Temporary Employment for College Students

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Hey,
I'm a college student who is in the middle of a year-long EMT-B cert class. I plan to be ME, TX, NY, and NR EMT-B by the end of the school year, and we have been told to start looking for jobs now. Unfortunately, I have found very little opportunities. I love medicine but, like all college students, I need some form form of reimbursement, even minimum wage, yet most of these jobs require experience. So, two questions:
1) Is it common to have to work volunteer IFT before being payed?
2) Will ambulance companies hire someone to work for a short period of time (i.e. just the summer or just the school year?)

btw I live in Dallas and NYC and go to school in Lewiston.
 
A year long EMT-B class? Why so long? Many private transport companies hire newbies right out of class. I don't know about temporary employment, you should try asking the companies.
 
Just the summer? Err, no. 2 months is way to short at any reputable, and most disruptable, services. At my first company, there was 3 days of orientation (18 hours) and 3 days of field training (42 hours paid including built in time and a half), which at $10/hr, that means that the company was making a $600 investment before seeing a single run being made. That means there's a month an a half, at most, for a return on investment.

The 9-10 months during the school year is possible, however you might not get a leave of absence for summer, and if you quit you might be burning some bridges.
 
JPINFV said:
Just the summer? Err, no. 2 months is way to short at any reputable, and most disruptable, services. At my first company, there was 3 days of orientation (18 hours) and 3 days of field training (42 hours paid including built in time and a half), which at $10/hr, that means that the company was making a $600 investment before seeing a single run being made. That means there's a month an a half, at most, for a return on investment.

The 9-10 months during the school year is possible, however you might not get a leave of absence for summer, and if you quit you might be burning some bridges.
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I disagree. It may vary state-to-state, but my large IFT company hired several college students over the summer. They hired me knowing I would work part-time 1 month then be out of the country for 2 months. And I think your math is wrong - the company makes a $600 investment back after a handful of runs, especially if the EMT is partnering with a paramedic.

The OP will have to look into companies in the area s/he wants to work in to get any definite answer.

And no, it is not common to have to work volunteer IFT, at least here.
 
Why not just get a CPR instructor card and make money off of that?
 
Why a year-long?
I attend an Ivy full time... I don't exactly have a lot of free time.

I became (am becoming) an EMT to get medical experience, not to teach.

IFT is more or less an office job, from what I've heard.

I'm glad there's a chance to do 911, though. Again, from what I've heard, the big apple has been in a bit of hiring freeze since the influx of civil servants following 9/11/01.
 
Veneficus said:
Why not just get a CPR instructor card and make money off of that?
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Hahaha! You're joking, right? If I really pushed it, I could make 10K a year teaching CPR. There's just way too many instructors around to use it as a primary source of income.
 
katgrl2003 said:
Hahaha! You're joking, right? If I really pushed it, I could make 10K a year teaching CPR. There's just way too many instructors around to use it as a primary source of income.
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must be yor location, they pay $25/hour where I am from and you could do classes a day 6 days a week if you were so motivated. Far more than IFT pays
 
while I was still in college I got hired on a volly 911 squad. When I went back to school they put me on a loa. And when I came home from breaks, I would pull call.
 
Veneficus said:
must be yor location, they pay $25/hour where I am from and you could do classes a day 6 days a week if you were so motivated. Far more than IFT pays
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Wow. There are so many instructors attached to training centers around here, it's easier to own your equipment and teach classes by yourself. I don't push for lots of classes because it is my third job, but I have a few hospice and dialysis centers that call me. It's just not enough to live on.
 
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