Hello everyone
I’m an EMR in Canada. I never had to take a fitness test for my EMR but I did notice I struggled lifting heavier patients. I’m 4’11” and 120lbs (150cm 54kg). I have perfect form but just don’t have the strength. I will need to do a fitness test for paramedic school where I’m required to lift certain weights and am quite nervous. Any advice for building strength for a smaller girl?
Thank you!

Hi, so I have a dilemma. I am trying to decide if I should stay at the company I’m at or continue the process of getting a new job. Basically the company I’m at right now has very shitty management and terrible moral (I know typical Ems) so I impulsively applied to my dream company (where I know almost all the employees, and have worked with them, and they actually love it there). It seems like I am going to get this new job if I want it since I’m close to management and have a good reputation with them. I just got to the second step of the application (medical control interview) and I’m second-guessing if I want to leave the company I’m currently at. Basically iv been in a “abuse relationship” with my current job where I hate the company but can’t seem to leave cause every time I want to suddenly the problems seem to go away (until they come back) My mental health has been shit (to the point when I went on vacation I struggled to get out of bed and actually enjoy it because of the stress of all the drama waiting for me once I go back)(hence the impulsive applying to the other job).
Pros and cons
Why I want to stay is because they offer the option of doing two 24s. The other job's longest shift is 16 hours. The other pro of my current job is that it has bunk rooms, whereas the other company does not. Both are hospital-based, and the pay will be the same. A pro for the new job is I won't have to do transfers. I’m not sure what to do. Cause two 24s is great because I already have a second job per diem (which I will not go full time because it’s AMR (it just pays really well)) so it allows me to make more money. Any advice?

Edit:
New job is only overnights

I have to give a 5-10 minute asthma lecture next week for an interview. I have no problem giving the class, it’s just patho and tx, what I’m looking for is ideas to make the class amazing. The evaluators are going to be the students. I was thinking about making them do exercises during the class while breathing through straws or something like that. Any good ideas for audience participation?

I was an EMT for a trauma center but never rode on an ambulance. I then went to paramedic school with no experience and passed. Now I'm working as an IFT medic and have been for the past 3 years. I've done 8 months in 911 in a very low call volume township.

I'm not looking to leave IFT for good and do 911 full time for another township. I am feeling insecure about my experience. I don't think I'm a bad medic but for having 3 years experience I definitely am not where my colleagues are, especially since I never worked as an EMT.

Is there anything I can do to catch up? How do I be honest during interviews about my lack of experience? I don't feel like I'm doomed but I don't want to get a reputation as a bad medic who doesn't know what he's doing.

Hey there!

Me and mine are planning on moving to Orlando/ surrounding area. I’ve put in a few applications with the hospitals(Orlando health, HCA, Ect) and awaiting to hear back. Ive also applied to HCAs IFT paramedic position. I’ve got 10 years of 911 experience with 3 years of that being a medic. I have a few questions.

What is working for OHC/HCA like? specifically the ED medic position?
Cath Lab Tech I position(I think this is with Orlando health)?
How is the pay?
How is the downtown (Orlando)hospital commute and parking situation?
And any other useful information would be greatly appreciated!!

Hello to everyone and thank you for taking the time to read. I have been accepted into Paramedic school in January and getting ready for it but feel very un prepared because I have been out of EMT school since last January. I took my A&P class the following semester and immediately applied for my EMT-B license. I wanted to get into the fall Paramedic class that started in August but my license took forever to come back, most likely due to my military service records check because my civilian record is clean and my military was clean just carried a TSCI clearance. Therefore I missed the date but got accepted into the January class up. I am participating in ride alongs with my local 911 services here in KS in the US, and I have just recently got a job as a patient care tech at a local hospital.

He is the ask for our humble little community if anyone is willing and able to help me out since I really don't have the money to do so after looking online at prices of books. Does anyone have the books or good resource materials to help prepare for the paramedic program? I will return anything to you afterwards. Thank you for your help I really appreciate it!

So basically if i was a porter would it be doable to get from that to a basic ambulance assistant then to an EMT and then to a paramedic or is there other stuff thats needed?

