2 answers
shree
Student
Tampa, Florida
1
Question
Asked
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Shadow an EMT?
I want to shadow an EMT to learn some practical skills. I am 15 years old. How do I find such opportunities to shadow and learn from an EMT ?
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2 answers
Suzanne Sorkin
Retired family physician and medical educator
115
Answers
Traverse City, Michigan
Updated
Suzanne’s Answer
Shree, you are right to want to have some exposure to the work EMTs do to be sure that this is the kind of work you'd like to do some day. It will probably be hard as a 15 yr old to get that exposure but my recommendation is this:
If you haven't done so already, get CPR certified and take any other first aid/trauma/emergency preparedness courses you can find. These are the kinds of skills EMTs are experts in and this will be a good first step for you. Check your local Red Cross, community college and YMCA to see what they offer.
Contact your local hospital system and see at what age you could start volunteering there. Let them know you are considering a career as an EMT and they might be able to place you in the emergency department (but you may have to wait a bit till you are older for that). It can't hurt to contact them now, though. Even if you can't start in the ER, my recommendation is to try to have some patient exposure of any sort to be sure you like working with patients.
Contact your local fire department and also express your interest in EMT careers. They may, if it's not busy, have time to talk to you, introduce you to some EMT or paramedic/firefighters and tell you about their work. When you are a bit older you might be able to do a "ride along" if your city or a neighboring one offers that program.
If you haven't done so already, get CPR certified and take any other first aid/trauma/emergency preparedness courses you can find. These are the kinds of skills EMTs are experts in and this will be a good first step for you. Check your local Red Cross, community college and YMCA to see what they offer.
Contact your local hospital system and see at what age you could start volunteering there. Let them know you are considering a career as an EMT and they might be able to place you in the emergency department (but you may have to wait a bit till you are older for that). It can't hurt to contact them now, though. Even if you can't start in the ER, my recommendation is to try to have some patient exposure of any sort to be sure you like working with patients.
Contact your local fire department and also express your interest in EMT careers. They may, if it's not busy, have time to talk to you, introduce you to some EMT or paramedic/firefighters and tell you about their work. When you are a bit older you might be able to do a "ride along" if your city or a neighboring one offers that program.
Sophia Sachs
EMT
3
Answers
Tenafly, New Jersey
Updated
Sophia’s Answer
Hello Shree,
I'm not sure what the age minimum is where you reside but, becoming an EMR is highly beneficial if you want to get introduced to the care that EMT's provide. I would definitely try contacting your local ambulance corps and ask to set up a meeting to talk about possible shadowing options or simply just to learn more about the EMT field. You could also contact your local hospital or look online to find possible opportunities to shadow doctors if you cannot shadow an EMT. For right now, I would definitely get a CPR American Heart Association (AHA) certification. You might also want to take medical skills classes to generate your skills so that you will have a good understanding before going into shadowing. Hope this helps!
I'm not sure what the age minimum is where you reside but, becoming an EMR is highly beneficial if you want to get introduced to the care that EMT's provide. I would definitely try contacting your local ambulance corps and ask to set up a meeting to talk about possible shadowing options or simply just to learn more about the EMT field. You could also contact your local hospital or look online to find possible opportunities to shadow doctors if you cannot shadow an EMT. For right now, I would definitely get a CPR American Heart Association (AHA) certification. You might also want to take medical skills classes to generate your skills so that you will have a good understanding before going into shadowing. Hope this helps!