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A software engineer’s personal essay explains why he put off EMT training for years before earning a license in 2024. He says the biggest obstacles were the time and cost of training and concerns about EMS culture, while some assumptions about fitting in and needing an ambulance job proved less limiting than he expected.
A software engineer who earned an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) credential in 2024 has published a personal account ranking the concerns that delayed his training, including the time and cost of the course and his worries about EMS workplace culture. The essay offers a first-person view of one person’s decision, not a report on EMT training or working conditions across the field.
The author, Ben Stolovitz, writes on his personal website that he had been interested in medicine since college but postponed getting licensed for years. In 2024, he took a month off from his software engineering job to attend an accelerated Wilderness EMT course run by NOLS. He says the program lasted 28 consecutive days and cost about $5,000, excluding travel, car rental and the cost of taking leave.
In his ranking, Stolovitz describes the time commitment and the culture he encountered around some first responders as serious barriers. He recounts an earlier negative experience with first responders that led him to abandon the idea temporarily. He also characterizes some EMS settings as burned out and socially exclusionary, while making clear these are his impressions from personal experience rather than claims about every service.
Other concerns seemed less decisive after he took the course. He had worried he would not fit in with either working responders or classmates; he says many of his fellow students were enthusiastic young pre-med students, alongside people closer to his age. He also says earning an EMT credential does not obligate someone to work on an ambulance. For him, training itself had value, including learning first aid, CPR, AED use and oxygen administration.
Training Without an Ambulance Career
The essay speaks to a practical question for people interested in emergency care but unsure they want EMS as a job: training and employment are not the same decision. Stolovitz says he pursued the credential partly because he wanted to learn medicine, even though ambulance work was not his career goal. His account may help readers identify questions to ask before enrolling, especially about course schedules, total expenses, certification maintenance and local volunteer opportunities.
It also puts workplace culture among the considerations alongside tuition and time. Stolovitz’s account is one person’s experience, so it cannot establish how common the problems he describes are. Still, his explanation shows how concerns about belonging and treatment can influence whether someone enters training at all, and why prospective students may want to speak with people at the specific program or service they are considering.
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From First Aid Classes to EMT School
Before enrolling, Stolovitz says he tried less costly ways to explore the subject: reading, taking CPR and Stop the Bleed classes, and completing a weekend Wilderness First Aid course. Those steps helped him test his interest but did not replace the more intensive EMT program he eventually wanted to take.
He describes the course he chose as an accelerated option and contrasts it with a typical course he says may cost around $2,000 and run over a semester of night classes. Those figures are his estimates and refer to options he considered; course prices, schedules and requirements vary. He also notes that EMTs work under a defined scope of practice and are not interchangeable with paramedics, who handle many more serious calls.
Stolovitz writes that maintaining a credential may require continuing education and that, without ambulance experience, meeting requirements can be difficult. The details depend on the relevant certification and jurisdiction. He also says volunteer EMS roles can be easier to find outside major cities and may require travel, which shaped his own thinking about what he could do with the training.
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Limits of One Person’s Account
The essay does not establish how typical Stolovitz’s experiences are. It provides no survey data on EMS workplace culture, barriers to entering training, or the share of EMT students who pursue ambulance work. His descriptions of course costs and schedules are based on his own choices and comparisons, not a current national price survey.
It is also not clear from the account what specific EMT certification or state requirements apply to every reader, or whether Stolovitz currently takes ambulance shifts. Certification rules, continuing education requirements, volunteer openings and permitted procedures vary by jurisdiction and service. Readers would need to check with the training program and licensing authority where they live.
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Check Local Training and Service Rules
Stolovitz’s essay does not announce a new course, policy or change in EMT certification. For people considering similar training, the practical next step is to compare local course formats and costs, confirm what credential a program leads to, and ask the relevant licensing authority about renewal and continuing education. Anyone weighing volunteer work can contact nearby EMS services directly about openings, call expectations and required experience.
Whether the author will pursue ambulance work or search and rescue remains unclear in the essay. His stated takeaway is narrower: after years of interest and preliminary classes, he chose to take the course, even without a plan to make ambulance work his career.
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Key Questions
Who wrote the account, and what happened?
Ben Stolovitz, a software engineer, writes that he earned an EMT credential in 2024 after delaying training for years. He published a personal ranking of the concerns that had held him back.
Why did he delay becoming an EMT?
He identifies the time commitment and concerns about EMS culture as major barriers. Other worries included fitting in, the cost of training, and whether he would have to work on an ambulance.
How long and how much did his course take?
He says his accelerated NOLS Wilderness EMT course lasted 28 consecutive days and cost about $5,000, before travel, car rental and time off work. These are figures for his course, not a standard price for all EMT programs.
Does earning an EMT credential require ambulance work?
Stolovitz says no one required him to work on an ambulance after earning his credential. However, practical experience and credential-maintenance rules vary, so prospective students should confirm local requirements with their program and licensing authority.
Does the essay show that EMS culture is the same everywhere?
No. It describes one person’s experiences and concerns and does not establish how common those conditions are across EMS services. The author’s account may prompt questions for a particular program or service, but it is not field-wide research.
Source: hn
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