r/NewToEMS

I’ve been on my unit for a little over a year, at first me and my supervisor were good friends for about 9 months. He pushed me to learn, helped me grow. He’s always been moody, and people warned me of that.

But something changed.. now he’s really hard to get a gauge on, loves to do surprise training where he harshly critiques, seems to enjoy stressing out the unit and has been caught talking about people behind their back/ attempting to get one person fired.

I don’t know what to do, he is a hell of a medic but the whole unit is regressing due to being stressed out all the time.

So I guess the question is, what would be the appropriate way to handle this

Is it okay to answer with a sort of sob story? Something traumatic that has happened to me in the past that involved EMTs and that’s why I want to be just like them sort of ordeal?

Hey everyone,

I’m a high school student (turning 16 this November) and I’m trying to get started in healthcare early. I’m deciding between becoming a CNA or starting EMT training first.

My main goals are:
strong clinical/healthcare experience for college applications
figuring out if I want to go into medicine (possibly pre-med/PA/ER-type field)
getting real patient experience, not just something basic for a resume

From what I’ve researched:
CNA seems easier to get into and more hospital-based (nursing homes, patient care)
EMT seems more intense, emergency-focused, and hands-on with real decision-making
I’m trying to figure out which one gives better experience long-term and looks stronger for applications, especially if I want to go into medicine later.

For context, I’m open to challenge and don’t mind training/effort, I just want the path that’s most worth it long-term.
So my questions are:
If you started over, would you choose EMT or CNA first?
Which gave you better experience for healthcare careers?
Any regrets either way?
Is EMT worth it early on at 16?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

passed my NREMT today at 120 questions was a little stressed but honestly the test wasn’t that bad and was fairly easy people say that ending 120 is bad but It doesn’t determine if you failed or not. It’s really you pass or you fail, and yeah, that’s my experience.

I joined a private ambulance company two weeks ago. I was monitored by a FTO for a week, who had to clear me on driving after I took the EVOC. My second day after I was cleared, I backed into a parked ambulance at a hospital. I had a spotter, but I heard her late. Luckily, we didn't have a patient. We filed an incident report and I had to meet my supervisor the next day. I accepted responsibility and she put me on non-driving status. There were visible damages; the repair cost was $2500, which seems a lot. I asked my supervisor if I could eventually drive again, but she didn't give me a clear yes or no. Honestly, I feel stupid because I didn't even finish a month and the incident was avoidable. Has something similar happened to anyone and were they able to drive later in their career?

Hi I am looking to start classes and start a career in EMS iam struggling to understand the difference between the classes I am in colorado and wanted to go to my local community college for classes but the classes say things like

Emergency Medical Technician

Emergency Medical Technician AAS

Emergency Medical Technician Mini certificate

Emergency Medical Technician

Advanced Emergency Medical Technician

Advanced Emergency Medical Technician AAS

Advanced Paramedic practitioner BAS

I have no clue what any of this means and i’ve tried calling the school and have not been able to get ahold of anyone there iam not trying to whine but iam so lost iam mainly trying to read about the courses see which one is right for me and see what the pipeline is because if i can be a paramedic straight out of the gate i’ll do that but if i need to EMT Basic and then Advanced then Paramedic i will i just need to know and iam lost

I apologize for any spelling grammar or punctuation mistakes

TL;DR i need help with classes

Quick context I applied for a city in the EMS division and was disqualified for dishonesty on my application, I can no longer apply with this city EMS permanently, but how does that effect my reputation and applying elsewhere with other cities or county’s. With Of course being honest on my application this time.

I just took my NREMT and I feel good about it, but I got cut off at 120 and I’m waiting for results but I hope I did good. You know it’s just hard but I felt very confident.

Hi, I’m an emt-b and just passed the nremt, waiting for the dshs to process my certification after getting fingerprinted yesterday. In the meantime I’ve been looking for jobs in the Collin county, Texas area and I wanted to ask about AMR ift jobs in the area. I interned with AMR during my class and one of the paramedics recommended I do IFT with AMR and transition to 911 after getting some experience, so I could get used to the more menial tasks (documentation, driving the ambulance, ambulance maintenance, etc.). I thought it was a good idea, and I’d be interested in getting a job with AMR for IFT. Upon looking for jobs online I not only can’t find an AMR/Global Medical Response IFT job within my area, I can’t find an IFT job in my area outright that doesn’t require at least being a paramedic.

Sorry if it’s a silly question, but am I searching for the wrong job title and maybe that’s messing me up, or are there just straight up no IFT jobs in the area? Or should I apply to AMR as an emt-b despite having 0 experience and hope for the best?

