# NYC Medic moving to LA



## Adam NYC Medic (Mar 28, 2013)

I'm a paramedic in New York City Thinking of moving to Los Angeles. I'm just wondering what the job market is like? Is it hard to get a job? Can you afford 1000 dollar a month rent on the salary? I have 9 years experience in EMS, about what do you think my starting pay would be? How long will it take to get a job? I plan on moving there in August. Thanks for your help everybody.


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## Imacho (Mar 28, 2013)

Poor salary. Fire based ALS. All BLS ambulance. It will take forever to get hired (more like never). Treated like crap. Horrible protocols.  Work in Ventura co. Santa Clarita co. Riverside co or San Diego co. Much better potential in those places.

I'm not trying to burst any bubbles. Just being honest.


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## Adam NYC Medic (Mar 28, 2013)

I appreciate the honesty. Can you afford to live on 40 hours a week or the overtime an absolute must? Shaffer and mcCormick, are they impossible to get hired with? 
 The fire does ALS911 What do you do as a medic for these places?


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## m0nster986 (Mar 28, 2013)

I would not move unless i absolutely had to or had other gigs lined up in LA.

You can afford to live however it will be tough to support any dependents.


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## mike1390 (Mar 28, 2013)

Adam NYC Medic said:


> I appreciate the honesty. Can you afford to live on 40 hours a week or the overtime an absolute must? Shaffer and mcCormick, are they impossible to get hired with?
> The fire does ALS911 What do you do as a medic for these places?



You will NOT run 911 as a "paramedic" in Los Angeles unless you work for fire. By that I mean yes you my work on a paramedic unit that runs 911 but you will be acting like an EMT and fire will run the call, you dont even bring your ALS stuff into the call. McCormick pays their medics around $10/hr and they have some sort of call bonus for an ALS IFT. You are primarily an IFT MEDIC, Shafer is about that same, possibly more per hour but remember its IFT only. Most places have built in overtime due to the 24hr shifts working a kelly schedule. Most places wont care that you have 9 yrs in EMS, because they can find a brand new medic that will do it cheaper. Hope this helps, If you need to pay bills like that the majority of us than do the IFT gig, there is good money in it. Or you could be like a lot of the medics out here who do the "Im to good to run IFTs I'd rather do BLS 911 for min wage". Los Angeles has it all. 

As far as LA outskirts go look into AMR riverside, San Bernardino, Any thing in the IE really. Again less pay (couple bucks) then doing IFTs in LA but you get the 911 experience. It comes down to what is important to you. If you need to still do 911 Id say go somewhere else, If you just wanna live in CA and work as a medic to make an average wage doing IFTs come on down.

feel free to PM me with an ??'s


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## DesertMedic66 (Mar 28, 2013)

mike1390 said:


> As far as LA outskirts go look into AMR riverside, San Bernardino, Any thing in the IE really. Again less pay (couple bucks) then doing IFTs in LA but you get the 911 experience. It comes down to what is important to you. If you need to still do 911 Id say go somewhere else, If you just wanna live in CA and work as a medic to make an average wage doing IFTs come on down.



I've talked to many EMTs on the IFT side of the house and AMR actually higher pay then they do for for IE area.


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## Cawolf86 (Mar 28, 2013)

Adam NYC Medic said:


> I appreciate the honesty. Can you afford to live on 40 hours a week or the overtime an absolute must? Shaffer and mcCormick, are they impossible to get hired with?
> The fire does ALS911 What do you do as a medic for these places?



If you work with an IFT company in Los Angeles City, you will need to work about 48-72 hours a week to afford to live alone in a crappy area.

Those companies are more reputable, but they still don't pay very well and will be challenging to get hired at. They have a lower turnover rate than other places.

Fire does all of the 911 so paramedics at privates run transfers (BLS and ALS).


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## RocketMedic (Mar 28, 2013)

Bro, skip Cali and move to Texas or Oklahoma. Its like a whole different, more free country.
Alternatively, if you move to Cali, live and work in Kern County, Tulare or Fresno. 

But seriously, why Cali if you dont have to?

I make about 30% more than most Cali medics my age and experience, with 48 hrs a week and almost all 911, and Fire supports me, not the other way around. Despite my organization's flaws, its pretty decent from a pay standpoint. Better than Taxafornia.


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## Cawolf86 (Mar 28, 2013)

I agree with Kern!

Spent some time working there and it was great. Area doesn't have much to offer unless you have family there.


