EMT Training - Become an Emergency Medical Technician

About

What EMT Training Base is all About

 

Welcome,

 

My name is Christina Beutler and I’m the founder of EmtTrainingBase.com

 

EMT Training Base was launched in 2017 with the goal to motivate and guide people into a medical career through an EMS job.

 

However, it has become a site for anyone interested in EMS. This includes EMTs, Paramedics, Fire Service, Volunteers, students and even those just starting out.

 

Here are a few of the reasons I created this site:

 

• I want to help you become a member of the EMS community.

• I want to help EMT and Paramedic students successfully get through school and pass their State and National Exams.

• I want to offer resources for EMS workers to stay updated and current on assessment skills and EMS topics.

 

Why?

It’s simple, I’m a former EMT, a current RN licensed with the California Board of Registered Nursing and I have a passion for medicine and helping people.

 

Becoming an EMT offered me an opportunity to go from having a job to having a career in the medical field that I didn’t know was possible.

 

So I want to make sure everyone interested knows they can also join EMS, it’s not out of reach!

 

How can I help?

 

The first and most important thing I can do is show you that becoming an EMT is possible! Usually with around one semester of schooling.

 

⇒ I have written some posts with the basics for those of you who are just getting interested in prehospital care but don’t know a lot about it. Check out What’s an EMT and How to become an EMT to see the basics.

 

⇒ I also have pages with information on getting started and signing up for EMT school for anyone who is just getting started. This process can become overwhelming and I’m here to make sure you don’t quit.

 

⇒ For those of you who are already students, there is great information on both the National Registry exams along with tips for passing the Cognitive and Psychomotor.

 

⇒ Some of you may already be working as emergency medical technicians looking for interesting pages about EMT topics or hoping to brush up on your patient assessment skills. I recommend checking out the Primary Survey, SAMPLE History, and Medical Terminology pages.

 

⇒ Anyone thinking of becoming a Paramedic should check out the Paramedic page which is updated with the Aug 2016 schooling and testing changes for Paramedic training.

 

⇒ The last thing I hope to do is keep you motivated and moving forward towards your goals.

 

My Story

Like many people I didn’t expect to work as an EMT and I never dreamed of being a nurse.

 

One day I was in a First Aid Health class that was a general education requirement at my community college. It was during this class at the How to treat a penetrative eye injury lecture that I realized how much more I was enjoying the lesson than my classmates.

 

Other people were grossed out and couldn’t look at the pictures, but I was interested in how to properly apply the styrofoam cup over the eye. This class made me realize I had a passion for medicine that I didn’t know about.

 

At this point you might be wondering if you have what it takes to be a good EMT.

 

The truth is, I don’t know.

 

If you pass out at the sight of blood, I think you should choose something else.

However, you don’t have to have a history of being a hero or a record of pulling over at traffic accidents to qualify as a future EMT. 

In my story there was nothing to indicate I would be a good EMT except that I cared about people. In fact, the only real emergency situation I had experienced was when I was young… and I didn’t respond well.

 

My grandmother fell off a step-ladder in front of me and was injured. She was bleeding from a laceration on her arm and I basically stood there saying “Oh my god” repeatedly. Not exactly a hero in the making.

 

So why am I telling you this embarrassing story? To help anyone who may not be 100% confident about their ability to be a good EMT. You will have to decide for yourself if this is a good job for you, but don’t worry if you weren’t born rescuing cats and pulling the injured out of crashed cars.

 

If you have passion and a willingness to learn, you can be taught all the skills needed to be competent on the job.

 

Back to my story…

 

At the time of the first aid class I was working at Jamba Juice.

 

That class changed the course of my life.

 

I decided I wanted to work in emergency medicine and found out my Community College offered EMT classes.

After getting licensed as an EMT, I worked for over a year as an emergency medical technician on an ambulance. I was always the attendant in back with the patient because I loved patient care. Assessing patients, figuring out what’s wrong and the excitement of calls were my favorite parts of the job.

 

My goal was to get the hours needed to apply for Mt. San Antonio College Paramedic School and have a career as a Paramedic.

 

Eventually I got all my hours and passed the written acceptance tests for Mt. Sac. However, at this point another surprise changed the course of my career.

The paramedic instructor scoring the tests was a former paramedic and current Registered Nurse. He spoke with me about my test results and asked why I wasn’t doing nursing instead.

 

At that time, I had interacted with nurses during verbal reports and believed their job was mostly to follow doctor’s orders.

 

Movies and television I’d seen had shown nurses as subservient and semi-mindless workers. My impression was their main tasks were smiling, emptying bedpans, and doing what they are told.

 

So I told him all the things I enjoyed about being an EMT. I said I didn’t think I would get to do those things as a nurse. I told him that I valued thinking for myself and coming up with treatments after determining what my patient needs.

 

He laughed and said that’s exactly what nurses do.

 

He told me as a nurse I would have stronger medical knowledge and more autonomy than I did in EMS.

 

He said nurses complete a plan of care for every patient and not to believe what I see on television.

 

So I looked into it and decided to change course and go into nursing. Mainly because it opened up a bigger salary and more career options than paramedic school.

 

After nursing school I immediately began working in the ICU/ CCU/CV-ICU and I loved it!

 

I don’t regret becoming a nurse instead of a paramedic and I know I did well at nursing school because of my experience as an EMT.

 

Why does this matter to you?

 

I KNOW there are other people out there who can be great emergency medical technicians and have no idea that becoming an EMT is possible for them.

 

→ Becoming an EMT is a great way to get into the medical field. It’s financially more accessible and has a shorter training time than other medical jobs.

 

EMT training helped me stop having jobs and start having a career.

 

→ Getting started as an EMT can help you find out if you want a career in medicine without spending years in school. Being able to work in the field so quickly can let you know if you want to continue your schooling and stay in the healthcare field, or do something else.

 

I would never have become a nurse without becoming an EMT first.

 

My time as an EMT taught me how to communicate with patients, communicate with other healthcare professionals and perform appropriate patient care. All of these skills made nursing school easier to pass and made the transition into ICU nursing easier.

 

Spending time in and out of hospitals as an EMT made my interest in medicine and my passion for working with patients grow and become stronger.

 

→ Working as an EMT will open up higher paying career options for you. These include being a paramedic, nurse, doctor, etc.

 

If you already know what an EMT is and want to get started with EMT training check out the home page.

 

If you need a little help figuring out if you’re interested in EMS check out What is an EMT.

 

Everyone else I hope you enjoy checking out the site and find the information helpful and motivating!

 

 

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