# Should I work at Pacific or Lynch in Orange County?!



## teekay (Jul 31, 2013)

Hi everyone!

I received a job offer from Pacific Ambulance in Lake Forest last week. However, this week I got a call from Lynch Ambulance in Anaheim saying I passed the written test & they want me to come in for an interview next week.

The problem is Lynch's interview date falls on the same day as Pacific's orientation. Both companies seem to have good reputations & happy employees from what I've heard, what should I do?!


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## JPINFV (Jul 31, 2013)

How much is Lynch paying? How much is Pacific paying? Which one is closer to where you live?


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## CodeBru1984 (Jul 31, 2013)

I'd take the pacific job as it has already been offered to you.


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## slewy (Jul 31, 2013)

Pacific treats their employees like crap from what I have heard. My friend works for them and says dispatch at Pacific is ruthless. However, you will still be getting EMS experience at Pacific and it's what you make of it. Every now and then I'll come across a Lynch employee, they always seem happy.


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## CodeBru1984 (Jul 31, 2013)

slewy said:


> Pacific treats their employees like crap from what I have heard. My friend works for them and says dispatch at Pacific is ruthless. However, you will still be getting EMS experience at Pacific and it's what you make of it. Every now and then I'll come across a Lynch employee, they always seem happy.



I've ran into several Pacific employees who enjoy working for them. In regards to dispatch, they'll put you where you are needed, and on their time not yours. It's part of the job.


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## dC0m (Jul 31, 2013)

In my opinion, I don't think employees are completely representative of their company reputation. You might have guys who hate their job because they are piled with calls, and you might have others who love it because they get a lot of freedom. Now, if you met everyone at the company and every hates it there, that's a different story. :lol:

Ask yourself; what are you after? If you're looking for the highest pay, take the company that offers you the highest pay. If you're looking for the most out of your EMS experience, which company will offer you the most rewarding experience?


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## Jambi (Jul 31, 2013)

I think it's safe to say that all BLS interfacility companies treat their employees like crap.  

I'd also think it's safe to say that all BLS interfacility companies "are going to take over the 911 contract for their area just as soon at the current dominant company loses it." 

With that said, I would work for the one that pays the most, and treats its employees the least crappy.


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## notanEMTanymore (Jul 31, 2013)

Take Pacific's offer! They pay more and I'm going to be working there! lol


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## Aprz (Jul 31, 2013)

Isn't Pacific Ambulance owned by Rural/Metro?


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## notanEMTanymore (Jul 31, 2013)

Yeah they are


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## Aprz (Jul 31, 2013)

I wouldn't give up a guaranteed job at a company owned by the second largest ambulance company within the nation for the possibility of getting hired at, what sounds like to me, some mom and pop shop ambulance company.


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## Medic496 (Jul 31, 2013)

*Look past the present*

Pacific Ambulance is owned by Rural Metro, a company that happens to be in financial difficulty now.  The parent company Rural does offer a lot of growth opportunity and even has private firefighting.  They are a big corporation.  They are having problems in San Diego and Santa Clara and Rural may have pissed off OCFA by putting in a bid for JWA the Fire Rescue contract.   Don't look for Pacific to have any 911 contracts from the next RFP or anytime time soon

Lynch is a 27 year company started by a family that has grown into a large IFT provider in OC. Lynch is currently involved in an ALS IFT pilot with OCEMS in which it is the first and only company to employ paramedics in OC.  I have heard that EMT's who work there are excited to be able to go to medic school and come back and have a job as a Paramedic with Lynch.   With the advent of Critical Care Paramedic in CA, Lynch is sure to ask the county to embrace the level.  With all the relationships with the health plans and physicians, I wouldn't be surprised to see Lynch try a Community Paramedic pilot next year.  

That being said, you have an offer in hand.  I would recommend taking it.  BLS experience needs to happen sometime.  Once you get a year under your belt, you can go to other companies and get paid more with that experience.


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## JPINFV (Jul 31, 2013)

Aprz said:


> I wouldn't give up a guaranteed job at a company owned by the second largest ambulance company within the nation for the possibility of getting hired at, what sounds like to me, some mom and pop shop ambulance company.




To be fair, that mom and pop shop ambulance company is the second or third largest in a county of 3 million people. It's not exactly the 5 ambulance good old boys company that the term "mom and pop" brings to mind. 

Actually, now that I think about it, most of the OC companies were mom and pop shops. Care was until they sold it to Falck and Doctors was before they sold it to AMR. Both of those are companies of very respectable size, and while Lynch currently doesn't have any, they have a significant number of 911 contracts. Granted, Lynch has the contract for the local children's hospital (CHOC).


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## Jambi (Jul 31, 2013)

I feel compelled to share what Lynch really means:

L - Love
Y - Your
N- Nasty
C- Con(valescent)
H - Home

:rofl:


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## JPINFV (Jul 31, 2013)

Jambi said:


> I feel compelled to share what Lynch really means:
> 
> L - Love
> Y - Your
> ...



