scheduling classes around EMT/ER tech shifts?

[LoRezSkyline]

hello there,

i've got a question for all you working as EMT's/ER tech's out there - i'm sure it differs depending on the company/ER you work for and how long you've been there, but how flexible/inflexible do you generally find your work scheduling to be? what's the average EMT/ER tech shift or workweek like? the reason i ask - i'm a 28-yr. old looking to obtain an EMT cert. within the next few months, transition out of my current career by years' end and begin a 2-yr. process of getting medical experience and completing my prereqs for p.a. school.

i live in los angeles, so cost of living is a concern - luckily i've kept my expenses minimal (cheap studio apt, no car payment, frugal lifestyle) so i think i can get by on an EMT's salary and only put a minor dent in my savings if necessary. i *will* need to work though, so i'm hoping that others can tell me if it's feasible to arrange one's shifts around potential class times? i'm encouraged to see that santa monica community college out here offers anatomy, bio, chem, physiology and others anywhere from as early as 8 am to as late as 6:45 pm. so the classes are there, assuming i can juggle a balance between work/school/life to make this all happen! i know i'll find out eventually, but seeing as how i'm leaving a decent-paying career that's taken me 6 years or so to establish i'm just looking before i leap!

any advice, personal experiences you'd like to share welcome, cheers...

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[southerndoc]

I worked a 24- or 36-hour shift every weekend throughout college (rotated Friday 8p-Sunday 8a one weekend, Saturday 8a-Sunday 8a the next).

Most services are very lenient with the scheduling. If you work for a small, rural service (like I did), you can get paid to watch TV, sleep, and study. Out of a 24-hour shift, I was probably actually working only 8-10 hours but got paid for the entire shift.

 

[Febrifuge]

I remained employed at my "day job" (I used to call it a career, and then I started calling it my day job) while I worked PT in the ED. I did this for over a year and a half.

I was not a benefit-earning employee of the hospital, and I was not a member of the union; I was what they called an 'intermittent part-time' employee. Basically what would happen is, the schedule was put together in four-week chunks. All the permanent employees either had regularly set shifts, or parameters within which they could declare they needed days off, etc. The scheduler for the department figured out where everyone went in the schedule, so everything was done 4 weeks ahead.

Once the regular schedule was together, intermittents could call in and talk to the scheduler; we'd sit on the phone and she'd go "okay, the week of the 11th we're good on Monday night but there's a hole from 3pm to 11pm on Tuesday. You want it?" and I'd say "I need to work here til 4:30 but I can be there by 5," and I'd plan for that 6 hours on that day. If something cool was happening or I was just slammed, I could stay late and help the 11:00 person get on track, and nobody ever gave me guff about overtime.

I typically did one or two of those 6-hour quasi-shifts during the week, plus a full 8-hour shift on either of the weekend days. That would be 20 hours a week, but it averaged out to more like 14 since this was by no means a regular recurring shift. I'd also be on the list of people to call if someone called in sick. If day-job work was busy (or if I was just feeling exhausted) I could always say no to anything that I hadn't already agreed to.

It was an excellent system, even if it did mean some days I worked a total of 14 to 16 hours. I used this kind of system to transition out of a job, and ended up keeping both. It should work well as a way to make time to be a student. Again, the one major downside is that the flexible schedules tend to go to the non-benefit-earning employees.

 

[thirdunity]

Febrifuge - sounds like a good thing. I'm just totally transitioning into allied health since I wasn't able to find work in my previous field (graphics), but it doesn't sound bad for a part-time job.

I'm hoping to get a part-time job as a phlebotomist after I finish my training and externship hours, then see about doing EMT/ER tech shifts while putting in my year as a phlebotomist. [I'll be a licensed phlebotomist before being a licensed EMT.] Then I'll have the option of switching to ER Tech or something related. Does that work? I come from the school of thought that you should stay a year at a job before moving to another job.

There really seems to be great flexibility in this field. This sure beats my previous line of work, where I had to study computer manuals for hours every night just to keep the very same job year after year...