I'm new to EMS. I've been doing 911 for about 6 months and only gotten about 250 calls -- it's a volunteer service.

Well, TIFU. Dispatched as headache, at an SNF. I'm riding with two: my driver who is a bit of a nervous wreck and leaving the station soon, and an trainee that's been "clearing" for 2 years and kind of just... stands there and waits to be directed. I dont get it. I say this so you can get an idea of my headspace when it comes to "trusting the team".

Vitals: Patient had a BS of about 350, and a BP around 240/150, and an O2 of 90% on room air. She said other than the headache, she feels okay. Even still, I requested ALS hot.

Maybe not a bad call in a vacuum, but it took 15 minutes for ALS to show up, during which time we were doing what they tell us not to do -- sitting around and waiting. It was a long 15 minutes and the entire time I thought we might be better off transporting. "But what if?" Really, I wasn't sure what I could possibly do for this patient if by chance something DID happen enroute.

So in my Basic brain, this looked like a lot of things that might be out of my scope if she deteriorated. I was focusing on the numbers. Rationally, this Patient was very much transportatable by us. Condition entirely stable. Medics further than the nearest hospital. It was like a case study of what not to do, and yet my lack of trust in myself really shined in that moment.

Medics showed up, pretty pissed, said "you couldn't transport this?" I get it, because the sentiment is not dissimilar to the late night "stubbed my toe 3 days ago and now I want to go by ambulance".

So heres my takeaway, and please tell me if I'm off-base:

When I requested ALS hot, I should have gotten an ETA, if I even requested ALS at all based on patients presentation. When ETA was longer than our transport would have been, I should have just decided to transport ourselves, and if I felt that uncomfortable with the 15 minutes it would have taken to get there, go lights and sirens.

Ultimately, all I did was delay care even if my assessment that the vitals were not necessarily immediately manageable was correct-- after all, they didn't really need to BE managed right then, did they?

So recently I (17 FtM) have been doing a whole bunch of research into what I wanna do for the future and all, and I’ve been finding jobs related to EMS being of interest to me, specifically the idea of like, becoming a EMT or Paramedic (I’ve also been researching into Offshore Medics too!!) Thing is, despite all the research I’m doing, I’m still kind of confused of how the overall process works into becoming one and just exactly how long it’ll take. Is there anything I can start doing now at my current age that’ll help me out on this? Or would I just have to wait out on everything up until I’m out of highschool? All these websites I’ve been looking at have kind of been confusing, think it’d be best if it were broken down one by one to me. Or maybe it’s because I’m tired right now (2am😭). Should I even be trying to worry about this and doing research on it now? Cause I also do plan on trying to serve in the Military for 3-4 years as soon as I graduate highschool, for the sake of benefits and escaping my homelife. Also, I’m worried about whether or not I’m capable of working in such a field or not. I’m a shy, soft-spoken person, don’t do well in leadership roles, slow thinker, amongst other traits too. I have been trying to work on those traits though (like putting myself out there more into social situations at school, and my slow-thinking might be related to my sleep-deprivedness). Uncertain as to how else I can help develop some more helpful skills I can use. I have considered maybe doing some volunteer work to see how I’ll do and try to get some experience in, but my parents are unsupportive and I can’t drive on my own as of yet.

Real confused right now and feeling like I’ll need some guidance/advice. Would it be wise of me to also try to talk to my school’s guidance counselour too? Anywho, thanks!

I've had a few practice test questions similar to this one:

While ventilating an unresponsive man with a bag-mask device, you hear gurgling in his upper airway. You should:

A) reposition the patient's airway.

B) suction the patient's oropharynx.

C) position the patient onto his side.

D) squeeze the bag with less force.

The answer here is C - position the pt onto his side, and the question feedback says: "A gurgling sound indicates the presence of vomitus, blood, or other secretions in the airway. If this is noted, you should immediately position the patient onto his or her side to allow the secretions to drain. With the patient on his or her side, suction the airway until the secretions are removed."

I have had other questions that make me select the suctioning answer.

Hi guys I’m really struggling to pass my NREMT. I have a hard time studying for it.

Do you guys recommend limmer creative? Is he good? Does he cover everything on the test (especially the updated version of the test)?

Heard he was good but was thinking of asking y’all first before I purchase.

I got a 820 with pocket prep and paramedic coach.

Are any of these online HAZMAT Awareness/Ops classes that say there are certified fine? Does OSHA post somewhere who is actually certified?

I started my first EMT job at a private ambulance company this month. Open enrollment is almost closed and I'm trying to decide how much insurance I need. I'm a single 30 year old with a reasonably good driving record and health record, but a lot of anxiety!

