The Social Network & Community JUST for Firefighters
what should i expect?
im a junior in high school and want to become an emt after high school. how do i really go about this? i already know where i can take the courses but really what should i expect in this career? any suggestions or anything will be very helpful.
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by chelsea on
-
thanks. that helps me out alot. i havent planned to far ahead but i want to do the emt thing first to make sure i want to go into this profession. if i like it enough i totally plan to go on and become a paramedic. but thanks alot for the advice.
-
Permalink Reply by Ronald Lucero (Retired) on
-
What to Expect is a hard question. First you need to prepare yourself for the unexpected. Be prepared no matter what the circumstance to do the job when it needs to be done. Study hard and do the best you can. As said in another response, the money is not great, but nursing and other medical fields are better. If you do choose the EMT way and riding an ambulance there will be rewards in this job that others wont have. Good luck in your decision making..
-
-
thanks. and i know the pay want be that great especially since i live in a small town. but becoming an emt has been on mind for about 4 years now. i figure if i get my emt certification and it isnt quiet what i want i hope it will still help in whatever other medical profession i choose. if i dont become an emt i still want to be in the medical profession.
-
Permalink Reply by lutan1 on
-
This topic has got me thinking- should we have a minimum age before undertaking employment in Paraemdic roles?
Go out, enjoy life, have some fun, get some life experience. Don't burn out from the trauma and stress in the early years of your life....
-
-
I here ya' but I've got really mixed feelings about it.
I joined my Department here in Oz at 17. By 19, I was responding to MVA's, etc. By 21, I was OIC- I had so immersed my life in this stuff that I ate, slept and breathed it literally!
I'm 35 now and have officially been out of the department for 8 years. (I run my own emergency management consulting and training company, thus why I have such an interest still in the services) But I tell you what- there is no doubt that what I saw and did has had life changing effects on me, some of which are still haunting me after all this time. Do I regret it? Sometimes and some of it.
As a comparative, we had a young guy join and he too got too involved, too quick and he is literally a basket case now. This has so profoundly changed his life that his marriage suffered, his job suffered, his whole life was thrown into turmoil. He will probably never recover from the emotional trauma.
I've had loads of younger people ask me about joining and getting in the thick of it, and I really encourage them to go out for a few more years and enjoy life. This is a great profession and career, but it can be hard.
If youy are still really, really keen to join, then make sure you recognise the signs and symptons of CIS. Don't be afraid to call out for help. Take time for yourself, your partner and your family. Don't let it consume you....
Be safe!
-
-
Our department here in Utah required a person to have, prior to employment, they must have FF1 and EMT Basic. This person is is then put on a probationary period of 6 Months, for evaluation by duty officers and other EMT, FF's. This allows an unbiased review of the person who is new to the field of Medicals and Fire that they can handle the stress and conditions of the job. This allows people to see their attitude, and willingness to be part of this type of work.
I joined the Fire Service when i was 22-23 years old. I too was consumed in what i was doing and wanted to do. I know realize that there "IS A LIFE" away from the fire service and department. My wife and kids should have been a priority. I am still married and the kids are grown up and moved out, but i should have spent more time with them.
So, since you are convinced to join the ranks of the Fire Service, in medical and or fire. Just be the best you can both on and off the job. Know that there are other things that are just as important off the job as on. This will give you a good balance in life menatlly. Hope the best for you and good luck.
-
-
thanks for all the replies. they are all a big help and i like learning what the regulations and such are for other states. im pretty set on being an emt. i am taking my 3rd medical class in high school right now (anatomy). next year i plan to take the ems class. but all of your replies are very helpful...please keep them coming. and everyone stay safe out there.
