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My other half recently became an EMT and is having no luck finding employment. From what I know/have seen "real" jobs in the whole front range area are in super high demand which means you are competing against a huge pool of qualified applicants..
I keep telling her to try and get on with the local FD which she is already a volunteer with.
Insight?
True. Especially if only EMT-B or IV. Most are only looking for paramedics. Best to get on as a FF right now and build up some more training and experience. As with anything. Knowing folks in the company can be the biggest foot up.
Things evidently haven't changed since I was one. As she has a foot in the door with that department, that is absolutely her best route.
To work with Poudre Valley she will have to spend 2-3 yrs on their reserve unit doin all the shitty gigs. No way around it with PVH. Thompson Valley is a bit better but since they have their own EMT program, they tend to hire from there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by argonstrom
If I remember right, you came up Pasquale trained didn't you? Not having IFSAC certs probably didn't help.
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/coems
Try here, they post jobs occasionally. I am part of this group. She must apply for membership though.
?Quote:
Originally Posted by thvigil11
I guess it was someone else here I'm thinking of. Raton had a chief that would train guys himself. Training was decent, but the Chief Pasquale cert didn't count for jack with other departments.Quote:
Originally Posted by argonstrom
Windsor has / had an opening. FWIW: i know the Chief, i'll reach out to him, see what's what.
Try Stadium Medical. They do mostly transfers but they have many contracts with sporting events.
As an EMT you will be severely limited in your choices. Most 911 service is moving towards Fire Based EMS meaning you must be a Firefighter. Third party and hospital based usually run dual Medics because the Fire Department they run with is mostly EMT's (two Medics are nice for critical calls) (PVH/University does run with Medic/EMT rigs)
The typical career for an EMS provider is:
- EMT (Consider EMT Advanced, much more marketable) with a private, doing transfers. This is a great way to learn the ropes, it may suck but 75% of the Medics you see on 911 calls started here.
- Then go to Paramedic school
- Continue working for a private, may get on a 911 rig in areas that still use privates for 911 (Aurora, Golden, Boulder).
- Apply and test to move up the food chain
You may get lucky and get in quicker (fire job) but it is very difficult. Unfortunately there just is not huge demand for EMT's and there are a ton of them. If she wants to stay an EMT and not become a Medic, options will be severely limited.
Rural areas may offer some different options but different problems as well.
Good Luck
Not sure if your wife will commute, but AMR are the ambulances up here in Cheyenne. I believe they're a private service, not associated with the hospital. Which is probably a good thing. CRMC sucks.
What are her goals? Is she thinking paramedic route or nursing route?
It's been about 15 years since I've left EMS, but I worked in the ED at Lutheran Hospital for a while. Lot's of terrific exposure to medical patients. It was a very rewarding experience for me and I learned a TON from the nurses and docs there. Hospitals need folks for the ED as well as "ortho techs" to help set casts and some hospitals use them on the floor to assist nurses. Don't be afraid to check around at the local hospitals or at the local urgent care centers. If she is OK with nursing homes, they hire EMT's as well.
I also worked part time for Action Care. If she's going paramedic route, then she needs street experience in order to get into Paramedic School. Unfortunately, the option is private to start (AMR, Capital City, Action Care, Stadium, Pridemark, etc.) and build that street experience required to apply (it was two years street experience back in my day). In the meantime, she can work on pre-requisites including IV Certification and passing Anatomy and Physiology (most folks either fail or drop out mid semester first time through the class). Private ambulance service is tough - unless you get paired up with a good Paramedic, you're basically just a driver unless you pick up a patient the Paramedic doesn't want to deal with (bloody nose, drunk, etc.). There are a few Paramedics that work in the fire service that pick up part time hours via private ambulance....sometimes that's good, and other times not so much. The other option is the "safety patrol" at Denver Health - basically you drive around all day picking folks up to take to detox.
Fire service is very difficult to get into. I applied to Aurora Fire twice and took the DRCOG and never got past the written exam (it's basically a personality test to be sure they group you in with like minded folks).
Either way, she would be much more competitive when applying if she were IV certified (one semester - or a couple of weeks if you take it in the summer) and that will help. I know that Aurora PD and other local police departments are always there recruiting during the fire exams. Has she thought about law enforcement? It's another option.
She is IV certified and finally got a call back from a couple of places today. She has been working weekends for "Motocross Medics" which is just that, a for hire EMT service that is at most of the local bicycle and motorcycle races so she does have some experience. She has some connections at Poudre Fire (where she is a volunteer FF) which I think should be her end game, to get a full time paid position with the FD.Quote:
Originally Posted by Soapy Smith