EMT Certification

[tijames]

I'm graduating high school this year. I am taking a year off after I graduate, then will go to college. How useful would it be for me to get my EMT certification (Through level B) during my year off? Is that a good job to have during college? It seems that it'd be a hassle to be on call and spending long hours at the station, so I'd like to know if its worth it. Do medical schools like to see EMT hours on an applicants resume more than another job?




On a side note, does anybody have any good thoughts on activities/places to volunteer/places to work during my year off that would either be good experience or be good on the ol' resume?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Zoom-Zoom]

I'm graduating high school this year. I am taking a year off after I graduate, then will go to college. How useful would it be for me to get my EMT certification (Through level B) during my year off? Is that a good job to have during college? It seems that it'd be a hassle to be on call and spending long hours at the station, so I'd like to know if its worth it. Do medical schools like to see EMT hours on an applicants resume more than another job?




On a side note, does anybody have any good thoughts on activities/places to volunteer/places to work during my year off that would either be good experience or be good on the ol' resume?

I think being an EMT is a great job for a college student. It is good for your application too, since it will be an EC and get you some "clinical experience". However, I would only do it if you are really interested in it, as being an EMT will really bum you out if your just doing it for the resume.

 

[Pose]

The class, for me, was a pretty good experience. The studying isn't bad at all, and the practicals can be pretty fun. As far as working as an EMT--I can't give much advice. I have read tons of other threads on this subject, though. You can either search here, or take a look in the Pre-Hospital forum of SDN.

I've recently gotten an ER tech position with my EMT, though. My "scope of practice" goes much beyond that of the local EMT services, and offers many more benefits for a part-timer. On that note, look into possible employers before spending the money and time for the class, as the only companies around me were willing to hire fulltime only.

As for volunteering: I found a dedicated pre-med volunteering program at a very large hospital in Boston. Perhaps you can call/search around and try to find something similar in your city.

My program was arranged as follows: 60-80 hours of ambassador service (front door--transporting patients), and then 60-unlimited hours in a department of your choice. After the initial 60 hours in a department, you're granted permission to shadow a physician for a day (not to say you can't ask to before these 60 hours.) Oh, and they also write a LOR for your application.

If you aren’t so lucky as to find something similar, most people volunteer, and network with nurses and physicians, gain shadowing experience, and get a nice LOR or two. You just have to be persistent.

Good luck! You'll enjoy yourself.

-Pose

 

[herecomesthesun]

I am currently working as an EMT-B(with my IV cert) and I have loved the work. I started working 2 years out of college in an attempt to learn more about healthcare, find out if I like health care, and to 'pad' the med app in the case that I end up going for my md. I have been working for 9 months now and I have found a real love for the excitement, diversity and weirdness of the job(what other job lets you watch movies and read for hours at end, and then all of a sudden drive like a maniac to go push needles and pieces of plastic into somebody!?) I will be starting MD school in the fall and I regret not being able to work longer as an EMT.
Ok...to answer your questions. It seems from your post that you are confusing WORKING as an emt with VOLUNTEERING as an EMT. If you volunteer as emt, you might be 'on call'. Volunteers are typically found in rural settings. Since I a paid emt, we hang out either in our station or we are posted at a location, in the ambulance, for a full shift(12 hours in my case). Keep in my mind-you have to be 21 to work at my company. This is not with all companies though(I think you can work for AMR, a national 'walmart' of ambulance companies, at 18. Double check on that one though).
Since I never worked during college I can't say what it is like. If you can work part time for the agencies in your district, then it seems like a great job! The pay does suck though(Since my company is smaller, I am paid on the lower spectrum...a mind blowing 9.60 $/hr). Depending on how busy the system you work in is, you could spend hours at a time doing nothing-which means you could be studying and doing homework.
As far as how EMT work looks on an app...I got in, so it didn't hurt! Admission committee's are looking for 1)how much you want to be a doctor 2)what you have done that shows you are committed to medicine and 3)that you have an inkling of what you are getting into. Working as EMT provided me with a foot in the door of healthcare. I did an intensive 2 week accelerated program(PM me for info) that meant I got it done relatively painlessly. I think being an ER tech is a better way to learn about healthcare, for you are working in a hospital and also working closely with MD's. These positions are harder to come by, unfortunately.
As far as activities that look good. Try and stick with things that you are passionate about. I know some schools wouldn't touch applicants with a ten foot stick if they have no volunteer ec's...so volunteer somewhere at some point. But for interviews it is hard to impress someone if you don't feel strongly about something-so you have to have at least LIKED what you did!
Good luck and feel free to pm with questions.

