Yesterday, I met with Lana at NCTI to sign the enrollment forms for the upcoming EMT course I'll be taking this summer. 64 hours of lecture, 64 hours of skills training, and 8-12 hours riding along in an ambulance. By late July I'll be eligible to take the National Registry exam and earn my EMT certification. This will hopefully open up some employment opportunities for me in my area in emergency medicine, in a hospital or pre-hospital.
I originally began this journey a year and a half ago with the intention of becoming a fire fighter. I haven't abandoned that goal but bumps in the road along the way have opened my eyes to other possibilities that I'm trying to explore and prepare for as I attempt to move forward again with my plans.
I'm working on my conditioning, again. Having lost nearly 60 lbs last time only to put back 70 lbs, I now find myself needing/wanting to lose about 90-100 lbs to be in the condition I believe I'll need to be in to compete and operate successfully in this industry. I'm eligible for the fire academy at my local junior college; well, technically I was. My physical agility test has expired so my conditioning has an urgent purpose too; although my dieting sabotage would suggest otherwise.
While I continue improving my conditioning and earning my EMT cert, I'm exploring local fire departments to volunteer for. Otherwise, I'm keeping busy farming, chasing my three kids around, and occasionally even helping out around the house. I try, anyhow!
Man I totally recommend doing a brief stint as a volunteer or paid-on-call. That way, before you dive head first into a fire academy, get all that training, and spend all that money, you've gotten to experience some firefighting and get a little bit of free training. At least then you know you like it.
ReplyDeleteThat makes a lot of sense. Thanks, Jess.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy reading your blog! Be safe.
Here you are!! I cannot wait to follow you through this journey.. You inspire me to never give up, and don"t be afraid to try something new!! Good Luck Doug!!! I am cheering you on!
ReplyDeleteGreat new blog! Thanks for giving me the chance to follow along. And? Have I already offered this? The book by Martha Beck called The Four Day Win has been extremely helpful to me. It addresses losing weight, but not from the perspective of "eat x, avoid y, and make sure you get more z". She's a life coach and her approach is about mind stuff - about examining the patterns you already have and training your brain to acquire the patterns you want to have. You can follow any healthy food/exercise plan you want - she helps you make the most of it and teaches you to stop sabotaging yourself. And she's funny as all get out. Seriously, I have snarfled my green tea on more than one occasion reading her stuff. Good luck with your fantastic new goals!!
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