How do you call those people that work in the ambulance?
EMT, Paramedic, and professionals, those should cover it. And you may mean "What do you call......".
How hard is the test to become an EMT?
There are two tests to become an EMT.First there is a knowledge test. It’s a computer based test that tests your knowledge in the subjects you were taught in the course. The test is not a fixed number of questions. the program asks enough questions in each area to show that you either know the material or don’t. The questions are multiple choice. Of the four choices, one is ridiculous, one is wrong, and the next two are both plausible enough that you need to think about them.Then there is the skills test. You will go to around ten stations where you will be given a scenario, a patient and the necessary supplies to treat the injury/illness. The skills test is the one that makes people nervous, but it really isn’t that hard. The tester has a script they have to stick to, and you have a set of steps you have to demonstrate. Think of it like a school play, learn your part and you will pass.National Registry of EMTsAfter you start with a service, you will likely be running with a another, more experienced EMT for the first several calls, although this varies from service to service.
Can an EMT declare someone as dead when they are DNR and have no heartbeat?
As others have said, it varies greatly by locale, and here in the U. S., by state. Ohio has a specific “Ohio DNR-CC” form, and has to be complete with signatures, but is a legal document forbidding resuscitation as specified in the document. However, to legally declare death, it cannot be done by an EMT. We are called to DOAs and normally confirm death with at least 3 EKG leads, and leave in care of law enforcement (who will contact the person’s doctor, to confirm they will sign the death certificate) or coroner who can sign off on the death. Many times in the case of a cardiac arrest “death” where cpr is performed, the patient will be transported to an emergency room where the attending doctor will “call” the time of death if resuscitation has been unsuccessful.In Kentucky, a course called Determination of Death in the Field is required for Paramedic licensure. A paramedic is a higher certification than EMT, so to answer your question, no, an EMT cannot. As with other states, though, a legal DNR is to be honored by an EMT, but the declaration of death cannot be done by an EMT. It’s been a while since I’ve done a determination of death in KY, so if I were faced with the situation, I would still contact law enforcement or a deputy coroner, just to make sure everything is covered.
Can you support a familly with a career as a paramedic?
In short, YES.It really just depends on where you work, as in, what company you work for. It’s not like a nurse for example that can choose between different hospitals, hospice centers, or even dialysis centers etc..In EMS, units are owned an operated by hospitals, government agencies(as in, your an employee of the city), specialty(Oil Rigs, Flight medics(chopper, plane), amusement parks, military, swat etc) and finally private. In each, the quality of the company hiring is where the moneys at and no group listed is better than the other.I worked at a private company personally that started me at 13/hr.. yeah I know, don’t laugh too hard but that was still better than the 9.56/hr at a small city that ran 1 unit and a 6 man roster, all day, every day, all year. So is private better than city… 9 times out of 10 it isn’t. But in this case, it was.The city I traveled from to get to my measly 9 dollar an hr job started medics at 16 but could easily get up to 20 - 24 with plenty of available overtime not too mention incredible incentives like tuition reimbursement, retirement and health insurance for your whole family. In my opinion, working for my city was far better than being a nurse. Most medics there make more than nurses and doing half the work. Nurses used to say they were E. arning M. oney while S. leeping. Most medics I know earn a cool 70k after about 3–5 years plus all the aforementioned benefits. Some 100K+, I kid you not.Most larger cities pay quite well with great benefits. Hospitals generally come second and then private. The “Specialty” is always a toss up. Generally a full-time salary runs about 50K+, a better city maybe 60K+ both with benefits. Most workaholics have a full-time city job and a part-time private and they’ll pull 60 - 80k. Remember full-time is 1 day one, 2 days off. So there’s plenty of free time in between.All though it sounds great, I think the idea of being a medic is better than actually being one but thats just me. I’ve learned some people really enjoy the job and some just use it as a stepping stone to something else. Getting off topic here but if you use it as a stepping stone, the pays not bad if you know where to look.
Can paramedics/EMTs have tattoos and piercings?
