Job/EC Dilemna

[jellyjohn]

Hi...

I've run into a bit of a dilemna concerning employment. As of right now I'm the payroll for the county fire department, American Medical Response (ambulance company), and the US Army Reserves. I was really excited about working for AMR, however, they seem to be pretty inflexible (re: mandatory meetings, training classes, etc.) concerning my school schedule. They seem to be the same in regards to my weekend drills w/ the reserves. I wasn't asked what my availability schedule was like until after orientation; when they unloaded all the scheduling conflicts. They (AMR) do pay better than the county FD (I am a paid call firefighter). Money is not a large concern, however.

I was wondering what anyones opinion of being a paid call firefighter would be as an EC? Would it suffice?? I am also a Hospice Volunteer. Is working as an EMT worth the foreseen scheduling headaches/hardships??

Thanks!

John

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[SawBones]

If I understand you correctly, you are concerned about looking good on your medical school application, correct? If so, being a firefighter is great. But do not forget this cardinal truth: Being a firefighter, while admirable, will not compensate for poor grades and/or MCATs. Grades and MCATs will get you an interview and it is only after this interview that your EC activities come into play.

Again, I hope I understood your question properly.

 

[Forensic Chick]

Hey John,

I am an EMT who chose work in a hospital ER to AMR. AMR (in the Bay Area) has a low pay scale (about 1/2 of what I make in a hospital) and are, as you noted, extremely inflexible as to school schedules/other things. I do not know where you are from, but there are many options in the Bay Area in relation to using your EMT cert where you can adjust hours to school/other commitments.

However, if money is not an issue, then I would just stick with the firefighting and ensure that you're getting high grades and studying for the MCAT if you have not taken it already. If you want medical experience, you can always volunteer in an ER or do ride alongs with AMR. This would solve scheduling problems. You can also work in an on-call basis.

Good luck!

 

[jellyjohn]

Firstly, thanks for your responses!

Sawbones: You understood me completely. Thanks for the reminder, too . I don't want a job(s) that make it extremely difficult for me to attain the grades I want. So, that is taken into consideration.

Forensic: I've been attempting, for about 5 months, to get a job at a local hospital (here in the high desert of socal). I also acquired a phlebotomy certification to help me in gaining employment as an ER Tech. But no dice. I'm open to suggestions in using my EMT cert. and/or my phlebotomy cert. if you have any.

I have decided to quit my job with AMR. It isn't worth the headache and possible academic consequences. Thanks for the advice! I will to continue to concentrate on my academics and supplement that with volunteer time where possible. Thanks, again!!

John

 

[Forensic Chick]

Hey John,

Yes, I did the same thing you did. I earned a phlebotomy cert because I figured it would help me get a job in an ER, however I found out after I was hired that even though you have the certification, it is not in an EMT's scope of practice. It's kind of funny though because I do a bunch of EKG's every shift and that's not in an EMT's scope of practice either, but, whatever.

Have you checked out the county hospitals? Those don't pay as well as private hospitals, but you'll get a lot more experience with true emergencies, and not the "Oh, I've got a hang-nail! Call 911" emergencies I see in a private hospital. I work for Kaiser which is very flexible with hours and work days. There are on-call positions and full time positions, which range from 24 to 32 hours/week. The money is also pretty good ($18+/hour plus shift differential if applicable).

Check out this site: http://www.kaiserpermanentejobs.org/
Just highlight the areas you're near and leave the rest of the page as is, or else you won't get any jobs open positions. With your phlebotomy cert, you can always work as a lab tech drawing blood -- but you'll probably need more than the 15 sticks required to get your cert to get a job. You can always volunteer with the Red Cross to get the extra sticks (I think you need 50 sticks to get hired).

Hope that will help you out. Good luck!