Emt?

Started by eklope2000
Get help with your application

Use all the free resources available to you from SDN: articles, guides, expert advising, forums discussions, and school research.

Browse articles Compare schools My application plan Read Interview Feedback
Practice for interviews Ask an Advisor
E

eklope2000

Member
20+ Year Member
I'm a premed sophomore. Recently I have had this burning urge to become an EMT while in school...

Can someone help me out with some information... I know there are different levels of EMT training. What can someone with each level do in their work? How long/intensive is the training?
 
TRAINING LEVEL DOES MATTER IN FACT...
I USED TO BE A PARAMEDIC SO TAKE MY WORD FOR IT.

EMT-B 120 HRS REALLY BASIC STUFF(SPLINTS, OXYGEN, ETC)

EMT INTERMEDIATE TYPICALLY REQUIRES 6 MO-1 YEAR AS EMT -B PLUS 500 HRS OF CLASS AND CLINICAL TIME. LOTS OF FUN PROCEDURES LIKE USE OF DEFIBRILLATOR, INTUBATION, IV'S, ETC. NOT ALL AREAS/STATES HAVE EMT INTERMEDIATES. MANY PLACES HAVE EMT-B OR PARAMEDIC ONLY

EMT-PARAMEDIC REQUIRES 6 MO-1 YEAR AS EMT-B AS PREREQ.
MOST PROGRAMS 1-2 YEARS IN LENGTH AND >1200 HRS TOTAL CLASS AND CLINICAL TIME. THIS IS THE HIGHEST PREHOSPITAL LEVEL OF TRAINING AND INCLUDES MANY ADVANCED PROCEDURES LIKE NEEDLE DECOMPRESSION OF TENSION PNEUMPTHORAX, CARDIOVERSION, USE OF ALL ACLS(ADVANCED CARDIAC LIFE SUPPORT) MEDICATIONS, ETC

EMT-B CAN BE DONE PART TIME NIGHTS/WEEKEND. INTERMEDIATE OR PARAMEDIC IS USUSALLY A FULL TIME COMMITTMENT
 
eklope2000,

What state do you live in?

Well, I live in NY and worked as an EMT for about 1 year. I took a summer course given by a private company during the summer between my freshman and sophmore year. The course schedule was about 6 hours per day for 4 days per week for about 2 months. At the beginning we were certified in CPR and each student had to get something like an 84 out of a hundred on the written state test about CPR technique and protocol and we all had to pass the practical CPR exam before going on to the rest of the course. At the end of the course, we had to take both the state certification written test and the practical. The written test wasn't that bad, but the practical was tough and required a lot of practice. It was 7 sections and you couldn't fail any of them. The sections were Trauma assessment, Medical Assessment, CPR, splinting, Defibrilation, Oxygen Devices, etc. The assessment parts were really hard because they were really easy to fail. You had to follow this strict protocol (which in real life you don't really do it that way) and there would be steps that were small but if you would miss them you would fail the whole test.

After I passed the test and obtained my certification as an EMT-Defib. (which is basically the only certification that they tought any longer, I think they put together EMT-Basic and Defib. Specialitst into one(EMT-D)). I got a job at Metrocare Ambulance Group in NYC and worked there for 1 year. I basically got on-the-job training because when you finish the course, you know a lot of things but in reality you know nothing. It is all book-learning and not practical learning. It takes a little while until you get a hang of it.

Most fire-departments around the country have ambulances and 9-11 responce teams and many of them will train you after you get your certification but some (like the ones in NY) really prefer if you have work experience prior to working with them.

I truly believe that you can't get a better clinical experience for medical school then working on an ambulance (except being a PA or nurse). I don't mean to make your application look better. I mean that the things you see and the experiences that you will have on this job will prepare you to face the future career of physician better than a crummy volunteer job cleaning bed pans in a local hospital. I really enjoyed my time as an EMT. After a year, I just couldn't work anymore due to my school schedule and the time that I needed to study.

Well good luck and If you need anymore advise you can e-mail me.
 
my friend is an EMT (basic) in st louis, and he really really really likes it. his experiences expose him to all kinds of people and so he has some great stories.
he's gonna start training for paramedic soon.
i kinda wish i'd done it also.
 
