I worked both as a per diem EMT and a volunteer with the local town corps. I did 3 years as a driver only, then got my EMT card.
- What are the hours worked by an EMT typically?
Depends entirely on the company. Some allow highly flexible shifts with some people doing just a shift or two a week. Others insist that you plug into a schedule. I did a 12 at both volly and paid places. Of course, the volunteer corps had us all carrying radios so that we could answer up on calls if nobody was on for that shift.
1b. Is it possible to find a job somewhat easily without having to work graveyard often?
No way to say. Every paying provider is different.
- Will I have to draw blood? (for some reason this is a werid thought to me, having to draw blood. Seeing blood does not bother me. Its the thought of having to stick a metal tube in someones vein)
2b. How hard is it to actually draw blood?
No, in my experience no EMT or Paramedic draws blood. In New York State, only an EMT-I or Paramedic may push drugs but nobody in the field DRAWS blood. That’s what a phlebotomist is for.
3. I’ve noticed alot of places besides ambulance compaines hire EMTs. What are the best non-driving oppertunities?
No idea. A part of the draw for me was helping people in severe crisis, a part ( and if we are all honest, this IS a part of the draw ) of it is the adrenaline rush.
- How do EMTs emotionally handle the many horrid things they must see on an almost daily basis? (I’m in this to save lives and help people but I imagine I’m gonna see some pretty scary stuff)
Everyone deals differently. We are professional care-givers and so either you can manage the moment to moment flow of stress and trauma with cool clean detachment or you cannot cut it in this. I’m a pretty emotional and empathetic person by nature- and not the best suited to EMS work. Having said that, I never crumbled or turned away at the moment. Afterwards? Sometimes I was a mess. I responded directly on the morning of Sept. 11 and worked the 11th and 12th, then had to leave. That was a different kind of trauma because of the scale and the psychology of knowing what that attack meant.
One finds healthy outlets, one hopes. Crying, screaming, sharing with colleagues who endure similar events and so on. Some people smoke. Some drink. Some abuse themselves in other ways to numb out the events. We see the worst things, the things you read about in the paper and turn the page quickly so you do not have to risk visualizing them. We keep going back because an awful lot of the time our energy and dedication makes a difference in small and big ways to the lives of the people we encounter. The worst calls, for me, were pediatric calls followed closely by violent crime calls. A kid is hurt and EVERYONE is on edge, moving a bit faster, pushing a bit harder if that is even possible.
It is not like television. The blood is real, the fear and despair and terror and sickness are very real. You deal, and give good care and make sure you remember that there’s a person beneath the mess.
I find those who are so jaded, so burned out and tired of it that they become heartlessly clinical to be of no value to me. We are humans, treating humans. We are taking the responsibility of placing our hands on a stranger’s body in an effort to do good. That is a hell of a thing to want to do and you have to want it for the right reasons.
Some EMTs will go weeks and weeks without a cardiac call or a bad MVA ( motor vehicle accident ). Others will catch bad calls back to back. I did EMT for 3 years, never delivered a baby. A colleague on the volly corps delivered two in TWO MONTHS. As mentioned above, the great majority of the calls are for sick folks or folks who simply need transport.
I could write out a lot of war stories, but this isn’t the thread for that. I would ask you again to think very hard about WHY you want this career. If it’s for the best of reasons, and you can afford to live on what they will pay you, then you will find it to be just immensely rewarding.
- What is the upward career path for an EMT? (advancement to what?)
In NY it is, EMT, then EMT-I ( Intermediate, with added responsibility ), then Paramedic. Then, I guess, Nurse.
- Finally, in comparision to becoming a police officer, a bus driver, a fireman, or any other type of job that requires specialized training with the potental to be “cut” from the class, how hard is the training?
Pretty easy. It is a box class, pre-set and the same regiment everywhere in the state. It ran for 4 months, two evenings a week. You had to maintain a certain average PER section/test. You couldn’t bomb two section tests then do well on the State Exam and pass. You’d be flunked out of the class. Lives really are at stake.
Physically the training is fairly simple. Lift and carry techniques, extrication from crushed vehicles techniques, a couple of other things. Most of it is book work. In NYS, you had to pass the Class practical which is part of the State Exam, and also pass the class written exam. Then, you sat for the state exam. It is given in only a few locations every year. Passing in New York is a 70 out of 100. I scored an 85, which disappointed me. ( Heh- when I walked out after getting my score, I walked past a group of folks who had taken it, and I was on the cellular. I raised my voice and said, " I know, it is insane, I did SO well on that, I know I should be pleased with a 96 but gosh I just missed that ONE question !! " The group stared at me. Heh. )
I had to let my card go in 2004, because I broke my back in 2000. ( non-job related ). I miss doing Emergency Services work more than I can ever adequately communicate. It’s not a job, it’s a calling.
Cartooniverse, Ret. New York State E.M.T.