My company offers short term disability insurance and accident insurance, both through Voya/ReliaStar. The monthly cost of disability insurance seems hard to calculate, but I think it's roughly $30-40 a month if I picked the plan that pays 40% of my income (max 26 weeks).

Accident insurance pays out a lump sum for any qualifying medical event (x-ray, stitches, PT, etc.) and is roughly $9 a month, I think?

The health insurance seems okay-ish, the cheapest plan has office visits are $50 and most everything else is 80% covered with a $250 copay for ER visits.

Given that this is a new job and it's fairly physical (although right now I am just doing IFTs), I am kind of thinking maybe I should get both? But also maybe short-term disability is enough since I am only doing IFTs?

Hi so I'm a high school senior soon to graduate and I volunteered in 911 EMS for a few months. I decided it wasn't for me because it's very stressful so I will be going for a different career. For now are there any other jobs that I can use my EMT cert for other than 911 EMS while I'm in community college? Thanks!

Hello! I’ve been using flash cards and theyve worked great, however now that there aren’t chapters to go over Im at a lost.

How did you study? At this point, did you stick with practice tests? I’ve been taking tests and finding knowledge gaps in testing.

What did yall do?

Seeking career guidance. I have ADD and live in Virginia, and I want a job that helps people and teaches me lifelong skills. I was considering becoming a Nurse Aide, but I've been told becoming an EMT or Paramedic might be a better fit. Can anyone advise on how to begin? What's a typical day like in this profession? What skills will I learn in class? And how challenging are these classes likely to be?

Hello all!

I recently got my EMT-B cert, currently working as a FF in a city department. Wife is likely getting a job in White County in the near future, and I was curious if anybody has more information than can be found on the departments webpages. I currently make around $52k a year, looking for something comparable to that. I have my Fire 1 and 2 as well, and would like to get my A and paramedic within the next few years. Just curious what the environment/call volume/pay is like in the area!

I’m a volunteer probationary EMT (just turned 18) and an introvert. I have social anxiety and I’m rly trying to get better with my social skills. I haven’t gone to emt school, so I think when I know what I’m doing it will help. I barely talk at all rn I just follow the EMTs around on calls and get stuff out of the med kit. Seems like all the EMTs in my squad are extroverts and confident. If I’m not like that should I even bother going into this field?

Has anybody had experience getting there EMT-B certification with Allied Medical Training? If so, curious if they drug test during skills week?

Hi all!! looking for guidance on the NYC REMAC Medic exam. I paid and signed up for the upcoming initial exam but it didn’t give me a location. Did I do it wrong? I’m just so confused about the process and can’t seem to find any information on the website, but don’t wanna bother Kevin Ward and have him get annoyed at me LOL. Thanks!!

Hi everybody, I have a few questions and one of them is about Danners boots. I had bought some Danners lookouts CSA/EMT side zip, and they won't stay tied is there any tricks to keeping them tied, so I don't have to keep tying them I don't mind tying them throughout the day It's just a bit annoying. I will also state I am not in ems, I am not sure if this is required or not since I have only commented, and this would be my first post here.

The other question is not about boots, and I am not sure if I can add it in this post or if I have to make a new post?

Dear r/NewToEMS

I hope you are all doing amazing. I have come to recently finish my first year of university, and have made it a goal to get my EMT certification. The reason why? Direct patient care, groundwork for advanced healthcare professions, and developing life-saving skills. However, I have unfortunately ran into a problem: figuring out when and where to get this done.

My home is in Denver, Colorado, but I go to university in Los Angeles, California. Knowing that it is unlikely for me to be able to complete my EMT certification during the academic year (due to classes, working, and extracurricular activities) I thought it best to get it during this summer.

I am now in Denver. I am abroad May 10th - June 13th. As I have found, this puts me in an unfortunate situation for the practicality of being able to get my EMT certification this summer (many programs start during May). Below you will see what I have found (in bold are the programs I think are doable to their hybrid nature):

• Denver Health/Denver University
  • No summer classes
• South Metro Fire Rescue
  • No summer classes
• Red Rocks Community College
  • 5/28/24 - 8/4/24
    • "Didactic portion of the program will occur online"
  • 8/5/24 - 8/16/24
    • "Skills portion of the program is M-F 8am-5pm each day"
• UC Health
  • June 3/4/7 - August 7/8/10
    • "160 hours of classroom instruction plus an additional 10-hour clinical shift in the hospital"
  • Based in Colorado Springs (~1 hour commute)
• Community College of Denver
  • I believe they are available, but from my understanding, not in the summer
• Arapahoe Community College
  • Mar 11 - May 30, 2024
    • This is associated with the "Summer 2024" term -- perhaps they do not have any available for the summer? Regardless it is all in-person; this would not work for me.
• RC Health Services
  • I could not find anything (it seems a bit shady); there is an "online" and "hands-on" portion, but I am not sure of the dates
• Front Range Community College
  • May 28 - August 5th (majority in-person; don't think this will work)
• University of Colorado
  • Fully online? Not sure if there's an in-person component (I imagine I would have to do this separately)

I have spent several hours researching what to do, and I am still not sure of the best action to take. If you, r/NewToEMS, may be able to provide me any help, I would be grateful. I thank you in advance for your time and assistance.

