Im an EMT in NY. Things vary state to state, but here was my experience.
Classes were about 4 months and a 12 hour clinical rotation. You're gonna need your MMR vaccine and TB shot too. My class was about $1000 but there are ways to get it for free (check your workforce1 center, vouchers, and local community colleges).
After getting certified I had a hard time finding a job. I couldnt get a job because I had no experience, I had no experience because I couldnt get a job. I became a volunteer EMT for the experience and to have something on my resume. I would recommend becoming a volunteer as soon as you enroll in the class (wish someone wouldve told me). You wont be certified yet and cant ride as a crew chief yet, but you can take care of clerical/administrative duties on base, dispatch, or even run as a third person on a bus lending a helping hand, familiarizing yourself with the ins and outs, and getting your feet wet with the EMS world. More importantly when you finally get certified you will have 4 months more experience than all of your peers.
After a few months I landed a paying gig as an EMT. Here is another fact I wish someone forewarned me about. You will not be handling emergencies straight out the gate. You will be dealing with patient transports. These are patients that need to be transported but are not in the medical condition to take a cab or an ambulette. For example someone with ESRD that needs to be transported to/from dialysis, a patient being txp from hospital A to hospital B because B offers a special surgery that A doesnt, a non-ambulatory 90+ year old going back to their nursing home after being discharged from the hospital.
The pay was about $11/hr. I was making more money collecting unemployment, but thats not me. Starting EMT's are grossly underpaid (in NY at least. I dont know about the rest of the country). A coworker and a RN were sort if venting together about their jobs. He brought up how underpaid he was. She didnt believe he was making $11/hr. He bought in his paystub the next day as proof and she took him out to lunch....lol
After 6 months minimum of doing transports you can apply to work on the 911 emergency calls. Your pay jumps to $15+ per hour.
My schedule was 4x9 (4 days by 9 hours) Tu-F Noon-9PM. But there were plenty of 3x12 shifts. There are also Per Diem shifts where you dont have a set schedule. Instead you are emailed available shifts and you pick and choose which ones work for you. Most placed have minimum requirements for per diems like 3 shifts per month.
Pros.
Driving a $120k emergency vehicle lights and sirens is exhilarating
On a good day you prolonged someones life
Very humbling. You realize (witness) life can stop instantaneously so you stop crying about 1st world problems.
You can make a horrible day for someone just a little bit better.
Can lead to other things (paramedic, networking with hospital staff)
The uniform
Feeling like a bawse
Cons in addition to what I already posted...
Dealing with pediatric patients can be a little depressing. Like when you're transporting a senior citizen you dont feel as bad because they lived their life, but when a 3 year old has lukemia or has faced some serious trauma, there is not an EMT alive that doesnt feel saddened. At the end of the day the job needs to get done though.
You realize how bad our medical system is. Everyone is more concerned with paperwork, $, and too busy trying to CYA that patient care takes a back seat.
Bad partners. If you dislike a coworker in an office setting, you get away from them. In an ambulance you dont have that luxury. You are sitting right next to them for a good part of your day with nowhere to hide. If my partner talks too much, too little, has offensive body odor, doesnt know protocols, cant lift or is lazy and Im having a long day.
Sorry for the long winded response. Hope that helps.
