FLINT Leslie Toldo tells us what it takes to become an EMT or Paramedic.
This is no exaggeration, either. The U.S. Department of Labor expects this is
where the fastest growth in job openings will be.
The training doesn't take very long for this rewarding career that can pay very
well, but there's nothing easy about being an EMT or a paramedic.
"Whether it's a family tragedy because of health, domestic issues, whatever the
case may be, and that can wear some people thin. It takes a special person to be
able to go, keep it all straight and move on to the next call that comes in with
the next tragedy, so it's tough on you mentally sometimes to deal with people
when they are at their worst," said Donald Adams, emergency services education
manager at McLaren Regional Medical Center.
Jeff Schuster, AENP, McLaren Regional EMS, knows all about that. He's been a
paramedic for 24 years.
"You've got to be very patient, you have to be caring, you have to like people,"
Schuster said.
The role of paramedics is quickly changing, too.
"It's not just a paramedic in an ambulance anymore, it can be a paramedic with
the fire department, paramedic with the sheriff's department, paramedics in the
emergency rooms, cath labs. More disciplines are starting to use paramedics, so
there is becoming more of a need," Adams said.
The growing need for paramedics is helping fill up E.M.S. classes a McLaren's
training center in Flint Township, the largest program of its type in the state
of Michigan.
"In order to become a paramedic, you have to become an emergency medical
technician first. So, you've got six months of training to become an emergency
medical technician. Then approximately 20 months to become a paramedic, so it's
a two, two and a half year process," Adams said.
If you already have a job, you can work this schooling into your schedule as there
are new classes offered all of the time. Paramedic training is the most intense,
but it is one 8-hour school day a week. EMT training is two shorter classes each
week.
Last year, McLaren offered more than 50,000 hours of training and helped lead a
lot of people to jobs with a wide pay scale.
"A lot of it depends on what they're doing and what their schedule is.
Paramedics work an odd schedule, which incorporates a lot of overtime on several
of those schedule matrices, which allow them to make more money," Adams said.
"Personally, it's a very rewarding job," Schuster said.
McLaren is starting up two EMS training programs in mid-July.
At McLaren, the students learn from instructors who are both certified and
experienced in the field. McLaren's EMS Education Department currently has two
Emergency Medical Technician classes scheduled to start July 11. The programs
are held at McLaren's BeechHill Centre, G-3200 Beecher Rd., Flint. For more
information, please go to www.mclarenregional.org and select the "Classes &
Events" tab, or call McLaren's EMS Education Department at 810-342-2380.
There is a cost for the training and pre-registration is required.
