a career-changer asking for advice

cdillon

cdillon

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I'm a single 41-year-old male thinking about spending the second half of my working years as an EMT. I've done some research and I think my personality fits, and I can handle the daily routine as well as the chaos. I'm naturally drawn to things that combine art and science (Mom was a nurse and Dad was an engineer).

I'm concerned about the physical aspect. I walk 2-4 miles per day with my dogs but that's my only exercise. I've always been functionally strong enough to perform my work but never really made time for cardio or strength training and I've been driving a desk for a few years. If I started as an EMT tomorrow, I have the feeling I would do fine but would be exhausted in a week. So I'm thinking about joining a gym and working with a personal trainer to build up strength and endurance for a few months before starting the EMT course.

Another consideration is that I don't know how to swim. Pretty embarrassing for someone who grew up on Lake Erie. I took a few lessons as a kid but got so much water up my nose that I gave up. I'm willing to try again. How important is being able to swim?

Any other advice for a mid-life career changer would be welcome.

CD
 
Go for it. You shouldn't need months of physical work up to start. Joining a gym and getting some advice on good strength and cardio training so you don't hurt yourself is a good idea. I wouldn't worry too much about swimming unless you want to be a lifeguard. I'm sure there are many schools where it is not a requirement.

My only suggestion is to give some serious thought to persuing it all the way to being a EMT-Paramedic. You will have many more skills and much more knowledge. This will allow you to do a lot more for your patients than if you stay an EMT-Basic. I believe the job and pay prospects are better as well.

Best of luck and welcome aboard.
 
Thanks Outbac1. I am interested in getting as much training and education as possible and working up to paramedic.
 
you'll be fine. Lots of people in EMS are just plain fat.
 
Give it a shot and things will work out fine. Wanting to be an EMT made me rethink my own dietary and exercise habits.
 
I wouldn't be concerned about fitness or swimming.

Fitness is indeed important in EMS... there's quite a bit of heavy lifting that requires strength, and the need for cardiovascular endurance to keep up strenuous exercise for extended periods of time. Plus a person will be better prepared to cope with the stress, both emotional and physical, that a career in EMS will cause if they are in good shape. However, from what I've seen, a person of average physical capability can usually adapt fairly well. You can do the job without training at home, but you'll feel better and work better if you workout.

This does not hold true for most fire dept. based EMS. Many paramedics are employed by fire depts and do much more medical work than fire, but to gain employment they usually must pass the same rigorous, difficult physical agility test that every other firefighter faces.

To really feel comfortable and capable in EMS, however, I would strongly recommend developing a weight training and cardio routine. Maybe you can even make a group with fellow EMT students and train together.

As for the swimming, don't worry. EMTs are actually taught to never jump in the water to get to a patient unless they have been thoroughly trained in water rescue and have the proper equipment. In my area, the only agencies that train for technical water rescue are fire depts and search & rescue teams. Even then, these agencies usually have special water rescue teams with voluntary enrollment.

The three steps of basic water rescue that many untrained EMTs are allowed to employ are
Throw: From the shore, throw them something that floats
Tow: attempt to pull them in with rope (works well if you have something that floats and has a rope)
Row: boat or raft out (absolute last resort if you can't swim)
 
I personally think being an EMT is more Mental strength than physical. Just my opinion.
 
I mentally lifted a bariatric patient....with the force.:wacko:
 
To work the field , you should develop yourself both mentally and physically . Mental and physical preparation go hand in hand . There are a lot of stresses you'll encounter and they'll take thier toll in both areas .

Martial atrs training can help in both areas , it did for me . Be careful not to bring work home with you , and spend as much time with your family as possible . ( family time can suffer when you're working long hours , especially if you have munchkins in the house who don't understand why daddy wants to sleep instead of play with them after pulling a near sleepless 48 hr. shift . )

Have other coping mechanisms also such as hobbies , religion , and talking out rough calls with your partner . Sooner or later , you'll have a call that gets to you . We're not superheroes , we're just as human as our pts. Anyone who says the job never bothers them is either lying , fooling themselves , or just hasn't encountered the call that gets to them yet . Don't try to John Wayne your way through it , trust me , it doesn't work . Don't be afraid to get help if you feel you need it .

I hope this helps . These are just some things that helped me .
 
cdillon said:
I walk 2-4 miles per day with my dogs but that's my only exercise.
Click to expand...

Well, thats more than many of the folks I work with. I'm glad you're thinking in terms of fitness though, ultimately fitness, mental and physical is a component of occupational safety in our field.
 
LucidResq,

Thanks for the recommendation. One of my dogs is 90# and I can lift him into the tub and the truck with his legs flailing (combative patient!?!) so I'm not concerned about the strength as much as the endurance. I often wonder if I could carry my 90# dog a 1/4 mile back home if necessary. (Product idea: collapsible one-man stretcher with a tire on one end like a wheelbarrow that can fit in a backpack!)

As an EMT, I'm wondering if I could carry a bunch of gear up 4 flights of stairs or carry a gurney with a partner down those stairs again and again.

And I'm glad you mentioned the stress relief aspect.

I actually thought about the fire dept back in my 20's but I came to the conclusion that I didn't have the muscle structure or endurance and it would take a year or more of intense training just to pass the agility test and I just didn't want it that bad.

So I think I will start a strength and cardio routine at the same time as the EMT-B training.

Thanks for explaining the water aspect. I was thinking worst-case scenario: if I saw someone drowning and I couldn't help them (I hate feeling helpless) but the techniques you described make much more sense in terms of keeping everyone safe.
 
Thanks Medic51, certguy and rmellish for mentioning the mental strength and stress aspects. After 10 years as a courier dispatcher and 5 years in technical support including after-hours on-call, I believe I have good stress management techniques in place, not the least of which is 2 goofy dogs!

I will look into martial arts, that's a good idea.

Talking things out does not come naturally as I'm a better listener than talker so I think I will need to work on that. There is a method called CISD for help dealing with the major incidents, correct?
 
Yep. Critical Incident Stress Debriefings are usually arranged by your service.
 
cdillon said:
. There is a method called CISD for help dealing with the major incidents, correct?
Click to expand...

Please, please avoid such mythical sessions. If one needs CISD then get professional help. CISD has been proven to be harmful to EMS personnel but for some reason we still want to promote such harmful practices.

This is why ARC, military, and those involved with stressful and tragedies no longer endorse or uses such techniques.

R/r 911
 
Ridryder911 said:
Please, please avoid such mythical sessions. If one needs CISD then get professional help. CISD has been proven to be harmful to EMS personnel but for some reason we still want to promote such harmful practices.

This is why ARC, military, and those involved with stressful and tragedies no longer endorse or uses such techniques.

R/r 911
Click to expand...

I was wondering how long it'd take you to chime in on that one. ;)
 
Okay guys ,
You got me curious . If they're no longer endorsing CISD , what are they recommending in it's place ? How does this affect personnel in large , nasty incidents ?
 
I just think they offer it cause it may be some kind of a requirement by someone of a law or something. Like everyone said, It isn't always the best option around though.
 
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