u/Key_Job3661

Has anyone heard about a being a medical dosimetrist as a way to move upward or expand out of ultrasound? This is something I found related to a bachelor's program that required either ARRT or ARDMS. I believe there is also some post graduate work.

If you have heard of it, is this an achievable thing to go from sonography? What exactly do you do on the day to day and what kind of jobs can you get in this specific field?

(The program is AS to BS in Radiologic Sciences from Ohio State University for additional context.)

I'm an EMT student, and clinical for us don't start for at least another 3 weeks. Even once we do clinical, I'm pretty sure we would just use whatever the ambulance company uses since the school doesn't provide us with our own equipment. Still, I've been thinking about getting my own gear now just for a few reasons:

1. I have no opportunities to practice vitals outside of the limited class time when we aren't testing/lecturing. (And this is only 1 age group since it's all EMT students.) Getting a cheap BP cuff and stethoscope might be good practice for outside of class. My friends/younger siblings/elderly grandparent would definitely let me practice on them as needed.

2. It might be helpful in a first aid situation? (Cringey I know, but I already kept regular first aid materials in a bag in my car and have had to use the kit twice in the past 4 months since I started carrying it. I'm not talking about getting an AED for the car, just basic gear.) I'm an overthinker and would rather be overprepared than underprepared.

3. Volunteer work. I'm trying to get involved in some local "free clinic" type EMS organizations and think it might be good to have my own gear going into it so I don't have to be a burden on them or delay my start time.

4. I am around a lot of stupid f-ing people. It is by choice and I love them all, but I attend raves, punk shows with mosh pits, and ride on the back of a motorcycle pretty frequently. A lot of my friends are DJs or promoters. Some of the events are "underground" and do not have a designated medical team or even supervision/permits. Having these things on hand (if I'm volunteering to stand in the corner with my little bag and no identifying information related to where I work) or nearby (if they're in my car down the street/outside the venue) could be helpful in cases of overdose, falls in the pit, fight related injuries, dehyration, and really just preventing the absolute worse.

Questions I'm asking is:

- Is this stupid?/Am I creating fake scenarios in my head?

- Also if I were to invest in some basics what would you recommend? (Cheap cost over high quality at this point. Don't need anything too fancy)

Would getting my radio technician license (and the other levels above that after I pass the initial one) help in my job search at all? Or perhaps be useful down the line if I were to go into more rural medicine?

I'm currently located in socal near some pretty big cities, and everyone is telling me the job market is terrible out here. I'll finish my EMT-B course in roughly 2 months. A friend of mine is moving to Nevada City near Tahoe national park. Does anyone know what the job market/pay is like out there?

Cleaning out elderly woman's closet and have 4+ bags of vintage and older style clothes. Mostly larger sizes, but a good mix. Lots of decent quality fabrics and embroidered and paisley tops. Great jackets that are warm. Skirts and lots of "church" clothes. Some vintage pieces as well. Willing to drop off or have picked up.

If anyone knows of donation centers for the people displaced by the evacuation, that would be great too

So I have the classic gifted burnout kid story with the hyper independence and abused eldest daughter syndrome. I always dealt with depression and on and off mostly passive SI.

I was very over preforming in school up until midway through high school when I dropped out of school for a year then went to a continuation school. I barely had to put in effort since I was used to AP classes. Senior year I was back in a "normal" school, but was in and out of the psych ward and outpatient mental health shelters.

After I turned 18, I was legally homeless, but my psych from the ward was able to get me into a wrap around program that helped with housing (sober living/shelter with other mentally ill women with lots of drug abuse, but it was something). It covered therapy and meds and I had mandatory weekly meetings with a social worker/case manager. This went on for 3ish years.

I was able to get back on track during this time and attended college, got my associates in a medical related field, and got 3 different licenses related to my degree. Despite this effort, my job search has gone nowhere. I tried going out of state this time last year to look for work, but it lead nowhere. Since I left the state, my program couldn't continue services and I've been without therapy for probably 2 years and without a real psych for 1 year. Eventually I came back and moved in with a very abusive man because I felt like I had no other options. I finally left in October, but crashed tf out. He really fucked up my plan and I was a mess. I had to move 3 times and ended up at my great grandma's while back in school.

I was doing my bachelor's, but was failing half my classes and dropped out in December. Since I had my licenses and AS degree I opted to just look for work, but I've applied to over 150 positions in my field in the past year and I've basically given up at this point.

