what are your views on female EMTs

emily1024

emily1024

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Im currently 17 and wanting to be an EMT im also a girl who is very small, im about 5'2 and defenetly dont look my age. I was wondering what your thoughts are with female EMTs, do they get treated different? do people see them as not professional? do they get sexually harassed? how do you view young female EMTs?
would love to here your thoughts on the topic.

thanks very much
have a blessed day :)
 
Could care less about their age and what's between their legs, as long as they are drama-free and can pull their weight (in both senses). Your own degree of professionalism will determine how others see you. And if you're afraid of sexual harassment, you should either look for a stay-at-home job, or grow a thicker skin and learn how to deal with obnoxious people.
 
I look at it the same way the military does. My #1 question is: Can they do the job without having the pre-reqs/ rules changed. If so, your my partner i will treat you as such. If not, then I'd like a new partner. In all fairness I get this mentality from my main job outside of ems but hey, it still applies.
 
It's all about doing the job! You could be a Harvard PhD 6'2", 220 lbs. and not be an effective EMS provider!

I think the important things to remember are these:

- Public safety and, by extension, EMS (as we occupy a strange space between healthcare and public safety) is heavily white and predominantly male: we're talking about 70% male and nearly 80% white. That's double the female representation of law enforcement, but way off from, say, nursing. See pages 33-35 of the report I linked to.

- Many EMS personnel may have a skewed perception of what the physical expectations of EMS are, whether for cultural or practical reasons. (Just know this - you should not be expected to, say, lift anything beyond your capability. The typical EMS job description (that I've seen) requires you to be able to lift 125 lbs. by yourself and 250 lbs. with a partner.)

- If you're working in a situation where you're uncomfortable (e.g. with a partner), you should talk to your supervisor.
 
Like most have said already, if you are physically, mentally and emotionally capable of doing the job, I'm all for it.
 
Non-PC comments incoming:

When it comes to 911, especially at the ALS level, people are going to assume incompetence until proven otherwise. This applies to men as well, but I think it is amplified for women. The firefighters and cops are always sizing you up because they know if they get hurt in a fire, get shot by some scumbag, etc, their life is going to potentially be in your hands. I think it largely comes down to how you carry yourself. Gravitas counts for a lot - be serious, professional, emotionally stable, calm, don't gossip, don't get involved romantically with anyone at work. Also be physically strong - a big part of the job is moving people around, so start seriously lifting weights sooner rather than later.

There is a small handful of female paramedics at my company who are held in extremely high regard by everyone. The majority of them, though, people groan and roll their eyes and make disparaging comments behind their backs.

In my experience (as a male who seems to get cut a lot of slack whenever I do something stupid), as a female EMT/paramedic you will likely have to work harder and be held to higher standards than your male counterparts, at least until you build up a reputation as being solid/competent/trustworthy. I suppose this probably applies to any traditionally male-dominated field and isn't unique to EMS.
 
My views on male vs. female EMT/ paramedics goes something like this...

"Just do your damn job, and go home, Fin."
 
Most importantly, op, the others' advice such as @Gurby and @Qulevrius is some pretty good stuff.

If you want something bad enough, you won't let anything or anyone stand in your way, not even a bunch of anonymous online strangers.

One of the bigger detriments to this field is the disconnect between those who have been doing this job a while, and the new up and comers who treat this like the adrenaline rush they're taught in school and through PowerPoint (not completely the students fault).

Whether this field is male dominated or not, it shouldn't deter you from pursuing the profession.

@EpiEMS posted some good stats (gotta love him and his awesome statistics, seriously). He mentioned it being a mostly white male dominated field. Now, had I worried about any of this when I first began, I would have all but tucked tail and ran, but here I stay. My friends in this job---and outside of it---are as color blind as I am, because none of it (race, religion, sex, etc.) really matters at work or in the grand scheme of things.

My point of this rant is who cares what you look like, do your job, do it well, and I promise you someone will take notice for all the right reasons, but the same holds true for the opposite end of that spectrum. Just know you may have to work a bit harder than others, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

I applaud your focus and drive at such a young age, and wish I would have been the same at 17, so best of luck.
 
seriously thank you guys so much for responding and giving answers
 
Gurby said:
The firefighters and cops are always sizing you up because they know if they get hurt in a fire, get shot by some scumbag, etc, their life is going to potentially be in your hands.
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I do this on a regular basis. Not just to females, but anyone. If you're a incompetent moron then stay away from me. Then again if you've proven yourself then awesome sauce. I give everyone the benifit of the doubt when I first work with them so I can get a good mindset if they're incompetent, need a little work, or are dialed. It's not gender/ race/ religion specific. It's just the way I am. Respect is earned, not given. Yet again a little respect goes a long way with me.
 
Whether you have a penis or a vagina, at the end of the day, I will judge you on whether you do the job or not.

I have worked with good female partners, and horrible female partners. if you do the job, you're a good partner. if you expect others to do the job for you, because of your gender, you're a bad partner.

Bottom line: do the job. You will have to prove yourself whether you are a man or a woman. and don't date or sleep with your coworkers (this goes for both men and women). people will end up talking about it, regardless of how quiet you keep it.
 
DrParasite said:
Whether you have a penis or a vagina, at the end of the day, I will judge you on whether you do the job or not.

I have worked with good female partners, and horrible female partners. if you do the job, you're a good partner. if you expect others to do the job for you, because of your gender, you're a bad partner.

Bottom line: do the job. You will have to prove yourself whether you are a man or a woman. and don't date or sleep with your coworkers (this goes for both men and women). people will end up talking about it, regardless of how quiet you keep it.
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100% agree with all of this.
 
DrParasite said:
Whether you have a penis or a vagina, at the end of the day, I will judge you on whether you do the job or not.

I have worked with good female partners, and horrible female partners. if you do the job, you're a good partner. if you expect others to do the job for you, because of your gender, you're a bad partner.

Bottom line: do the job. You will have to prove yourself whether you are a man or a woman. and don't date or sleep with your coworkers (this goes for both men and women). people will end up talking about it, regardless of how quiet you keep it.
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What if you have both a penis and a vagina..... asking for a friend..
 
I am all for females in EMS. My wife is a paramedic and is a better one than I am, in my honest opinion. Me personally, however, I do not agree with coed trucks or coed stations if you're on 24hr shifts. You start adding long hours, high stress, close quarters, and pheromones, you end up increasing drama drastically.

Plus, I judge all women against my wife who can outlift most men. If you can't lift what my wife can, I do not need you on my truck. Go get a gym membership and start tossing iron until you can.
 
MSDeltaFlt said:
I am all for females in EMS. My wife is a paramedic and is a better one than I am, in my honest opinion. Me personally, however, I do not agree with coed trucks or coed stations if you're on 24hr shifts. You start adding long hours, high stress, close quarters, and pheromones, you end up increasing drama drastically.
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Two Gay Males are ok? Two Lesbians? What if one gay guy and then one guy who is bi-curious? Two straight guys (we all saw Brokeback Mtn).

In short...strongly disagree with your thoughts here. Sure those factors could all contribute to some drama...but what happens in 24 hours can easily happen in 12 or less. Personally, I know.

But a LOT of my female partners over the years...helllllll no! Would not happen under any circumstance...well minus the stranded on desert island scenario, then all bets are off.
 
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akflightmedic said:
Two Gay Males are ok? Two Lesbians? What if one gay guy and then one guy who is bi-curious? Two straight guys (we all saw Brokeback Mtn).
Click to expand...
 
Liking what I posted is not required. Neither is agreeing with it. She asked for opinions. So I gave mine.
 
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