Yep. Bailed on the AEMT class.
Was chatting with my sister about the 6 week plus clinical AEMT class.
She listened.
"Why are you doing this?"
"Doing what?" I replied.
"Screwing around with EMS. You want to be a paramedic. Find a class and go be a paramedic."
Darn it if, she's not right on.
Why take the time and expense of getting certified as an AEMT when I can just kick ass at paramedic school? So here I go. Looking around for a course ANYWHERE nearby. Closest university course is 200 miles each way...
My Background:
I have a B.A. degree, two actually. And an A.A. degree. And I'm working on my M.S. I don't need to take Math and English 101. (I am, however, doing self-study medical terminology on http://www.free-ed.net/free-ed/ I'm also working through two A&P textbooks)
WFR (not current)
WFA (not current)
EMR for a year
EMT for 6 months
My Requirements for a Class:
Not an extremely "compressed" class - I need a decent amount of time to absorb, ponder, study, practice (we have an assortment of training equipment at our location so I can practice skills - no "sim man" but plenty of disembodied parts lying around.)
Distance learning (need to keep my job)
Excellent recommendations/reviews from students and professionals
Not too pricey
OK with the Pit Boss (our EMS Director) = a place to work as a paramedic once I finish
Somewhere local to do clinical hours
Try doing a search for "online paramedic program" - OY! I sorted through mountains of "Paramedic to RN online. Fast! Cheap!" ads, looking for a gem in the gravel. I found a couple.
Jems had a list of accredited paramedic programs, which I went through for all the surrounding states:
http://www.jems.com/resources/directory/Accredited_EMT_and_Paramedic_Programs.html
Unfortunately, no brick-and-mortar program within commuting distance.
Also kept getting referred back to the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP):
http://www.caahep.org/
But didn't find much good info on programs.
New York Methodist Hospital looks promising:
M,Tu,W 1830-2200 EST
518 didactic
572 clinical
3 trips to NY (8 days each)
Tuition: $9,750
http://www.nymahe.org/about_ems.php
National Medical Education and Training Center (NMETC)
Tu, Th 1900-2200 EST
??? didactic (10 months, about 42 weeks)
500 clinical
1 trip to MA (100 hrs skills training & evaluation)
Tuition: $7,995
http://www.nmetc.com/index.php
PERCOM - looked OK, but clinicals have to be done in Texas - might work for someone who lived closer...
Unknown days
??? didactic
??? clinical
Unknown number of trips to TX
Tuition: $4,500
http://percomonline.com/index.php
Found several more sites, but most required either too much time on location, or seemed kinda shady - like diploma mills. I realize I will get out of whatever class I decide on with the skills and education I push myself to learn. So here I go.
Mr. Medic is good with this.
Pit Boss is fine with it. He's looking into local options for clinicals.
NMETC it is.
Searching for a way to raise $8,000 tuition in less than 2 months. Wish me luck.
(too bad I'm not prettier - hookers make good money, don't they?)
Truth
Bleeding
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Already thinking about the next step?
So Mr. Medic surprised me the other day. Mr. Medic, Van and I were having a chat after class, cleaning up the room, washing coffee cups, etc. We were discussing the potential lack of ALS support in the area. One long-time paramedic passed nursing exams and turned in notice. An EMT-I is retiring. Last year we had a summer season paramedic on staff, this year not.
So here's the stats for our area:
~1,000 square miles covered (500 road miles)
3 ambulances (plus 2 local volunteer)
1 Paramedic
5 AEMT (2 don't go on calls much)
~20 EMT (maybe 10 are actively responding to calls)
I brought up the question, "Since our EMS service is largely law enforcement based is there a precedent for someone who works in another department, say, making maps, who also was an ALS provider..."
"Funny you bringing that up." said Mr. Medic, stretching his arms up behind his head, "But I've been meaning to talk to the Pit Boss about that very thing. There's an AEMT class supposed to be scheduled next winter and I want to get you in it."
"I'm sorry, what did you say?"
Shock.
Surprise.
Disbelief.
I mean, I'm not the smartest kid in class. I'm (relatively) old. And loud. Out of shape. And a pain in the ass. I constantly feel dwarfed by my fellow EMT students' skills and total recall of inane crap out of the book.
I have to read, and read again, and research when there's not enough information given.
I need to know why something is happening, and why what we're doing is fixing it.
My original plan consisted of finishing up EMT class, getting through exams, hitting my graduate school classes hard (while working and running with EMS) then re-evaluate in two years when my comps and thesis are behind me. Should I then go on to Paramedic, at least I wouldn't be trying to do that along with grad school.
I never considered the middle ground.
According to the new scope of practice, AEMT is 150 more classroom hours, and 100 or so clinical/field Doesn't seem like much, but it's double what I've just gone through.
