EMT Certification

I was thinking about getting the level I EMT certification (non-paramedic) at a local community college. I’m still taking classes at my local university for my B.S. in Biology, and will continue to do so…but just thought about doing this in addition to. Not that I don’t have enough to do with work, school, and family, this just seemed like it might be worthwhile to have and prove useful for volunteering.
Has anyone else done this (aside from those who were/are EMTs/Paramedics)? Would it be a good thing to have, or is that time better spent taking more classes towards my B.S.? I would just like to have a better medical knowledge base since I’m coming from a tech background.
blink.gif


Assuming that you have your classes, family and work life nailed down solid, then taking an EMT course is a great way to increase your medical knowledge base.
Then again, taking a certified nurse assistant course will give you medical knowledge and exposure too.
I really depends on what you want to do with the certification - either of them. Do you want to do some paid work at a hospital? CNA might be the way to go, although some hospitals also accept the EMT cert for in-house work.
Is there a paid/volunteer ambulance squad in your community that you can work for? You will certainly gain some exposure to medicine that way as well, though it will differ in the way you encounter patients.
- Tae

Thanks for the reply Tae.
I wouldn't be looking for paid work. I was just thinking that if I did any volunteering, having the EMT certification would open up more opportunities, whether it be in a hospital, doctor's office, or ride-alongs. Not sure if that's true or not.

QUOTE (ballast @ Jan 10 2003, 11:44 AM)
I wouldn't be looking for paid work. I was just thinking that if I did any volunteering, having the EMT certification would open up more opportunities, whether it be in a hospital, doctor's office, or ride-alongs. Not sure if that's true or not.

That really depends on where you want to focus your time - in an in-hospital/facility setting, or out 'in the field'.
Most, if not all EMS agencies would not take a nursing assisting certificate in lieu of an EMT certification. But, depending on what state you live, a volunteer ambulance squad may only require a first aid course and CPR in order to 'ride in back' with EMTs.
More hospitals are accepting the basic EMT cert in lieu of CNA training. But you should check on local circumstances.
- Tae

I was a paramedic for over 10 years. The advantage of EMS work is that it gives you an opportunity to work with more autonomy than most other allied health certifications will. There is nobody looking over your shoulder at 3 am when you are hanging upside down in a ditch. In addition the courses are generally full of good practical infomation that will can be valuable (esp. if you have children).
However, I know that quite a few people sit through an EMT course just because they think it will help their medical school application. If that is your plan, I am not sure how much it really helps. Seemed like those guys were a dime a dozen when they did their ride-outs.
If you are wanting to actually get your hands dirty, do some volunteer work, and get some medical experience, then I would highly recommend EMT school.
Good luck!!
Trey Wood, MS-I

I'm an EMT-B. I did the training precisely because of the volunteer/clinical experience aspect in prep for med school. The training was fine, but I find that at the EMT-B level you're not really practicing any kind of real medicine–you are largely just strapping people onto boards and taking them to the hospital sometimes, but most times you are either convincing someone to go to the hospital or convincing them NOT to go to the hospital. It's really a specialized cab service with equipment. There are exceptions to what I'm saying here, of course, but for the most part you either strap people to boards or you watch the paramedics save lives. I haven't used my EMT-B for about a year, and I don't think I'm going to continue with it. I was disappointed by the reality.

QUOTE
I was a paramedic for over 10 years.

Hey bro - going into lucky thirteen here!
QUOTE
However, I know that quite a few people sit through an EMT course just because they think it will help their medical school application. If that is your plan, I am not sure how much it really helps. Seemed like those guys were a dime a dozen when they did their ride-outs.

Didn't encounter too many of those types, as only people doing their EMT-I or P internships rode with us.
However, I've met a number of people I'd met during interviews misrepresenting themselves as 'paramedics', when they were actually certified at lower levels.
Now, I know there are some places in the country where all EMTs are called 'paramedics', so I take what I experienced with a grain of salt. But I get the feeling that there were people who clearly knew the difference and were deliberately misrepresenting themselves in order to gain whatever perceived higher status this would afford them - to the other candidates and the interviewers.
- Tae