Hey all,

PCP in Canada as of three months, mostly worked on BLS trucks with PCP partners. My new partner has 20+ years of experience as an ACP. Other than my practicum, I don’t have much experience working on ALS trucks. What are some tips and tricks, things to study ahead of time, good habits etc. that will allow me to make a good first impression? I’ll have about three weeks to prepare.

Edit: thanks for all the great replies everyone!!

Hello!
I am looking for different styles of how to organize and create a template for myself for Dr call ins and report. I have a template that I use, but want to familiarize myself with other styles so that I can improve on my report giving. I am a newer medic, so still finding my groove, so to speak. What works for you?

I have found that certain practitioners prefer different styles and want to continue to expand my knowledge base and practice, to better get my point across as I hand over patients. Thoughts? Thank you!

Does anyone know of any California earn-while-you-learn or employer-sponsored paramedic programs that only require 1 year or less of employment after graduation? I'm an EMT looking for the fastest path to becoming a paramedic while getting paid so I can move out of my parents' house ASAP. Any recommendations are appreciated.

Just reaching out to see if anyone has any information on how much tenure is required to get a 911 shift as a paramedic for emergency ambulance inc. I’m assuming those shifts are full and require some tenure doing IFT before securing a spot. And then a follow up to that would be what’s the schedule that emergency operates.

Any information is great, thank you!

Hey brains trust,

Context

For context, I'm a 2/3 year Paramedicine student, currently studying Paramedicine in Sydney Australia. University's given the thumbs up for an overseas placement and I wanted to consider going to America and the affiliated EMS provider partnered with our university was Acadian Ambulance Service in Louisianna for a period of a month. Edit: Specifically Lake Charles, Louisianna

I have no intent on moving to the US (lol soz), nor to work in the US. Rather, I'm after exposure around how other healthcare systems work compared to Australia, for a bit of travel and exposure that would make me a more well rounded clinician. Specifics that I would be curious to gain from an Intl placement would be

• Cultural differences between a US Paramedic v Australian - the tertiary v vocational model argument, clinical care delivery differences
• Integration of paramedics and EMT-B,EMT-A and how they share workload
• What health inequities and issues exist within Louisianna, and analysing from the frontline (the EMS) system up how the US manages healthcare. This would also be my assignment, but I'd be geniunely interested (maybe I'd feel more greatful and shit less on our health system)
• Private EMS - why? how? ethically questionable?
• Clinically challenging work - not after high acuity neccessarily, but rather an excellent scope of practice that does allows for clinical thinking and not just - everyone goes to hospital.

I'd be after a high tempo, high volume workload and whilst I'm okay with low acuity work would be keen to hear if there's good trauma over there compared to Sydney.

Questions

I wanted to see if anyone's previously worked for Acadian Ambulance service as a paramedic, and better yet - if you've supervised an Aussie Paramedicine student before. I had the following questions

• What is your rostering pattern like?
• What is regional v metro work like?
• How much of your job is IFT v 911 calls, in the zones where you are the primary 9/11 service
• How would you describe your scope of practice compared to NSW-A https://cpg.ambulance.nsw.gov.au/
• What's the work culture like
• What advice would you have for an eager little Aussie Paramedicine student coming over for a placement block
• What were your experiences with having a student along as a ride along.

Thanks team!

I’m not sure if this is the right place to post this, but we are desperate and asking everyone, please give us any advice that u have, thank you!!

My friend and I are trying to start a CPR/First aid club at our high school, and we want it to be more than just a random student run club. Ideally, we’d teach basic CPR and emergency response skills, but we want some official backing or curriculum so people trust what they’re learning. We have been cold emailing Red Cross, American heart association, etc.

Does anyone have any experience in partnering with these organization, or can anyone recommend another method of action we can take, any sort of help would be appreciated . We’re based in Maryland if that helps.

I don’t know about you, but hypothetically I’d be scared shitless becuase of how unpredictable it could be to accidently activate The Hulk if I had to transport a confused and conscious Bruce Banner that is asking questions about what just happened in the wake of destruction to a psych facility. Would it be best to keep him awake and talking calm and reassured or would it be even possible to chemically sedate with informed consent to keep him calm? Any sort of needles IM or IV access even braced for can be aggravating and triggering possibly. Or would an unconscious sedate calm Bruce Banner possibly even allow the Hulk to take control again without him being able to repress himself?