-
Permalink Reply by chele on
-
If you really want to be an EMT, go for it. I am a volunteer EMT-I, which means I worked just as hard as anybody to be an EMT but don't get paid for my efforts! It's not about the pay, and there isn't any amount of pay that would make it a good job to have if you don't have the "calling" to do it. Because I am a volunteer I am always in the middle of something else when I get paged. I live my life around being able to run! For instance, my coffee maker has a thermal caraffe so that I will never leave the house with the burner on! So far this calendar year I have been on 7 runs. That might not sound like a lot, but this is a town of less than a thousand people! About half of them are transports, which are time consuming when you live out in the middle of nowhere like I do. The rest were medicals and one MVA. The thing is you never know what you are getting in to. The MVA's can be anything from mundane to horrific. The medicals can be anything from mundane to critical. This can be the most intense and gratifying thing you have ever done and can also be the most boring, to even terrifying! You will deal with anything from the elderly to the mentally ill to the drunks to babies. You can be in danger from your patient or the scene conditions, or both. You have to be able to adapt to each situation and still do the job! As you have mentioned, you can use EMT as a stepping stone to other medical fields. Good luck to you!
-
Permalink Reply by joe on
-
one of the first things you should expect is the unsupexected, and in that i mean there will be things that you see but don't acted surprised in front of the patent, act like you see every day, that wat you give them the confidents in you doing the job to the best of your abilty, also don't wait till after high school sign up now , you may want to go father in to it then you think. you shoule expect to have long days little sleep and things that will bug you . DON'T BE AFAIRD TO TALK ABOUT IT TO SOME ONE, this is how you keep you head on streight, you will see what i mean . it is a rewarding path to take , for example myself and the chief were doing a shift together ( yes the ems chief does ride with the members to see the front line) it was christmas moring and the local coffee shop was open so we went to get some coffee, as we where standing in line a little girl walked up to use and ask to talk to me i got down to her level and she said thanks and gave the two of hugs . NOTHING BETTER OR MORE TOUCHING HAS EVER HAPPEN TO ME IN 5 YEARS OF DOING THIS JOB. to think a young girl of all but the age of 5 or 6 saying thanks when we have not done anything for her . thios was the talk of the corp for weeks . it made the day of riding the rig much better for the two of us .
so i say don't wait do it now and enjoy the happines it will bring you to help others, noting in the world will compare to it . best of luck and lets know what happens.
-
Permalink Reply by anne potter on
-
I LIKE THE RESPONSE TO EXPECT THE BEST FEAR THE WORST.. THIS IS A FIELD THAT REQUIRES YOU TO THINK FAST ON YOUR FEET,AND AT TIME THINGS DON'T WORK OUT THE WAY YOU WANT. YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO MOVE ON TO THE NEXT.. I AM BOTH EMT AND A NURSE.. I HAVE TO SAY I FEEL BOTH ARE AT OPPOSITES ENDS OF THE FIELD.. EXCEPT DEATH... MONEY IS NOT EVERYTHING GO WITH WHAT YOU WANT.. BOTH REQUIRE PATIENTS ,AND BOTH ARE STRESSERS IN DIFFERENT WAYS... BEFORE YOU GO INTO A FIELD FIRST FIGURE HOW MUCH YOU CAN GIVE TO THAT FIELD...
-
Permalink Reply by ERCVFD 842 C. Warren on
-
Hey I'm Chris and I have been a vol. firefighter and a emt-iv in tenn for 6 years now and I can tell you that you will put in alot of long hours for low pay and see things and situtations that most people can't even dream of!! This career will leave you wanting more at times and sick to your stomch at how some people live at times, but just when you think you've seen everything that you ever could, you will see the unexpected. But when you get right down to it the feeling of knowing that you're helped someone or put a smile on someone's face just by letting them know you care is the greatest thing you will ever feel. The best way I can tell you to find out is to go to your local ems and alot of times they will do ride alongs as an observer. If you want to know about anything I've seen in the field or anything else fire/ems related feel free to ask. Stay safe out there hun!!!
-
-
thanks for the advice. i realize i have a lot to look into and this year to do it. i totally agree w/ what you said about the "guy fixing your car" thing it is terrible that those who take care of human life dont get paid near enough. they go through and see some tragic things but keep doing it. but thanks again.
chelsea
© 2024 Created by Firefighter Nation WebChief.
Powered by
