Help after being fired

[medicaltransient]

I got fired from my job at a city/county not for profit service after a nurse complained on me and I got poor evaluations during my pip. I have applied for every er tech job within 1.5 hrs drive and every 911 service in 1.5 hrs drive. I have gotten 1 interview that I did not gain employment with and 1 time to test that I don't know how I failed(I got high scores on the multiple choice but failed the EKG portion). Many many applications I put in get declined before I even gain an interview Acadian has declined to interview me 3x now. I got a job at a private service in San Antonio that has treated me well. I just found out I am ineligible to apply for Austin EMS because being fired within the last 5 years is an automatic dis-qualifier. Anyone know of anything I could to boost my application? I am thinking of volunteering at a homeless shelter or something of that nature. I have suffered a lot of depression since being fired. I dropped out of school since I can't pay for it and if I do get a job that won't work with my schedule I don't want to ruin my GPA. Anyone think I will be able to recover? Have any of you recovered from being fired? I have around 5 years of 911 experience and have been a paramedic for 4 years.

 

[STXmedic]

Become a better medic.

I don't mean that in a negative way. Get any cards you don't have, take relevant classes, read and relearn (apparently including 12 leads). Being fired isn't typically a deal breaker as long as you didn't commit some kind of crime. When you take a written test, blow it out of the water. Then when you get your interview, be able to explain why you got fired and what you learned from it. I assume you just took SEMS' test, thus the ECG portion?

 

[Chewy20]

What did you get fired for? Like STX said, it sounds like you need to sit down and study for a while. Not sure how you failed a 12 lead portion of the test after having 4 years medic experience under you, but to each his own.

There's more reasons you are not getting hired than being fired. Figure out what they are. Have someone look over your resume for you.

 

[STXmedic]

If he took the 12 lead test I think he did, I'm not surprised he failed. It's certainly passable and not too crazy in my opinion, but more fail it than pass it for some reason. They're looking for a little more than just STEMI localization, and there are a few mimickers in there also. If he was just going off of what he learned in medic school 4 years ago (which wouldn't have been much), I'd be surprised if he passed. Regardless, our point still stands. Learn more. Become better at what you do.

 

[RocketMedic]

Keep your chin up brother.

 

[medicaltransient]

Thank's guys, I appreciate your advice.

 

[Carlos Danger]

Become a better medic.

I don't mean that in a negative way. Get any cards you don't have, take relevant classes, read and relearn (apparently including 12 leads). Being fired isn't typically a deal breaker as long as you didn't commit some kind of crime. When you take a written test, blow it out of the water. Then when you get your interview, be able to explain why you got fired and what you learned from it. I assume you just took SEMS' test, thus the ECG portion?

This is excellent advice.

If you do those two things that I bolded, then the fact that you got fired will mean nothing at all.

 

[RocketMedic]

I was in this boat. It gets better.

 

[SandpitMedic]

Get your degree. Display stability and maturation.

 

[teedubbyaw]

How is termination from employment a DQ with ATCEMS? Unless it was for a certain reason, I don't recall that.

 

[RocketMedic]

I think it might be a "mission-kill", but it could also be Austin County EMS.

 

[DrParasite]

couple things:

1) who cares that you were fired? don't mentioned it in the interview. Legally, your former can't tell your prospective employer that you were fired, or why. If they ask, tell them you wanted something different. do you still know people at your former place of employment who can give you a good reference? Also, how long were you there? maybe it was "time to move on to bigger and better things," or you wanted to try "a new area because change is good?"

2) if you failed the EKG portion, and are applying for a paramedic position, then that's a problem. Sorry, but it is. You need to get better at it, and know the most common one like the back of your hand, and the uncommon ones when you see them, and all the STEMI impostors. If you can't properly identify the EKG, how can you treat appropriately as a result of it?

3) lots of people get fired in EMS. Some terminates are justified, some of them are BS. typically getting fired because a nurse complained is a BS reason, but it happens because a facility would rather burn an employee than burn the relationship with a facility. You will get another job. be patient, keep your head up, and find something to occupy your time. if you can go back to school do it. collect unemployment. take out student loans. don't let yourself sit idly by wasting time.

or do what I did: go to Vegas for a week on FEMA's dime, take a 4 day class, stretch it into an 8 day vacation, win $170 at the blackjack tables, meet some new people (including getting into an argument with a bunch of Miami-Dade guys about how they dispatch on EMS calls), and learn who is hiring. if you aren't tied down, you might want to move somewhere else, to a place that you now have a connection who can give you the inside track to getting hired.

 

[Chewy20]

How is termination from employment a DQ with ATCEMS? Unless it was for a certain reason, I don't recall that.

I could be wrong but I don't think that kept anyone from getting a job with us. It will come up in the psych interview, but all you have to do is explain what happened and play the game.

 

[exodus]

Thank's guys, I appreciate your advice.

What did the nurse complain about?

 

[irishboxer384]

It does matter to some extent what the complaint was regarding...I'm assuming you were in the wrong as you didn't mention that you'd felt you'd been treated unfairly.

Perhaps it may not be the career for you? Either put 100% of your time into studying and working on your weak areas and be the best you can be in the subject or move on to another profession. Life is too short to remain in 'limbo'. Good luck

 

[medicaltransient]

I could be wrong but I don't think that kept anyone from getting a job with us. It will come up in the psych interview, but all you have to do is explain what happened and play the game.

Q. Applicant was terminated from any private or public safety department (Fire, Police, EMS, dispatch/call center or service, including any volunteer agencies) for disciplinary reasons, to avoid suspension or termination, or having resigned in lieu of termination, resignation during a disciplinary investigation without a final judgment being rendered within the last ten (10) years of the application deadline date.

This is one of the dis-qualifier reasons