Hilarious.
This morning I had my first day of teacher training at SFPA. Earl met me downtown afterward to take me out to lunch at the Thirsty Bear to celebrate. Here is our dessert:
Holy cow, this was incredible! It’s a chocolate mousse cheesecake. Mmmm, mmmm.
When your boyfriend drops your mail by your desk, you find you’ve received the new catalog for Shitstomping Boots.
Not that I need more Shitstomping Boots. The ones I bought a year ago are still going strong and actually AMAZING. I own a lot of footwear, and these things have impressed me to no end. They really feel like clouds on my feet! I am super impressed that after a year of heavy duty wear, getting pissed on, vomited on, worn through massive puddles and in the pouring rain, gurney wheeled over them, crap dropped on them, taken on and off and on and off and on and off, and work for 12, 24 and 36 hours straight that they are in such good shape. They’re not even all that scuffed! I shine them once in a while when we have a Flight Call and I’m in the bathroom at the private jet airport (there’s a little complimentary shoe shine machine in there! fancy!), but other than that, absolutely no maintenance.
And through all that, they are still uber freaking comfortable!!!! In fact, they might be the absolute most comfortable shoe I own- moreso than my running sneaks! Also, even with all the nasty sweaty schleping around I do in the heat, they don’t even smell that bad. Those things are seriously the bomb! I highly, highly recommend these babies if you’re in the market for Shitstomping Boots.
In other news, we are blowing off all our Important Things to Do for the day and heading to the beach 
HURRAH! We have a dog that needs to get buried up to his neck in sand and then dragged in the ocean, you see 
Have a great day!
I remember a while back when I got an EMT job offer addressed as this that I was all excited 
Now I’m getting mail with this greeting:
Pretty exciting stuff! I’m in the research phase of looking at various paramedic programs here in the Bay Area. I’ve narrowed it down to a few and am working getting the pre-requisites in order before I begin applications. It would be nice to have all the time in the world to get a whole bunch of classes done: medical Spanish, phlebotomy, medical terminology, EKG tech, micro bio, A&P I, A&P II, and on and on… but at some point I think I have to just bite the bullet and apply and go for it. Different paramedic programs seem to have varying entry requirements, but one thing I am finding as a constant is they all encourage you to have EMT work experience before applying. At least I have that one taken care of! In another couple months I should have a few of the other classes checked off as well.
Last summer when I was job hunting for an EMT position in the Bay Area, I wrote a post about my impressions on the EMT job market and how EMS seemed to be affected by the recession from the perspective of a job hunter. This post gets frequent google hits for things like “EMT Job Market San Francisco,” “How to Get a Job as an EMT in the Bay Area,” and “How hard is it to get a job as an EMT right now?” The popularity of this post inspired me to try and help out fellow EMT students and dole out some advice on getting a job. Keep in mind that I’ve only been working as an EMT for about seven months at a small, family-run BLS/ALS operation, and also that I am NOT a hiring manager. Ergo, these are plainly non-expert opinions. However, I love my job and genuinely enjoy helping out EMS students, particularly those who are driven and motivated to achieve their goals and advance within the profession.
With that said, here are some thoughts and advice on how to land an EMT job:
The first thing you’re gonna have to do is hop over to google and research. Pull up the county EMS website for whatever counties you could feasibly work in. If you dig deep enough on their website, it *should* have a list of every single approved ambulance provider in that county. This will give you a great list of all the companies where you can apply. Once you have a list of all the ambulance companies close to you, research them! Go on their websites, ask your instructors from school and friends about them. Job hunting, like everything else, is a numbers game. So the more places you apply, the better your chances will be of landing a position.
This is another thing that county EMS website can help you with. They should detail what you need and how to obtain your county certs. What you need to work as an EMT will vary from state to state, however the things I had to obtain were as follows: DM51 medical examiner form, two livescan federal background checks (you will have to find a livescan location and go and get fingerprinted for this), ambulance driver’s license, printed out personal driver history form, County EMT Certification and NREMT certification.
Yes, you technically can apply places without all of these certs in place, and some companies (if they really like you) will wait for you to have them completed, however imo why give them a reason to put you on the bottom of the pile? Be the organized candidate that has everything done up front. Not the one still scrambling and waiting on things to come back before he can start.
This doesn’t have to be a fancy binder, it can just be a file folder with your name printed on it. However, it should include the following: front and back copies of all the above mentioned certs, resume and cover letter, completed application for the specific company (generally can find this on their website), front and back of your DL, list and contact info of references, letter of recommendations (if you chose), first aid cert and possibly EMT school graduation diploma. Have it all together in a neat and organized fashion. It also helps to have multiple copies of everything- have a few back-up copies in case more than one person at a company requests them.
