I don't know if I can make the time commitment while classes are going.

Sorry for the long post, and much thanks to anyone that replies. 🙂

I did my EMT course through my university and volunteered with my school's organization, and I would highly recommend it. It was 4hrs 2x/wk for one semester, but it was in the evenings and didn't require any outside studying. And actually, it was scheduled for 4 hours but rarely lasted that long.

Benefits to a college organization: you will have a lot more opportunity for leadership/administrative positions which are good experiences and look good on a resume. I still talk about it on my residency interviews. That's going to be a lot more challenging to move that quickly in a county system.

If you're interested and committed, EMS is a much better way to volunteer than shadowing, etc, because you actually get to do stuff. "Volunteering" in the ER, or a clinic, etc, isn't a whole lot of fun if you aren't trained to do anything.

 

[runrunrudolph1]

I agree with what everyone else is saying on here. The training itself takes a lot of time. It is a relatively easy course, and the exams aren't bad. However, do not go into this lightly. I took it spring semester of my freshman year (it was at another college, an hour commute) and it really took away a TON of time from my classes. Now that said, I ended up doing perfectly fine, you just have to know how to manage your time.

I also work with my college's squad and I too, like everyone on here would not trade the experiences I've had for ANYTHING. Sure, on a college campus you get a ton of BS calls- drunk kids, kids in popping pills etc etc. but from time to time you will get someone that is truly hurt and needs your help. And you will need to exercise leadership, self-contol and your medical skills in a manner that is best for your patient and get everything done.

Plus, idk if this is an unique experience (and I don't think it is) you make some really close friends on the unit, working day in and day out with the same people and sharing these experiences. I would definately suggest doing it 👍

 

[david594]

I also took and EMT-B course my freshman year of undergrad. We had an on campus ambulance, so the school was willing to pay for it, but I honestly had little to no activity with that group after that. They would mostly cover sporting events and had jurisdiction for BLS calls on campus, but also had a bad relationship with the ALS fire department ambulance and they would end up stealing a lot of the non-BS calls on campus.

What the majority of us did was then join outside volunteer agencies with higher call volumes. Because we were volunteer agencies we were never responsible for medical transports and did strictly 911 calls. One of the towns I volunteer in was so desperate for volunteers they basically handed us the keys to the ambulance and a map to the town the day we started and told us to go to it. Others were much more organized and provided a lot more oversight for us, and would even pay for advanced training for members in good standing who were interested. In either case definitely got to see a fair number of cases and learn some interesting stuff.

 

[neskalee]

do you need special training to drive the ambulance ? is that normally the job of the EMT 1?

 

[Siggy]

do you need special training to drive the ambulance ? is that normally the job of the EMT 1?

First off, to clarify for the non-Californians, EMT-1 (also denoted as EMT-I using roman numerals, not to be confused with EMT-Intermediates) is technically the title for EMT-B in California. In California, you need to obtain an ambulance driver certificate from the DMV in order to drive. The exam for this is a 20 (or 25?) question multiple choice test with questions coming from the handbook that you can buy for something like $5. Additionally, you need a live scan background check and a physical exam done (medical examiners card).

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/dl/ambu_drvr_cert.htm

As far as what EMT-1s (EMT-B) do, it really depends on where you're working. In most private companies, you'll start off doing non-emergent transports such as taking patients to doctors offices, dialysis clinics, and hospital discharges. These companies also do a varying amount of emergency calls from nursing homes. These calls can vary from being extremely minor to life threatening conditions, but the likelihood of getting these calls largely depends on which county you're working in, so you will have a chance to attend on calls.

Also, since this is a thread about volunteers, I can't think of any volunteer agencies in coastal Southern California. I'm not sure about elsewhere in the state.

 

[SarVA]

I just finished my first semester in college and am starting to think about beginning volunteering soon.
I was working in a cool animal care program the first few weeks of school but my classes got so busy by the middle of the semester I had a hard time making the shifts.

I don't know how much time i'll have next semester but my schedule is more demanding and doing regular volunteering during the week could be a little tough for me. So I was thinking of doing something over the summer. I'll have several months to dedicate and I can put a lot of time into whatever I do.

However i'm a little unsure about what to do. I volunteered at the hospital during high school and it was something I dreaded. Most of it consisted of paper work or organizing parking permits for hours on end. Absolutely no patient interaction and I felt like I was getting very little out of it.

Does anyone know of good volunteering positions which could allow me to have actual interactions with patients and where I could learn more clinical related things?

The first thing that came to mind was the EMS in my city. It looks like something I could get a lot out of but I have no clue how much training is required to volunteer with them. Also i'm not sure how much training could cost or how much time I would be required to put into it.
If anyone could tell me more about what it's like to volunteer with an EMS squad or how you got the position, it would help a lot.

