Yeah, forget paramedic. That’s a career. You Have to be committed.
I don’t know if Mass has an EMR or not. (Emergency medical responder). If so that’s an option.
I can tell you not all schools go over any paperwork training. Here you learn how to do a chart on the job.
I wanted to start for the same reasons as you I guess, to be prepared. The thought of not knowing what to do bothered me. I didint want to be that guy that freezes when someone goes into cardiac arrest. I needed to know what to do.
So I started with a CPR class.
Then I went for EMR. EMR is a step below EMT. You can drive an ambulance and do some patient care but cannot be in the back with a patient by yourself. Some EMRs I work with are really really good. Better than some EMTs I know.
Then, at 55 YO, I got my EMT.
then I became a stop the bleed instructor.
I do it on a volunteer basis so I can go in when I want. It’s not my main gig.
You learn a lot for sure. Being prepared is a lot more than stopping bleeding from a gunshot wound.
What‘s more likely is other medical and trauma conditions so also knowing what to do when someone goes into diabetic shock, (hypoglycemia- hyperglycemia. Epistaxis (bleeding nose) or has a seizure, or fracture’s their humorous (upper arm). Or, someone’s gonna have a baby, or somebody’s having a mental breakdown, etc…
Even knowing to ask a pt. their medical history can help you know how to treat someone in a Austere, grid down, no help available setting. If someone tells you they have a pain in their left abdomen and has had Diverticulitis before, you know they likely need antibiotic if it persists.
Boddistavva is right, these are perishable skills. But, don’t let that stop you. if you take a EMT course you will still be able to practice taking family blood pressures, 02 saturation, pulse, RR. You can still watch medical videos on YouTube. This will help you remember.
you get out of it what you put into it.
Even when doing it part time, it is still easy to forget things and say “oh crap” when your the first person there to treat a guy that just got run over by a car. But then you remember, when that happens you always go back to your ABCs.
Stop bleeding, then airway, breathing and circulation.
I’d suggest two things. One, start with a CPR class.
two, Get the Altons book, Survival medicine.
if I could have only one medical reference, that would be it. It’s written more for the layperson in Austere settings. But they know their stuff and everything you need to know is in that book.
It’s never a bad idea to have some medical training. Even in “normal times” people have no idea around here how many times calls go to adjoining towns for mutual aid. Most towns around here run 1-2 ambulances. And some are lucky to get a crew for the first one.
Grid down? Forget it, No one’s coming for you medical emergency.