What do you have to take to be a paramedic?

What kind of training does it take to be a paramedic? How long and cost?

• What does the job pay? What kind of hours do you work?

• Answer:

  It takes approx. 2 years. Anywhere from a month to 6 to become a Basic,which is required to move on to medic. Then you have to test and be licensed. Once that is over you go to school for another year and a half for paramedic. It's intense. You learn a lot about drugs and A LOT about cardiology. Then you test and become licensed. While your in school it's also required that you do so many hours of clinicals, and an internship at a fire dept. I had to do 500 hours total, which amounted to at least one 10 hr shift a week for an entire year, plus class. You don't get paid for it. In Michigan Medics don't make much, anywhere from 8.00-13.00 an hour, usually depending on experience. They have 8, 12, and 24 hour shifts. If you intend to live off of it you'll be working a lot and it is stressful. I will say this: paramedics DO NOT do the job for the money, you have to LOVE it.