ALS IFT Companies - Los Angeles

MedicD · Oct 1, 2014

Hey Y'all,
So I am currently submitting applications as a part-time IFT Medic in the Los Angeles area but I am trying to get a little more info on some of the companies. I know there have been threads like this before but I am hoping to get a little more current info on medic positions with them and hopefully spark some discussion.

I understand that PRN and Bowers are among the top in LA but what exactly is an ALS shift like with them? Almost all ESRD runs/discharges to SNFs with a few cardiac monitoring transfers in between? Do they ever get any ALS transfers such as STEMIs (the only reason I ask is because I hear they have contracts with major facilities)? Does Liberty and or Americare give either of them a run for their money?

Apps have been sent in to Bowers and McCormick and have not heard anything in over a month even though it says they are both hiring medics... This is probably just me being ignorant in the way EMS hiring works in SoCal...

Also, has anyone else noticed some medic positions on craigslist that look a lot like that gorilla in Orange County with the blue and white units? I know they are looking to start an LA ALS IFT service but have not seen anything on their site... Anyone wanna throw their 2 cents in on this one?

I would appreciate any help or guidance anyone could give!

Thanks!

Woodtownemt · Oct 1, 2014

MedicD said:
Hey Y'all,
So I am currently submitting applications as a part-time IFT Medic in the Los Angeles area but I am trying to get a little more info on some of the companies. I know there have been threads like this before but I am hoping to get a little more current info on medic positions with them and hopefully spark some discussion.

I understand that PRN and Bowers are among the top in LA but what exactly is an ALS shift like with them? Almost all ESRD runs/discharges to SNFs with a few cardiac monitoring transfers in between? Do they ever get any ALS transfers such as STEMIs (the only reason I ask is because I hear they have contracts with major facilities)? Does Liberty and or Americare give either of them a run for their money?

Apps have been sent in to Bowers and McCormick and have not heard anything in over a month even though it says they are both hiring medics... This is probably just me being ignorant in the way EMS hiring works in SoCal...

Also, has anyone else noticed some medic positions on craigslist that look a lot like that gorilla in Orange County with the blue and white units? I know they are looking to start an LA ALS IFT service but have not seen anything on their site... Anyone wanna throw their 2 cents in on this one?

I would appreciate any help or guidance anyone could give!

Thanks!

Howdy.
I worked PRN and can shed some light. ALS at PRN is gonna be a hit or miss as far as calls go. There have been days where medics run bls all day bc ALS call volume is down. If you work day shift there is a chance you'll run a esrd xfer. ALS do get stemi calls where you run P1. They also P1 with contracted urgent cares and clinics. Those calls are common maybe a handful a month. I do know of crews getting at least 1 every other day. Pay is ok but the competition will pay higher then PRN. Shifts are 3/4 splits or 4 10's. We use toughbook epcrs. If you are able to go part time you only have to pick up 1 shift a week. They are hurting for medics right now as well but did hire a handful recently. Over all decent for part time. No 911 but company is fine with stopping at still alarms unlike some other companies. I would stay away from americare. Just talked to a crew an hr ago and they had nothing but horrible things to say. But that's another thread lol. Good luck dude hoped this helped.

Chris07 · Oct 1, 2014

Throw in an app to AMR. They've been expanding their number of ALS cars.

Pay is on par with everyone else (maybe a tad better). Working an ALS shift is a sweet deal since the only IFTs you get are ALS level (usually just cardiac monitoring or the occasional STEMI). It is extremely rare that an ALS crew get a BLS-level IFT. The company as a whole is real good about not crossing resources and keeping ALS available for ALS level calls. You will run 911s, however you will function at the BLS level. You are more likely to get hired on Part-Time (a plus in your case). Part time shifts are 12-hours (~2 days a week). Operations exist in the Antelope Valley, Santa Clarita, and San Gabriel Valley areas.

