Any EMT/Paramedics here? Do you carry or wear body armor? Are you allowed to carry or wear body armor? Have you been attacked?
I'm in college and I like the idea of helping to save peoples' lives, but I would want a more active role and don't want to spend 10 years in school, so I'm thinking about pursuing being a paramedic. I just don't want to get filled with .380 by some thug who mistakes me for a cop.
Also, are you happy with your job? Is the pay in your area enough to support yourself and any family that relies on you?
>Two snakes
You know, that the Rod of Asclepius has only one snake, right? Asclepius is the greek god of medicine and healing
Two snakes is the Staff of Caduceus, which is carried by Hermes, a messenger but also a trickster.
>>28085685
Medical institutions still use it though.
>>28085690
They're wrong to use it.
They only use it because idiots that don't know the difference have forced it along for the last 100 years.
>>28085685
mein_neger.jpg the mix up of the two pisses me off
>>28085624
>do you carry or wear body armor
spent 4 years doing EMS in detroit, never carried or wore armor, only got assaulted once, having a gun or armor wouldnt have helped me. good luck with the resulting suit if you shot someone while on duty.
are you considering becoming a paramedic instead of another career like nursing or being a doc? unless you become a FF/medic you wont make jack shit for money. even the firefighters dont make THAT much. if you're happy with ~50k/year do FF/medic. youll only make about 38k/year as just a medic. thats the average salary for the midwest at least.
>>28085690
its a real life forced meme and its wrong.
>>28085702
>unless you become a FF/medic you wont make jack shit for money.
When you say FF/Medic do you mean a firefighter as well as a medic, or a medic specializing in dealing with fire victims?
Were you expected to be available 24-7, in case of emergencies?
>>28085740
yes a fire fighter who works for a fire department and is also licensed as a paramedic.
FF/paramedic is the shortened lingo.
I worked private EMS so i showed up, did my 12 hour shift and went home. Sometimes I worked doubles but I was never on call. If you do fire you will most likely start as a paid on call firefighter, they page you and you have to hustle in to the station or show up in your personal vehicle with your bunker gear. Once youre a part time/full time firefighter you will probably work 24/48 shifts where you live in the station, can fuck around and sleep and cook and shit and respond to calls as they come in. You may be a firefighter first and a paramedic second or they may have you dedicated to work on a fire ambulance. depends on the department.
EMT-B here. Been an EMT-B for 3 years now. Depending on your city, PD should be on scene if there is any hint of violence. Departments issue you a vest, and as far as I know, it is up to you when you wear it. There is one medic in my city that wears it 24/7(I live in a major metro area).
Worrying about someone shooting you is the least of your worries as a medic though. Try wrestling a guy on PCP that is far larger than you. Try running a scene on a major highway as cars fly by you at 60mph+. Try driving code 3 down a highway during rush hour. Try dealing with seeing kids die.
There are many risks involved in the job that a vest will not help. It comes down to if you really want to help people. That is what keeps most of us in the job. There aren't many rewards besides that.
>>28085624
I've only done EMS for four years, never been attacked to the point I felt like I needed a gun. I don't carry or wear body armor.
I like being a paramedic. Some people hate that we get called for often non-emergency stuff but that's not what kills me. I hate that I don't get to use many my skills and knowledge, and I hate being CONSTANTLY looked down upon by Doctors and nurses. I'm was making ok money before I left and I actually like the 24/48 shifts a lot. I'm using EMS as a step stone.
>>28085765
>Worrying about someone shooting you is the least of your worries as a medic though. Try wrestling a guy on PCP that is far larger than you. Try running a scene on a major highway as cars fly by you at 60mph+. Try driving code 3 down a highway during rush hour. Try dealing with seeing kids die.
these are the true hazards of EMS.
but you forgot the high likelihood of developing: chain smoking, crippling alcoholism, obesity, an incredibly negative outlook on life and humanity, relationship stress, depression and numerous musculoskeletal injuries
>>28085775
are you planning on going after nursing/PA/DO/MD?
