EMTs and paramedics.

[Betheny]

My lifelong dream has been to be a paramedic.

There's a school in my area that offers a very highly specialized course, that I would like to partake in.

but you have to be an EMT first.

So. How do I get EMT training? I'm told many fire departments and counties will train you for free, so long as you do some volunteer work.

Anyone know anything, or have any suggestions?

[Ben]

a paramedic? we should be a team. I take em out, you patch em up. You better bring a shovel to scrape sean off the pavement when I find him though.

[Betheny]

Heh.

Will do, if I can get up t he gumption and the money to actually do it.

[Dighn Darkbeam]

Join the Armed Forces as a 91W or whatever the equivelent to medics are in the other branches. Free training, 4-6 years experience, military service looks good an a resume and money for college.

A couple of my medic friends plan on switching right over to that field once their term of service is up with minimal training.

Have to be under 35 though...I remember you saying something about being old. That might of meant 30, however.

[Betheny]

The Army rejected me on the premise I have enough metal in my feet to hide a bomb. So that's a no-go. They said I could get a defferal, but the recruiter never called me back.

Old is 23.

[AnticorRifling]

Join the chair force they will take anyone :)

[Ben]

Why do you have metal in your feet?

[Myshel]

My family has always belonged to the local fire department, my Dad was a volunteer and my brothers followed. My brothers got training when they were volunteers, and then followed that with more extensive training. My youngest brother went to work for a neighboring paid fire department as a EMT. When our stations went to paid departments he returned and got a job as a fireman, emt. He never stopped training courses and took college courses to suppliment his education. He was the youngest fire chief ever appointed in Florida. It all started as a volunteer.

Myshel

[Edaarin]

<= certified EMT ;)

[Morstanya]

My brother is a fanatical EMT and fire chief. He got his training starting with volunteer fire depts when he was still a slickered down suit wearing executive. He finished the EMT part while a regular fireman. I think that's the easiest path, volunteer fire, and then regular fire.

Go for it if you want, but remember you are the one that's gonna be pulling the dead crispy corpse out of cars and buildings. Once he even had to chase down a head a biker lost from a trucker's mirror (out of their lane). Good luck.

Mors.

[Faellyn]

My folks were EMT's, they got the training through the local fire department (volunteer) I think they had to pay for it, but it was taught by the Red Cross, so I would look on their website and see what they have going for classes in your area. I spent an afternoon looking for an eyeball in the woods by a stream one summer. We never found it, but it didn't matter because the guy didn't make it. Yes, it was a motorcycle, no he wasn't wearing his helmet, he faced into two trees and his eyes didn't stop when he did. One of them stayed tethered by the nerves and arteries, but not the other. the face shield would have contained them, and the helmet would have kept his skull from caving in on both sides....

[Betheny]

Yeah, I realize there's a lot of disgusting things I'm going to deal with. But that's something I knew and accepted when I decided to take this career path, a long long time ago.

High-stress, fast paced work environments (along with the downtime that comes with them, obviously) are what I thrive on.

I never thought about the red cross. Thanks for the info, I'll look into it!

[HarmNone]

Some Community Colleges (Junior Colleges) offer EMT courses as part of their curriculum, or as occasional adjuncts. You might check there, as well.

HarmNone wishes you luck :D

[Betheny]

Mwahhaha.

Now to fund it.

http://www.ih.cc.mn.us/catalog/programOfStudy/emerHealthServ.htm

[Geoff]

I got my EMT cert at the local community college while I was lifeguarding part time in California . It was while I was active duty AF so it was really cheap.

Yeah, Anticor is right. (as much as it pains me to admit it...) The AF may still take you with your "metallic foot" problem if that's a way you were willing to go, ask a recruiter.

If not, just pay for the classes somehow and keep pushing it. You'll get into a program afterwards guaranteed.

[Betheny]

I'm not sure I could hack it in the military anymore. I'm pretty damn comfortable being lazy.

[Dighn Darkbeam]

It all depends on your job and what service you choose. After Basic/Boot Camp, things usually get pretty easy. I doubt the Air Force would be all that difficult, especially in a non-combat MOS (Military Occupational Specialty)

[peam]

What exactly are you trying to say?

[AnticorRifling]

The chair force still has boot camp? I thought they just took a multiple guess test.....

[Tsa`ah]

In Illinois, any EMS (police, firemen, paramedics, local ESDAs... etc) with at least two years of service (volunteer or professional) are eligible for free tuition and book fee subsidization.

Had the law been passed in the early 90s', my life would have been so much easier.