I just started EMT-B training. I have about 3 months to go before taking the state exam. I'm doing that since I will be changeing careers in a comming year. I'm taking a FD and PD exams so I think that EMT training would be beneficial if not required in the above prosessions. Would any one out there tell me what should I expect when I get my licence? Any shifts that are more desired than other? I have a decent job now that I want to keep until the change over so I would like to volunteer part time. Are volunteers looked down upon as half assed wannabees or as people who just want to help and make a difference. Any comments?

About volunteers and their perception by the folks in the agency for which they are volunteering - it all depends. Those who are half assed wannabees are so regarded and treated. Those who want to make a difference get a lot of respect and support. I say this on the basis of both having been a volunteer and having used volunteers extensively in my own job. I have worked with plenty of volunteers whose skills and conduct were fully equal to any paid employee. It is generally a great way to go. You will get to know the group and they will get to know you. This, of course will be a positive experience, right?<br><br>Your EMT training will definitely come in handy.

Don,<br><br>I got my First Aid Skills from the Army, Scuba training and Mountaineering courses but I want to have it on paper so I can put it to proper use. I want to go out and make a difference. I don't want to treat it as a "secondary job" but as the most important thing in my life at that particular time. I will not display attitude that I should get all the glory just because I volunteered. I just want to do my job to the best of my abilities and training and be evaluated and treated as a professional. I'm just hearing different things from paramedics out there and it made me little conscious.<br><br>Matt

Much depends on the community you will be serving. Our fire/rescue/BLS-EMS is 95% volunteer, so there is high expectation volunteers will maintain the appropriate skills, knowledge and training. Our ALS has gone from 100% volunteer to 90% career coverage. This has been a reflection of our changing community from primarily rural to an urban setting and to the increased education, training and continuing education requirements to become and maintain paramedic status. Historically, once you were an EMT-B for at least 1 year and had run at least 150 calls as the primary provider, you could then take paramedic training which consisted of additional 300+ hours of classroom and 100+ hours of hands on training. This took anywhere from 9 months to a year depending on the class schedule. Once completed, you were eligible to sit for the class final written and practical exam. In Maryland, you are then required to sit for the National EMT-Paramedic written and practical exam. If you successfully passed these exams you then sit for the Maryland State Protocol exam. If you successfully pass these exams, you then receive your state license (EMP-B’s are certified). Here in Frederick County, MD, once you successfully passed all the above you then served a preceptorship for at least 15+ calls before you are eligible to meet with the County Medical Director, who interviews and decides whether to “cut you lose” under his/her medical license. A lot of effort to become a volunteer paramedic? Well now, due to an expanded scope of practice, individuals who want to become paramedics must now have a minimum of two years of college. These added requirements, generally are too much for many individuals to invest, to become a volunteer, so the move to career paramedics. Please keep in mind the same high quality educational, training, testing and licensing requirements are no different if you want to volunteer or become career. Pete

I have a four year psych. degree from John Jay College or Criminal Justice so my educational requirments are taken care of. Is the paramedic program "sponsored" by the agency or that's somethign you pay for? Also I always assumed that you have standing orders and protocols from your medical director regartles of your EMT status. What do you mean by "cutting you loose"?

Except for the officers and medics, our entire fire department is comprised of volunteers. I don't think anyone here looks down on them as wannabe's. As far as we're concerned, they are the real deal.<br><br>Our FD personel are required to be first responders only, but many of them have gone through the EMT 1A program and are certified. It can only be a plus for you if you are EMS certified.

Each state and local jurisdiction may vary in the implementation, either by standing orders or requiring medical consult for both the administration of medications and the implementation of various procedures. These requirements change from year to year, depending on the latest medical information and the success or failure of pilot studies. In our jurisdiction all BLS treatments are by standing order. Most ALS skills and medication are by standing order, but not all, i.e. morphine administration, paramedics can administer morphine to isolated injuries such as burns, extremity fractures without consult. But for suspected myocardial infarctions (MI’s, heart attacks), after certain standing order meds. like oxygen, nitroglycerin and aspirin, we must consult with the hospital/medical direction to administer morphine. What I mean by “cutting loose”; in Maryland each county has a BLS and ALS Medical Director. Even though as a paramedic, I am licensed by the state, we still operate under the Medical Director’s medical license, similar to Physician Assistants, who are license by the state, they still work under the medical license of the physician for whom they work. In the case of ALS, each County Medical Director can establish additional requirements over and above the state requirements, since we operate under their license. Our Medical Director requires new paramedics or ones transferring into our jurisdiction to be precepted by an experienced paramedic for at least 15+ calls, when the senior paramedic feels the individual is capable of operating independently, the new paramedic meets with the Medical Director, he will interview and present certain scenarios for the candidate to handle, if the Medical Director determines the individual has the maturity, skills and knowledge to handle calls independently he/she “cuts them loose” to start to run calls independently. The Medical Director may determine the individual still requires to be monitored for additional time, the individual then simply runs additional calls with a preceptor until such time the senior paramedic feels any deficiencies or concerns have been addressed, the individual them meets again with the Medical Director for evaluation. As far as who pays or sponsors the program; for EMT-B, Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute, which is part of the University of Maryland (MFRI), puts on the EMT-BLS program, several times a year at local fire companies. The Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services (MIEMS) is the agency that tests, certifies and licenses. For EMT-P/ALS, the local college has a two-year program, the University of Maryland – Baltimore Campus has a four-year college program. As with most college programs, the individual has to pay or sign an agreement of post educational employment. Pete

People are all different and so reactions will vary. I would say if you are hooked up with an organization that doesn't judge you on your merits and abilities, but rather by your pay status ("volunteer" vs "professional", I would unhook and get involved with a better group. There are plenty out there. <br><br>Make a difference!

Pete,<br>I understand that learning and practicing your skills "dry" is one thing but there is no substitute for experience. Are there any shifts that are more desirable that other as far as experience gain goes?<br><br>Matt

Ask the shifts that currently run calls, likely each will give the impression they have the busiest. In my experience, many cardiac events occur early in the morning, when the extra stress of morning actives from a resting state places an extra burden on the heart. Overdoses, mainly at night. Trauma any time; motor vehicle accidents during rush hour in urban areas, farm accidents anytime, mountain rescues on weekends, trench rescues during work hours, building collapse and swift water rescues during violent storms. Check with the local department where you will run, their experiences maybe totally different. Pete