EMT - Erin S.

Hello! My name is Erin Schoenfeld and this is my 4th year as a part of PPASO and my second year serving as your Co-President! I obtained my EMT certification in January of 2017 and have been working as an EMT for several months now. There are many ways to obtain your EMT certification and different ways to go about obtaining your patient care hours with an EMT certification. I will be discussing my individual experience and attempt to provide examples of alternatives; however, make sure to do your own research and reach out to those who can help you (myself included) to ensure you are making the right choice for you! That being said, I hope this information will help you better understand how to become and EMT and the things you might be doing as an EMT.

What is an EMT?

An EMT is an Emergency Medical Technician. As an EMT, you need to certified on a national, state, and county level. EMTs can work full or part time on an ambulance, in a hospital setting (emergency room), at special events, or as first responders to natural disasters through organizations like Red Cross.

Certification Process:

There are a number of ways to get certified (different schools, different program lengths). My program was at Miramar and I chose to do the semester-long (16 week) program. To my knowledge, they also offered 4 week, 5 week, and 8 week programs. I chose Miramar because it was the closest option to UCSD and also the cheapest I could find in the San Diego area. You need to complete the class and their exams. Nationally, you are required to take and pass the NREMT exam. There is a skills exam and a written exam. Once you pass these exams, you are a nationally certified EMT. You cannot begin working until you have a county card for the county in which you want to work. Getting this card can have a long waiting/processing time, so plan ahead. In addition, most San Diego EMT companies will require you to have your ambulance drivers license (ADL). You get your ADL through the DMV. To get your ADL, you need to get a physical exam by a practitioner approved by the DMV, get some forms ready, and pass a written exam at the DMV. **note** all of these steps involve a fee: the course (obviously), all of your supplies, books, uniform, testing fees, county card fees, cost for the doctor’s visit, DMV fees, etc. Do not expect this to be a super cheap process (but it is worth it, you learn a lot and have a lot to show for what you’ve done, plus, you can start working on your PCE!!)

Experience:

In San Diego County, the scope of practice (what you are legally allowed to do in a given position) for EMTs in rather limited compared to that of other counties (for example, EMTs cannot take blood glucose levels in SD County). Additionally, in San Diego County, there are a lot of private ambulance companies. There are companies that have 911 contacts and you can ride brigded rigs (one paramedic and one EMT), so you will be getting a wider range of calls. On BLS rigs, you run mostly dialysis calls and inter-facility transports. You will still be getting hands on patient care on every call. Even the most mild calls (a pre-scheduled trip to a doctor appointment), you will still interview patients, get their histories, take vitals, and assess them (at the very least). I only have experience on BLS rigs.

PCE and CASPA: You need to note, that there are some schools that will only take a fraction of your hours. They claim they do this to account for the fact that half of your calls, you are driving, and for the fact that you can have down time on your shift when you aren’t running any calls.

Further Questions?

Please feel free to message me or email me with any questions or additional information if you feel like I’ve left anything out! In addition, be sure to check back on our blog for future posts from me and other PPASO members about their experiences!

Thanks so much for visiting our blog page! Hope this is helpful and good luck to you all on your pre-PA journeys! Always feel free to reach out!