A recurring question I’ve seen online and in EMS specific forums is what the process of transferring an EMT certification or paramedic license to another state involves. This depends on which state one is moving to, so the best thing to do is find out what the specific EMT reciprocity rules are for that state—each state has it’s own criteria.
To dramatically increase the chances of your destination state accepting your EMT status without any further action, becoming nationally recognized by the NREMT. However, there are still several states that don’t accept NREMT registration and require a few extra steps for full EMT status in their state. More on that below.
Some general guidelines for EMT reciprocity are as follows:
- A valid certification in your previous state
- The training from your state was based on the US-DOT curriculum for your EMT classification
- One’s previous state’s training meets or exceeds their current state’s training requirements
- One can provide full documentation of all certification training and/or a refresher course at their current EMT classification
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I found an interesting article today on how some high school students in Corpus Christi Texas are being taught EMS life saving skills.
The article is unclear why the students were being taught these skills—it looks like the program is some kind of dual credit program at the high school. But the lessons were complete with a pedestrian EMS scenario where a bus hit a woman and her child, along with another car for a total of three accident victims.
Even a local fight rescue company called HALO Flight was called on to participate, but due to foggy conditions, they were forced to cancel, which changed the rescue situation for the patients, who then had to be prepared by the students for ambulance transport.
It sounds like the only adjustment was that the baby would be accompanying the mother in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, which Melissa Stuive explained:
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One of the critical roles in our society is that of being an emergency medical technician (EMT), ambulance worker or paramedic. If this is a career that you have an interest, then you can rest assured that there are capable and accredited institutions and facilities to provide EMT Training in Michigan. There is also the requirement to obtain a license at the end of the study period to work in Michigan.
People tend to have heart attacks, seizures, falls and other occurrences that require immediate assistance. We can’t always predict what will happen to us and when–which is why EMTs are needed. They are trained to administer oxygen, setting up IVs, cardiac monitoring, dealing with broken limbs and CPR; all this will help a patient to live until they are able to receive full medical attention. It is a demanding job; however Michigan training institutions provide the knowledge and skills that help their graduates perform at their best.
EMT Training Programs in Michigan
For those EMT candidates who need to access tuition assistance, grants or various education programs; there are several which are available to EMTs in Michigan. Check the states website to view a current listing of these programs. Many Fire departments sponsor programs in their counties; examples of which include north Oakland and Wayne County. The Community Health department within the state also sponsors EMT training programs.
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It’s quite surprising the amount of people who expect to find free EMT training, judging by the amount of chatter I see online about it–or more appropriately, the number of unsuccessful requests.
After doing some research, I found a few volunteer organizations that offer some minimal first responder and CPR training, but certainly not anyone offering a full blown accredited NREMT preparedness training, or anything like that.
Some fire departments that require their personnel to be EMT-B certified are willing to pay for the education however, so you’ll have to call around to investigate whether that is the case in your community.
Additionally, there are scholarships available at some community colleges, and sometimes fire departments offer “paid intern” positions and pay for you to go through the program. Of course, you will become a firefighter or EMT and work for them after completion of the training. They often pay for additional training should you desire to become a paramedic or instructor.
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I recently received a comment from someone interested in working as a paramedic from an offshore location, such as an oil rig. In general there isn’t much information I could find out there other than a few rather authoritative pages with some information on becoming an offshore medic in the UK.
At least in the UK, one requirement to becoming an offshore medic is the BOSIET (Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training) course, which is for those who intend to work an offshore installation in the UK under the Common Offshore Safety Induction process.
An offshore paramedic or medic provides emergency medical services on offshore oil rigs, drilling rigs, and other offshore rigs. They provide first aid and other services to rig workers who have suffered injuries, or who have been involved in an accident or gotten sick. Most offshore rig paramedics must have an ample amount of prior experience as a standard paramedic, and then they may apply for an offshore job.
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A recent question I received from a visitor was whether or not they would be able to pursue EMS with a DWI on their driving record. Here is the question verbatim:
Hi – I was charged with a DWI back in January .. and I recently decided that I’d like to become a paramedic.. a little too late of course. I read somewhere that it will stay on my record for 10 years. Would it be possible to become a paramedic with the DWI on my record? If not, how long would it take for me to join the paramedic profession in the future? Thanks in advance!
It’s unfortunate that many people make the mistake of drinking and driving, it’s a mistake that can be made seemingly in the blink of an eye, however one that carries substantial negative consequences. Especially when your line of work, or one you’re considering getting into discriminates heavily against those who have received a drunk driving penalty. Depending on the state, a drunk driving infraction can stay on your record for up to 10 years, which is a long time to live down a one-time mistake.
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Basic life support (BLS) is a form of medical care used on patients who have life-threatening illnesses or injuries prior to being transported to a medical care facility or hospital, and is one of the foundational skills of EMS professionals. BLS is primarily used in a pre-hospital setting by EMTs, paramedics, firefighters, lifeguards, and police officers, however it can be taught to every day individuals who care to receive BLS training by taking a short course.
Basic life support techniques are formulated by medical bodies in most countries, and have guidelines on how to perform them depending on country. BLS guidelines contain protocols for management of certain conditions such as choking, cardiac arrest, drowning, and other common forms of injury. However BLS does not include advanced life support (ALS) techniques such as the use of drugs or invasive techniques.
Perhaps the most well-known form of BLS is cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), which is meant to revive patients suffering from lack of air and allow enough time for more skilled medical responders to arrive and provide advanced life support (ALS) care.
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Today I saw a question and an EMT resource site regarding the what hours EMTs work during the week and how longer shifts are, so I wanted to tackle the question here. For the prospective EMT or paramedic this is a very legitimate question as work schedules impact our lives so much.
The actual question that I found when something like this:
I’m planned on going to school and becoming an EMT to drive the ambulance. How long and what type of shifts do ambulance work and what do they do during down time?
The answer to this question is that usually an EMT–Basic doesn’t drive the ambulance exclusively, they typically ride with patients during non-emergency calls, such as, transferring patients from the hospital to a nursing home, to doctors appointments, to receive a dialysis, and other functions while the paramedic drives. Conversely, if on a 911 call, the paramedic typically attends to the patient in the back while the EMT–Basic drives.
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For all those that place a higher value on job security in today’s dismal job market, emergency medical services (EMS) might be exactly what you’re looking for in a career. You see, EMS jobs are part of the overall job market that can never be outsourced, imported, or out of business. Paramedics and EMTs will always have a job unless every disease were to be cured and injuries could be eliminated. But the likelihood of that is obviously nonexistent.
People are always going to get in accidents or have health issues. I don’t think people beginning to completely ignore the numerous distractions we’re presented with behind the wheel of our vehicles anytime soon. Teenagers will always have less than fully developed brains and hormones working on overdrive, and as a result they will continue to be the largest portion of car accident victims.
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I found an article announcing the release of “EMT” by Sprockit Apps recently. The study tool is available for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad and promises to be an indispensable tool for those studying for the Emergency Medical Technician certification exam.
According to the Sprockit Education website (link in resources below):
Sprockit Apps seeks to deliver mobile software to help people pursue professional development. At Sprockit Apps, our goal is to meet the customer’s specific educational needs, providing quality content in an easily digestible format. Our expert developer team is ready to serve people by leveraging our in-house expertise and technology. Using sophisticated Mobile Application Development tools, we create world-class applications.
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