Certain certs are required by most agencies, such as ACLS, PALS/PEPP, and PHTLS/ITLS/BTLS. Otherwise they help make you stand out from other potential applicants. "Hey, look, I've been through this extra training that this other guy hasn't." While it won't make them hire you on the spot, it could help you stand out a little more amongst a large pool of applicants. I certainly won't judge somebody for spending a little personal time and money for professional development and increasing their knowledge...
It took me longer than it should have to get that...
I agree completely. I've learned considerably more from reading various reference books than I have from any card class. Unfortunately that's kind of hard to qualify on a resume. Here in the US, employment is hit or miss. If you just need a job, it's usually pretty easy to get hired at some private, IFT ambulance company. Those generally aren't desirable places to work, though. For the more competitive agencies, it can be nearly 20:1 or more for candidates vs openings.
In addition to those 3, every place I have worked for also required either PHTLS or ITLS.
I have many of these as well. Some required by employer and others for my own additional education. Some you can obtain by just taking a test, no classtime required.
