EMT Ecstasy

It's been almost 15 years since I took an EMT class for the very first time...  and I don't remember it being this much fun.  Go figure!? 

The expertise of the instructor has a lot to do with whether or not I enjoy any class, and I have to say that this one is top notch.  He was a practicing paramedic for something like 6 long years...  Well beyond the point of burn-out for most people, and he parlayed that into a teaching career that has spanned more than two decades.  Cool!  I'm loving his easy going teaching style and great illustrative stories.

When I took my original EMT class, the primary instructor was an Emergency Department RN.  She was great, but there is something to be said for actually working in the prehospital environment.  The field and the ED may be similar but they are certainly not one and the same.  Funny thing...  I'm finding myself drawn towards that prehospital environment right now.  I'm even wondering if I should try to go to paramedic school.  Now that's crazy.  That certainly wasn't my plan when I started this class a few weeks ago.

I guess a lot hinges on whether I get into the nursing program in the Fall.  Not that I'm dying to be a nurse, but I need to put my considerable medical knowledge to work in a career that pays, emotionally as well as financially.  There are several options that I consider more suitable than nursing, but either the duration of the schooling or the financial resources required make those options unrealistic.  And I wouldn't say that my husband is unsupportive of me returning to school, but he always says, "The mortgages have to come first."  We aren't struggling right now like we were when we first bought out house, but we don't have much of a buffer, either.  We need every dollar that we earn.

So anyway, like it or not, nursing is my most likely path right now.  I called the local nursing program today to find out when acceptance/rejection letters will be sent out, and I was told, "Either later this afternoon or tomorrow."  That's good- that means I should know in a day or two.  If I don't get in again, it's back to the drawing board (and maybe paramedic school is a viable option-- who knows).  If I do get in, I'll need to get the ball rolling on financial aid ASAP, because it will be a tough sell here at home.  I definitely plan to keep working, but full time won't be possible, so I'll need to offset my expenses somehow.