Any Paramedics?

[Mr1der]

I know we've got at least one EMT here...

Reason I ask is that I've decided to go back to school and shoot for Paramedic.

the past months it's been in the back of my head and while I've learned a trade over the past 7 years, I'm meant for something more than being a carpenter building tour buses.

Any advice would be appreciated.

[darens13]

i was heading that way when i got out of high school. i was going to chemeketa community college in salem for their firefighting and paramedic courses. i lost interest my first term and went to school to be a cnc machinist. being a paramedic is an awesome job if you can handle seeing dead kids, mangled bodies, and having people scream and cry and get pissed at you because they blame you for their loved one dying. its a tough job. thats why it wasn't for me. their is a lot to remember and you have to be very competitive to try to get a job. i'm not trying to scare you out of it, but that was just my experience with it. best of luck!

[ADDirishboy]

Get you're emt first, work on an ambo and see what happens.

I would say if you like being an emt but wanna do more, then do it. I'm not a medic and don't plan on doing it until a department offers to pay for it haha. I'm fine with being an emt, but you'll probably wanna do more once you start. Hell, id do it just to be able to start iv's. Not that I haven't done that though...

Just a heads up, don't expect much money. Just sayin'.

[Razi]

A guy from my Forensic Anthropology class used to be an EMT.
He said the same thing Tyler said, not much money in the job.
He also said that they don't pay you enough to see people dieing all day.

[Mr1der]

yeah, seems their pay is about on par with what I currently make.

[nissangirl74]

As long as you're OK with not getting a big fat raise, I'd say go for it. Like Tyler said, do it in steps. You have to be strong to do it, both physically and mentally but I don't think you would have any issue with either. There are some former EMTs and Paramedics in my nursing class. Guys are super-scary smart. They liked the job, they just wanted more pay and decided to keep going.

Good luck!

[Mr1der]

yeah, I've considered that path too.

RN's do alright on average.

40-50k it seems.

honestly, I don't think it'll be what I do forever but it's something I can find work anywhere with.

[nissangirl74]

yeah, I've considered that path too.

RN's do alright on average.

40-50k it seems.

honestly, I don't think it'll be what I do forever but it's something I can find work anywhere with.

The latest figures we had were around $67K. I honestly don't remember if that was nationwide or statewide though. Either way, that's not bad.

You're right about finding work anywhere. People will always get hurt and there will always be a need for people to take care of them. Considering we live in the retirement capital of the world, I figure I'm pretty much set.