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Emergency services - Which would you rather be?
- Thread starter Queso
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I was an EMT for 10 years. I was also a 911 dispatcher. Both jobs have the good and the bad, but neither are jobs where there is any room for advancement and are relatively low paying.
Cops or Fireman = High Pay, Great Hours, Room for advancement
EMT = Low pay, crappy hours, no where to go without changing fields (becoming a medic, doctor, nurse, or a PA)
Also, being an EMT does not give you the respect that fireman or policemen get. They have the lowest budgets and get the least thanks even though they are dealing with life and death more than police or fire. People think of EMT's as "ambulance drivers" with no skill other than pick up the sick and drive them to the hospital like glorified taxi drivers.
Cops or Fireman = High Pay, Great Hours, Room for advancement
EMT = Low pay, crappy hours, no where to go without changing fields (becoming a medic, doctor, nurse, or a PA)
Also, being an EMT does not give you the respect that fireman or policemen get. They have the lowest budgets and get the least thanks even though they are dealing with life and death more than police or fire. People think of EMT's as "ambulance drivers" with no skill other than pick up the sick and drive them to the hospital like glorified taxi drivers.
Same here.Ambulance. Mainly 'cause I deem the other jobs to be much more dangerous.(Okay, and I guess I feel like the skills would be very helpful at other times).
The pay scale is definitely not what it should be and probably will never get there. However, talking with more than one RN working ICU they agreed that EMT's are some of the best trained life and death people out there. They have to know their stuff, and I think they do have a certain respect among medical personnel. My daughter will complete her RN but likes the ER stuff.
Mountain rescue. I live near the moors and seeing as I know them well and love fell running/mountaineering I'd probably fit right in! I admire the police for what they do, and other services by regular people who really positively effect and make regular folks lives safer and better.
I am an EMT completing my paramedic in two years.
it definitely has its ups and downs. bringing grandma who fell down the stairs and is yelling at you that she is FINE to the hospital is not quite as adrenaline inducing as when you go to a multicar wreck and are working two patients at once on the way to the hospital.
still, it's satisfying for the most part, and we're comped pretty well even though the pay is basically equivalent to being a volunteer. They pimped out our station house and made our shifts more tolerable.
So I guess my vote is for EMT, since I am one anyway two years of mandatory service wouldn't be much of a stretch.
no way am I doing fire training though. that's a little much for me.
it definitely has its ups and downs. bringing grandma who fell down the stairs and is yelling at you that she is FINE to the hospital is not quite as adrenaline inducing as when you go to a multicar wreck and are working two patients at once on the way to the hospital.
still, it's satisfying for the most part, and we're comped pretty well even though the pay is basically equivalent to being a volunteer. They pimped out our station house and made our shifts more tolerable.
So I guess my vote is for EMT, since I am one anyway two years of mandatory service wouldn't be much of a stretch.
no way am I doing fire training though. that's a little much for me.
i said mountian climber. i guess becuase it has a bit of adventure element into actually going to the mountian and rescuing the person.
i would also like the coast guard, but there's too many dangers in the water. i'm scared of sharks...
i would also like the coast guard, but there's too many dangers in the water. i'm scared of sharks...