Now my original plan is pushed to the back burner. I could do a 6 week AEMT course all in one go. Plus clinical/field hours. I'd have to take leave from my job, travel 1000 miles out of state, but it wouldn't cost me any tuition.
So what's the down side? It's not being a paramedic. But at this stage there's no class close enough to my home anyway.
What's the next step? Convincing my boss that me being out of the office for 6 weeks will work. Gulp!
Stay tuned...
So here's the stats for our area:
~1,000 square miles covered (500 road miles)
3 ambulances (plus 2 local volunteer)
1 Paramedic
5 AEMT (2 don't go on calls much)
~20 EMT (maybe 10 are actively responding to calls)
I brought up the question, "Since our EMS service is largely law enforcement based is there a precedent for someone who works in another department, say, making maps, who also was an ALS provider..."
"Funny you bringing that up." said Mr. Medic, stretching his arms up behind his head, "But I've been meaning to talk to the Pit Boss about that very thing. There's an AEMT class supposed to be scheduled next winter and I want to get you in it."
"I'm sorry, what did you say?"
Shock.
Surprise.
Disbelief.
I mean, I'm not the smartest kid in class. I'm (relatively) old. And loud. Out of shape. And a pain in the ass. I constantly feel dwarfed by my fellow EMT students' skills and total recall of inane crap out of the book.
I have to read, and read again, and research when there's not enough information given.
I need to know why something is happening, and why what we're doing is fixing it.
My original plan consisted of finishing up EMT class, getting through exams, hitting my graduate school classes hard (while working and running with EMS) then re-evaluate in two years when my comps and thesis are behind me. Should I then go on to Paramedic, at least I wouldn't be trying to do that along with grad school.
I never considered the middle ground.
According to the new scope of practice, AEMT is 150 more classroom hours, and 100 or so clinical/field Doesn't seem like much, but it's double what I've just gone through.
Now my original plan is pushed to the back burner. I could do a 6 week AEMT course all in one go. Plus clinical/field hours. I'd have to take leave from my job, travel 1000 miles out of state, but it wouldn't cost me any tuition.
So what's the down side? It's not being a paramedic. But at this stage there's no class close enough to my home anyway.
What's the next step? Convincing my boss that me being out of the office for 6 weeks will work. Gulp!
Stay tuned...
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Tiredness
The summer drags on.
Thankfully temperatures have cooled off 10-15 degrees, and are nice and crisp overnight (woke up and was actually COLD this morning - yay!)
Still have our share of calls - people hiking for hours without water in 85-95 degree heat , chest pain, shortness of breath, abdominal pain, several car and motorcycle accidents. Just working a ton and still not getting very far. The summer seems to fly by. Need to get out, take some days off and enjoy myself. But as the saying goes, I've got to make hay while the sun shines. We have ambulance runs aplenty in the summer, not so much other times of year. So for the sake of my paycheck and skills advancement I continue to work through.
And I'm tired.
Going to get a cup of coffee now...
Thankfully temperatures have cooled off 10-15 degrees, and are nice and crisp overnight (woke up and was actually COLD this morning - yay!)
Still have our share of calls - people hiking for hours without water in 85-95 degree heat , chest pain, shortness of breath, abdominal pain, several car and motorcycle accidents. Just working a ton and still not getting very far. The summer seems to fly by. Need to get out, take some days off and enjoy myself. But as the saying goes, I've got to make hay while the sun shines. We have ambulance runs aplenty in the summer, not so much other times of year. So for the sake of my paycheck and skills advancement I continue to work through.
And I'm tired.
Going to get a cup of coffee now...
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Last week's schedule
Sunday: aka "the day of rest"
0530 - wake up to new dog needing to go out
0700 - back to sleep
0730 - wake up to new dog wanting to play, given up on sleeping in
0800 - sister decides that "we" need to get a ton of yard work done, build a fence and gate, and clean house (sigh)
1700 - try to catch a nap despite oppressive (for us) heat
1930 - pager tones - ALS for chest pain
2300 - back home
0200 - sleep
Monday
0530 - wake up to new dog needing to go out (really? again?)
0800-1800 - work regular job
2000-2200 - driving EMS supplies around, restocking
2330 - sleep
Tuesday
0200 - wake up to hacking noises - sister's cat is vomiting in my room...
0220 - pager tones for allergic reaction
0530 - back home
0600-0730 - nap
0800-1700 - work regular job
1900 - collapse to sleep
1920 - pager tones (I think) May have had a phone call with Mr. Medic in my sleep...did not respond to this call
2330 - wake up thinking "crap, it's almost midnight and I'm awake" take dog for walk, eat a snack, read, feel tired enough to try sleeping again
Wednesday
0210 - pager tones for pediatric diabetic emergency
0545 - back home
0600-0730 - nap
0800-1700 - work regular job
...
I really don't remember what the "rest" of the week was like - it's all a blur.
Summer in paradise. There aren't enough hours in the day.
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