If you have any questions about any of their programs more specifically paramedic I’d be happy to answer them. I know I was in that situation once and would’ve like to know what I do now.

I’m starting emt school in a few weeks, I’ve always wanted to join the military but can’t because of some health reasons, but does being an emt give any amount of discipline similar or different to that of the military?

So, finished medic school except for the dynamic cardiology “mock registry” station. Didn’t get enough points last time — have a retest on Monday or Tuesday…. Any tips? My last one I cycled through my 4 rhythms, ran out of time while I was asking about weight for a dopamine drip. doh! I wonder if they’d have just accepted “dopamine drip to promote increased pressure “

Having to verbalize everything is so much more stressful than any of my arrests/codes

I feel like I can never hear a BP, or when I do finally hear it, it’s inaccurate. Any tips on taking blood pressures?

What other companies have 911 contracts in LA/OC right now besides emergency and Falck? Both are full at the moment. I already have a start date with an IFT company but want something more than granny grabbing.

It's been my dream since I was 15 years old to become an emt. I have anxiety but I'm not prone to panic attacks. I have depression but I've been managing fine with it. I start emt classes this month, I'm a little nervous bc I don't know what to expect. I plan on getting medicated to help control the symptoms.

Basically what the title says. I have a track record of long stays at places of employment and it's unusual for me to do any sort of job hopping, even in tougher jobs I've had in retail or working with vulnerable adults. It's something I'm proud of. This boss tho, I don't know what nail-ridden fucking stick is up his ass but he is a complete prick to me and everyone around him and management does not seem to care. The thing is that I just got this job a month and a half ago and my parents (one was a nurse, one was a microbiologist) said that the EMS community is so small, it'll leave a dent. Even if I leave it off my resume, any hospital could easily find my info and they all function off the same data and talk. Is that true? How can I leave this shit with the least amount of consequences and enter a new job?

I want some experience and money over the summer so I applied and got an offer from an IFT company. While it says on my resume that I am a college student in another state, I have not told them explicitly that I can only work for the summer (3 months). Should I tell them?

Hey guys, I just signed up for my local academy. My class starts end of May, any good readings material or apps that I can use to prep before hand? I have a lot of downtime at my current job so anything helps

Hi guys,

I am currently exploring a product/app idea in the NREMT standardized exam space(Paramedics, AEMT, EMT and EMR). The idea came about recently after I saw my friend struggling to navigate and pass his EMT exam. I would like to get your thoughts on the big problems/pain points you are going through or went through while studying and doing practice tests online. Here are a few questions I'd love to get your thoughts on:

1. What were/are the biggest challenges you faced/face in preparing for the NREMT exams?
2. How did you/do you approach studying and practicing for the exams? What resources did/do you find most helpful?
3. If you used practice exams or questions, what did you like or dislike about them?
4. What features or capabilities would you find most valuable in an NREMT practice exam app/platform?
5. How important would personalized recommendations and targeted feedback be in helping you improve your weaker areas. Scale of 1-10. 10 being I NEED IT NOW?

I'm grateful for any insights, experiences, or suggestions you can share. Thank you in advance for your time, valuable feedback, and service to our communities!

PS. My goal is to deliver a great quality product to the EMS community where affordability is out of the question.

This may be a dumb question but I’m looking to apply for my CA state license as that’s where I’m planning on working and I’ve heard that you can apply to any county in California and you’ll be granted a license. I’ve heard some counties are cheaper or have an easier process. If gonna work in LA County, can I apply in riverside?

I'm planning to take an EMT class this fall, which will be the start of my senior year of college. I know that lots of people sign contracts to volunteer for a certain amount of time to waive their tuition fee, but given that this is my last year of college and I don't know where I'm gonna be in 1-2 years, I don't feel like I can be tied down to something like this. The courses I'm looking at have contracts on station vs state level, so I know some have more flexibility. Has anyone experienced this before? Is there any flexibility around this? I know it'll vary a lot but just wanted other people's takes.

i got an 88% all that’s left is the skills portion which i take tuesday

I recently started studying through the Limmer app and holy shit, I cannot for the life of me score above a 65% in any of the section reviews. I’m missing so much, it’s asking me questions I feel like I’ve never even heard of before—let alone could find in my textbook. I’m getting tricked super easily on easier questions. I feel like I need to give up