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Originally posted by Mustangman_2000
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I went through the whole program on a degreed course. EMT > EMT-I > Paramedic > National Registry NREMT-P > And was a part time BTLS instructor shortly after I graduated. I worked at Rural Metro. I did my pre-hospital care clinical rotations through Medstar. And my hospital rotations through Parkland (Trauma/Telemetry/Psych), Methodist (Medicine/EKG/Getting your IVs/IM&SubQ shot requirements), GMH (Surgical Intubations), Denton Regional (ER), and Denton Community Hospital (OBGYN/ICU/NICU). You have a choice in your rotations. Take the big nasty county hospitals. You get slammed and you get to learn and use a lot of skills. You don't want to go out and get the minimum hours for each section at a slow rural hospital. I had started about 500 IVs and dozens of intubations before I ever started my first day of work.
I still might have some contacts for Education and Employment information. Are you interested in a degreed program or a fast track certificate program?
You can get EMT certified in about 4 months these days. Be aware that unless you go to Fire school, you will only be able to work for a private ambulance company just being a EMT/Paramedic. Fire Dept.'s pay more, excellent insurance for you and co-dependents, better schedules, and better upward mobility. Private ambulance will pay less because they are not subsidized by the city, state, or county. Our accounts receivable was about 60% at RR, which is on par for the Dallas area. Trickle down economics is the major detractor for people entering privatized ambulance service. Law requires you to transport any bum, undocumented alien, etc..off the street. And they don't pay their Ambulance bills. Therefore, your salary is roughly half of what it would be if you entered a Fire Dept. Schedules are 4 consecutive 12-15 hour shifts and then 3 days off. Most Fire crews run 24 on 48 off, which is better for people with families.
Schools: All the schools sponsored by UT are excellent and are, of course, sanctioned by TDSHS. (e.g., El Centro, Brookhaven, Dallas, NCTC?, etc..) A basic EMT certification program will cost you around $1,400 - 1,500 When you interview with a school; ask them what their first time passing rates are for the State and NREMT/NREMT-P test. You want to hear 80%-90%. That will tell you a lot about the course curriculum, instructors, and the program itself.
I'll be honest with you. This profession is more emotionally rewarding than financially rewarding. You won't get rich being an EMT or Paramedic. However, if you find it's your passion, you'll look forward to climbing on that box every day. It's a hell of a rush running a code bouncing 80 mph down 820 at 3am in the morning. It's not glamorous and it is dangerous in regard to blood born pathogens, combative/unstable patients, transport, and scene safety in hazardous environments. You'll have boring uneventful days, you'll have good days and meet some interesting folks, camaraderie is great among EMS crews, and you'll have days where you will see/touch the most macabre shit you can possibly imagine. If your in the business long enough you will see the inside of a courtroom. It's a litigious nation and ambulance chasers make their bread and butter of EMS and definitive care. The burnout rate in Dallas county inside the private sector was 7 years during my day. Rural communities see longer career cycles.
A good Fire/EMS academy is the way to go. You will last longer and be happier. The environment and the lifestyle is more conducive to a longer and more successful career. Get your self swift water certified. Excellent cert to have on your resume and is offered in just about every EMS program. And if you have the opportunity to take a Care flight ride out. Do it. You'll never be the same again afterward and it'll make you a better medic, in terms of working under extreme stress. Baptism by fire. And at least make it through the EMT-I portion that you can take after you pass the EMT-B State test. EMTs can't start IVs, push drugs, Intubate, Interpret EKGs, etc..It's a limited skill set confined to First Responder Care, Basic Trauma Life Support, Basic Cardiac Life Support (CPR), Blood Born Pathogens, Scene Safety, and Medical Ethics. The fun stuff comes in the Paramedic program. All seasoned medics will tell you they prefer good medicine calls that challenge you and your skills. Trauma is Golden Hour scoop & run and telemetry. Oh, and one more thing. Take the elective summer course for EMS spanish. They may require it now, but in my day it was an elective. I took it and made calls a lot less complicated.
I still might have some contacts for Education and Employment information. Are you interested in a degreed program or a fast track certificate program?
You can get EMT certified in about 4 months these days. Be aware that unless you go to Fire school, you will only be able to work for a private ambulance company just being a EMT/Paramedic. Fire Dept.'s pay more, excellent insurance for you and co-dependents, better schedules, and better upward mobility. Private ambulance will pay less because they are not subsidized by the city, state, or county. Our accounts receivable was about 60% at RR, which is on par for the Dallas area. Trickle down economics is the major detractor for people entering privatized ambulance service. Law requires you to transport any bum, undocumented alien, etc..off the street. And they don't pay their Ambulance bills. Therefore, your salary is roughly half of what it would be if you entered a Fire Dept. Schedules are 4 consecutive 12-15 hour shifts and then 3 days off. Most Fire crews run 24 on 48 off, which is better for people with families.
Schools: All the schools sponsored by UT are excellent and are, of course, sanctioned by TDSHS. (e.g., El Centro, Brookhaven, Dallas, NCTC?, etc..) A basic EMT certification program will cost you around $1,400 - 1,500 When you interview with a school; ask them what their first time passing rates are for the State and NREMT/NREMT-P test. You want to hear 80%-90%. That will tell you a lot about the course curriculum, instructors, and the program itself.
I'll be honest with you. This profession is more emotionally rewarding than financially rewarding. You won't get rich being an EMT or Paramedic. However, if you find it's your passion, you'll look forward to climbing on that box every day. It's a hell of a rush running a code bouncing 80 mph down 820 at 3am in the morning. It's not glamorous and it is dangerous in regard to blood born pathogens, combative/unstable patients, transport, and scene safety in hazardous environments. You'll have boring uneventful days, you'll have good days and meet some interesting folks, camaraderie is great among EMS crews, and you'll have days where you will see/touch the most macabre shit you can possibly imagine. If your in the business long enough you will see the inside of a courtroom. It's a litigious nation and ambulance chasers make their bread and butter of EMS and definitive care. The burnout rate in Dallas county inside the private sector was 7 years during my day. Rural communities see longer career cycles.
A good Fire/EMS academy is the way to go. You will last longer and be happier. The environment and the lifestyle is more conducive to a longer and more successful career. Get your self swift water certified. Excellent cert to have on your resume and is offered in just about every EMS program. And if you have the opportunity to take a Care flight ride out. Do it. You'll never be the same again afterward and it'll make you a better medic, in terms of working under extreme stress. Baptism by fire. And at least make it through the EMT-I portion that you can take after you pass the EMT-B State test. EMTs can't start IVs, push drugs, Intubate, Interpret EKGs, etc..It's a limited skill set confined to First Responder Care, Basic Trauma Life Support, Basic Cardiac Life Support (CPR), Blood Born Pathogens, Scene Safety, and Medical Ethics. The fun stuff comes in the Paramedic program. All seasoned medics will tell you they prefer good medicine calls that challenge you and your skills. Trauma is Golden Hour scoop & run and telemetry. Oh, and one more thing. Take the elective summer course for EMS spanish. They may require it now, but in my day it was an elective. I took it and made calls a lot less complicated.
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