I've always been partial to "Lynch Mob."


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## Medic496 (Jul 31, 2013)

*Funny Acronym*

While the acronym is amusing, think of what it tells of the person who uses it.  EMS is healthcare for all, no matter where we encounter them.  Sure, 911 is a lot of fun and sometimes more exciting.  But the infirmed and recovering at nursing homes deserve the same respect and care that any other person does.  Remember that old saying about "the patient being your mother or family member"?

Bottom line, take the job if you already have one.  The job market for EMTs is tight.  Pacific is a good company.

"Lynch Mob" has been around since 1985, todays Mob is a solid group of professionals.  I may be partial to them though.


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## JPINFV (Jul 31, 2013)

OCEMThopeful said:


> While the acronym is amusing, think of what it tells of the person who uses it.  EMS is healthcare for all, no matter where we encounter them.  Sure, 911 is a lot of fun and sometimes more exciting.  But the infirmed and recovering at nursing homes deserve the same respect and care that any other person does.  Remember that old saying about "the patient being your mother or family member"?



[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OnpkDWbeJs[/YOUTUBE] 

...and back in the day when I was a member of the Lynch Mob we used to joke about the Care Bears, Drop Me in the Pacific, Another Moron Responds, and plenty of other pet names for companies. Personally, I my favorite saying was, "Lynch... like the verb." Not a week goes by that I don't utter the phrase "Welcome to County" when something happens at my hospital. Joking around, while often uncouth, does not directly reflect on the people joking around. Shop talk is normal. Even though shop talk in the medical field is about people, that doesn't make it any less shop talk. 


So... lighten up... Francis.


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## Jambi (Jul 31, 2013)

OCEMThopeful said:


> While the acronym is amusing, think of what it tells of the person who uses it.  EMS is healthcare for all, no matter where we encounter them.  Sure, 911 is a lot of fun and sometimes more exciting.  But the infirmed and recovering at nursing homes deserve the same respect and care that any other person does.  Remember that old saying about "the patient being your mother or family member"?
> 
> Bottom line, take the job if you already have one.  The job market for EMTs is tight.  Pacific is a good company.
> 
> "Lynch Mob" has been around since 1985, todays Mob is a solid group of professionals.  I may be partial to them though.



Yikes man...

No one poked fun at the infirmed, just at the nasty con-homes.

Second, I learned the Lynch name play from a Lynch employee. He also told me how Lynch was going to take over the 911 contract for Riverside County, and that'd he'd put in a good word in because I was going to be out of a job. That was 7 years ago...

Point 3: I wasn't aware that Mt. Sac was pushing the affective domain so heavily.  The former Mt. Sac students that I've had the pleasure of meeting were a little more "rigid" than you are. Good on you for breaking the mold.

JPINFV covered all the important stuff. I'm just blathering.


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## Medic496 (Jul 31, 2013)

*hehehehe Francis*

Thanks for the video, I get the message.


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## CodeBru1984 (Aug 1, 2013)

sr41489 said:


> Take Pacific's offer! They pay more and I'm going to be working there! lol



I thought you were going to be working at Rural/Metro? I'm confused... :huh:


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## islandmedic (Aug 1, 2013)

Let me start by saying I recently left Pacific after working there for 10 months. I will say the only reason I left was for that ever elusive 911 position that I have been dreaming about since EMT school. I cannot say a word, good or bad, about Lynch other than they seem well established and the paramedic program sounds hopeful. 

Here is a brief synopsis of my time at Pacific and I hope it helps some. 

-If you have no prior EMS experience, Pacific has a habit of throwing new hires on a shift at their contract hospital, Fountain Valley Regional. If you are unfamiliar with the hospital, the patient admit rooms are in a separate building and pacific is contracted to do the transports from building to building for new admits or diagnostic tests and the like. This is done in a van and requires no paperwork or vital sign monitoring. Get used to running 15-20 of these per day on a 12 hour shift. My record was 25. It can get tedious to say the least.

-Pacific also does the in-house patient transportation for Fountain Valley Regional. Meaning hospital bed and wheelchair transport from ER to X-Ray, Ultrasound, Telemetry, etc. I have heard from some new hires that in their interview this was described as an ER Tech job. Be advised. It is not. You are a transporter. Dispatched by someone 25 miles in a separate building. I don't know. Pacific does have a pretty great supervisor at Fountain Valley though.

-If you manage to land a spot on an off-campus car, as of my last day, there was about 10 BLS shifts and 4 CCT shifts. 

-Dispatch is dispatch. Some days are good and some are bad. I have given up on trying to solve that rubik's cube. It does pay to be nice though. They are people too. Sometimes. 

-I was lucky enough to go from Fountain Valley straight to a CCT car and it was a great experience. I learned more from my CCT nurses than from any teacher or ride along I have done. If you show the initiative and want to learn they are a great resource. I can say that while most days were full of less than exciting calls, I did get to do some fun stuff. Saw my first STEMI, bagged my first patient, drove code, blah, blah, blah. I know Lynch has a CCT program as well. 

