# EMT-B wages on a private ambulance



## haywood415 (Jan 25, 2010)

Hey guys-

I currently live in the Boulder, CO area where I am currently training to be a EMT-B. I will have my certification in May/June and hope to find a job on a private ambulance service. I also volunteer with SEMS (Student Emergency Medical Services @ University of Colorado). I'm wondering what kind of wages these private ambulance services pay for an EMT-B. I'm looking at getting on with Pridemark in Boulder County or maybe Action Care (which operates out of my hometown of Centennial, CO). Thanks for your guys help!


----------



## EMSLaw (Jan 25, 2010)

Low, generally.  Don't know about Colorado specifically, but this isn't something people generally do for the money.  Then again, $10-11 an hour, which seems to be the going rate, is probably more than you can make doing work-study.


----------



## emtCourt31 (Jan 25, 2010)

Here in Cali EMT-B's on a 911 ambulance start at minimum ($8.00). Then you get overtime after 40 hours, but thats not for all companies, some will pay overtime after 8 if youre lucky.

Then if you work for a transport ambulance they start you off at maybe $10, and then if you decide to go the hospital route and work as an ER-Tech you'll start off at $12-$15. However ER-Techs here mostly wipe butts and change bedding <_< not fun.


----------



## 41 Duck (Jan 26, 2010)

You'll make roughly one-third of a forklift operator's salary, wherever you live.


Later!

--Coop


----------



## TransportJockey (Jan 26, 2010)

emtCourt31 said:


> However ER-Techs here mostly wipe butts and change bedding <_< not fun.



I'm sorry, but do you think you're above this just because you're an EMT? And what do you do on scene if you have a pt that has defecated on themselves and is not a critical pt? Do you just toss em on the gurney and make more work for the ED staff? 
I'm primarily a floor tech, which means that I do CNA type skills. But working on the floor that I do (oncology) has been one of the most rewarding experiences I've had, even with what I have to do on shift.


----------



## JCampbell (Jan 26, 2010)

jtpaintball70 said:


> I'm sorry, but do you think you're above this just because you're an EMT? And what do you do on scene if you have a pt that has defecated on themselves and is not a critical pt? Do you just toss em on the gurney and make more work for the ED staff?
> I'm primarily a floor tech, which means that I do CNA type skills. But working on the floor that I do (oncology) has been one of the most rewarding experiences I've had, even with what I have to do on shift.



Yeah, I'm gonna waste time on scene, and saline (our only H2O), and rags, and bio hazard bags, and spread feces from point a to point b inside of a poorly ventilated tiny box while trying to move a patient around on a tiny little bed that is sitting inches off the floor just so you don't have to do the job that you're paid for. Wait for that to happen if you want to.


----------



## TransportJockey (Jan 26, 2010)

JCampbell said:


> Yeah, I'm gonna waste time on scene, and saline (our only H2O), and rags, and bio hazard bags, and spread feces from point a to point b inside of a poorly ventilated tiny box while trying to move a patient around on a tiny little bed that is sitting inches off the floor just so you don't have to do the job that you're paid for. Wait for that to happen if you want to.



I was primarily talking about on scene not inside the bus. Although on that note, what do you do if you're on a long transport and the pt needs to have a bm? Do you tell them to hold it?
And notice I said on non-critical patients. Could be an old lady who fell.
And I don't have a problem doing my job, I have a problem with EMS providers who thinks that it's beneath them.


----------



## CAOX3 (Jan 26, 2010)

EMTs here start at about 14 an hour and in some of the more reputable services usually move up at about fifty to seventy cents an hour a year.  No your not going to get rich but you can earn a honest living.  

And no I dont usually have the time to clean a pt that has moved their bowels and we dont carry bed pans.  May I suggest you not go flipping over the "old" lady that has fallen to change her as no injury may be present to you but might often exist, and doing this may exacerbate the problem.

There are more hands in the ER and frankly a CNA has been trained to handle this kind of situation and probably can accomplish it with little effort and pain to even the injured patient.

And actually bowel movements are beneath everyone literally


----------



## JCampbell (Jan 26, 2010)

haywood415 said:


> Hey guys-
> 
> I currently live in the Boulder, CO area where I am currently training to be a EMT-B. I will have my certification in May/June and hope to find a job on a private ambulance service. I also volunteer with SEMS (Student Emergency Medical Services @ University of Colorado). I'm wondering what kind of wages these private ambulance services pay for an EMT-B. I'm looking at getting on with Pridemark in Boulder County or maybe Action Care (which operates out of my hometown of Centennial, CO). Thanks for your guys help!