LibertyAmbulance · Oct 1, 2014

Greetings MedicP,

I am a representative of Liberty Ambulance. We run a high volume ALS program with multiple contracted facilities. We provide ALS in both LA and Orange Counties. Like woodtownemt was stating, the majority of our ALS are hospital to hospital, and we are attending for monitoring purposes only (in the event that something happens to the patient). And roughly 10% of our ALS volume is out of urgent cares or emergency departments, where you will use your talents (medication administration, IV, 12 lead, base contact, etc.) for STEMI patients, acute cva, etc. Orange County is really cool though. All medics operate under standing orders, so if you want to give a medication or start a line, you just do it. Orange county also allows us to equip medics with iv pumps and cpap, and we can transport around 15 types of medication drips. We have been growing rapidly as of late, and are still looking for medics. Every company has their individual perks, but I and many of our medics have been here for a while now. We are a stable and growing company. We have full healtgi, dental and vision benefits, good pto plan, and offer 10 and 12 hour shifts. If you want further info, apply online and ill look out for your app.

gonefishing · Oct 1, 2014

Bowers is the highest paid in the county. Kaiser and usc contract. PRN has kaiser as well. Bowers rarely does anything with Dialysis. Schaefer hires medics as well. AMR is not shabby. Liberty I would watch out. I've heard more than enough horror stories. Such as management with expunged records BUT newspaper articles still floating around to back it up.

MedicD · Oct 6, 2014

Thank you very much for the insight, it really has helped guide my job hunt. It's really helpful and assuring to hear from current employees/reps on here.

On a side note, does anyone know much about the orientation periods for these companies? Is it something that they are able to work around school with (2 day a week commitment)?

Chris07 · Oct 7, 2014

If you're going to be working part-time, typically you'll be trained on a part-time schedule...unless you can meet a full-time commitment during training.

At AMR you'll be paired up (most likely) with a 24-hour ALS shift but you'll only work 12-hours of it (starting at either 6am or 7a). Trainees are not allowed to train the full 24-hours (at least not in my operation). Typically they'll do some wiggling around and have you train on days that you can. During the attending portion of training you'll probably be paired up with a 24-hour medic FTO and work his scheduled days with him (on days you can work), and if need be, they'll stick you with a BLS crew to do your driving training.

On the BLS side of things, scheduling was pretty easy to work with (since there is an abundance of BLS shifts to train on), I'm not too sure about ALS since there are fewer Medic FTOs.

As a wee disclaimer I only have experience in one of the operations. The other two can and sometimes do training/scheduling in a slightly different manner. Also, it's been a while since I trained so things may have changed. The only REAL way to get an answer on that is to ask for yourself. What I can say for sure is that as a whole, they'll try and work with you...unless you have a crazy schedule.

Orientation is a whole different ballgame though. Orientation is 1 week long and requires a 5 full day commitment. There is no way around that.

Darren Mann · Oct 21, 2014

MedicD said:
Hey Y'all,
So I am currently submitting applications as a part-time IFT Medic in the Los Angeles area but I am trying to get a little more info on some of the companies. I know there have been threads like this before but I am hoping to get a little more current info on medic positions with them and hopefully spark some discussion.

I understand that PRN and Bowers are among the top in LA but what exactly is an ALS shift like with them? Almost all ESRD runs/discharges to SNFs with a few cardiac monitoring transfers in between? Do they ever get any ALS transfers such as STEMIs (the only reason I ask is because I hear they have contracts with major facilities)? Does Liberty and or Americare give either of them a run for their money?

Apps have been sent in to Bowers and McCormick and have not heard anything in over a month even though it says they are both hiring medics... This is probably just me being ignorant in the way EMS hiring works in SoCal...

Also, has anyone else noticed some medic positions on craigslist that look a lot like that gorilla in Orange County with the blue and white units? I know they are looking to start an LA ALS IFT service but have not seen anything on their site... Anyone wanna throw their 2 cents in on this one?

I would appreciate any help or guidance anyone could give!

Thanks!

Here is the best recommendation I can make to you. DO NOT WORK FOR LIBERTY AMBULANCE IN DOWNEY! They will run you into the ground there. If you want to work for a reputable organization, work for Care Ambulance in Anaheim.

