4 answers
Willow
Student
Colonial Beach, Virginia
4
Questions
Updated
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What is the hardest part of being an EMT or Paramedic?
Hi, I'm currently a senior at my school. I plan on becoming an EMT this summer and this fall working on getting my Paramedic. I plan on being done with my paramedic and working a while before going for undergrad classes. What is the hardest part of becoming a paramedic going to be.
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4 answers
Eric Swanson
Firefighter & Paramedic
17
Answers
Ohio, Ohio
Updated
Eric’s Answer
Long hours is true. Whether your work for a private agency or a fire department.
Stress is a big issue. Especially if you work in an emergency room at a local hospital. Medics do all the mundane things, along with Medic things. You will see some of the dumbest things that people will come to an ER for.
Dealing with the public can be another stressor. Most people don't understand or know your job, but they try to tell you how to do it, or you get people who feel that they are entitled. You have to know your stuff, protocols and all aspects of the job. This takes time and practice.
Becoming a paramedic is not that hard, just time consuming. From the many hours of classroom work, and the hundreds of hours of clinicals, to taking your national registry or state test. Study and talk to other paramedics who have been doing it for some time.
This can be a great job, but it is not without its challenges. You will deal with difficult scenarios and issues. Learn to be able to deal with stressful situations, and always maintain your personal mental health. Seek help if it is needed. Don't bottle it up.
Stress is a big issue. Especially if you work in an emergency room at a local hospital. Medics do all the mundane things, along with Medic things. You will see some of the dumbest things that people will come to an ER for.
Dealing with the public can be another stressor. Most people don't understand or know your job, but they try to tell you how to do it, or you get people who feel that they are entitled. You have to know your stuff, protocols and all aspects of the job. This takes time and practice.
Becoming a paramedic is not that hard, just time consuming. From the many hours of classroom work, and the hundreds of hours of clinicals, to taking your national registry or state test. Study and talk to other paramedics who have been doing it for some time.
This can be a great job, but it is not without its challenges. You will deal with difficult scenarios and issues. Learn to be able to deal with stressful situations, and always maintain your personal mental health. Seek help if it is needed. Don't bottle it up.
Thank you, Eric for the advice.
Willow
Ryan Pfeiffer, MA
Firefighter Lieutenant / EMT
118
Answers
Fort Collins, Colorado
Updated
Ryan’s Answer
Hello Willow. Thanks for your interest in serving your community as an EMT/Paramedic!
To answer your question, the most difficult part will be largely dependent on you. It may be things you already know about yourself, or you may learn somethings about yourself along the way. I've taught a few hundred new EMTs, and here are some common things you may find.
Academics: If you struggle in school already, especially with Biology or anything study intensive, this may be a challenge for you. The chapters on anatomy, physiology, and pharmacology can be especially difficult. You will also find EMT/Paramedic programs significantly different from high school....unfortunately the modern public education system tends to just push students through. Your EMT/Paramedic instructors will not hesitate to fail you if you don't meet standards. In my program there are written tests about every other week. You get to fail one all semester. You fail a second, you're gone. So make sure you allocate sufficient time to studying (I was a good student in HS, got my EMT at 19, spent a minimum of 4-hours a day studying before class which was an additional 4-hours a day and "scraped by" with an 89 in the class.
Stress and Trauma: This tends to be a longer term concern, as much of the stress we face is cumulative (burnout, compassion fatigue, etc.). But its not always. PTSD can develop from a single event. What's much more common for students is they realize they're not good at working under pressure, or can't handle the gory aspects of the job. I was real worried about this going in because I tend to be a slower analytical thinker, and I've never been crazy about blood and guts and gore. I've managed it now for 14-years, so if its mild enough you may be able to work through that too.
Politics: You won't see it at first, but the longer you're in the more you'll discover just how much politics and egos affect operations. This can be very demoralizing if you're an idealist, like many newcomers are. You want to think it's all about saving lives and helping people, but sometimes it's about who your Chief doesn't like, how much money is the budget, what side of a line on a map the incident occured on, whether the patient has insurance or not, etc.
Schedule/Hours: This can vary quite a bit depending where you work. 24-48 hour shifts are pretty awesome, if you actually take your time off. If you work a lot of overtime, you can really burn out fast. No matter what schedule you work, you may find yourself on a night-shift or busy overnight assignment and really mess up your sleep schedule. That can have second and third order effects on friends, family, going to school, etc. Of course, you'll work many holidays too. May end up getting forced to work mandatory overtime. Etc.
Integrity: I hate that I have to say this, but some people struggle with the whole doing the right thing part of the job. You got to maintain a clean driving record on and off-duty, be truthful in your reports even if you made a mistake, don't cheat on exams, don't see from your patients or coworkers, don't use illegal substances on or off duty, etc.
I feel like such a downer listing off all those negative aspects. Hopefully you read that list and went, "wow, I'm not worried about any of that". If that's the case, you'll probably do just fine. As another quick word of advice though, going straight into Paramedic after EMT is not advisable. Things may be different in VA, but here in my part of CO we will not consider you for Paramedic until you have at least 2-years experience as an EMT working on a 911 ambulance in a "busy" system. Its very important to be a good EMT before being a good Medic. There is a cliche that Basic Life Support saves more lives than Advanced Life Support. All the cardiac drugs in the world won't do much if someone's not doing the chest compressions and ventilations!
Hope that helps. Happy to answer additional questions you have!
Good luck to you.