DO NOT FAX IN ALL YOUR STUFF!! DROP IT OFF IN PERSON!! Do you know how many faxes these places get? How do you know anyone checks the fax machine there, anyway? I would say a fax’d in application is an instant bottom of the pile move, *if* it makes it into the pile at all. Yes it is a pain in the butt to go in person, but will yield exponentially greater results. You may even land an on-the-spot interview!
When you go in person, dress professionally. Don’t wear “EMT gear” or an outfit that you would wear for a ride along. This isn’t a ride along, you are there to convey your interest in the firm and elevator pitch yourself about why you would be a great fit. Dress sharp and look like a professional.
Take however many times you think you should follow up without appearing crazy and too-gung ho, then increase it twofold. I almost lost a job offer because I didn’t follow up enough. When they said they would call me, I really did wait for them to call me. I should have been calling them every week to touch base. Sometimes these companies work excruciatingly slowly with hiring. They understandably have LOTS going on, and even if they liked you and are planning to hire you, you can fall through the cracks. Don’t let this happen to you! Be polite and not harassing, but persistent and keep following up.
Ride alongs are a fantastic way to not only learn about the company and see if you would like to work there, but also develop repartee and debut your talents to their firm. You can do “extra” ride alongs after above and beyond the ones required by your EMT program to graduate. If you haven’t done a ride along at a company where you may be interested in working, call them and set one up yourself. Even if you’ve already graduated, chances are your school can still help you set them up as well. Depending on the company’s particular policy, you may have to go through your school for insurance reasons.
Bring cookies to share with the crews on duty and dispatch, be curious/ask lots of questions, have good “energy,” be genuine, act interested, interact with the patients, get in there and take the vitals, hustle to open and hold doors for the EMTs and patients, help out as much as you can with everything. If your EMTs are trying to sleep for some of the downtime, give a pause to asking questions and let them chill out
EMS is a surprisingly small community- one that is getting even smaller with technology and social media. Networking can help you learn about opportunities and to begin cultivating a positive word of mouth. Start networking in school with your classmates. It’s invaluable to have a “crew” of fellow EMT students where you guys can trade info about how your job searches are going, what companies are hiring, what places are good to work, etc. Help each other out! You can also network with your EMT school instructors and administration. Volunteer to help them as a fake patient when they’re testing out other classes. Help set up and clean up after events. Things like that. Other places you can network: Professional EMS associations in your area, county EMS organizations, volunteer in a local ER, volunteer at a local firehouse, ride alongs, and EMS 2.0 meetups.
Send them when the people you’ve networked with hook you up with a connection or a contact. Send them to the crew you did a ride-along with. DEFINITELY send them after an interview.
Show them you are dedicated to this career and serious about being a fantastic EMT! Here are some ideas of extra classes you can take:
-any FEMA NIMs class, I suggest ICS 100, 200 and 700 to get you started. These are pretty boring but you can do them online and they are free.
- Spanish for medical professionals
- any EKG or 12 lead class
- NERT training (with some research you can probably find these offered for free)
- Public speaking (will help bolster confidence when giving a verbal report in the ER and an MD, two nurses, and an ER Tech are all staring at you)
If you follow some or all of these steps, you will hopefully find a job eventually. EMS is a fantastic and rewarding career, and I sincerely wish all of you job-hunters the best as you take the first steps in your career trajectory. I know how tedious and arduous the process can seem when you’re just starting off. Stay positive, stay on top of things, and persistence should yield success. Those of you with specific questions about working in the Bay Area are more than welcome to contact me directly.
Cheers,
Ceej
One thing I am surprised about as I am in and out of hospitals and doctor’s offices around the Bay Area is how many people confuse the Rod of Asclepius with the Caduceus. There are a surprisingly large amount of hospitals and offices which display the wrong one!
This was even further brought to the forefront of my attention because I was in my boss’ office early this week and he and I were discussing medical symbol tattoos. I was surprised how many people we know get the “wrong” symbol tattoo’d on their body!
One is a medical symbol, and one is not. Did you know the difference?
Here is the Caduceus:
THE CADUCEUS IS NOT A MEDICAL SYMBOL!!
Per wiki:
“The caduceus is sometimes erroneously used as a symbol for medicine, especially in North America, due to confusion with the traditional medical symbol, the rod of Asclepius, which has only a single snake and no wings.”
Now, here is the “correct” medical symbol, the Rod of Asclepius:
To take things a step further, here is the EMS “Star of Life” which features the Rod of Asclepius:
I wonder why so many people and organizations tend confuse the two? It’s really not that hard to google the symbols and learn about their origins. Wouldn’t anyone want to do that due diligence before putting a symbol on their body for the rest of their life, or using it for the base of their organizational logo?!