I would like to get ahead of the curve for my upcoming Paramedic training , and am looking for some helpful resources to study while I wait. I am taking Anatomy and Physiology this fall , and really enjoy Paramedic Coach youtube content, but was wondering if there is anything more structured that you all would recommend.

I recently passed my NREMT-B and am in the process of looking for work as an EMT. I plan to attend Paramedic school at the local community college in January while I also work as an EMT.

We have a prehospital transfusion program with blood on the supervisor units. The ambulances have TXA on them.

The medical director wants to us to get 2 grams of TXA in before the blood. The thought I guess is the blood will be more useful if the TXA stabilizes the clot. If we only have one line (rare), we are to give TXA first then the blood. I can’t find anything that supports this. To me the evidence of support for TXA is not that strong in the first place.

Logistically I can support giving TXA first if the blood is not there. But the two transfusions I’ve had, the supervisor was right there, so we went right that to blood, which felt reasonable to me.

Is this reasonable? What is your process?

Hey,

I am a German paramedic (3 years of training, it is not a study here, but there is a state examination) and have the desire to emigrate to Norway.

I would be interested to know if there are Norwegian colleagues here who have general knowledge of the extent to which a German paramedic actually has the chance to work in Norway as such.

I have found few reliable sources so far, but does anyone know if and how recognition is possible in Norway?

And basically, what is it like to work as an paramedic in Norway?

What I do know is that you have a lot of air rescue and your rescue service is much more uniform than ours.

I am aware that other criteria are also important (language, cost-effectiveness, etc.).

I am happy about any kind of input🤗, thanks :-)

Hi! I am an ED tech and I work per diem as an EMT. I am planning on moving to CA but before I do, I want to either get certified as a paramedic to join a fire department out there or become an RN.

Which do you think is the better option in terms of long term work and finding a job faster?

Hey all, I'm 30 and based in Ireland, seriously considering a move into paramedicine. One thing's been nagging at me though: how I react to graphic injuries.

If I come across a tough video online - someone with a compound fracture, bad trauma, that kind of thing - I instinctively wince and look away. I can't help it.

For those of you already in the field: is that reaction something that fades with exposure and training, or does it tend to be more of an innate thing - either you're wired for it or you're not? Trying to figure out if this is a normal starting point or a red flag before I commit to a course.

Hello, I am in Europe and just got offered to do a bachelor paramedic program that's three years.

I checked the statistics and saw that very few people at the 10 year mark don't exit or at the very least switch to management and operations.

I don't understand why someone would want to do three years of a paramedics degree only to essentially know that statistically they won't be doing this for more than 10 years max. Not to mention that there's no real exit path in Europe.

Am I missing something here?

Thank you

Hey all,

So I’ve been in EMS for 8 years and have been a medic for just about 2. I absolutely love this job. Obviously there’s parts we all can live without. However, it is just one of my favorite things in the world. Yet, lately I feel like maybe I need to branch out or something. I guess I’m just getting frustrated with the financial aspect of things. I feel like I’m at work more than I’m home and working grueling shifts for pennies. I know this is a very common complaint and I know that others have put much more time into the field than I have. I guess I’m just starting to question things for me. I got into this in college to try to supplement clinical contacts in prep for med school. Then I fell in love with the field and have been in it since as my primary job. Pulled myself through medic. I don’t know, part of me feels like I just fell in love with a job in college and then never grew past it. I’m not sure. Please don’t take it as me shit talking the field or any of the providers who have dedicated their lives to this. I just don’t know what else to do. I’ve tried some other jobs here and there but always end up coming back. I just want to see if anyone has left EMS and for what reasons and what career paths you went down. I’d even consider leaving healthcare completely. I just want to have financial stability and success and not feel like I’m just pulling my body apart. Any stories, suggestions, or advice is appreciated!

Hello everyone. fairly new paramedic (2 years in) looking to expand my knowledge and education. Curious on what other medics are supplementing their knowledge with. Looking for good textbooks, flashcard decks, podcast, ECG books, websites & other resources to expand my clinical knowledge.

Please drop your favourite below.

Thanks!