To answer your question, the most difficult part will be largely dependent on you. It may be things you already know about yourself, or you may learn somethings about yourself along the way. I've taught a few hundred new EMTs, and here are some common things you may find.
Academics: If you struggle in school already, especially with Biology or anything study intensive, this may be a challenge for you. The chapters on anatomy, physiology, and pharmacology can be especially difficult. You will also find EMT/Paramedic programs significantly different from high school....unfortunately the modern public education system tends to just push students through. Your EMT/Paramedic instructors will not hesitate to fail you if you don't meet standards. In my program there are written tests about every other week. You get to fail one all semester. You fail a second, you're gone. So make sure you allocate sufficient time to studying (I was a good student in HS, got my EMT at 19, spent a minimum of 4-hours a day studying before class which was an additional 4-hours a day and "scraped by" with an 89 in the class.
Stress and Trauma: This tends to be a longer term concern, as much of the stress we face is cumulative (burnout, compassion fatigue, etc.). But its not always. PTSD can develop from a single event. What's much more common for students is they realize they're not good at working under pressure, or can't handle the gory aspects of the job. I was real worried about this going in because I tend to be a slower analytical thinker, and I've never been crazy about blood and guts and gore. I've managed it now for 14-years, so if its mild enough you may be able to work through that too.
Politics: You won't see it at first, but the longer you're in the more you'll discover just how much politics and egos affect operations. This can be very demoralizing if you're an idealist, like many newcomers are. You want to think it's all about saving lives and helping people, but sometimes it's about who your Chief doesn't like, how much money is the budget, what side of a line on a map the incident occured on, whether the patient has insurance or not, etc.
Schedule/Hours: This can vary quite a bit depending where you work. 24-48 hour shifts are pretty awesome, if you actually take your time off. If you work a lot of overtime, you can really burn out fast. No matter what schedule you work, you may find yourself on a night-shift or busy overnight assignment and really mess up your sleep schedule. That can have second and third order effects on friends, family, going to school, etc. Of course, you'll work many holidays too. May end up getting forced to work mandatory overtime. Etc.
Integrity: I hate that I have to say this, but some people struggle with the whole doing the right thing part of the job. You got to maintain a clean driving record on and off-duty, be truthful in your reports even if you made a mistake, don't cheat on exams, don't see from your patients or coworkers, don't use illegal substances on or off duty, etc.
I feel like such a downer listing off all those negative aspects. Hopefully you read that list and went, "wow, I'm not worried about any of that". If that's the case, you'll probably do just fine. As another quick word of advice though, going straight into Paramedic after EMT is not advisable. Things may be different in VA, but here in my part of CO we will not consider you for Paramedic until you have at least 2-years experience as an EMT working on a 911 ambulance in a "busy" system. Its very important to be a good EMT before being a good Medic. There is a cliche that Basic Life Support saves more lives than Advanced Life Support. All the cardiac drugs in the world won't do much if someone's not doing the chest compressions and ventilations!
Hope that helps. Happy to answer additional questions you have!
Good luck to you.
Thank you so much for the advice.
Willow
Todd D. Filener
Medic
9
Answers
Carson, California
Updated
Todd D.’s Answer
Long hours. Don't be surprised when your 8 or 10 shift holds over for 12 or more. It's quite common.
Lack of respect from fire department personnel if you work for a private agency. Yes, you may hold the same qualifications, but they think they are better than you.
Interrupted meal breaks. It's the nature of the beast.
Death. Especially little kids. Don't dwell on it. Seek help. Remember, death is a natural part of life.
Remember, despite the negatives, this may be the greatest job you evr have.
Lack of respect from fire department personnel if you work for a private agency. Yes, you may hold the same qualifications, but they think they are better than you.
Interrupted meal breaks. It's the nature of the beast.
Death. Especially little kids. Don't dwell on it. Seek help. Remember, death is a natural part of life.
Remember, despite the negatives, this may be the greatest job you evr have.
Thank you, this is really helpful.
Willow
Eric Swanson
Firefighter & Paramedic
17
Answers
Ohio, Ohio
Updated
Eric’s Answer
Working long hours is common, whether you're with a private agency or a fire department.
Stress is a major concern, especially for those working in an emergency room. Medics handle routine tasks along with their specialized duties. You'll encounter some surprising reasons why people visit the ER.
Interacting with the public can add stress. Many people don’t understand your job but still offer advice, or act entitled. You need to be knowledgeable about protocols and every part of the job, which requires time and practice.
Becoming a paramedic isn't difficult, but it is time-consuming. It involves many hours of classroom learning, hundreds of clinical hours, and passing a national or state test. Study hard and talk to experienced paramedics.
This job can be rewarding but comes with challenges. You'll face tough situations, so learn to manage stress and take care of your mental health. Seek help if needed, and don't keep things bottled up.
Stress is a major concern, especially for those working in an emergency room. Medics handle routine tasks along with their specialized duties. You'll encounter some surprising reasons why people visit the ER.
Interacting with the public can add stress. Many people don’t understand your job but still offer advice, or act entitled. You need to be knowledgeable about protocols and every part of the job, which requires time and practice.
Becoming a paramedic isn't difficult, but it is time-consuming. It involves many hours of classroom learning, hundreds of clinical hours, and passing a national or state test. Study hard and talk to experienced paramedics.
This job can be rewarding but comes with challenges. You'll face tough situations, so learn to manage stress and take care of your mental health. Seek help if needed, and don't keep things bottled up.
Thank you for giving me advice.
Willow