Thanks, and again maybe I’m just missing something really obvious or I’m just naive, so sorry if what I’m asking sounds ridiculous.

Edit: Collin county, TX, sorry

NE Florida. I’m entering healthcare as a pre-med and $19/hr is roughly my baseline to continue paying rent and living as a human being. I’m looking at an EMT-B course this summer and ideally looking for full time IFT positions after that. Is there any hope of a wage near that for an entry-level position or am I gonna be doordashing

So I’ve been doing a freelance EMT job at my old high school’s graduation celebration. All I do is give people bandages and Tylenol really and I call 911 if there’s an actual emergency.

I’ve just become a paramedic and I was wondering if there’s a way to work under a license without being part of an actual company or if I’m just going to be stuck like this.

I just wonder if there’s a way to actually care for patients without having to be part of an actual company.

Hi y'all, I just finished a 2-week EMT course and felt like I understood most but not all of the information. I'm looking to take the NREMT in 2 weeks from now, and was wondering what's the best strategy to pass the NREMT first try? Should I use LC, medictest, or pocket prep? How long should I review vs actually doing practice problems?

Did anyone feel that there EMT class was more lecture based to prepare to you to take the NREMT compared to actually preparing you for the field?

“Hey we’re coming at you with a ___ male. Inch long laceration to the forehead above the right eye, half inch laceration to the eye itself post ground-level fall. Bleeding is slowed with gauze, but not stopped. A&O x4, GCS unobtainable as pt’s eyes are covered by bandages, but pt has given no reason to suspect abnormality. No LOC, no blood thinners, pt is reporting generalized 10/10 pain. Pt has an extensive cardiac history, as well as a spinal fusion.”

Call back a minute later.

“Got an update - patient is now hallucinating.”

Get there, and even the patient intake ladies with no medical training go “woah this patient should not go to triage, let me call up and see where we can put him”

YEAH NO SHIT. Y’all had him going to triage in the first place?????? What the fuck???? What part of “hallucinating with an eye injury” makes you go “definitely triage appropriate”.

Bro ended up getting a room, and was trauma alerted before we even left the ED. I’m genuinely pissed we didn’t go straight there. When I gave the initial report I was expecting at least a room, and when he started hallucinating I was sure we were headed to the trauma bay.

Did I understate things in my report? Is this a fuckup on the hospital’s end or did I make him sound too stable? This happened a few days ago and I’m still rolling the report around in my head wondering if I should have changed things.

For clarity’s sake: the reason I didn’t have a baseline GCS was because a volunteer firefighter was first on scene and did the bandaging, so I didn’t see the patient’s eyes prior to the bandages being administered, he just gave me the report.

70-year-old female patient complaining of generalized weakness.

Vitals were within the normal range.

I immediately noticed the patient was slurring her speech. I asked the staff if this was normal, and they said yes, but it was much worse today. MLAPS was performed. Grip strength was equal, and smile was equal. Unable to perform the arm drift test because the patient could not keep her arms up. The patient was complaining of extreme dizziness. The patient is usually able to get up and walk around with a walker, but today could not take two steps without it. The patient stated she was experiencing blurry vision; she said she could see two lamps in her room (there was only one). I called a potential stroke for unsteady gait, blurry vision, dizziness, and worsening slurred speech.

Board and Care staff, as well as ALS (Fire), made it seem like I was overreacting for calling a potential stroke and requesting an ALS assessment. Fire did not think this was an ALS call.

I am trying to enter an EMT program and eventually get a Paramedic certification. However, I am petite at 5ft 98 lbs and am concerned about the 125 lb weight lifting requirement. I currently work as a vet tech and can lift an 80lb dog but it’s still decently difficult. I am arguably a fit person but definitely not ripped with muscle. Is this a possible feat?
I am also curious about any tips/tricks you have for getting started in the field, good things to know etc.

Hi, I’m a 19-year-old in Miami looking to build a career in EMS. I’ve never really cared about the money — I genuinely love the idea of helping my community. I’m planning to move up to paramedic eventually, and possibly fire rescue as well. I start EMT school in August.

Does anyone have any advice or things I should know before getting started?

I’m 26 and switching the direction I’m going in life. One of my childhood friends is an EMT at the moment and has been enjoying it, so I thought I would give it a try. He’s been helpful explaining things to me, but I don’t want to brother him with every question I have. So if you guys have any tips or tricks to help retain knowledge or what’s a good way to study, I would appreciate it greatly.