ED Tech Interview and I NEED HELP!

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I've landed an interview with a major hospital in Jacksonville, Fl as an Emergency Department Tech. While this is basically a dream job, my confidence has been crushed from a couple of posts on here.

My background:

Emergency Medical Technician School and military...that's it.

They want: Less than 1 year experience, EMT OR Para cert

And here's the odd part: Required Education:High School Diploma or GED.

Completion of approved Emergency Medical Care course with a core curriculum of 260 hours plus 25 and 100 rescue hours. Successful completion of the didactic and clinical portion of the fundamentals of intravenous (IV) training.

1.So in order to land this job I have to be I.V. certified, or they will train me if they pick me up? If I.V. is not within the scope of practice for EMT-B, why wouldn't they restrict the position to Paramedics? I plan on asking the HR rep I scheduled the interview, but I was looking for some background info before I make myself look like an ass for applying for a job I was clearly unqualified for.

2.There is an I.V. course happening down in Orlando this weekend, and the interview is on Monday. Is it worth taking this I.V. course for around $200 and lodging for just the shot at this job, or are my chances astronomically slim with my background?

3.I'm either blatantly under-qualified for this position and the HR is outsourced to a company that only looks at key-words and questions to pick interviewees, or they actually decided to interview ME. If the latter is true, what possible ways can I make sure I give myself the best fighting chance for this? Study up on the hospital? Procedures? Basic knowledge?

Thanks ahead of time!

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Specializes in ER.

To be honest, half the time HR doesn't know what to look for. Seriously. I've been rejected for two positions due to being under qualified and hired for the third position (identical postings). HR doesn't understand what EMT, EMT-I, EMT-Paramedic is half the time or what their scope of practice is. This last time around, I was rejected for three positions in my future ER even though the manager gave me one of the rejected slots.

So it seems like they prefer 1 year experience or being an EMT or paramedic. Not required but they prefer it.

You need your high school diploma or GED. The emergency medical care course is usually an EMT class. I think that's the intermediate level. I think. I am not an intermediate but I think the EMT (basic) is 120 + 50 clinicals and the paramedic is closer to 1000. The 25 and 100 should probably read 25 ER and 100 ride time. So I think the ad should really read EMT intermediate (aka specialist in some states) and not just EMT. Intermediates can insert IVs.

Now, ERs are really, really weird as ****. Seriously. In one ER that I worked, phlebs and paramedics could start IVs. They trained the phlebs how to insert IVs. Another ER as a tech I could only draw blood through a straight stick. They may be really relax with what they want and willing to hire EMT-Bs and train them to insert IVs and draw blood. Or they may want EMT-Intermediates and paramedics in order to draw blood and insert IVs. I can't tell you for sure because an ER tech is not a regulated position. It's pretty much whatever the heck the ER wants them to do.

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Thanks for all the info!

Turns out the course during the weekend is full, so I would have to go with an alternative (one of which is an online course that you show up a day to test for).

It seems I probably just need to contact HR and lay out that I am an EMT Basic who is currently enrolled and on track for finishing the I.V. training, and if that will fill the requirements. The last thing I want to do it show up to a GROUP interview and then figure out I didn't meet the minimum requirements haha.

I am being a little bit of a debbie-downer, mostly because I've been in the job market for the last 2 months and I've only had one interview for behavioral health, which got shot down. I'm guessing the only way I have even a chance at the job, qualifications or not, is to walk into there like I'm the one for the job.

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Despite fighting a losing battle, I got the job :D

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Specializes in ICU Stepdown.
Despite fighting a losing battle, I got the job :D

Congratulations :) I was going to ask why you thought you were under qualified haha

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