I am actually in pm school through ncti and lmc. first thing is the school is in hercules and not pittsburg and there is about 1/2 the class with no experience. I do recommend that you get on an ambulance before hand because statistically the majory fails out in the field internship. as for making decent money there are some ambulance companys that make competitive wages but it is a stepping stone to get there. any other questions you can send me a private.

EMT-1 is not a career and therefore doesnt pay like one. Paramedic, or even better, PM/FF is a CAREER. emt-1 is a stepping stone to reach this goal. if you want to be successful in paramedic school, you MUST have experince working as an EMT-1 or you will NOT make it through school, PERIOD!

with that said, some ambulance companies actually pay pretty good

NCTI is the only school in NorCal (that I know of) that does not require EMT experience, although it's highly reccommended.

It is probably like that so they can get more students and make more $$

Basically, EVERYTHING you do in class, especially your internship will be twice as hard w/o experience. And as hard as it already is to get an internship, it's even harder w/o experience because many medics won't wanna deal with you because you'll be learning to be an EMT and a Paramedic at the same time.

Nothing worse then fiddling with the gurney, having a bad pt assessment or not being familiar with general ambulance operations in an emergency, especially when you're learning paramedic skills and your preceptor is watching your every move.

Get the experience, work part time. I wouldn't want a brand new medic thats never worked as an EMT working on me.
Doberman
www.FireNetwork.net

sounds to me like you are looking for a shortcut to medic school. i can't believe a school would actually allow someone to come in without any experience as an emt. i feel that you need to work as an emt for at least a little while, if for nothing else than to earn the respect of your future preceptors who will inevitably ask where you did you emt time. the pay sucks and you may have to bite the bullet and go poor for a few months to a year. we,ve all done it at some point in our careers. like it or not, that is the path you need to take. i worked other jobs to supplement my lousy emt pay...i hated every time i went to shop and all i came home with was top ramen. but once you finally make it, either through medic school or get hired, you will be better off and more appreciative of the opportunities in front of you.

while i trumpet the fact you need experience, i also have to say that i feel a lot of the emt experiences out there are total BS. taking grandma from home to dialysis is not going to help too much. it is what you make of it. i would highly recommend finding an emt job that puts you in the line of fire seeing and even running real 911 calls. even the ER can be a better experience because then you at least get to see what types of calls and pt.s the medics are bringing in.

don't look for shortcuts...pay your dues, get your experience and things will work out.
jman