# New Private Ambulance Service in the Chicago area.



## Leonidas1 (Aug 27, 2010)

A new ambulance service has opened in the Chicago area, adding to the number of providers in the region. Midwest Ambulance Service opened earlier this week.  Anyone from Chicago out there interested?


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## EmtTravis (Aug 27, 2010)

If you would pay for relocation sure lol.  Love chicago.


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## Chimpie (Aug 27, 2010)

Do you work for them?  How long have you been with them?


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## EmtTravis (Aug 27, 2010)

Yea it would be nice to know if you work for them or own the company.  Whats the pay like?  Shifts?  24's?  12's? 16's?  Benefits?  Some of that info might get you more replies and more interested basics/medics.  

Hands chimpie a bundle of bananas.


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## Leonidas1 (Aug 27, 2010)

No. I work for a different company. But I know they are hiring.


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## Leonidas1 (Aug 27, 2010)

Most of the private companies in this area pay new employees about 14.00 per hr. Some pay more for "years of experience", but not much more. And some pay new employees 12.50 per hr. no matter how much experience you have. One of my friends applied at Midwest, and the company offered 14.50 per hr.


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## bstone (Aug 29, 2010)

Another one?

I worked at MedEx for several years. Management was good to us and paid us 2nd highest of all the services. No forced overtime, ever.


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## tony1 (Sep 22, 2010)

Private pay in the Chicago area varies alot. I make more in the city of Chicago as a B than friends of mine that are medics in the suburbs. A buddy of mine works at one in the north suburbs and makes 10.50 as a shift medic. I make more than that as a basic by a few dollars. Here's why as he explained to me and this is the only place I have heard doing this but since he is shift and works two 24's a week, and then one week a month works 3 24's, they figure out the pay versus someone working say, day car, and they lowered his hourly to even it out. They want all employees even they say. I worked there for a bit as a basic and never got a raise and those that did only got about ten or fifteen cents. Some companies start you at more for years of experience and some do not care about that. I recently spoke to someone from Superior outside of a hospital and he told me he was making 9.80 as a basic and has been there for a couple years. MedEx, where I worked with bstone, paid very well if you stayed long and had good attendance etc. I left making very good hourly pay as a basic. I interviewed at one private up my way in Lake County and the owner laughed out loud when he saw what I was making at MedEx and told me he could not even come close to that. Plus we had a good call bonus and I got another buck an hour for being an FTO. The medics I have spoken to there say they are very happy with pay and call bonus and also the extra 20 bucks per call on top of their regular call bonus if they run vent calls. Some had call bonus checks of 800 - 1000 monthly. I guess you just have to check around. I was at MedEx for three years and during that time my pay increased three dollars per hour. Raises were every six months without issue and they had a sign-on bonus.


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## CHITOWNMEDIC (Nov 15, 2011)

*Midwest Ambulance*

If any of you have worked, or know anyone that's worked at Advance, well Midwest is Advance in sheeps clothing. Lifepack 12's that frequently do not print out (so much for their 12 leads), they take responses for real life threats with more than 20 minute ETA's & get P.O.'d when you have to divert, god forbid you mark 'Ambulatory' on the St. Francis PCR & if you bring problems to their attention you're branded un-trust worthy. They have a stroke if you miss 1 bubble on the IDPH bubble form but it's ok if the Lifepack can't print out a clear strip, let alone print any strip at all . It's just another typical private Ambulance company in the Chicagoland area:glare:


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## CHITOWNMEDIC (Nov 15, 2011)

tony1 said:


> Private pay in the Chicago area varies alot. I make more in the city of Chicago as a B than friends of mine that are medics in the suburbs. A buddy of mine works at one in the north suburbs and makes 10.50 as a shift medic. I make more than that as a basic by a few dollars. Here's why as he explained to me and this is the only place I have heard doing this but since he is shift and works two 24's a week, and then one week a month works 3 24's, they figure out the pay versus someone working say, day car, and they lowered his hourly to even it out. They want all employees even they say. I worked there for a bit as a basic and never got a raise and those that did only got about ten or fifteen cents. Some companies start you at more for years of experience and some do not care about that. I recently spoke to someone from Superior outside of a hospital and he told me he was making 9.80 as a basic and has been there for a couple years. MedEx, where I worked with bstone, paid very well if you stayed long and had good attendance etc. I left making very good hourly pay as a basic. I interviewed at one private up my way in Lake County and the owner laughed out loud when he saw what I was making at MedEx and told me he could not even come close to that. Plus we had a good call bonus and I got another buck an hour for being an FTO. The medics I have spoken to there say they are very happy with pay and call bonus and also the extra 20 bucks per call on top of their regular call bonus if they run vent calls. Some had call bonus checks of 800 - 1000 monthly. I guess you just have to check around. I was at MedEx for three years and during that time my pay increased three dollars per hour. Raises were every six months without issue and they had a sign-on bonus.