Perhaps people just prefer the “fancier” design and look of the Caduceus, and don’t mind that it is not *technically* a medical symbol. I mean, a pair of feathery wings and double snake helix! Certainly far flashier than just a plain old wooden rod and one lousy snake!
If you want to explore further on these symbols, I suggest you read this writeup.
Also, here’s a fun thread of a bunch of hopeful medical students talking about the symbols and their desired tattoo designs. Many of them agree the caduceus looks cooler! Lol. A gem of a quote from that thread:
Yeah, the caduceus IS much better looking than the rod. But now I’m afraid of getting a caduceus tattoo.
Jerk pointing at my tatoo: “You know the caduceus doesn’t REALLY symbolize medicine.”
Me: “Yeah, I knew that.”
Jerk: “No you didn’t.”
Hee.
Anyways, food for thought. As someone contemplating some more ink in my future, I am happy I learned the differences in origins of both before making a rather permanent mistake!
As I’ve been researching Paramedic programs, the general EMT re-certification process and continuing education classes, I felt I was lacking a general description and/or resource of ALL the EMS “alphabet soup” certifications. What the heck do all these things stand for, anyway? There was no ONE place that described everything I needed to get done.
So I made one myself. While a lot of the info on here only pertains to me (for example, the class cost breakdowns I’ve focused on are all around San Francisco), this might be helpful to other EMTs or those who want to become EMTs or Paramedics.
Here it is. As I’m sure you can tell, it’s still a work in progress. For example, I still need to find out exactly what “PPC” stands for, and what it’s needed for. Also, for best viewing ZOOM IN and click through each of the three pages. Hope someone finds this useful! Cheers
Tomorrow I volunteered to represent my company at an event for 6th-12th grade women at Skyline College called “Expanding Your Horizons.” Basically, we’ll be showing young women what a career in Emergency Medicine is like. We’ll be running mock calls and answering questions. I’m really looking forward to it! Here’s the event description from its website:
In this career conference, you will meet women who use science and math in their careers as well as women in non-traditional careers. These outstanding women are eager to share their career paths with you, to answer your questions, and to encourage you to go for it! During the workshops, you will see for yourself some of the things these women do on the job. You will also learn about promising career opportunities and the training you need to qualify for them.
After ‘Expanding Your Horizons’ girls say:
•”This conference helped me see other options for what I can do once I’m out of school.”
•”Now, I definitely know what I want to be. Thanks!”
•”It made me start to think about my future.”
Expanding Your Horizons is a conference for 6th through 12th grade young women to learn about career opportunities in math and science. Science and math careers are fun, exciting, and rewarding and so is Expanding Your Horizons. Conference participants conduct lab experiments, wire high-tech phone systems, examine microscopic creatures, and design their own computer software. Each girl attends three hands-on workshops during the all-day conference. During the day, the girls participate in a problems and puzzles contest. Contest winners recieve A Day With a Scientist. Expanding Your Horizons has been held at Skyline College annually since 1980. Over 20,000 young women have attended. Expanding Your Horizons is sponsored by the Genentech Foundation for Biomedical Sciences. During the conference, Skyline students escort participants to their sessions. A smaller concurrent program is held for interested adults. The Expanding Your Horizons Planning committee are volunteers who work in science- and math-related fields.
Looks exciting, right? I can’t wait!
In other news, on Sunday Earl and I are heading up for a day trip to ski at Squaw, and then on Monday I have my FIRST COMPANY TEAM SOFTBALL GAME!!!!! whooooooo Bring it on, baby! Very, very, very psyched for that. Combined with the beautiful spring weather, it looks to be a fantastic couple of days.
This is going to be tough to write, because it’s pretty personal.
Yesterday I was first responder to a motorcycle vs. car crash that happened outside my apartment. I was laying on my living room floor studying when I heard the crash and the ensuing commotion. I glanced out my window, saw a man down blood everywhere, and overheard someone saying “I think his leg is broken” as they were calling 911. Crap. I’ve got to get down there! Threw on a jacket, grabbed a pair of gloves from my garbage can (leftover in my pocket from Wednesday shift) and hustled outside.
Walking up I assessed the scene and asked if he was the only one injured. Driver of the car was okay (and walking around). I introduced myself to the man, who was howling in pain. Told him I was an EMT, lived next door and could I help him? It was then I realized I had *shit* for gear.
How do you work without your toolkit? When you’ve trained and trained and trained and worked relying on your gear to be at your side and in working order. All of a sudden something happens when you’re not on duty at work and you are NAKED. It was the worst feeling and completely frustrating. I almost stalled right there, not knowing what to do without my “stuff” and even once I started helping with what I could, I definitely felt thrown off the entire time.