Bower's was fine until Rural Metro bought it up (It's like putting a really crappy candy bar in a new wrapper). Like they're gonna fool anyone. Schaefer, good company. do your job and shut up. Very old school. Pacific and Bowers are owned by the same parent company, Rural Metro... I don't need to say more on them. McCormick is an older company with a good group of people working there. AmeriCare... If you like being yelled at I'd have to say it's a tie between AmeriCare and Liberty Ambulance (All they do is yell at everything you do there. The owner reminds me of this old cartoon I use to watch called "Baby Huey". What a dork!) I walked around the corner one day and saw the secretary there with her ear against the door to listen in on what they were saying in the other room. Who wants to work for a company like that. Don't listen to the spin doctors from Liberty, They're LAME!

PMT seems like a really decent place to work, and the management seems fairly reasonable. I honestly suggest that you go outside of LA if you want quality shifts where you may actually be able to do something other than fight traffic all day. Check out Mission Ambulance in Corona... TOP FLIGHT SERVICE! I heard that Calvary isn't too bad, but they got a flake or two in management there. AMR is just another games playing operation. And, they don't give a sh*t who they screw with, patients or paramedics, they don't care. Haters all of them. Symons is another TOP FLIGHT operation, and seem to genuinely care about their people. In fact I have heard that if you want to move into management there and you do good work, they'll find a position in order to hang on to you. The owner really seems to value his people.

Jim37F · Oct 21, 2014

Darren Mann said:
If you want to work for a reputable organization, work for Care Ambulance in Anaheim.

Does Care even have Paramedics? I always heard they just had EMTs and CCT RNs. Although I suppose now that Orange County is (finally) allowing private ALS for IFTs, Care might start up an ALS program.

Now since I live in Schaefer's EOA, (and like a mile from AMR's Irwindale station) and plan on going to Paramedic school myself sometime in the next year or so, how often do Schaefer and AMR medic units respond to 911 calls? Or are they pretty much reserved for ALS IFTs? What about McCormick medics?

Mufasa556 · Oct 22, 2014

Jim37F said:
Does Care even have Paramedics? I always heard they just had EMTs and CCT RNs. Although I suppose now that Orange County is (finally) allowing private ALS for IFTs, Care might start up an ALS program.

Now since I live in Schaefer's EOA, (and like a mile from AMR's Irwindale station) and plan on going to Paramedic school myself sometime in the next year or so, how often do Schaefer and AMR medic units respond to 911 calls? Or are they pretty much reserved for ALS IFTs? What about McCormick medics?

Their program is not that far off.

They'll get pulled into the 911 system from time to time. Mostly when there isn't a BLS car available. It's up to the medics whether or not they turn the call to the crew. Although, I have heard unsubstantiated rumors that they can cancel the squad if they get on scene first.

BASICallyEMT · Oct 22, 2014

Darren Mann said:
Here is the best recommendation I can make to you. DO NOT WORK FOR LIBERTY AMBULANCE IN DOWNEY! They will run you into the ground there. If you want to work for a reputable organization, work for Care Ambulance in Anaheim.

Bower's was fine until Rural Metro bought it up (It's like putting a really crappy candy bar in a new wrapper). Like they're gonna fool anyone. Schaefer, good company. do your job and shut up. Very old school. Pacific and Bowers are owned by the same parent company, Rural Metro... I don't need to say more on them. McCormick is an older company with a good group of people working there. AmeriCare... If you like being yelled at I'd have to say it's a tie between AmeriCare and Liberty Ambulance (All they do is yell at everything you do there. The owner reminds me of this old cartoon I use to watch called "Baby Huey". What a dork!) I walked around the corner one day and saw the secretary there with her ear against the door to listen in on what they were saying in the other room. Who wants to work for a company like that. Don't listen to the spin doctors from Liberty, They're LAME!

