I didn't know where else to ask this question...

I didn't know where else to ask this question, but I'm preparing to take an EMT class to get my EMT-B and maybe my EMT-P to become a fireman paramedic cross over. How will getting both my B and P be? Will it be easy?

NREMTP here. It isn't hard..BUT YOU HAVE TO FULLY PAY ATTENTION and put everything else aside. I hope you are young and have no wife or kids and live with your parents so you don't need a FT job. It would be much, much easier this way. But if you must keep other distractions and responsibilities, every waking free hour must be dedicated to taking notes and committing everything to memory. EmtB isn't terrible, but medic is pretty rough. Best of luck user..it's a great job of you're passionate about it. Although...working as a paid fireman is the,best job in the world.

EMT-B here.
Took the class during my senior year of high school. Graduated with an EMT-B certification. Youngest in class (18). You'll be fine.

no, it will be hard

Thanks user. Currently young and no wife or gf. Being a fireman has been a thing I have been wanting to do for a while. Emt class is something I'm going to have to do during the summer and quit my current job so I can fully pay attention and buckle my ass down and study, take notes, pay attention, etc

ABC

Not if you know your stuff:
As I said, I was finishing high school when I took my EMT class, so I was fresh with my Anatomy material.

Honestly, if science and reasoning comes easy to you I don't see you having a problem.

I'm

i.q. maybe 112 if I'm lucky. Classes are easy, real life situations not so much

The most important thing is taking very well organized and neat notes, no loose leaf paper or spirals, put it all into a composition book. you should fill up an entire one in EMT-B.

OP where are you located?

Am fireman-EMT

I am taking my EMT class right now. I plan to take my EMT-P after I finish my EMT-B class, I will skip the EMT-A. We just started airways...

The B is easy. 40 hours when I took it.
EMT-P is a two year course. Lots of pharmacology and interpreting heart rhythms. I passed back in 1985 so things may have changed a bit.

Firefighter/EMT here.
Listen to this dude. I completely agree. It's great to aspire to the role of Paramedic/Firefighter but understand it's going to take time. I had to get my bachelor's, then go to my emt, then fire academy, then reserve for a year, work for Cal Fire for two years, and NOW I just got picked up with a City in Northern California. It's a long road. I'm not trying to discourage you but listen to your body and your brain. There's things in this career that you're not gonna know that you can't handle until you're faced with it.
My best advice is be humble and take it one small step at a time. It's a field where not everyone's gonna be friendly or want to help you. You'll be competing against thousands and THOUSANDS of other people that want to do the same exact thing.

Well hey OP, depending where you're at, get your EMT, and get your time in and get your P card. I don't have my P card, so it was tough for me to land a job.

Hey other (former) California Dog Fucker!

Up top! What unit did you work in? I was in LNU.

Howdy Mountain Llama!
SCU! I was in LNU a SHIT ton this last year on out of county assignments. Lots of fun times in LNU!

Hell yeah! I loved Cal Fire, but glad you got out and don't have to deal with staffing patterns anymore!

Be safe!

I will man. How long you been in LNU?
Also hey OP, it's pretty awesome having moments like this. It's a brotherhood/sisterhood for sure.

Just did one season there, but really loved it, got lucky enough to work on the coast.

And yeah, OP, this is the good stuff.

EMT/FF here. fuuuck paramedic as a career. go on to nurse or PA. Fireman is a pretty decent job though.

What made you want to get into this field OP? currently in a firefighting course at college. Wanted to do it since i was a kid, feel a strong urge to help people.

You should know right away that you asking how easy something will be, basically means it's not for you. If there is something you truly want, you will do whatever it takes to get it. You don't get shortcuts to success on an easy path, you do what it takes to get what you want.

My father, grandfather, and uncle are firemen but what really triggered I was, ironically enough, watching the movie 'End of watch'. It was with the scene when they ran into th burning building and it really touched me. But it has always been an idea since I was younger.

Emt-B is pretty easy.. paramedic can be tough because of work load. But, if you focus, and study you'll be okay. My words of advice. Get your basic for awhile. Work as an emt-b. Its not super easy getting a job as a basic but volunteer. I work 33 hour shifts and after awhile it wears you out. If you are young, and single its not bad. But, look into nursing. Assumi mg you're in the usa a nurse makes over double what a medic makes. And you're working 36 hrs a week. Not 72 hrs a week.. if you really enjoy ems maybe volunteer as a basic while being a rn? Either way best of luck friend. Stay safe out there.

not op but curious whats the difference in all the different emt titles and how long it takes to get them all. I live in canada it may be different here

any body here have the knowledge I'm looking for?

Hey good luck user. I'm starting my EMT-B class next month.

Op here. The B in EMT-B stands for Basic and as it states, it's a basic license for EMT. The P stands for Paramedic granting you your paramedic license. From my knowledge B is about a 2 week class while one user said P is 2 years.