Your best bet is to call them. You can find out what they pay in a few minutes. I was looking around the country at job postings and since I like CO I looked there, in Denver the service that advertised was paying $9 an hour.  As opposed to our 911 services here starting at $15 and privates at $13.50.


----------



## haywood415 (Jan 26, 2010)

thanks for the replies guys


----------



## emtCourt31 (Jan 26, 2010)

JCampbell said:


> Yeah, I'm gonna waste time on scene, and saline (our only H2O), and rags, and bio hazard bags, and spread feces from point a to point b inside of a poorly ventilated tiny box while trying to move a patient around on a tiny little bed that is sitting inches off the floor just so you don't have to do the job that you're paid for. Wait for that to happen if you want to.


Thank you, well explained. I had a pt that ate to many prunes and we found him in the bathtub filled with........ cough cough ya....... we put masks on and gowns, lifted him out and covered him up and took him to the hospital, where they put him in the shower.

PS my exact wording was "However ER-Techs *here * mostly wipe butts and change bedding  not fun." Here as in California. Its been said that ER-Techs are pretty much PCTs unless you have your phlebotomy cert.


----------



## Medic115 (Jan 29, 2010)

The private company I work at starts EMT-B's between $8.00 and $9.00 and hour, however we work 48's and 72's totaling a 168 hrs in a pay period, so 88 of those hours are OT and believe it or not, the checks arent that bad if you're a full time employee...


----------



## 46Young (Jan 29, 2010)

Medic115 said:


> The private company I work at starts EMT-B's between $8.00 and $9.00 and hour, however we work 48's and 72's totaling a 168 hrs in a pay period, so 88 of those hours are OT and believe it or not, the checks arent that bad if you're a full time employee...



9/hr x 80 hrs = 720. 13.5 x 88 hrs = 1188. Your biweekly gross is 1908. Take out 1/3 in taxes and you have 1278.36, or 639.18/wk. 

Your weekly gross is 954. You're making as much as someone earning 23.85/hr in a 40 hour/wk job. Good money for sure. But you're working 84 hours a week. That's as much as two FT employees. Your company is getting over on you, as they're paying you an average of 11.35/hr to do the work hours of two FT employees; they're only paying the benefits, such as paid time off, medical, retirement, SS, payroll expenses, admin positions, etc largely necessary for only one. 

I hope that 168 hr/pay period isn't your normal, fixed work schedule, but instead a reflection of available OT. Think about it. You're doing the work of two employees, but only receiving the vacation days, sick days, 401k contribution (or pension multiplier if you're lucky), of one. Employers typically pay around 75% of the premium for a family medical plan, if not more. If they only have to pay for one plan, not two, then they're getting over on you. That's your share of the plan, co-pays, and any applicable deductibles right there. If you're even being made to pay a yearly deductible on your plan, you need to get the employer to absorb that for the above reason.

This isn't anything personal towards you, but it infuriates me when employers take advantage of labor. 

With working 168 hours/wk, when are you home? You're spending exactly 1/2 of your life at work (336 hours = 14 days), not including travel time and late calls.

Up until the past two years or so, the average (decent) employer would give COLA's of 3%/yr, in addition to regular raises. If basics are only getting 8-9/hr now, what was it a few years ago? I'm guessing that they don't do COLA's or percentage based salary increases, since your base salary would compound, just like compound interest (rule of 72). 

The next time they give you a sob story when the issue of raises are brought up, advise them of the above points. These are also great points for collective bargaining, should you decide to organize.

Companies that draw your attention to (starting) salary only, in this case a 168 hr/wk payout, are likely attempting to draw your attention away from other shortcomings.


----------



## 46Young (Jan 29, 2010)

EMT's in the privates in NYC get from 10-13/hr, dependent on tenure. Here in VA it's 9-11/hr to start, with not much growth to look forward to. NYC and Northern Virginia (Fairfax, Alex, Arlington, Loudon) have decently high costs of living. These salary ranges were pretty much the same in SC also. 

Really, it would seem that the private BLS industry will be stuck at 9-11/hr give or take for the long term, since these salary ranges were identical eight years ago when I first began researching EMT hourly compensation while in EMT school. If you took 9/hr, and compounded it a measly 3% (really only a cost of living adjustment and not a real salary raise of any kind), that same 9/hr 10 years ago would be a starting salary of 12.09/hr just to match inflation, to equal the same purchasing power from 10 years ago. If you look at it that way, the newly employes EMT-B's are taking a large pay cut, 25% or so, over someone in the same position ten years ago.