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## terrible one (Mar 29, 2013)

Do you absolutely have to move to CA? Be prepared to work for the one of the worst EMS systems in the country especially LA/OC areas.


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## Adam NYC Medic (Mar 29, 2013)

Believe me I'm having second thoughts about moving there now. Thanks for your help everybody I appreciate it. Does anyone know if mercy is a decent paying place to work? The HR lady is a total :censored::censored::censored::censored::censored:! I just tried to call and ask pay scale


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## BeachMedic (Mar 30, 2013)

Try Northern California around San Francisco if that is an option. Little bit colder but still an awesome area. If EMS is one of the main factors in your move the protocols/pay are better than So Cal as well. If advise you about cost of living but you are coming from NY lol. Companies i would advise you looking at are AMR, Rural Metro, and Paramedics Plus. American Ambulance in SF too if you want to work in the City.

I hear good things about American Ambulance in Fresno and Kern County; but if I'm being honest. .. imo Fresno and Bakersfield are the two armpits of California and that is why they are so affordable. A lot of people seem to share that sentiment. 

Personally, I wouldn't move solely based on an EMS job.  I'd move somewhere I want to be and then figure out how to make it work from there. No offense to Oklahoma or Texas, but I'd gladly pay the sunshine tax to take advantage of everything Cali has to offer.  When it comes to things like the Pacific Ocean, Redwoods, desert, mountains, and places like Big Sur, Napa, Tahoe, and Yosemite (to name a few) it's easy to see why California can be paradise. 

Also San Diego is one of the best cities I've ever been to.  Too bad the pay for EMS is terrible down there as well. Love NY too.  But if you're an active outdoorsy kinda person then it is hard to beat the Cali nature and weather.

Yeah I'd try to either get on with a fire department in so cal or move up north.


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## Adam NYC Medic (Mar 30, 2013)

Can't thank everyone enough for your help and advice. I want to go to Cali one way or another and after 9 years of ems im thinking about giving it up. Much as I put into this career I'm not getting anything back financially.


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## Cawolf86 (Mar 31, 2013)

BeachMedic said:


> I hear good things about American Ambulance in Fresno and Kern County;



American would only be up in Fresno and surrounding counties, they never go to Kern County.

OP - as a CA resident and EMS employee for the past four years I have come to see that the only way to live and work as a non-fire paramedic is to get extremely lucky or move out of state.

Best of luck.


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## BeachMedic (Apr 2, 2013)

Cawolf86 said:


> American would only be up in Fresno and surrounding counties, they never go to Kern County.
> 
> OP - as a CA resident and EMS employee for the past four years I have come to see that the only way to live and work as a non-fire paramedic is to get extremely lucky or move out of state.
> 
> Best of luck.



I meant that I hear good things about American Ambulance in Fresno and Kern County ambulance. I know American doesn't go down that far.

And I've seen multiple non-fire medics clear six figures easily in the Bay Area and a couple medics who hate free time who have cleared over 200k a year on multiple years. 

You can make a living as a Medic in California. Top step night shift medic in Oakland is almost 42 bucks an hour base pay. OT is plentiful like in most EMS systems. We get jaded because 42 an hour is still less than most nurses in the area by a significant margin and we don't have the retirement that Fire or PD has. 

This is from someone who worked over 5 years EMS in California.


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## DrParasite (Apr 3, 2013)

I must agree, as a NJ resident, going to to Cali would be the last thing on my mind.  Impossible to get hired, paramedics working at fast food companies until they get ambulance jobs (and taking pay cuts when they do), and lots of horror stories.  Plus the whole 17 paramedics on every call (4 on the engine, 4 on the ladder, 4 on the DPW vehicle, 2 on the fire rescue, 2 on the ambulance, and one supervisor who was bored and decided to go on the toe pain call)

Unless you had a Fire job lined up (as in you leave NY on friday, and start their academy on monday), I would look elsewhere.


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## 46Young (Apr 3, 2013)

Adam NYC Medic said:


> Can't thank everyone enough for your help and advice. I want to go to Cali one way or another and after 9 years of ems im thinking about giving it up. Much as I put into this career I'm not getting anything back financially.