>>28085775
Hey homie, I work in the ER at a level 1 trauma center. We love you guys. I'm sorry that your area doesn't treat you the same way as we treat our medics.
>>28085690
the caduceus is a symbol of merchants and thieves, so you know what to expect from those medical institutions
>>28085795
99% of non-EMS medical staff treat EMS like dogshit. your facility is a rare exception.
>>28085788
Nurse so I can commision in the guard before I get to old (even though everyone said medical officers can get a pass, I'm not risking it) and either PA/NP. I know NP is the 'logical' step at the point but I want to work in Acute care and in Central FL I've never seen an NP in the ER.
>>28085795
It happens. And some are worse than others. There's one hospital (that thankful I don't have to go to any more) where they would take out our lines and start their own. Because "we've had to many of yours be bad".
>>28085832
Nice. Any paramedic to RN bridge programs in FL? We have a few in MI.
>>28085825
Well, that makes me feel good and bad. A few of our nurses used to work as paramedics for the city. A few of our staff members are married to EMS/fire. Our ER techs frequently get hired on by EMS or fire. We know most of the medics by name.
I've only worked in this city so I wasn't aware that it was that widespread. I guess I'm spoiled by my ER.
>>28085832
We have mid-level providers in my level 1. They do mostly ortho/abcess draining/suturing/bull shit complaint #9147517. It pays well though.
>>28085892
I worked at one ER out of the Detroit metro area as a tech, they were tight with the medics. I worked at a trauma center in Detroit and they treated EMS like shit. When I was on the road in Detroit everyone treated us like shit in the city and metro area. WhenI worked in Lansing it was the same behavior as Detroit.
>>28085846
Only a few. There's one through an actual state college and a few more through for profit jobs like Kaiser.
>>28085907
So do we, just not NPs (at least from what I've seen)
>>28085985
Our NPs and PAs are hired for the exact same role. The only difference is their title.
>>28085624
Im an EMT and a nurse, im at work now on an ambulance here in northern europe. I do not carry and I do not wear armour. If we go to an adress in a bad neighbourhood we bring the cops, personal safety is first priority, meaning if we go to a shooting or stabbing or whatever we do not approach the scene untill it is safe. same goes with domestic abuse, psych cases and such.
Never been attacked, gotten deaththreats and such but it all worked out.
Would love to move to the states but from what I have heard I wont be able to get a job in the ambulance service, maybe in a hospital if I am lucky.
>this thread
I'm so glad I quit ems jesus fuck
>>28085624
>Any EMT/Paramedics here?
Yes
>Do you carry or wear body armor?
Carry in the truck, only would come out in an active shooter situation where im in a warm zone. Ive got a ACH too
>Are you allowed to carry or wear body armor?
See above
>Have you been attacked?
No, we have good relationships with the gangs, OGs keep the young guys inline, cops are fair game becuase they have guns, we're off limits. They had their chance to ice someone, if they werent successful then its our turn to try and save them.
>>28085685
>>28085702
Thank you
>>28085775
I'm an RN and work in the ER pretty closely with paramedics, you guys are great, first people I go to if I can't get an IV in
>>28085624
I have been a paramedic in Las Vegas for 8 years now, and have only been in a position where I would of liked to have body armor twice. Once we had a drive by preformed on us while we were in the back. No penetrqtion and seemed like a very small caliber. Second time was a AMS dementia welfare check where he shot his shotgun through the door. Pic related, the door
>>28088385
I wish we could go back to the days of colored uniforms so medics could wear white body armor with a red cross on it.
>>28085624
Its funny Americans use a symbol of a death god, guide of the dead, instead of the more appropriate Rod of Asclepius.
>>28090172
Is there any reason they can't? I thought uniforms were assigned by the hospital/fire house/private company co-ordinator.
That would be dope as fuck though, along with robin-egg blue shirt with medic written on it.
>>28090382
Fuck off eurofag