I decided to make a career change on a whim (Probably stupid), but my energy levels are shit, the depression is back and I'm in denial, some would consider my weed and alcohol consumption minor substance abuse, and I've been off my anti psychotics for about 3 months. (My general was filling my meds, but I kept forgetting to take my antipsychotics and eventually I stopped taking them, but I'm scared to restart them without a doctor supervising since they're a high dose.)

I'm lucky to even have housing. Since I am with my grandma they're not happy I'm unemployed and make it very well known. It reminds me of when I was a kid and I feel like I'm regressing and failing as an adult.

Back to the career change. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to preform well when the program starts next week. I need to just settle and find an entry level job, but I'm to tired to sit down and actually apply. My energy levels, sleep schedule, and eating habits are all shit. I need to get back to where I was mentally, but this past year has hit me so hard and every day I feel I'm at a breaking point and I know something needs to change.

Any advice for how to start forming decent habits and getting out of this slump would be appreciated.

So I have the classic gifted burnout kid story with the hyper independence and abused eldest daughter syndrome.

I was very over preforming in school since it was a sanctuary and excelled. When I was halfway through high-school I got very depressed and dropped out of school for a year then went to online 3rd year (2021 covid times, but only went like 60% of the time and it was a continuation school so I barely had to put in effort since I was used to AP classes). Senior year I was in and out of the psych ward and outpatient mental health shelters.

After I turned 18, I was legally homeless, but my psych from the ward was able to get me into a wrap around program that helped with housing (sober living/shelter with other mentally ill women with lots of drug abuse, but it was something). It covered therapy and meds and I had mandatory weekly meetings with a social worker/case manager.

I was able to get back on track during this time and attended college, got my associates in a medical related field, and got 3 different licenses related to my degree. Despite this effort, my job search has gone nowhere. I tried going out of state this time last year to look for work, but it lead nowhere. Since I left the state, my program couldn't continue services and I've been without therapy for probably 2 years and without a real psych for 1 year. My general doctor was been filling my meds. (Lamictal [mood stabilizer] and Latuda [antipsychotic]) Eventually I came back and moved in with a very abusive man because I felt like I had no other options and he is now my ex. (Thank god) He really fucked up my plan and basically all of October I was a mess. (Honestly my own fault for not leaving sooner, but my self esteem was shit and I was being abused so.)

I was doing my bachelor's, but was failing half my classes and dropped out in December. Since I had my licenses and AS degree I opted to just look for work, but I've applied to over 150 positions in my field in the past year and I've basically given up at this point. (My school and actual training/internship kinda sucked, and I've been unemployed for so long ny skills have degreaded.)​

I decided to make a career change on a whim (Probably stupid), but my energy levels are shit, the depression is back and I'm in denial, some would consider my weed and alcohol consumption minor substance abuse, and I've been off my anti psychotics for about 3 months. I had to move into my grandma's house and I'm lucky to even have that. Since I am with family though I've been pulled into their bs every now and again and they're not happy I'm unemployed and make it very well known.

I'm sure if I'm going to be able to preform well when the program starts next week. I need to just settle and find an entry level job, but I'm to tired to sit down and actually apply. My energy levels, sleep schedule, and eating habits are all shit. I need to get back to where I was mentally, but this past year has hit me so hard and every day I feel I'm at a breaking point and I know something needs to change.

I'm going to be quite honest. My main priority is finding work and making a decent income. I got a degree in radiology/sonography and wasn't able to find work after applying for over a year. (And now have massive student loans.) Since then I've gotten bored of radiology and honestly think I'd feel more fulfilled working in EMS (even though I know the pay is not even comparable to what I'd make as a sonographer).

I signed up for a accelerated fully certified EMT-B program in the socal area and anticipate finishing and taking the NREMT in July.

My program has told me they offer their internship experience in hospitals, ambulances, and the fire department, but give first pick people who really know what they want to do and get good test scores.

I'm not sure what specific place I'd want to go to since I'm not yet sure what my long term goals are. I've played around with the idea of PA school, becoming a paramedic or even working with the fire department, but I want to know what internship site would give me the most lateral movement and chances of hirer pay.

What are the pros and cons of each type of site resume and experience wise? Is there anything else I should be doing to prep or help me prepare for getting hired in that specialty after getting licensed?