My college also offers a student EMS program where they give free EMT training if you stay with the program for a certain length of time. I really wanted to try it, but it is during the school year and I don't know if I can make the time commitment while classes are going.

Sorry for the long post, and much thanks to anyone that replies. 🙂

I'll just kinda echo a lot of the things that others have said on here, but I want to emphasize: if you don't want to (or can't) dedicate the time to be a good member of a rescue squad, don't do it. I have been running rescue for a little under 2.5 years now, and I would say that by far my most valuable experiences have been over the last year or so (once I was fully released to practice on my own). I absolutely love what I do in EMS and have found it to be one of the most valuable experiences of my life so far, so if you can find the time (and it really has to be a long-term commitment...just a summer probably won't cut it) I would definitely recommend it. On the other hand, if you don't think that you'll be able to dedicate the time than I would discourage you from doing it (BUT...I have found that it's always possible to make time for something that you really want to do).

To answer some of your original questions:
The summer after my senior year of high school I literally just went and knocked on the door of a volunteer rescue squad and told them that I was interested in joining. Some paperwork, observing, and a couple months later I was a probationary member. With the exception of paid staff that work during the day on weekdays, we cover all of the calls for our area so being on the ambulance you could get anything from a nosebleed to a code blue (patient not breathing/heart not beating...this is just a sample from the last few days). My EMT-B class was about 120 hours (mine was 3 hours every Thursday night and 5 hours every other Saturday for about 5 months), but to be totally honest I learned almost everything that I needed to know actually on calls rather than in class. Some rescue squads will let you practice on your own as soon as you receive your state (or national) certification but most require you to go through their own checkoff process (which for me lasted about 5 months after I received my state certification). On my squad (and most other volunteer squads that I know of) you are expected to be there for at least one shift a week - for me that could mean a weeknight or weekend, and our shifts are anywhere from 12-24 hours long. Our shifts are overnight, but most of the time we get at least a few hours of sleep 🙄
EMS is one of the best ways that I have found to get real patient contact - having shadowed and volunteered in hospitals the most I ever got to do was watch docs interacting with patients (or, on the other end of the spectrum, answer phones...) while in EMS the patient is actually your patient and (once you are certified and released with your squad) you are in charge of their care.

Sorry that this was so long...if you have any other questions feel free to PM me

 

[tennisball80]

I have been taking an EMT-B course since the start of first semester. To be honest, it's a great course. You will learn how to apply first aid to patients. It's way better than a CPR course.

I am a bit nervous though. Although I have passed many skill tests in class, I am still not that confident about applying EMT procedures to patients.

My first clinical rotation is coming up!

 

[TTigers70]

As far as expenses are concerned, some states will pay for your training if you first sign up with a volunteer agency. That way, you can take your class over the summer with no more commitment to the university program and not be out the $500+ training costs these days. I've been riding with a volunteer ambulance and rescue squad for about 2 years now and it's been an incredible experience. I agree that most of your practical knowledge will be learned during actually calls versus what the book teaches you in class. It depends on your instructors and program, I had 2 GREAT instructors who were realistic in patient treatment (unofficially taught us some street techniques to stop bleeding etc) and a few not so great teachers who basically read the manual to us.

Few Disclaimers:
1) Volunteering with an EMS squad is going to be a time commitment any way you slice it. Most places are understanding if you are away at school but make sure that you are available to ride whenever you are around.They invested in educating you and its upsetting to me if people exploit the free training and then decide to go work for a paid service.

2) It may not be what you expect; even if you work in an inner-city it won't necessarily be like what you see on TV. You may get gunshots or other trauma cases but you can also expect the countless "difficulty breathing, chest pains" from the local fast food spot that ends up being heartburn. I have a healthy mix (most trauma calls are motor vehicle accidents which are often diverse) with medical calls. One of my friends who volunteered at a different squad found that he could not empathize with anything less than a severe trauma call, another found that they can not handle blood or another person's/family's loss.

3) Realize that volunteering with an EMS squad should be more than something to pad a resume, you may be entirely responsible for someone's life on some calls.

It is a really tremendous experience and something that I highly recommend. Feel free to PM me as well if you have any questions. Cheers

 

[equios]

I am a NREMT-B and a licensed EMT-IV in the state of Tennessee. I will again mirror what everyone above has said.

The training class for EMT-B is somewhere in the neighborhood of 120 hours of in-class time and a variable amount of clinical time on a truck. When I did my certification, it was 120 hours of in-class time and a minimum of 60 hours of clinical time. So 180+ hours of instruction total. The class counted as 12 credit-hour course at my local community college.