Do it for side cash only. You can't make a comfortable career out of private EMS, not without working yourself to death. Admin positions are few and far between, and are subject to cronyism. Remember also that privates can go under, just like any company. Muni EMS should give you decent benefits and a pension, and hospital based EMS should allow for career advancement within the hospital system (healthcare related fields) in general, as well as flexible schedules for school, and tuition reimbursement.


----------



## Medic115 (Jan 29, 2010)

46Young said:


> 9/hr x 80 hrs = 720. 13.5 x 88 hrs = 1188. Your biweekly gross is 1908. Take out 1/3 in taxes and you have 1278.36, or 639.18/wk.
> 
> Your weekly gross is 954. You're making as much as someone earning 23.85/hr in a 40 hour/wk job. Good money for sure. But you're working 84 hours a week. That's as much as two FT employees. Your company is getting over on you, as they're paying you an average of 11.35/hr to do the work hours of two FT employees; they're only paying the benefits, such as paid time off, medical, retirement, SS, payroll expenses, admin positions, etc largely necessary for only one.
> 
> ...



Very well put... You have to remember we have three to four crews at out eastern office and two to three at our more rural western office and the down time is pretty good, meaning you have a lot of time to sit around and study, watch TV or mess around on the computer, which the company pays for.

I agree its a lot of hours to work, but you have got to realize, if you get a good job like this, than you're more apt to hold onto it, because in our region, jobs are hard to come by for a basic and getting one that pays good is even harder. 

Don't get me wrong, I truly understand where you're coming from, but sometimes a person has to do what they have to do to provide for they're family.  My company really treat us good and they provide for us and our families when we're in need, so to answer your question, yes this is a normal pay period for a full time employee.  It's pretty much the norm in a rural locally owned and operated private EMS business...

Not trying to argue at all with you, I respect your views and they're really good ones, it's just we don't have much of a choice...

"D"


----------



## 46Young (Jan 29, 2010)

Medic115 said:


> Very well put... You have to remember we have three to four crews at out eastern office and two to three at our more rural western office and the down time is pretty good, meaning you have a lot of time to sit around and study, watch TV or mess around on the computer, which the company pays for.
> 
> I agree its a lot of hours to work, but you have got to realize, if you get a good job like this, than you're more apt to hold onto it, because in our region, jobs are hard to come by for a basic and getting one that pays good is even harder.
> 
> ...



I understand what you're saying. It's easy enough for someone to say "get your medic and then move somewhere else", but many don't have the option of relocating.

You must work for Acadian (you don't have to answer that, of course). I've only heard good things about that company regarding working conditions, benefits and such, so I can understand that your agency may be the best one available in your region, and allows you to provide for your family without hassle or fear of losing your job. Freeing up time for college courses may be a challenge with that schedule, however.

Speaking of which, you could always get your EMS AAS (I don't know if you're currently doing that or doing a tech school). Going from tech medic to degreed medic isn't tough, I'm doing it at this very moment. You can progress to an EMS BA and break into admin at your company, or land a cushy job like the one JPINFV posted a little while ago.

Good luck in any case.


----------



## Medic115 (Jan 30, 2010)

46Young said:


> I understand what you're saying. It's easy enough for someone to say "get your medic and then move somewhere else", but many don't have the option of relocating.
> 
> You must work for Acadian (you don't have to answer that, of course). I've only heard good things about that company regarding working conditions, benefits and such, so I can understand that your agency may be the best one available in your region, and allows you to provide for your family without hassle or fear of losing your job. Freeing up time for college courses may be a challenge with that schedule, however.
> 
> ...



Actually I work for another private company, Acadian is not in our parish yet, but they are in the parishes south and west of us and we work really good with them, especially when we meet or need help in our rural setting.

I'm actually going through the National EMS Academy, which is a partnership between Acadian and South Louisiana Community College where I'll eventually be getting my degree.

Since I started school I still work my full time state job and work part time with the EMS company.  I only have to attend classed two days a week, at least until my clinicals start, so yeah, you're right its tough working two jobs and trying to go to school, especially at my age... Lol

"D"


----------



## ExpatMedic0 (Jan 30, 2010)

My first EMT-B job on a rig was 8.00 an hour part time. no over time.... People at taco bell made more than me.
It was here that I realized if you do not want to be on food stamps or living like crap... the only way to make a career out of EMS is to get your medic or move onto something else


----------



## mikeN (Jan 30, 2010)

The average starting pay in the Boston area as a Basic is 13.00/hr.   I did fine on that paying 500 a month plus utilities working overtime and still have money to go out and spend.   I'm not saying that was good pay, but for 26/single and no kids I'm fine.


----------