It really does depend on the employer. In my experience as a medic, I've had 3 drastically different employers. - Private service in a conservative area: No visible tattoos, no facial piercings, only one set of earrings allowed, no "unnatural" hair colors. - Fire-based service in a conservative area: Tattos allowed to be visible as long as they aren't inappropriate, inflammatory, or violent, no facial piercings, no "unnatural" hair color. - Private service in nonconservative area: Visible tattoos allowed, simple facial piercings allowed (nose, eyebrow), no "unnatural" hair colors I have a roughly 4in x 4in tattoo on my forearm and I tend to wear long sleeves during my interviewing process. Despite a service's actual tattoo policy, people may have a strong feeling in regards to their personal stance on tattoos and I would hate to miss out on an opportunity based on someone's reaction to a permanent drawing on my body. My suggestion: If you don't have tattoos yet and you intend to get them, get them in locations that would be covered by a duty uniform. At the very least I would strongly discourage any neck and facial tattoos (although back of the neck is more accepted) and very seriously consider before getting hand tattoos. (My first employer example made an employee wear fingerless gloves for each shift because of hand tattoos). As far as piercings, expect to have to remove anything beyond a nose piercing. The hair color may be your biggest challenge. While it is not our job to please everyone, in EMS we deal with a very diverse "customer base" and part of our job is developing a rapport with those customers and making them feel at ease. Different ages, genders, cultures, etc, are going to react differently to tattoos and piercings. If this is your ideal career, keep this in mind when choosing your personal adornments.
Can you live well-off being on an EMT’s salary?
Yes, and No, the answer as usual is it depends.EMT is Emergency Medical Technician / TransportYou are basically Paramedics and drive an ambulance.Your job is to stabilize the victim/patient until they can get to a hospital.The burnout rate is high. Because you deal with, heart attacks, mangled bodies in car accidents, gun shot, knife attacks.Now there are two types of EMT, the Private ones that work for a hospital or HMO network.Then there are the Public ones. They belong in the same groups as Fire Fighters, Fire Dept.’s, Police, Deputies, etc.It’s a decent living, you won’t get rich. Most move on to Med School, or RN, or PA, or work in Emergency rooms in hospitals.Most EMT’s train to be an EMT, then they train to move on to something higher and better paying, I’ve never seen or known an old EMT that worked it for 30 years then retired. The burn-out rate is HIGH, because the stress is high. There’s also lots of down time. I know Firemen that make $100k plus, with all the OT.Paramedics for Fire Dept. make better money than EMT’s.But EMT’s your lucky to get $50-$60k, maybe $80k with lots of OT.Most of the time they are Idle, Hurry up and wait to be called!!!!They also rely on OT / Over-Time. Because they are Hourly, not Salary.OH, Expect to work rotten hours, like mostly night time, graveyard, and night swing shift. Why some people are asleep, but in major cities that’s when bad things happen.So your question is “Live Well-Off”; no, definitely NOT WELL-OFF, a decent living. Why??? Because EMT’s are NOT Nurses or Doctors, They stabilize and drive as fast as they can to the nearest hospital.You want to LIVE-WELL-OFF become a Nurse or Doctor.Good luck
Is going from EMT-Basic straight to Paramedic a good idea?
That’s a good question. As a professor teaching paramedics, I can tell you that EMTs who come right from the EMT program don’t have a good sense on how to use their tools (like the stairchair, scoop, and stretcher), lack the necessary upper body strength to do the job, typically lack any street sense, etc. For example, it COULD be taught in EMT class that you :Really, really want the Ferno stairchair (below) that folds up like a regular folding chair (not the one with the reverse legs or the really heavy newer ones),You need to put a sheet into the stairchair to wrap up the patient in so they don’t grab things, put the oxygen on their lap, and buckle the strap around the oxygen and through the handles of the oxygen bag,Then buckle the bottom strap to itself and buckle the top strap loosely around the folded chair so you can sling it onto your shoulder for the five floor walkup,And never, ever using those handles.But it isn’t. You need to learn that stuff by doing it every day. Everything from tying an ankle hitch by hand because you lost the one in the traction splint bag to knowing that the scoop won’t latch if the device isn’t totally aligned.I think another thing that I haven’t seen mentioned is your age and if you have kids. Part of the reason to work as an EMT for a few years is to get some actual life experience making decisions and taking care of people. If you’re 19, you probably don’t have that skill set yet, if you are 49, you probably do. My rule of thumb is that if you’ve had some experience, been married, had 3 kids, you can probably go right into medic school (you may have issues with study skills, but not with people skills).Of course, I’m a bad example-I joined the ambulance at 15, got my Advanced First Aid training, then became an EMT at 16 and was in a medic program at 18, and I turned out OK.Scot
How do you extinguish a road flare?
They are virtually impossible to extinguish. The only effective method I know of is to cut the burning tip off of the remaining body of the flare using an ax or hatchet. Really not worth the effort because the remaining part of the flare can not be reused.