 I know who you mean, and it's amazing that Murphy makes Millions of $ but can't pay his staff a livable wage .


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## usalsfyre (Nov 15, 2011)

Actually the reduced hourly rate on a 24 is very common, every service I've worked at has had different rates for 24, 16, 12 and 8 hour trucks, it all comes out to the same annual wage though.


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## tony1 (Nov 15, 2011)

Wow I had forgotten about this site until I got the email about a reply to a post of mine. I put my efforts back to working in a hospital since that post (actually Nov. 2010). I was p/t at the hosp back when I posted that. I have Phlebotomy and my CNA also and I am finishing up my PRE-REQs for nursing. My partner got his RN at the city colleges of Chicago and moved to Columbus a couple months ago. Losing him as a regular partner sucked but he made me "see the light" as he put it and I look forward to seeing him in Ohio and maybe even working at the same facility. At the end of July 2011, I was already at 35k for the year at the hospital. Yes, I work alot of 16s but they pay very well and the shift differential is great. I love the ambulance but life goes on. We have bought a house in Ohio as that is where my girlfriend is from anyway, and her aunt runs the ER at a hosp that is less than 6 miles from where we will be living. We close on the 18th of this month. I am working on transferring my credentials out there and looking forward to new surroundings. We will most likely be out there in the spring as we have alot to move and alot of loose ends out here. The dude I was talking about that was making 10.50 actually worked at A-Tec. That was where he was getting screwed with the low pay due to working shift versus day car. I was unaware other places did that crap. I have no idea about my FF II since I did it in IL but my girlfriend did her academy in Ohio so I think she is good. She is also 10 years younger so she should be able to get on a dept if she chooses. She also has her B and PBT and CNA as well and has even more done toward nursing.


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## exodus (Nov 15, 2011)

usalsfyre said:


> Actually the reduced hourly rate on a 24 is very common, every service I've worked at has had different rates for 24, 16, 12 and 8 hour trucks, it all comes out to the same annual wage though.



Which is utter BS. You're working more at a time, but making less.


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## usalsfyre (Nov 15, 2011)

Yep, but every single service in this area does it, even the high quality ones. The other option is the "buy the night" where you don't get paid for 8 of your 24 if your not running calls. All in all I'd rather have the consistency of the lower rate.


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## Handsome Robb (Nov 15, 2011)

I'm pretty sure the pay issue with 24s is why we don't have 24 hour units anymore. 3x16s or 4x12s is a FT workweek. Anything over 40 hrs/wk is time and a half, unless your per diem like me, then anything over 8 hrs/day is time and a half


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## usalsfyre (Nov 16, 2011)

24 hour units are really an ungodly safety issue, or their not running enough calls. The only REAL advantage to a 24 is lower cost.


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## Handsome Robb (Nov 16, 2011)

usalsfyre said:


> 24 hour units are really an ungodly safety issue, or their not running enough calls. The only REAL advantage to a 24 is lower cost.



Especially seeing as we run system status... The 24 hour unit did have a hard post in an apartment complex though outside of our 'central' coverage zone.


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## Fnline6 (May 11, 2017)

tony1 said:


> Private pay in the Chicago area varies alot. I make more in the city of Chicago as a B than friends of mine that are medics in the suburbs. A buddy of mine works at one in the north suburbs and makes 10.50 as a shift medic. I make more than that as a basic by a few dollars. Here's why as he explained to me and this is the only place I have heard doing this but since he is shift and works two 24's a week, and then one week a month works 3 24's, they figure out the pay versus someone working say, day car, and they lowered his hourly to even it out. They want all employees even they say. I worked there for a bit as a basic and never got a raise and those that did only got about ten or fifteen cents. Some companies start you at more for years of experience and some do not care about that. I recently spoke to someone from Superior outside of a hospital and he told me he was making 9.80 as a basic and has been there for a couple years. MedEx, where I worked with bstone, paid very well if you stayed long and had good attendance etc. I left making very good hourly pay as a basic. I interviewed at one private up my way in Lake County and the owner laughed out loud when he saw what I was making at MedEx and told me he could not even come close to that. Plus we had a good call bonus and I got another buck an hour for being an FTO. The medics I have spoken to there say they are very happy with pay and call bonus and also the extra 20 bucks per call on top of their regular call bonus if they run vent calls. Some had call bonus checks of 800 - 1000 monthly. I guess you just have to check around. I was at MedEx for three years and during that time my pay increased three dollars per hour. Raises were every six months without issue and they had a sign-on bonus.



What company did they work for in which they received 20 bucks per call??


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