Once you pass the National Registry and obtain your state license you can boldly go out and treat your patients (or victims!). So, if you are interested in doing EMS, you are looking at at least a semester's worth of training before you can be boots on the ground.

With you desiring to get more patient contact and medical experience, rescue squad is not a bad idea. You get to run all the "Cool" calls, and depending on your locale see quite a bit of action. You will probably be expected to know what to do from the get-go, or told to get out of the way. My local squad is like that. Either get it done or get out of the way. Your mileage may vary!

Volunteering or working part-time with a EMS service is another option. Depending the service, and how your state is structured, you may work BLS (Basic Life Support), ALS (Advanced Life Support), or both. BLS is your standard non-emergency calls: hospital to skilled nursing facilities, dialysis transfers, doctor's appointments. BLS provides a great opportunity to practice your patient assessment skills and develop your personal style and flow of patient interview (SAMPLE-OPQRST).

On ALS you will see more emergency calls, but you may still run BLS calls, but also ALS. You should keep in mind that if you are on an ALS truck, you will be with a Paramedic who will manage care of any 911 patients, your job is to assist him/her and to get the patient to the hospital in a safe and speedy manner. Depending on your Medic, you may get to practice to the limit of your certification, or you may just be a driver. Depends on the medic. Also remember that 95% of 911 calls are not true emergencies, only 5% of any 911 call will be a true emergent situation. Most others range from "they can drive to the hospital, but wanted a taxi instead" to "they are sick, but are long-term stable." That will be 95% of your calls.

Oh, one other up-side of volunteer and part-time EMS is MONEY. While doing good for good's sake is admirable and personally rewarding, doing good and getting paid for it is also rewarding in different and more tangible ways.

I'm not saying this to discourage you or anyone from EMS. But, I think its important to go in knowing exactly what you are getting into, rather than going in with some romanticized notion of what it entails.

It is a highly rewarding field. I personally think that it is an invaluable experience for anyone wishing to pursue a career in health-care. As an EMT you get to to be on the spear-tip of the medical system. You run a lot of BS, and you run a lot of legit calls. You end up helping a lot of people who are in very dire straits, health-wise. You are also pushed to think fast, think on your feet, and think under a lot of stress. It teaches you how to interact with your patients and how to feel and express true compassion to them; basically an excellent way to hone your bed-side manners before you even start med-school. Lastly, it provides some great ammunition for those med-school interviews. I find its much easier to talk to doctors n such on interview committees about health-care having already been a health-care provider myself.

Also, it does a good job of desnsitizing you to things like blood, vomit, fractures and bodily deformations, and a whole range of other nasty and icky things that can and do happen to the human body. Ever smelled a lower-GI bleed? You never forget what a GI bleed smells like, you also never forget what a 3-week old corpse in the hot summer smells and tastes like either.

Overall if you are willing to make the commitment, I think it is a great opportunity and experience that will leave a lasting impression. But the key word is commitment. If you are looking for a resume padding, I recommend looking elsewhere.

 

[zeppelinpage4]

Wow...thank you guys, I really mean it, thanks so much to everyone who replied. I had no idea i'd get this much in depth advice but I think I got the info. I needed.

I'm okay with not having many( if any) interesting or life threatening cases but from your descriptions it seems to be rewarding either way. Even if it's a simple case like heartburn, if I can directly help in some way i'd be pretty satisfied. It's more about the direct patient interaction which sparked my interest in this service. It's not so much for a resume (I could probably pick easier volunteer opportunities) however this seems like it could be the most rewarding.

I'm very glad you guys emphasized the time commitment involved, that's been my biggest worry and i'm glad you gave me an honest idea of how much dedication this would take.
I'm going to see if I can call or visit one of the local squads and see what form of training they can offer.
Some of you guys mentioned a more intense summer training which seems like it would work well for me. I am willing to work during the school year and any time I come back home. However training would be more doable if it's closer to the summer months.

Aside from that I think i'll give a try with my college first response group for a semester as a non-EMT volunteer. It'll give me an idea of what I might be getting into and if it doesn't work out I can leave at the end of the semester.
On the other hand if I can commit the time and really enjoy it, i'll try and get EMT training over the summer months and pursue it further.

Again thanks so much, I'll use this next semester to think about it more and see if it's really for me before going all in. 🙂
SarVa & TTigers70 i'll definitely keep that in mind and send a PM if I find out anything else about how the training and hours are conducted in my area.

Thanks again to everyone and if you have anything else you'd like to add, i'd be glad to know the extra info. it's already helped a ton.

 

[Paramedic2DocMD]

OP
Here are two great links from the EMS portion on SDN about EMS and whether to do it or not.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=412860

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=556556

My advice is to not do it for the med school app, do it because you want to do EMS.

Good Luck/Disclaimer Don't Take My Word, I Don't