If joining a fire department is not an option for you, then your only other recourse is to earn a medical degree, and then work in CA with that. Be a nurse, PA, RRT, an X-Ray Tech, something other than a dime-a-dozen paramedic. Otherwise, get an Emergency Management degree, and look for a supervisory position at a hospital or private EMS organization, so you can make more than a paltry $20/hr


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## Household6 (Apr 3, 2013)

Adam NYC Medic said:


> Can't thank everyone enough for your help and advice. I want to go to Cali one way or another and after 9 years of ems im thinking about giving it up. Much as I put into this career I'm not getting anything back financially.



Sheesh, come to Northern Minnesota... The low cost of living makes it seem like Medics are paid very well.. Beautiful forests, lakes, wildlife, low crime rate, fresh air, nice people..


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## Cawolf86 (Apr 4, 2013)

Nice.


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## Wheel (Apr 4, 2013)

Household6 said:


> Sheesh, come to Northern Minnesota... The low cost of living makes it seem like Medics are paid very well.. Beautiful forests, lakes, wildlife, low crime rate, fresh air, nice people..



But...it's cold.


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## Household6 (Apr 4, 2013)

Wheel said:


> But...it's cold.



We live in houses, not igloos.. The upside though? Cold water rescues, and the fire department has an actual hovercraft.. 
This is it:


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## AzValley (Apr 4, 2013)

Household6 said:


> We live in houses, not igloos.. The upside though? Cold water rescues, and the fire department has an actual hovercraft..
> This is it:



that is pretty cool.  We don't have to deal with that in AZ


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## Wheel (Apr 4, 2013)

Household6 said:


> We live in houses, not igloos.. The upside though? Cold water rescues, and the fire department has an actual hovercraft..
> This is it:



Ok, this is neat. I don't even mind cold weather that much, but I can imagine working a wreck when it's 20 degrees outside and it makes me cringe (but so does working a wreck when it's 100, which I am sure to experience regularly in the next few months.)


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## Household6 (Apr 4, 2013)

Wheel said:


> Ok, this is neat. I don't even mind cold weather that much, but I can imagine working a wreck when it's 20 degrees outside and it makes me cringe (but so does working a wreck when it's 100, which I am sure to experience regularly in the next few months.)



20 degrees is tshirt weather, the only part of you that gets cold is your fingers. But if you have good circulation it doesn't really get cold until you get down to zero..

The FD is really good about positive PR  on hovercraft training days.. If you're in-the-know and you just happen to show up at the lake they're practicing at, they'll give you a ride. 

And it can go BACKWARDS..h34r:


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## Wheel (Apr 4, 2013)

Household6 said:


> *20 degrees is tshirt weather, the only part of you that gets cold is your fingers. But if you have good circulation it doesn't really get cold until you get down to zero..*
> 
> The FD is really good about positive PR  on hovercraft training days.. If you're in-the-know and you just happen to show up at the lake they're practicing at, they'll give you a ride.
> 
> And it can go BACKWARDS..h34r:



Lies


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## Household6 (Apr 4, 2013)

Wuss.


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## Wheel (Apr 4, 2013)

Household6 said:


> Wuss.



Perhaps


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## DesertMedic66 (Apr 4, 2013)

Wheel said:


> Ok, this is neat. I don't even mind cold weather that much, but I can imagine working a wreck when it's 20 degrees outside and it makes me cringe (but so does working a wreck when it's 100, which I am sure to experience regularly in the next few months.)



100 degrees is nothing. Try 120+. Just walking from the ER door to the ambulance will have you sweating lol


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## Wheel (Apr 4, 2013)

DesertEMT66 said:


> 100 degrees is nothing. Try 120+. Just walking from the ER door to the ambulance will have you sweating lol



Yeah, summer highs here get around 105 with 90% humidity, which is miserable. I have spent some time in Arizona in the summer, feels hotter, but you sweat less with dry air as far as I was concerned.


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## RocketMedic (Apr 4, 2013)

Wheel said:


> Yeah, summer highs here get around 105 with 90% humidity, which is miserable. I have spent some time in Arizona in the summer, feels hotter, but you sweat less with dry air as far as I was concerned.



Oklahoma gets 100+ with humidity...ewww.


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## AzValley (Apr 4, 2013)

Rocketmedic40 said:


> Oklahoma gets 100+ with humidity...ewww.



I will never live in a state with humidity again!


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## AzValley (Apr 4, 2013)

or cold and yes i am a big wuss


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## cruiseforever (Apr 7, 2013)

AzValley said:


> or cold and yes i am a big wuss




I will take the cold any day over the heat.   But then there is always an upside and downside to where ever one choses to live.  Minnesota will let you experience it all in a year.


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