Vantaggi
You can get good clinical experience in a variety of settings with a new EMT license
Svantaggi
Literally everything else. The lack of care for staff, inability to adequately staff, unthinking adherence to strict policies that are designed for financial and not clinical reasons, lower-than-average pay, lack of training, development, tuition reimbursement, adequate quality improvement, and just general lack of care for employees, patients, and communities served will eat at you if you allow yourself to feel your feelings. But, this is probably one of the only places that will just put you in front of patients as soon as you get your license, while paying you. Understand that your impulse to go the extra mile for your patients, be kind and helpful to your co-workers, and in general, do the right thing, will be obstructed and punished at every turn by management. Do it anyway, because it's important, and because this experience will make you kinder, smarter, and tougher if you can bear it with your soul intact. Think of it as a right of passage. Try to drag a couple co-workers out with you when you leave. Never forget that even though the company is a bummer, the work itself is life-changing for your patients and you if you do it right. Don't get mired down in the petty stuff: know your protocols, don't get lazy, pay attention to your patients, especially the ones who seem "totally fine", and you'll get a great education about the problems with the American healthcare system.
