Southwest Florida's Health and Wellness Magazine Health and Wellness Articles
By Dr. Jeff Ziomek, EMS Program Director, Hodges University
Rain or shine. First thing in the morning or in the middle of the night. Weekends and holidays. They are there to help us when we’re at our worst. When we’re sick or injured. They answer the call. From the young to the young at heart, we all know their number: 9-1-1.
They are paramedics.
It all starts with a passion for helping others. For a career as a Florida paramedic, your first step is to become an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). That’s where you’ll learn the foundational skills needed. As a matter of fact, you can start with us at Hodges University and graduate from our EMT training course in just seven weeks.
With your EMT skills in hand, you can graduate from our paramedic program in just one year and take the NREMT exam for your license. Our paramedic program is flexible with daytime classes two days a week, plus clinical rotations and field internships. There are also opportunities to receive financial aid. When you graduate, you’ll also have 42 college credits. Someday, you may want to return and get those last 18 credits for an associate degree. If you are thinking that moving up the ranks and into administration is something you want to do, a college degree, along with your experience, will help.
Being a paramedic means you have the knowledge and skills to provide advanced life support before your patient reaches the hospital. When it comes to helping others, every second counts.
If you’re wondering if being a paramedic is for you, there are a few things you can consider. You should be someone that likes to problem-solve. Your patient may not be able to communicate with you, so you’ll have to figure out the best way to treat them. You must also have compassion for others and enjoy working in a team environment.
Communicating clearly with your patients, your colleagues, and the patient’s family is essential. While you don’t need to be the strongest person, you need a certain amount of physical fitness in order to successfully and safely move and transport patients from the scene, into the ambulance, and then from the ambulance into the hospital emergency room.
As a paramedic, the rewards are many. You’ll build a special sense of family with your colleagues. The most satisfying aspect is helping people when they need you the most. You could be responding to someone who’s having difficulty breathing, a mother in labor, or a car accident. You could work at a scene with other agencies, like the fire department and law enforcement.
What you do makes a difference, and your patients and their families will remember that.
Hodges University
239-938-7744 | Hodges.edu
