EMT Classes

[hopefool]

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Hello everyone,

I am wondering if there are any EMT's here who could share with me the road they travelled on to become an EMT. I know there are classes one needs to take, are there any other ways one can prepare to be an EMT? and what is the job like?

Thanks very much

 

[emttim]

Hello everyone,

I am wondering if there are any EMT's here who could share with me the road they travelled on to become an EMT. I know there are classes one needs to take, are there any other ways one can prepare to be an EMT? and what is the job like?

Thanks very much

There's not much of a road to being an EMT. You find a technical institute or community college near you that has an EMT-B course and then take it; it's usually one semester long but there are also accelerated programs. You need to have your BCLS (Healthcare Provider CPR) card before you start the program and each program has different requirements, although usually you need to be hep B vaccinated and TB tested.

You can prepare to become an EMT by taking a First Responder course, again offered at community colleges or technical institutes, but honestly, you might as well just take the EMT class since its only about another 50 hours of training.

The job varies greatly depending on where you work and whether you're 911 or transport. A lot of the times, unless you work on a very busy unit, you'll sit around the station or post in the ambulance somewhere until you get a call. While on a call, you're either driving to and from facilities or teching in the back which consists of providing basic medical care to the patient. You will provide oxygen, conduct physical assessments (both head-to-toe, focused, and ongoing), interpret medical information for your run reports such as medications, allergies, medical history, etc. and take vitals.

There are some crappy parts to the job. I've run about twenty or so calls so far as an EMT and I've already experienced a fair amount of smells that have been...less than pleasant and I've already had a patient throw up on my hands (thank god for gloves eh?), but honestly, I still think this job kicks ass...it just needs to pay more than barely above minimum wage.

 

[aaj117]

Depending on where you live, you may not have to pay to take it through a college. In NY (outside of the city) where there are volunteer agencies, if you join a volunteer agency they will usually sponsor you for a class. That's how i went through mine, it only cost me $100, and after being a cleared emt there for a year i got that back! they also sponsored my emt-b refresher (i paid $75) and my ALS course (i think i paid like 150 or 200). Find your local volunteer agency and inquire about volunteering wtih them and what the process is like to become certified.

 

[fiznat]

I spent $800 (I know, I know) for an EMT-B class at my college about 6 years ago - without having prepared at all beforehand. In general it is a fairly easy class that is designed simply to teach you the basics. The real learning is done in the field.

I spent about $3000 for my Paramedic class, which is the same story: a lot of time to teach you the basics, and then the real learning is again done in the field.


What the job is like varies quite a bit from region to region, service to service. Most of time time (especially as an EMT) you are either doing nothing or humping non-emergency transfers from place to place. Depending on where you work you might see a real emergency every once in a while. This is good when you are new, anyways. There is always so much more to learn, so starting slow is probably the best thing you can do.

At the risk of offending someone (and understand this is coming from a Paramedic with 6 years experience in the field), do NOT look at EMS as a career. In general it is a dead end with very little oppertunity for advancement, a physical job that will wear on your body (and your spirit) as you work more and more years. Do this for a while if you like, but plan on an out. RN or PA perhaps, or even MD if medicine is your thing. ...Just don't look as this as anything that will really last and sustain you.

 

[EMTP2DOC]

Check with your local agency about ride along programs. Some operations will let you do this. A few rides with a good crew can give some insight on the everyday functions of the job. Becoming an EMT is a great way to gain exposure to patient care with minimal commitment.

 

[deleted6669]

I did my emt 1-a( now called emt-b) as a senior in high school for free. it was 3 hrs 3 times/week for 20 weeks + a few saturdays all day + a day on the ambulance and a day in the e.d.
I worked as an er tech during college and got certed as an emt-defib and emt-Iv along the way. Immediately after college I went to paramedic school for a yr for a total of 1200 dollars. the same program is now 12 thousand dollars.
emt-b's do a lot more now than they did 20 yrs ago. aed's, a few meds, some places allow combitubes, etc. it's a great introduction to health care in general and emergency medicine in particular.

 

[Unlimited415]

I'll back up what the others have said.

EMT isn't really hard at all, especially if you have a decent science background (even if it's only high school). Just sign up for a course and pass it, hopefully with an A. Usually one or two quarters, though they have accelerated full-time courses you can take over the summer.

The best advice is to do a few ride alongs and see how it is.

 

[SmallTownEMT]

I was with a college first responder organization for a semester before I took an EMT course. Being that I was with an organization I was able to take the course for free and didn't have to pay anything (well, I might have had to pay for the textbook, I don't remember).

As far as the job is, I think it really depends on where you are. I'm a member of a volunteer ambulance company in a rural area which I'm assuming is quite different than running for a paid service in a city. The volume of calls will vary, as will the type of calls and the patients you see. Check and see what it's like in your area.