Originally posted by eklope2000
I'm a premed sophomore. Recently I have had this burning urge to become an EMT while in school...

Can someone help me out with some information... I know there are different levels of EMT training. What can someone with each level do in their work? How long/intensive is the training?
Click to expand...

Contact your state EMS office for training requirements, or you can contact your local EMS agency (private, fire, hospital, whoever provides EMS in your area).

For more info, visit www.nremt.org

Cheers
 
Yeah, do the EMT.

If medicine is not for you, you'll find out soon enough. It is tough to imagine how smelly, old, poor, and dumb many of your patients can be.

If you do not like smelly, old, poor, and dumb people as patients, this is good information to obtain before you apply. Hey. it happens. Perfectly understandable.

But you could love it.
 
Originally posted by paramed2premed
Yeah, do the EMT.

If medicine is not for you, you'll find out soon enough. It is tough to imagine how smelly, old, poor, and dumb many of your patients can be.

Click to expand...

Why do I always get the smelly ones? Blech. 🙁
 
Originally posted by BioChemDork
Smelly is still better than the patients that blatently lie to your face.
Click to expand...

K, I'll take amusing and you'll take my post-dialysis patient who has been sitting in his liquid diarrhea for 2 hours and drips it all over the floor and the cot when you transfer him over...Even with a cna/escort that sits there and doesn't even change him! That or the person who threw up 5 times in the back of the rig on the floor (we took her to an appt. and back). Especially when these transports take >30 minutes. Those were my two worst.
 
Being an EMT can give you great insight on patient-care, with the added benefit of seeing everything/going everywhere. However, if you are not sure that it is for you, many rescue squads have volunteer programs that let you do ride-alongs and pull duties on crews of at least to EMT(or above) members. Of course, I'm speaking from Virginia, where volunteering is a lot easier in more rural areas than northern VA where career workers are in charge 24-7.
anywho, good luck in determining if being an EMT is for you! i'm in a class right now and will hopefully take the state exam in august.

ps. my area is chock-full of gross patient stories... how about a 300+ pound woman who cannot walk and consequently never showers (we call the fire dept. to help us get her down the stairs in a reeves sleeve)... or the man living in his car in december who had smeared feces on his body to stay warm (both sad and smelly)
 
Is EMT mostly for guys? I am a woman and I'm tall, 5'7" and I think I'm strong but I am definitely no muscle lady, if you know what I mean. When I was in the ER I used to see these big gals coming in and I wondered if I could do it too. Also, I'm here in NYC so there again I'm afraid that they'll take one look at me and laugh - I'm more of a academic type.

I would like to do an EMT course, so guys what do you think? Would I just get clobbered by the othe EMTs or the patients? I can be tough when I have to be ...
 
woolie,
i'm a female paramedic...5' 7" and all of 115 lbs... and i've been doing EMS for 3 + years. it's not bad most of the time. you learn to lift with your legs and find out what works best for you, but some days and some patients will be too much for you. i never try to take on too much...it's better to have extra hands and have to wait a while for the FD or rescue, then to drop or hurt a pt. just imagine the paperwork!!!

females will never be as strong as males (well, i've seen some that are pretty close, but they were scary and i'm not really sure if they were females or not), but we can handle most of what the business throws at us. I'm guessing you are about my build, so just hit the gym a little bit and i think you'd have very few problems.

unfortunately, there will be times when muscle is needed...i remember a car went down a 30 ft embankment and we made it down there, but there was no light and i needed to get to the truck. rescue took forever (so it seemed) and i was really upset with myself for not being able get him out and to the truck without calling for help. i honestly feel pt care suffered a bit (although he is alive and well today). BUT, on the other hand, i'm the smallest person around and can recall a few times when I was the only one who could make it to the pt.

