Becoming a paramedic?

Question

I am a junior in high school, Ive known I wanted to go to med school since 8th grade, but the profession i wanted has changed from pyschiatrist to surgeon to nurse to paramedic.

I was wondering what you would go to school for to become a paramedic and how long? And anything else you could tell me about becoming one.

THANK YOU!

Answer 1

You will first have to take an EMT-B, emergency medical technician basic, course and that's usually about 1 semester long.  You will need to get a certain number of hours working in the emergency room along with a certain number of ambulance runs, take a final written test and pass a hands on test.  THEN you can go on to the EMT-P, paramedic, course and that is usually around 2 years long.  It takes a lot of hours to save lives and be good at it.  The learning in this career field never stops, the work can be stressful and you need to be able to deal with the blood, guts and death along with the boring and mundane runs.

Answer 2

He is correct, you do not have to go to college to become a paramedic.  You have to start with EMT-Basic school.  This class lasts roughly 3 months and is followed by the national registry exam.  After that, you go to medic school.  This lasts about 18 months.  It's a difficult course and requires a great deal of commitment and study.  Again, after wards you take the national registry exam.  I would strongly recommend going to college first.  EMS has one of the highest burnout rates of any profession.  Most people can't handle the swings.  

Answer 3

You don't need to go to college, you just have to take a paramedic course and pass a final test.