At a Crossroad.

[Mantra Locust]

Hello,

I'm new to the forum. It's a bit of a blessing that I found it, there doesn't seem to be many EMT/Paramedic forums floating around the internet.

I'm currently a Computer Science Major at a local community college, but I've recently gained a great deal of interest in becoming an EMT/Paramedic.

I'm curious to know, however, where can you go from being an EMT/Paramedic? Or should I say, how far can you go in the field? I'm trying to plan ahead for my future and would like to know where I could end up.

Perhaps I'm not making much sense, I'm new to the medical field, but I am highly interested in it. Originally, I was planning to be a LPN/RN, but thought that EMT/Paramedic life would be more exciting. Which is something I need right now (-:

I could use all the advice I can get, and it'll be highly appreciated.

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[pseudoknot]

Are you asking about what you can do strictly within EMS, as a paramedic? Or what else you might be able to do using that as a stepping stone.

In my area, making a career out of EMS is usually going to be within a fire department: the salaries are decent, the schedule is flexible (usually 24 hours on/24 off three times, then four days off) and there is good job security, but I doubt most people on this board are very interested in staying in EMS forever. There are also opportunities to work as a flight medic, often in the private arena, but that's easier to get into as an RN then a paramedic.

As a stepping stone to other things: EMTs and paramedics frequently go on to become physicians, PAs, nurses, etc. Most would agree that working as an EMT is a good way to get exposure to patient care, which can be useful in a) convincing yourself that this is what you want to do, and b) convincing admissions committees of the same.

 

[Mantra Locust]

Are you asking about what you can do strictly within EMS, as a paramedic? Or what else you might be able to do using that as a stepping stone.

I guess I'm asking a combination of the two. I'm interested in the field. Possibly as a perminant career if that's practical. Though if I could move up, that'd be great also.

As a stepping stone to other things: EMTs and paramedics frequently go on to become physicians, PAs, nurses, etc. Most would agree that working as an EMT is a good way to get exposure to patient care, which can be useful in a) convincing yourself that this is what you want to do, and b) convincing admissions committees of the same.

I'm the ripe age of 21, I'm not sure if I'd be practical for me to become a physician, because of the amount of schooling it takes. It'll be roughly a year until I get my EMT Certification, and another year until I can get my Paramedic Certification. I don't want to spend any more than an additional 2 - 4 years of school after I get my Paramedic Certs. I also thought about supplementing my EMT/Paramedic Certs with a Phlebotomy Cert as well, if that'd help any. So any direction I can get from here would be great. Thanks.