I took an A&O as I improvised and managed to get his jeans cut off with the knife in my keys to expose the area. Removed his shoes and socks and found bilat pedal pulses even though I couldn’t get an accurate set of vitals since I WAS NOT WEARING A WATCH! (I did have an old crappy t-shirt I was willing to sacrifice as a bulky dressing in the case of severe bleeding.)
Aggh, I can’t even get into how frustrated I felt not being able to help in my full capacity. It’s almost like our gear becomes a crutch and then when it’s not there- will you be able to improvise on your feet and get everything done that you need to do?
Ultimately I held c-spine and from my position on the ground directed a nearby construction crew to set up some cones to keep the scene safe and direct traffic around us. I talked to the patient (who was freaking out about his mangled bike, not his mangled leg!) and tried to keep him calm. I know response times of SFFD are very fast, but that time I was on scene before they showed up felt EXCRUCIATINGLY long. And as the seconds ticked by before they showed up, I felt ashamed that I didn’t have equipment on me to do everything I was trained to do.
Once the medics showed up, I gave them the best report I could (minus vitals, ARGH) and put on their c-collar. I was so impressed with the crew who took over; talk about efficiency in action. The crew worked like a perfectly orchestrated symphony. I’ve never done a ride along with a SFFD truck and haven’t had the chance to watch a 4-man team go to work on a patient. It was marvelous to witness. They are some amazing and competent professionals.
They thanked me for the help and told me that I did a good job getting the area exposed and holding c-spine. Still, I REALLY wish I had been able to give them a full report with vitals, have the guy already collared, and had there been severe bleeding it would have been nice to have some trauma dressings on hand instead of my old t-shirt.
This has been the second time I’ve been a 1st responder out of sheer happenstance on being on scene when something happened (last time was a MVC on 280 when I was driving home from work in the pouring rain) and HATED the feeling of not having gear with me. That time I didn’t even have GLOVES.
I guess I need to get better at thinking on my feet and not relying on the gear as a crutch. But, at the very least I need to buy some gloves and keep them around. Also, next time something like this happens I would NOT run outside without my watch!!
I think it’s time to throw together a very basic, personal jump kit in an old gym bag or something. This one on amazon looks perhaps a bit much, but has some great ideas to get me started. All I know is I just despise that helpless, stalled feeling I had yesterday… and it’s still bothering me.
Today we had our PAPR (Powered Air Purifying Respirator) Suit fitting and HAZMAT training at work.
Snapped this quickie before I doffed. This is post chem-tape and my respirator is a little crooked. The only way to model a PAPR suit is to smize, cuz it’s all ya got.
We also studied and tested on our Duodote auto injector (dual atropine and pralidoxime chloride) protocols for organophosphate & other nerve agent exposure. It’s crazy how quickly you become rusty on this stuff. So glad my company holds these training and fit test sessions.
Scarily enough, my running into organophosphates while on the job is not that far out of the realm of possibility. These chemicals are apparently heavily used in almond fields, which they have quite few of in Santa Clara county. Hopefully I won’t be encountering them in the field any time soon.
Guess what’s looming in my immediate future? A 24hour shift, starting tomorrow at 5am!
One thing I am loving about my new job is the ability to pick up lots of open shifts… and how many open shifts seem to come up! Bring on that OT, baby! I’ve picked up two extra December shifts so far just today. Being the newbie, I ended up with a really crap schedule this month. 12-hour shifts on Fridays (7am-7pm), Saturdays (5am-5pm) and Sundays (5am-5pm). Eisch! The schedule is planned based on seniority, and guess who is the newest person there and got the most unwanted schedule?!?! THIS GIRL! Lol. I don’t mind, though… Honestly I’m just psyched to be working at all, and this gives me flexibility and time to pick up open shifts during the week.
This will be my first 24-hour shift at the new company. Hopefully it will go better than my 1st 24-hour shift at my last ambulance company… which SUCKED. I remember my clothes chafed off all the skin where they touched my body in my armpits groin, and under my sports bra. I remember how bad the board and cares smelled- to this day, just thinking of that one really rank place in Oakland STILL makes me gag a little.
The smells, the chafing of the thick polyester uniforms, the heat in the back of the rigs, the MRSA, the urine and the feces… I am all used to all that now, and have developed systems to deal with those things gracefully. Also, my patient assessments flow much better nowadays, and I am better at lifting the gurney (and am finding that we seem to have WAY LESS bariatric patients in the city of San Francisco and Peninsula than we did on the east bay). Hope it goes well tomorrow!
Anyways, off to bed because this corgi lover has to get up at 3:30am to get her butt to work! Looking forward to my first 24.
The End of Overeating by David Kessler
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