EMT Experience

[PastyTheOne]

I finished my clinicals today.

Had my first psych encounter (42 y/o female, meth user, high as a kite) who came in with four RPD officers. She got restrained and everyone in the ER "raped" her by "killing her son" who was "in the next room". Lol. So I spent some time with the RPD officers while we waited for her BAC tests to get back.

Then there was a woman whose family found her in the shower hitting her head with the detached shower head. She was pretty drunk. They tried the home remedies like a cold shower and Saltines before they took her to us. She was gasping for air and the like- real slow, labored respirations. Anyway, I got kicked out while they put in the Foley catheter and got let back in to watch intubation and stuff. I even got to pull a half-digested Saltine out of her mouth. I got to ventilate a little bit too- fun!

On the way home, I saw both our ambulances and the fire trucks roll out. One was ok...two might be a crash! I flipped around and got back to the ER at about the same time as the units did. I got to do compressions on a 75-y/o female in full cardiac arrest for about two minutes and ventilate for two before the doctor called her dead.

Woot! I am so excited!

Southwest offers a paramedic academy. I was wondering if I should do that or a police academy. As you said...why pay for something you can get for free? Only catch is a three-year commitment.

I was thinking a CJ major and a history minor, or Administration.

[MDEMT280]

Southwest offers a paramedic academy. I was wondering if I should do that or a police academy. As you said...why pay for something you can get for free? Only catch is a three-year commitment.

I was thinking a CJ major and a history minor, or Administration.

Are we talking about a self-sponsored police academy? And, if we were talking about eating up some time and gaining experience and such until you're 21 (to be a LEO), why would you go to the police academy now (if you were even allowed, at your present age)?

There are so many factors at play here. Does your family support you? Are you still living at home? Can you keep living at home? What does funding look like for college? Do you have debt? Car payments? Other things you need to pay off? If you start working full-time, will you incur extra debt? (I did. Got a job, got a car, and even after I left the job, I still had payments to make!)

Basically what I'm saying is, once you get the snowball of life really rolling, she ain't stopping. And the more momentum you gain, and the bigger the snowball gets, the harder you have to work to change directions. It's really helpful to have a general path laid out beforehand and to remove as many obstacles as you can before you take that first leap.

Consider what's most important to you. Is college a must-have? Can you afford to do four years right now, delay the "real world" until you're 22, and then consider the police academy, or the paramedic academy? Is college something you could take or leave? If you did the EMS academy, put in your time, and then did the LE academy, would you be okay working on your degree part-time (or not at all) while you're working?

You notice I'm basically asking questions here, right? I'm not going to tell you what to do. You need to figure that out by looking inside yourself. (Just not like the guy in this thread: http://forums.realpolice.net/showthread.php?t=67335). All I can try to do is point out some things that you come to realize as you progress further along in life, which may influence your decisions. Ultimately, though, you decide how badly you want things, and if you want things badly enough, you'll make them work.

[PastyTheOne]

I see your point. I'm thinking three years or so of EMT work, possibly resulting in that SW Paramedic academy and another few years of paramedicine. Or, at 20.5, I can go through an academy.

No debt, no car payments, kinda live with family (I could, but don't, since they moved and I went with my best friend). No law problems...I can get a bachelor's in a few years if I really work at it.

I'll reckon something out.

[christrue]

if you're going to be in EMS, do it for the love of the job.




if I had a time machine.

The latter, Ditto +1

[mcsap]

We are cops, not emts. Getting involved with a subject medically beyond basic first aid is a potential liability.

A big +1.

In my area , we have good BLS/ALS repsonses so we really dont have the need to be an EMT. On top of that , if you are the first repsonder on a crash or other injury call , you must provide some level of care and continue that level of care until relieved. On midnights it might take 5-10 min. until another EMT arrives. Meanwhile , your police officer duties/repsonsibilities are being ignored.

If you have a (non-injured) DUI , do you " tend " to them or take vitals and treat other injured persons ? I thought about becoming an EMT but decided agaisnt it. I am cert in Standard First Aid , Adult/Infant CPR and carry an AED. That is enough.