PMT seems like a really decent place to work, and the management seems fairly reasonable. I honestly suggest that you go outside of LA if you want quality shifts where you may actually be able to do something other than fight traffic all day. Check out Mission Ambulance in Corona... TOP FLIGHT SERVICE! I heard that Calvary isn't too bad, but they got a flake or two in management there. AMR is just another games playing operation. And, they don't give a sh*t who they screw with, patients or paramedics, they don't care. Haters all of them. Symons is another TOP FLIGHT operation, and seem to genuinely care about their people. In fact I have heard that if you want to move into management there and you do good work, they'll find a position in order to hang on to you. The owner really seems to value his people.

Mission, Calvary, Symoms are all IFT.. Go AMR if you actually want 911 experience.

Chris07 · Oct 22, 2014

Jim37F said:
how often do Schaefer and AMR medic units respond to 911 calls? Or are they pretty much reserved for ALS IFTs?

All the time. The ALS units do a lot of coverage, and since they can only get ALS level IFTs (which are far less common than BLS IFTs), they spend a lot of time in the 911 system.
A better question would be: Do they act as medics on 911 calls? The answer to that is...it depends but usually not.

Mufasa556 said:
Although, I have heard unsubstantiated rumors that they can cancel the squad if they get on scene first.

It does happen, but not in the way you think. The private ambulance CANNOT cancel Fire, and the only person who can cancel the squad is the Fire captain. What does happen, more so in the Antelope Valley than elsewhere, is when there is an extended squad ETA, the captain will cancel the squad and have the private medics run the show. In places like the San Gabriel Valley it's more rare (maybe once or twice a month), but from my conversation with medics here it's a relatively common occurrence in the Antelope Valley.
Unfortunately, this only applies to dual medic crews since the County has that stupid protocol that to be "first-in" ALS you have to be dual medic. AMR only staffs 1 dual medic unit in each of their EOAs and the rest are 1 to 1, so if you're on a dual medic unit and there's an extended LA County Fire squad ETA...you're going to get to play the medic (assuming the captain likes that idea). If you're on a 1 to 1 car, technically, you can't be a medic until a squad makes contact and transfers care over to you. Even though you're an ALS unit, county fire's medics still ride in with the patient. It's really rare that a County squad transfers their ALS patient to a private medic.

One of the few complaints I have about the company: We have this really weird policy that on a 1 to 1 staffed ALS unit, the paramedic ALWAYS has to attend, regardless of whether or not the patient has been deemed BLS level.

Mufasa556 · Oct 22, 2014

That makes much more sense. Thanks for the info.

Jim37F · Oct 22, 2014

Interesting, much more clear info than I've heard in the past regarding the private medics in the 911 system here...I'm assuming that this refers to AMR's policy?

Chris07 said:
One of the few complaints I have about the company: We have this really weird policy that on a 1 to 1 staffed ALS unit, the paramedic ALWAYS has to attend, regardless of whether or not the patient has been deemed BLS level.

Still curious to hear from anyone with info on Schaefer or McCormick's ALS ops...Though I figure based on what I've heard living here in the SGV I'd be better off applying to AMR's ops in Rancho or Riverside but still lol

aquabear · Oct 24, 2014

If you can deal with commuting or can relocate... GET OUT OF LA/OC. In my opinion, it's a better to use your skills and knowledge in an EMS system where you are the primary ALS provider rather than the LA/OC model where private medics will almost always be playing second fiddle to fire-medics. Most ALS providers outside of LA will hire medics part time if scheduling is your main concern.

JamieN · Nov 12, 2014

I am new to the forum. I am thinking about taking an EMT-B class in the spring through a community college here in Illinois.

I was curious and wanted to ask... What does IFT stand for. I have noticed it used on here from time to time and was wondering what it stood for.

CodeBru1984 · Nov 12, 2014

JamieN said:
I am new to the forum. I am thinking about taking an EMT-B class in the spring through a community college here in Illinois.

I was curious and wanted to ask... What does IFT stand for. I have noticed it used on here from time to time and was wondering what it stood for.

Welcome to EMTLife. IFT is a commonly used abbreviation that stands for Inter-Facility Transport/Transfer.

JamieN · Nov 12, 2014

That's what I thought. Thanks for the answer CodeBru1984

ALS IFT Companies - Los Angeles

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MedicD

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Mufasa556

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BASICallyEMT

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Chris07

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