-Supervisors here were generally pleasant. Bi-polar at times but if you know how to play the game and which rules to follow you'll be fine. 

-In the end, Pacific was perfect for what it was. My first EMS job. I was humbled by the 14 hour, 20 transport days and learned a plethora of information and had quite a bit of fun doing it. Were some days horrible? Sure, but that's gonna happen wherever you work.

I hope this helps and sorry for rambling. I think that was somewhat therapeutic to get that off my chest, haha. ^_^

Good Luck!!


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## teekay (Aug 1, 2013)

islandmedic said:


> Let me start by saying I recently left Pacific after working there for 10 months. I will say the only reason I left was for that ever elusive 911 position that I have been dreaming about since EMT school. I cannot say a word, good or bad, about Lynch other than they seem well established and the paramedic program sounds hopeful.
> 
> Here is a brief synopsis of my time at Pacific and I hope it helps some.
> 
> ...



Wow thank you for the info! I actually used to volunteer at Fountain Valley Regional and the job you described for Pacific EMTs basically sounds like what I did there as an escort :blink: I do remember seeing Pacific there everyday throughout the hospital, they always looked really bored lol


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## teekay (Aug 1, 2013)

Aprz said:


> I wouldn't give up a guaranteed job at a company owned by the second largest ambulance company within the nation for the possibility of getting hired at, what sounds like to me, some mom and pop shop ambulance company.



I suppose Lynch is a "mom and pop shop" ambulance company but they are probably the second largest in Orange County and actually where I originally wanted to work.



OCEMThopeful said:


> Pacific Ambulance is owned by Rural Metro, a company that happens to be in financial difficulty now.  The parent company Rural does offer a lot of growth opportunity and even has private firefighting.  They are a big corporation.  They are having problems in San Diego and Santa Clara and Rural may have pissed off OCFA by putting in a bid for JWA the Fire Rescue contract.   Don't look for Pacific to have any 911 contracts from the next RFP or anytime time soon
> 
> Lynch is a 27 year company started by a family that has grown into a large IFT provider in OC. Lynch is currently involved in an ALS IFT pilot with OCEMS in which it is the first and only company to employ paramedics in OC.  I have heard that EMT's who work there are excited to be able to go to medic school and come back and have a job as a Paramedic with Lynch.   With the advent of Critical Care Paramedic in CA, Lynch is sure to ask the county to embrace the level.  With all the relationships with the health plans and physicians, I wouldn't be surprised to see Lynch try a Community Paramedic pilot next year.
> 
> That being said, you have an offer in hand.  I would recommend taking it.  BLS experience needs to happen sometime.  Once you get a year under your belt, you can go to other companies and get paid more with that experience.



Thank you, it's probably not a smart idea to gamble in this situation so I guess I'll go with Pacific!



JPINFV said:


> How much is Lynch paying? How much is Pacific paying? Which one is closer to where you live?



Not sure what Lynch pays but I'm not too concerned with money. I want to work where I'll have a better experience! They are both about the same distance from where I live.



slewy said:


> Pacific treats their employees like crap from what I have heard. My friend works for them and says dispatch at Pacific is ruthless. However, you will still be getting EMS experience at Pacific and it's what you make of it. Every now and then I'll come across a Lynch employee, they always seem happy.



I've heard complaints about dispatch from Lynch employees as well so it seems like it's just a part of the job, regardless of the company.



dC0m said:


> In my opinion, I don't think employees are completely representative of their company reputation. You might have guys who hate their job because they are piled with calls, and you might have others who love it because they get a lot of freedom. Now, if you met everyone at the company and every hates it there, that's a different story. :lol:
> 
> Ask yourself; what are you after? If you're looking for the highest pay, take the company that offers you the highest pay. If you're looking for the most out of your EMS experience, which company will offer you the most rewarding experience?



I definitely want to work where I'll get the most out of the experience! I would rather be piled with calls than be posted in an ambulance all day with nothing to do.



sr41489 said:


> Take Pacific's offer! They pay more and I'm going to be working there! lol



When do you start?


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## notanEMTanymore (Aug 1, 2013)

I have orientation the 12th-19th


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## djarmpit (Aug 2, 2013)

sr41489 said:


> I have orientation the 12th-19th



at lake forest?


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## notanEMTanymore (Aug 2, 2013)

Yeah lake forest


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## djarmpit (Aug 2, 2013)

sr41489 said:


> Yeah lake forest




welcome to the team


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## notanEMTanymore (Aug 2, 2013)

Thanks...I'm really excited! How do you like it?


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## djarmpit (Aug 2, 2013)

sr41489 said:


> Thanks...I'm really excited! How do you like it?



In terms of whether or not it's the good company to work for, I can't anything good or bad about it. I love my job, but there are things that I don't tend to like. To me it's just a stepping stone towards my medic career.


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