I currently work from home, which is lovely... but I'm also kind of a work horse (or glutton for punishment, you decide)... I'd really like to get a job outside of the house, making a difference. I love learning, and I have a natural passion for medicine and the human body. I used to be a volunteer EMT... how can I get certified and hired as a PAID EMT? I forget the process.
I'm also still into becoming a Doula. I lent all my books to my girlfriend, who just had a baby, and I supposed I could get back into those and become a doula.
Out of those 2, and I'm not lazy here, but financially, I'm wondering which would be the best course to take. I have to factor in the cost, the time, and how quickly I can make back the money spent on the schooling from the job itself. I feel like being an EMT would be more demanding (3-4 12 hour shifts per week, and you always get started on the graveyard shift), but would be easier based on my previous knowledge, BUT, that job market seems a bit over saturated right now and I can't afford to pay money for the education if I can't land a job immediately. The doula thing, again, easy learning (having had 3 kids, I mean, you already know the in's and out's), but it seems more like a self-advertising type market, and I'm not good at that kind of thing.
So what do you think?? EMT? Doula? I know it's a personal choice, I just need some help deciding...
As an EMT, at least you would have a "schedule" which would make childcare a little easier. As a Doula, you go when "they go" which may be a challenge with young children.
My BIL was an EMT (paid) and loved it so much that he went back to school to become a nurse. It was a great fit for him and he LOVES it! Just a thought (b/c I know where you live)... what about taking a course or two through MCV and see what you like!
I haven't done any research on this, but I would have to think that being a doula would be your best bet financially as you should be able to set your own prices as well as hours for scheduled appointments, though obviously not the actual births. I'm also, maybe falsely, under the impression that the schooling (if there is any, I honestly don't know much about it) would be shorter than say, if you were going to be an EMT for the county. I do know a bit about that as a very close friend of mine went through that gruelling school a couple of years ago. She did get paid while she was going through it, similar to if you were in a police academy, but the pay was low, and continued to be low once she was on the road for the first 6 months until she completed all of her training. She is a very smart woman & said that it was the hardest thing she's ever been through (and she's been through Delaware State Police Academy, known to be the most difficult in the nation, as well as being a volunteer firefighter, so she knows from physically, mentally & emotionally taxing situations).
Here's what you need to do: sit down & do a pros & cons list & see which would honestly be the most fulfilling for you & go from there.
Doula :-) You seem like you would be PERFECT for that job !!!!
EMT kills you after a few years....... Just ask my Fire Fighter/Paramedic hubs who's been doing it since he was 23........
There are other health care professions you could look into then maybe you could work on the floor with maternity or newborns and combine both loves?
I think being an EMT might get harder as you get older.
Being a doula seems to be something you could do for longer.
R.,
I'm a doula. Have been for over 10 yrs. And I have 2 friends that are EMT's.
Here are the pros and cons as I know them.
EMT- physically, mentally and emotionally taxing, and the various shifts are sometimes a pain. One of the worst things that I have heard plenty about is the administrative b.s. Also, if you need to go back and do any more education it's more time and money. It's definitely rewarding as you know. The burnout rate is pretty high.
For doula training, you can go so many different routes. I choose to do things a little differently than most people. I teach HypnoBirthing and was teaching first and then started to volunteer at births for a bit. I didn't take any classroom doula training for a couple of years. Then I took the HypnoBirthing doula class. I choose not to certify through a big organization like DONA, KAPPA or ALACE. Just too many regs for me. There are no requirements for doula certification anywhere.
Start going to births, meet with childbirth educators,and midwives. What types of births do you want to attend? Are there any doulas that you know in the area? Many doulas would love to find a partner or a back up doula.
Feel free to contact me if you need any more info.
