What are the best paramedic qualifications and training to get ahead?

What is the best training for becoming a paramedic? What types of ongoing training or certifications are necessary to be an effective paramedic?

What do non-traditional career paths look like?

the national registry(nremt.org) is the most universally accepted paramedic cert. it's accepted as the same as or better than most state-only certifications.
All of the accessory certifications have to do with specific parts of the job, such as ACLS being all of the cardiac stuff, PALS being all the pediatric stuff, etc., and most medic programs have the certifications built into the class. average courses take around 1200 hours, with 500 of them being mandatory on-the-truck time, so about 1-2 yrs.

If you want a career in EMS with some more rungs on the ladder, look into becoming a flight medic or Critical Care Paramedic, especially if you like the intense medical calls and prefer not to deal with as many people who aren't really sick.

"If you like the intense medical calls".... Wow, that's gotta be the understatement of the year !! Listen folks, as a highly experienced Critical Care Flight Paramedic, I can assure you with all certainly that this comment is understated beyond belief !

I've been a flight medic for over 25 years in Ontario Canada, I can assure you that I would never, EVER recommend this profession to anyone ! Our jobs have often been described by the busiest E.R. physicians as being far too stressful.....so do the math !

Intense high priority "life & death" call, after call, after call, after call for the entire duration of every single one of your 12 hour shifts can actually be really "cool" for a rookie FOR THE FIRST YEAR OR 2, but think about it...... can you really handle this EXTREME STRESS for a minimum of 30 years before you can retire on a "so-so" pension ???

If paramedicine is your thing, then do yourself a favor after graduation.........try to get recruited by a LOW, LOW, LOW CALL VOLUME "land ambulance service" somewhere (anywhere) in Ontario. Trust me, for the minimal difference in income (after taxes), do yourself a favor and choose to work for a low call volume land ambulance service somewhere in the province, preferably a Northern-Ontario Service. The lower to call volume the better. Remember folks, you'll be doing this for a minimum of 30 years before you can retire on a "so-so" pension.

The absolute fact of the matter is this ..... past history and true statistics will easily prove that most flight paramedics in Ontario Canada do NOT last anywhere near retirement age, simply because the job is far beyond what most humans can handle ..... Here is my professional advise to those who are considering a career in paramedicine in Ontario..... "Paramedicine" is an awesome career but only as a land based paramedic working for a low call-volume service, not as a "flight medic" ..........at least not for the long haul !

Host said: What is the best training for becoming a paramedic? What types of ongoing training or certifications are necessary to be an effective paramedic?

What do non-traditional career paths look like?

It might be worth to look into a community college and see if they have any courses. It would at the very least let you prepare for the written and practical exam. Check out www.paramedicemttraininghq.com, they have a list of schools by state.