That's what I hear a lot from people in the field. Got my EMT but going into nursing instead of paramedic now.

It's a joke. Never understood why people think it's difficult.

Thanks brother. Goof luck with your studies, hope you enjoy your future career

OP, you want this job for the paramedic stuff, or for the firefighter stuff?

If you're in it for the paramedic stuff, then listen to this guy If for the FF stuff, then getting your medic may be a drawback. Lots of depts around the country require FFs to be at least EMT-B, but if you graduate to medic then you may get stuck on the boo boo bus and not out doing "firefighter" stuff

how does an EMT-B get hired with a fire dept? do I have to train as a para first?

not quite. EMT-B classes require, i believe, 180 hours of actual classtime. it may be one semester of tow days a week class, or one month of five days a week class.

EMT-P is a two-or four-year degree in most places. some schools offer a "certificate" program whee you can get the paramedic certification without the college degree, but you don;t have to take the math, english, all that other college shit.

Being a paramedic heightens your chances of being with a department. They're looking for paramedic crossovers

I'm looking at fireman

bumpin for this

good call. did the same. I miss the EMS environment/ lifestyle, but the RN pay/ job security/ advancement makes up for it.

Some departments also don't want to hire paramedics because it takes away from positions that would need them, Paramedics in much higher demand but its different everywhere you go

I love the autonomy in EMS but I know down the road when I have a family it would take a huge toll on me mentally and physically.

I didn't know who huge the nursing field was at first. Being a guy in nursing is a humongous benefit to getting a job right away.

Where do you work now? I don't think I could work on a regular floor. When I did my clinicals for EMT I loved the ER pace.

I just started my EMT class this week and it seems everyone is using it as a stepping stone to get to fire. I was thinking of going that route but it seems like an insane amount of competition. Maybe I'll start looking at being a nurse instead

Same. I looked at medic and thought "I can either work for a private ambulance and have to work 2 jobs and be miserable, or I can work as a FF and eventually destroy my body." So I went to get my RN.

I'm in the ER at a University-based Level I trauma center. The pace is pretty hectic and you see a lot of cool stuff, but also a lot of dumb shit (people who use the ER as their PCP) The burnout here is high, and a lot of people either move on to an ICU position (equally or more complex patients, but a much easier workload generally) or go on to travel (hell yeah).

Some places won't hire new grads into a specialized unit (ICU, OR, ER) and require you to work a couple years on the floor before "moving up," which isn't necessarily a bad thing. You'll definitely get the basics down while working floor.

A lot of hospitals will hire EMTs as Nurse Aides/ Nurse Techs/ CNAs/ SRNAs, which will help you with nursing school applications, and also help you decide if the in-hospital thing is what you want to do.

Look into it. My hospital just finished a HUGE round of RN hiring (over a hundred people) and there are still 50 positions available.

I work for a private company as EMT and I'm so glad I worked instead of just deciding to go into Paramedic straight through.

Mostly transports but I get to see the ICU, ER, floor and occasionally do some minor emergency calls. I would not have any confidence at all if it weren't for this job. Great point for people to get a taste of EMS if they are unsure like me.

Travel seems like a fucking noice way to go. Makes sense that you need experience to work in the ER.

I know a part time FF/Paramedic that started working at the private side because they could not get hours in the winter since the full time guys are working. Plus they only get paid like 16 or 17 for the department part time and 15 with us with a lot less traumatic calls.

Thanks for all the info man I really appreciate it and makes me feel more confident on taking on nursing. Best of luck.

EMT-B w/IV here.

Don't forget the ABC's
Airway
Airway
Airway

seriously though it's an exciting career field, hours will be tough, fire is the way to go my friend, pay+bennys and sweet ass vehicles.

Question: What's the best way to transfer pt from stretcher to stair chair. I always thought the best way was to go a head to toe from the stretcher and have the chair laying down to put them in the chair and then sit them up.

Since the pt can't ambulate. Another person told me this was too much stress on a pt but wasn't sure.

...

No problem. I say most places don;t hire new grads into specialty areas, but some do. I was hired into the ED as a new grad, and all the ICUs in the hospital hire new grads as well. It just depends on which hospital you apply to.

I'd recommend you get your BSN if possible. A lot of places are hiring BSN over ADN, and some places require you to get your BSN at some point (two years or so)after you get hired.

I'd also recommend that you try to see as much as you can while in school. Volunteer to shadow other departments, jump at opportunities to go to various units in the hospital, and generally get as much exposure as you can into what all the different units look like, feel like, what the patients are like, how the staff works together, all that shit. Even if you think you will NEVER want to work in Labor and Delivery, still give it a shot, because in 30 years you might get sick of whatever you're doing and have a change of heart about birthing babies.

how fat are they?

Not much,enough for two people to handle under 200 lbs.

I will look into that. I was just going to get my ADN to start working right away but I should look into longer term, thanks.