career options....

[Harpoon]

Mind you, the reporter thing's not too bad, I enjoy the work and such however, the pay is less than sub-par and I need to be able to pay my bills and such without pulling my hair out...

So I've been looking.

I'm certified as an EMT. I like that kind of work, it's pretty neat being able to help people in that capacity and while I've only had a limited amount of experience working in an ER as an EMT (and EMT in training) that also fascinated me and I still can't stop thinking about it.

Granted, the reporter job is good, at least the work is. I've been doing very well with it, covering form very interesting things in my "beat" and I've gotten a lot of complements from a variety of people regarding my writing ability and my effort to cover stories "completely."


However, the newspaper gig isn't paying much. It never did, it never well, at elast not THIS newspaper.

So I'm looking around. Been thinking something along the lines of "allied healthcare" because of my EMT experience but it seems to be hard trying to find good information on what kinds of positions are out there that might apply to me given my current education level or adding something relatively simple.

I'm not looking to spend another 4 years in school while I'm trying to work full-time as a reporter.

Just wanted to see if there were any suggestions to be made here.

Thanks.

By the way, we're doing very well except that we haven't moved into the house yet. Hopefully before my wife's birthday...

 

[Ross]

It's the pits, but if you want to pursue most anything in the health care field, I'm afraid some additional education is in the picture. Perhaps not 4 years, but 2. I guess you'd have to decide what specialty you'd most like to be involved with and go from there. I'm thinking something like Respiratory Therapy or maybe even a Rehab counselor, but somehow, I can't picture you as a rehab counselor.

 

[Lynlw]

Do you have any college credits? before i was disabled w/ my back, I was a blood bank tech and often thought about going back to school to be a physicians assistant or a perfusionist. I "think" they are 2 year programs a few of the PA's I knew started as EMTs and w/ the way insurance and healthcare is going, it's a pretty fast growing field, good luck Lyn
ps my son Justin will be 18 soon and was born w/ TGA, he had the rastelli and even tho it was a different surgery, I was so happy to learn about you when I joined last year

 

[Marguerite53]

Hi Harpoon. Nothing to add I'm afraid. Just good to hear from you. Definitely you ought to pursue something that interests you, you'll give it your best, then. Wish you could find an avenue for your photography....I thought it was quite special. I think it might be valuable to pursue another newspaper gig, also. Can't hurt to look around.

Anyway, just wanted to say hello and wish you well!

Marguerite

 

[PamO]

My recruiting knowledge in medical is very minimal, I'm afraid, but I can tell you one need in the medical/insurance field (or related) is patient advocacy/case management.

 

[Harpoon]

...but somehow, I can't picture you as a rehab counselor.

RUN FASTER, FASTER, YOU FOOL, YOU FOOL!!!!



Ummm... No, probably not.

 

[Harpoon]

LYNLW>>I was skateboarding at 18, very much into art and music and heading to an art school in Cleveland that's not far from Cleveland Clinic actually...

I didn't really have any heart related issues until my valve started failing and I've learned since that time that the method of repair used to fix my transposition put an extra stress load on the tricuspid valve which is probably why it more or less wore out after a while.

Hopefully your son's proceedure, being newer and performed wiht the benefit of 20+ something years of experience in repairing TGV, will hold better for the long haul.

I'll say though, inspite of my difficulties and an added regime of pills to be taken indefinitely, I'm still kicking and screaming as hard as ever.

The scarry part is me joing the fire department AFTER having my second OHS.

The EMT thing is way cool, but I don't get to use my skills anywhere near as much as I'd like right now. The other "fun" thing is what I do as a firefighter. It's mostly taking photos and playing gopher, but it's still important and occassionally they let me spray water on things.

I'm cleared to wear an airpack and go inside burning buildings, but I choose not to. That's pushing a limit that involves someone else's life in addition to my own so I don't go there.

Besides, there's still a lot to do outside of the burning house.

I'm looking at taking courses on media relations for fire departments/critical incidents and maybe fire behavior/fire investigation stuff.

Plus the emergency medical thing.



I've considered going back for more schooling, just want to be sure I have a clear direction, clear goals, and that I'm not just going for a "degree" of some kind. I need to be more specific than that.

Here's a fire photo, had a big fire tonight as I was heading back to the office from another assignment:

 

[Guest]

*sighs*

Harpoon, I don't know how exactly you do it, but it seems that in some way, you always seem to hit something that is very close to home for me ... for whatever reason ... and this thread is no different. Granted, my career options are vastly different from what you are considering, but I still feel that "tug" to do something different, but can't seem to "get over the hump" to get what I want, whether the obstacle is pay, benefits, lack of (or, in some cases, too much) experience/education, etc.

I'm so fed up with my call center job that I may just quit ... regardless of pay, what have you, because I cannot take it...heh. I keep looking...but feel so exhausted because of my job that barely anything gets done here....

Aye.



Cort, "Mr MC" / "Mr Road Trip", 32swm/pig valve/pacemaker
MC:family.IL.guide.future = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/
chdQB = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/quilt.html
"You better not try to stand in my way" ... J Paycheck ... 'Take This Job & Shove It'

 

[Lynlw]

great picture

great picture

wow you are alot like Just, well actually since you are older i guess it's the other way around. he loves skate and snowboarding and playing bass.he loves ot shoot videos. The bad thing about the repair he has is he has a conduit from his right ventricle to his pulm artery that will always need replaced, he just had it replaced last may and got a pulmonary valve (his first one) which I how I ended up here, janet told me about VR.com.
the fire investigation thing sounds like that would be an interesting career to look into. Good luck w/ what you decide. we're kind of going thru that now w/ Just, he's a senior in high school and trying to decide what to take in college, he was thinking mass communications, but is leaning toward undecided major. Lyn

 

[Natanni]

Hey Harpoon--

We kind of know how you feel. Husband is 34 and has 15+years driving for UPS, and he returned to work in January after his OHS in Sept. He has done well in my opinion, but it has been very hard. The first few weeks back were awful, and he still can get totally wiped out. He has a BA in Science, but there never has been any jobs in his field that paid as well as UPS, or that had such fantastic health insurance. I always said it paid for him to work there for the coverage alone. I have recently given up my job assisting in general surgery for job that has a better health coverage option. Well, that and I sort of lost my drive for drama in the OR as Nathan was staring down the barrel at open heart surgery. The PA programs I had been looking into were all 4 years with my nursing experience, but I only looked into two. Hoping that Nathan will eventually work into an easier route, or find something else.