Paramedic

[slowburn420]

Well im 17 juust graduated high school a couple a months ago so i need to decide what im gonna do with my life. I was think about becoming a EMT (paramedic). I think it would be a cool job to have for the rest of my life because everyday would be differant and I wouldnt know what to expect. To become one i would have to attend a local college for 2 years and it cost around $5000 to enroll and take the classes.

I assume that once im working for the hospital i will be drug tested but for the next 2 years while im training i wont be unless for some reason the college does drug tests.

What do you guys think about this career option?

slowburn420 Reviewed by slowburn420 on 12-24-2006. Paramedic Well im 17 juust graduated high school a couple a months ago so i need to decide what im gonna do with my life. I was think about becoming a EMT (paramedic). I think it would be a cool job to have for the rest of my life because everyday would be differant and I wouldnt know what to expect. To become one i would have to attend a local college for 2 years and it cost around $5000 to enroll and take the classes. I assume that once im working for the hospital i will be drug tested but for the Rating: 5

[slowburn420]

anyone have any input???

[Frivolous248]

I don't know much about it, but if you think its what you wanna do then go for it.

Hopefully you won't get stuck with someone like on that episode of scrubs, and Dr. Cox has to ride in the ambulance with a chick that talks a lot.

You may have to give up the ganja when you get that job though. I can easily see that being a job they random for, I mean, your driving an ambulance around, they don't want you on drugs. Not saying drug testing is good, but that would be their logic.

[birdgirl73]

It's a good career option, Slowburn, and good to get into when you're young because it's very physically demanding work. I worked as a fire department paramedic (EMT-P) for 7 years and still maintain my certification but haven't worked in anything more than a volunteer capacity for 17 years or more. Most any organization that hires medics drug tests, however. So be aware of that. You'll learn a ton of stuff, and if you work in fire rescue, you'll also see some disturbing gut-wrenching stuff.

Any hope you might find yourself an employer/sponsor such as a fire department or an EMS subcontractor like AMR or a medical transport service who'll hire you first and put you through the training themselves? That's a good way into that job--to get hired first and let your employer sponsor you through the training. You can also pay for the training yourself, of course, but it's expensive, and most of the main places that employ a lot of EMTs and/or paramedics get big discounts. They also sometimes want you to have specific kinds of training that they need to obtain for you. Here in Texas, I worked the first year at a state hospital, which got me the basic and advanced EMT certification, and then the next year I got a job with the fire department, which gave me the field hours I needed and sent me for the EMT-P training/test. Once you have your basic EMT certification, you're qualified to work in the field, with restrictions on the types of treatment and procedures you can do, and you can then let your sponsor/employer send you for your EMT-advanced and EMT-Paramedic certification.

Good luck! Hope it works out for you.

[slowburn420]

yeah i live in texas and there is a college called tstc, i have to go there for 2 years. the first year i learn in the classroom and the second its hands on riding along with real emts. then when i finish the course i get automattically hired on to the local hospital.