EMT Course

jacknife

I work in medical education and I've done numerous courses in medical ultrasound, medical procedures, ECG, IVs, etc

All my experience except for ultrasound has been theoritical and I was thinking about becoming a paramedic due to circumstances i cannot pack in my job so I would have to do a part time course or during the summer and take it from there

I was thinking about getting a qualification as an EMT first and see how it goes then trying to get into paramedic and eventually get a job as a tutor

I was looking at EMT courses and although I've covered a lot of the material already I think it would be good to get the qualification

Can anyone offer any advice

flazio

Don't take your hospital qualifications for granted. Pre Hospital is a whole new ball game. Life long nurses have had to start from the bottom rung when they've joined voluntaries.
Talk to a local voluntary about what courses they are doing.

miju

flazio wrote: »

Don't take your hospital qualifications for granted. Pre Hospital is a whole new ball game. Life long nurses have had to start from the bottom rung when they've joined voluntaries.
Talk to a local voluntary about what courses they are doing.

Can't speak for yours but I know my voluntary would never discount the experience of a life long nurse and any that does would be a bit nuts to do IMO.

To the OP I know there were 3 nurses on my EMT course with my voluntary including a very senior one and they struggled with it at times not from point of view of theory but from point of view of some of the non hospital skills.

One of them put it perfectly when they said they can take people of spinal boards all day long but they had never put a person on one.

Best of luck if you go ahead with the course

First Aid Ireland

Just think about why you want the qualification.

If it's to go and get a job as an EMT, that might be tough. If it's for your own interest, then go for it.

jacknife

First Aid Ireland wrote: »

Just think about why you want the qualification.

If it's to go and get a job as an EMT, that might be tough. If it's for your own interest, then go for it.

Thank you for your replies and insight

What are the employment opportunities for EMTs at the moment both here and abroad

I wound like at some stage to get into training as I'm from a medical education background

First Aid Ireland

jacknife wrote: »

Thank you for your replies and insight

What are the employment opportunities for EMTs at the moment both here and abroad

I wound like at some stage to get into training as I'm from a medical education background

Opportunities are very poor here right now. Plus to stay on the PHECC register you have to keep up some kind of practice.

The best way to do it is to join one of the voluntary organisations, like the red cross, and learn to look after sick people "in the field". Then try and progress up the ladder with them. they'll train you for free in cardiac first response, emergency first response and right up to EMT if you're very committed.

Another option would be to train privately as an EMT and then work with one of the vols as an EMT. I assume that would be acceptable to PHECC for keeping yourself on the register.

The vols are great, though. Before I embarked on a career in healthcare I'd done years in the red cross, and I wasn't afraid of unconscious people or blood, which stood to me when i started university.

Regardless of what anyone says, a background in healthcare, whatever it is, will stand to you in the pre-hospital environment in a big way.

I'm not an expert in this stuff, but people on here would be able to tell you what the chances are of getting in paramedic/EMT training programmes up north or over the sea would be if you were willing to move.

I still think the voluntary first aid orgs are the best first stop for everyone. You'll never go wrong doing a few years with them.