 

[WholeLottaGame7]

I am currently working as an EMT-B(with my IV cert) and I have loved the work. I started working 2 years out of college in an attempt to learn more about healthcare, find out if I like health care, and to 'pad' the med app in the case that I end up going for my md. I have been working for 9 months now and I have found a real love for the excitement, diversity and weirdness of the job(what other job lets you watch movies and read for hours at end, and then all of a sudden drive like a maniac to go push needles and pieces of plastic into somebody!?) I will be starting MD school in the fall and I regret not being able to work longer as an EMT.
Ok...to answer your questions. It seems from your post that you are confusing WORKING as an emt with VOLUNTEERING as an EMT. If you volunteer as emt, you might be 'on call'. Volunteers are typically found in rural settings. Since I a paid emt, we hang out either in our station or we are posted at a location, in the ambulance, for a full shift(12 hours in my case). Keep in my mind-you have to be 21 to work at my company. This is not with all companies though(I think you can work for AMR, a national 'walmart' of ambulance companies, at 18. Double check on that one though).
Since I never worked during college I can't say what it is like. If you can work part time for the agencies in your district, then it seems like a great job! The pay does suck though(Since my company is smaller, I am paid on the lower spectrum...a mind blowing 9.60 $/hr). Depending on how busy the system you work in is, you could spend hours at a time doing nothing-which means you could be studying and doing homework.
As far as how EMT work looks on an app...I got in, so it didn't hurt! Admission committee's are looking for 1)how much you want to be a doctor 2)what you have done that shows you are committed to medicine and 3)that you have an inkling of what you are getting into. Working as EMT provided me with a foot in the door of healthcare. I did an intensive 2 week accelerated program(PM me for info) that meant I got it done relatively painlessly. I think being an ER tech is a better way to learn about healthcare, for you are working in a hospital and also working closely with MD's. These positions are harder to come by, unfortunately.
As far as activities that look good. Try and stick with things that you are passionate about. I know some schools wouldn't touch applicants with a ten foot stick if they have no volunteer ec's...so volunteer somewhere at some point. But for interviews it is hard to impress someone if you don't feel strongly about something-so you have to have at least LIKED what you did!
Good luck and feel free to pm with questions.

Interesting, so where you are, EMT-Bs can start IVs with a separate certification? Here in NC you have to be an EMT-I or -P to start IVs.

 

[jbar]

Interesting, so where you are, EMT-Bs can start IVs with a separate certification? Here in NC you have to be an EMT-I or -P to start IVs.

Colorado for one. Here you take a seperate course, I think it is 24 hours, and you can start IVs if your medical director decides to put in the protocols for EMTs. We can also give D50 after taking the course. We can run and evaluate 4 lead ECGs (about a 36 hour course). In some states basics can intubate if they take another class. When I was back in NH we could do Combi tubes, spinal clearance, and Epi Pens (perscribed to the service not the patient). In NYC EMT-B can give albuterol nebs (they started that because NYC EMS was running too many asthma calls to have medics handle them all.)

so there are a bunch of things that aren't part of the NREMT-B ciric but states or medical directors can add on to the scope of practice.

 

[WholeLottaGame7]

Colorado for one. Here you take a seperate course, I think it is 24 hours, and you can start IVs if your medical director decides to put in the protocols for EMTs. We can also give D50 after taking the course. We can run and evaluate 4 lead ECGs (about a 36 hour course). In some states basics can intubate if they take another class. When I was back in NH we could do Combi tubes, spinal clearance, and Epi Pens (perscribed to the service not the patient). In NYC EMT-B can give albuterol nebs (they started that because NYC EMS was running too many asthma calls to have medics handle them all.)

so there are a bunch of things that aren't part of the NREMT-B ciric but states or medical directors can add on to the scope of practice.

Once upon a time, NC had a separate EMT-Defibrillation course that was like 16 hours, and you learned Combitube, Epi, Albuterol, NTG, AEDs. Then they scrapped that and made it all part of the EMT-B scope of practice. I had to take the EMT-I class to learn IVs/intubation/a bunch of drugs (D50, narcan, atrovent, benadryl, etc etc). Interesting how variable everything is state to state, despite a national curriculum.

 

[greendot]

I worked as an EMT-B for about two years, and in an ER as a tech for 6 months. With the EMT cert you can usually work as an ER tech, and as a previous poster stated, you have an expanded scope of practice as their are doctors around if things go wrong, unlike when you're out on a call. Also, you'd get to know doctors better as an ER tech and the pay was a lot better in my case!

 

[nick661806]

Colorado for one. Here you take a seperate course, I think it is 24 hours, and you can start IVs if your medical director decides to put in the protocols for EMTs. We can also give D50 after taking the course. We can run and evaluate 4 lead ECGs (about a 36 hour course). In some states basics can intubate if they take another class. When I was back in NH we could do Combi tubes, spinal clearance, and Epi Pens (perscribed to the service not the patient). In NYC EMT-B can give albuterol nebs (they started that because NYC EMS was running too many asthma calls to have medics handle them all.)

so there are a bunch of things that aren't part of the NREMT-B ciric but states or medical directors can add on to the scope of practice.

Wow I'm stunned at how much your basics can do. In MD basics can set up a 4-lead, use a nebulizer, and use the epi auto injectors but thats about it. Only paramedics are allowed to intubate and administor D50

 

[jbar]

Frustrating too, like when you try to do resiprocity. Some states it is really easy, to get my CO emt I just had to send them my NREMT. For some states liek NY I had to beg and plead and send form after form. THe whole point of a national system is to be standardized and be able to go from one state to another.

 

[jbar]

For the OP on that note, try to take a course that will get you nationally registered in addition to any state certs you get, that will make it easier to work in different states, for example during summers.

 

[masterMood]

on a sidenote, why are you taking a whole year off? Why not just do half a semester off and then go for the spring semester, or take classes at a nearby college? Because you'd basically have 13 months off to do anything, and you could get awefully bored and any money you would make would have to be listed for income/fafsa calculations as well.