EMT-B or Combat Medic?

[Straycoyote]

I just got my EMT-Basic, and I'm contemplating either taking a private ambulance job, or enlisting and becoming a 68w (combat medic). I'm kind of torn between the two options... I want to be a Paramedic, and both would give me the experience I need. I feel the Medic position would give me more trauma focus and additional skills, but an ambulance gig would be less of a commitment.

Can someone give me some facts to help me make a decision? How much do ambulance companies pay new EMT's? I know AMR is terrible, but places like Cape Cod Ambulance and some of the ones out in boston? Is it worth it to go after a job like that or should I man up and enlist?

 

[Handsome Robb]

Combat medic and street EMT-B are very different. Combat medics have an expanded scope over that of an EMT-B but are only certified as an NREMT-B.

You could go Guard and have the best of both worlds?

 

[RocketMedic]

Enlisting is a crapshoot. Sometimes you get lucky and end up in a high speed medical role. Other times you end up in a hospital or clinic or BSB and do nothing at all emergent. All in all, for experience, either stay civilian or go Navy corpsman. If you're male, navy corpsman can go FMF and go with the infantry, whereas the Army's a crapshoot. Infantry medic is the greatest job on Earth. Any other 68w wishes they were us.

 

[LoneStarSoldier]

Good luck if you decide to enlist the entire miltiary is over-strengthed right now so even GETTING IN is a crap shoot. Also, to repeat what was said before, it is not a fair comparison to compare an EMT-B with a combat medic. Combat medics do and are trained to do a lot more things than the average EMT-B. As far as pay, that depends entirely on where you're looking to work privately. Keep in mind though, go medic and you'll probably be deployed within a year to a year and a half of completion of IADT.