so, after rambling, my point is that you will be fine. try your best and remember we all have strengths and waknesses. pt care is most important so make that your priority. no one wants a strong EMT that can lift them, but can't treat them.
good luck,

streetdoc
 
Ok, I'm doing this for the purpose of answering the question...I am 5'5" and when I started working full time I weighed about 102...During my first two months of work I gained about 6 pounds after not gaining weight for many years. I attribute this to hopefully gaining much needed muscle or eating too much junk all day long in the rig 😀 . My first month or so my back was very sore but I got the hang of it, and with very little lifting weights on the side. A lot of lifting is all about technique- for instance making sure to lift with your legs and not with your arms (or when I do it really wrong, my wrists) and therefore keeping your elbows/wrists locked. Keep your back straight as if you were sliding against a wall. My partner is a short male but he's muscular and the two of us get along with lifting just fine, sometimes even better than others (we know how to use our heads and the rules of physics), . Another thing that helps a lot when you don't have the brute muscle others do is making sure to communicate with your partner very well. If you need to put the stairchair down, that's fine, just tell your partner and take it slow. One last hint, I like to bring the cot up in two tries (one 3/4 up, and one the rest of the way)...this is especially helpful when the pt. is heavy.

And I don't know how it is where you live, but if you are female in the industry be prepared for all sorts of comments from the males.
 
oh yeah, i forgot about the sexual harassment...that comes with the territory. i suggest setting limits early...or it will get out of hand. i'm sure i could make some major bucks for my med school if i followed up with law suits!! :laugh:
streetdoc
 
Originally posted by woolie
Is EMT mostly for guys? ... Would I just get clobbered by the othe EMTs or the patients? I can be tough when I have to be ...
Click to expand...

There are many different ways to be a paramedic. Some folks pull the "tough-guy" routine. Others try out persuasion and Jedi mind tricks. (Hint: You will catch more flies with...?)

Oddly enough, one of the chick medics I work with has a tendency to get into scrap, while I never have.

As for size, the women on our squad hardly exceed 105 lbs / 5 feet! Size has little to do with strength. I am a strong, athletic guy, and I would rather have a reasonably fit petite girl at the other end of the stretcher than some of the overweight, injury-plagued, heavy sweating, wheezy breathing, macho old farts that always want to prove their enduring strength and virilty.

Do EMS honey! We need more "academic types!"
 
Originally posted by woolie
Is EMT mostly for guys? ... Would I just get clobbered by the othe EMTs or the patients? I can be tough when I have to be ...
Click to expand...

That is some darn fine advice, ducky! Lifting is about skill and communication, not ape strength.

There are many different ways to be a paramedic and to deal with patients. Some folks pull the "tough-guy" routine, all attitude. Others try out persuasion and Jedi mind tricks. (Hint: You will catch more flies with...?)

Oddly enough, one of the female medics I work with has a tendency to get into scraps, while I never have.

As for size, the women on our squad hardly exceed 105 lbs / 5 feet! Size has little to do with strength. I am a strong, athletic guy, and I would rather have a reasonably fit petite girl at the other end of the stretcher than some of the overweight, injury-plagued, heavy sweating, wheezy breathing, macho old farts that always want to prove their enduring strength and virilty.

Do EMS honey! We need more "academic types!"
 
Thanks for the encouragement guys!! Streetdoc, I never knew you were a woman. I'm 5'7" but I'm about 150 lbs ! I have big bones I guess because I only wear a size 12. Hmmmm..... you guys have me so psyched that today I actually called around and got the local REMSCO office and was able to find the information on taking a basic EMT course. I also called about CPR over at Kings County Hospital but something tells me that message I left on voicemail may never be returned ... 🙄 Brooklyn sure ain't New Hampshire (I wish it was, or more like it - I wish I was in NH)

Someone asked me if I wanted to be a science teacher this fall, and since I don't have a job I said yes. I'm not confirmed yet, and a big part of me would rather just do something like this - $700 for the course, plus about $60 for the texbook.

I'm definitely used to working with guys (I used to work in a bank), plus I live in a kind of rough neighborhood, so I think my skin is pretty thick. Most guys are pretty decent and don't pull too muchy **** with me. I mean, I think I look like a teacher and sometimes even the scariest thugs on the train late at night, become very polite - I really can't explain it. I was also very good with the crazy screaming, butt naked drunks in the ER - even after the staff had given up screaming at them, in disgust. I'd smile at them and they would start to cry and apologize. Who knows why?
 
Originally posted by paramed2premed
That is some darn fine advice, ducky! Lifting is about skill and communication, not ape strength.
Click to expand...

Yay!!! Thanks :clap:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.