# acadian ambulance



## milhouse (Mar 11, 2008)

hey guys i might be taking a job with acadian ambulance. and relocating to were they want me. i was wondering if anyone knows anything about the company. i know the company looks wonderful beyond wonderful. everything ive read and watched about the company is just amazing. they seem to have top notch equipment. 

everything aboutt he company is all very very positive. i just want to know if anyone knows anything about them. i know they are nationally recognized.

anyways let me know what you guys think.

thanks 

will


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## milhouse (Mar 13, 2008)

does no one know anything about acadian ambulance they are mainly located in Louisiana. they also have some bases in mississippi and texas and contract with some offshore rigs. 

i just want to know if anyone has an opinion about them or what they have heard.


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## MMiz (Mar 13, 2008)

They're one of the big ones in EMS.  They operate in many areas, so you'll probably find lots of variety in the responses.  I can only imagine that you'll have access to good equipment with a great opportunity to move up in your position.  Be sure to come back here and tell us how things work out.

Good luck!


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## Airwaygoddess (Mar 13, 2008)

Congrats on the new job!  Let us know how it goes!


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## milhouse (Mar 13, 2008)

i havent gotten the job yet. im thinking i have a fairly good chance because the recruiter is already talking about were he would be sending me. i just want to know what people know about the company. i do know that they have several openings. so i think i stand a pretty good chance. 

i do know atleast from what i read they have the best of everything they have the newest of everything 12 lead monitoring and the ability to transfer that data to the receiving facility. i do know that they are one of the biggest EMS service in the nation if not THE biggest. 

If i do get the job, i know it will be a great opportunity for my career in EMS. it will also be a great chance for me to learn on a variety of ethnic backgrounds and other religion that may change the way i would treat a PT. plus if they are as big and as recognized as i think they are it will look great on my resume. 

but the biggest and best part is that ill be starting a career FULL TIME not PRN (part time as needed) and ill have guaranteed hours.


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## Jon (Mar 14, 2008)

Acadian is the largest employee-owned ambulance company in the US. It is the #3 largest company in the US, I think, after AMR and RuralMetro (I'm not sure about this, though). They are supposed to be a very good company to work for... but I've not heard a lot since Katrina - they were  actively recruiting since before Katrina, but post-Katrina, they seem to be VERY interested in getting employees. This might indicate that they are short staffed... but I don't know.

Acadian has a huge operation all along the gulf coast - TX, LA, MS, and I think they are in FL, as well.


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## akflightmedic (Mar 14, 2008)

Sorry for the delay in responding.

First, congratulations on the possible position and yes you have a good chance of getting it as they are very short staffed in some areas.

I hope you are asking for the sign on bonus of 5K. Please tell me you were aware of it, do not get shafted.

http://www.acadian.com/

I worked for Acadian after Katrina and during Rita as a contract medic. They were extremely short staffed and overworked due to the storms. I enjoyed my time working there and actually considered signing on full time as they were also offering a 10K sign on for medics. I am glad I held out cause they are now offering a 20K sign on for medics in certain areas and it is something I am considering.

Pros:
1. It is employee owned and several of the old timers that I talked with were very pleased with their retirements and they were going to be leaving with some hefty pensions.

2. Health insurance was decent and affordable compared to what I was used to.

3. EMS is still EMS, there was very little fire involvement on calls and the areas they work in have very little interest in ever merging fire and EMS. It just can not happen under the current way of operating.

4. They do have a lot of nice equipment and trucks. (there is a reason for this I will get to in a minute).

5. As a basic, you get to work with a medic partner and learn many new things. You also get to do some transporting on your own.

6. The company is ever expanding but they do it at a reasonable pace as not to outgrow themselves and cause problems. Since they are for profit, they heavily investigate an area before moving in.

7. The company has an in house paramedic program. You have the chance to go to their academy and get your medic training for free. They will also house you and pay you while attending school!!! You have to make a 2 yr commitment after getting your medic in order to receive this.

8. There is a huge opportunity for promotions due to the company being so large.

9. There are also many different departments to work in if you choose as well. You can dispatch, call take, work the lifeline center, work the billing dept, work on the helicopter(medic), work on the rigs(medic), teach, etc.

10. You do not write any run reports, you call them in on the phone and dictate the run to a call taker who then emails you the final version. At the end of shift, you review your runs and hit accept if they are correct.

11. All the trucks have GPS tracking so dispatch knows where you are at all times. (This could be a con as well) But it helped me greatly as I had no clue where I was most of the time.

12. Radio comms are done by pushing buttons for the most part. You do not need to speak on the radio to go enroute, on scene or whatever. You just touch a button on the computer screen to mark your status. You can also send live messages between other trucks, supervisor or dispatch by typing on the dash console.

I will add more as I remember them, overall my impression of them is good. They are a great, stable company and it will do you well to work with them. I have worked for many different systems and in many different states and they rate as one of the most enjoyable for me.


Cons:

1. Very few of the trucks are 24 hour shifts, as they are extremely busy all of the time. What this means is you are doing SSM when not on runs. This means you are in the truck posting or staging somewhere for the entire shift usually. There are days when you get to the station and are able to sit for a few, but that time is usually doing reports or restocking.

2. Interfacility transports make money no matter how bad they suck. Every truck/crew runs both calls. There are no trucks dedicated solely to 911 or to transports. So in the course of a shift you make go from a MVC to a dialysis run, or you may get caught in the triangle and do nursing home after nursing home run. (the good side to this, as a medic, is that the basic usually takes ALL of these calls)

3. Uniforms...the uniforms suck period. You will learn the history of the company during orientation and find that the company was started by 3 returning Vietnam vets, and they opted to keep the army color and appearing uniforms. No further comment other than they suck.

4. Con for medics/pro for basics is that the trucks are Medic/EMT. Sorry but I like double medic trucks as I worked in a system that was that way for years.  View this whichever way you want but it is a pro and a con depending on which side of the fence you are on. There were a few times I needed help and the basic could not perform at the level I needed and the FD only has first responders, so I had to wait for another unit to get a 2nd medic. 

5. Overall Louisiana EMS is behind the times. I am used to very progressive systems, so working there was a step back in time regarding education level and skills/drugs authorized to be used. It is just the way it is, however as a newbie you may not ever realize the difference.

6. The medical director is not an ER doc. He is a psychiatrist. This is a huge con for me and I am sure other medics will agree. 

I will try to think of some other cons and post for you later.

It is always best to solicit advice from many sources, but as I said earlier, despite the cons, overall it is a decent company to work for.

The trucks all have a drive safe program. I can not remember the name of it at this time, however it was a very frustrating system for me. It has a machine that warns you if you accelerate too fast, slow down too fast, corner too hard, etc. Dispatch also knows if you are over the speed limit and for how long, so you have to constantly watch yourself while driving.

You get a 30 day grace period to adjust to the system, however after that you start getting written up if you make it click too many times in a shift.

The plus side to this program, aside from potential unsafe driving is remember the company is EMPLOYEE owned. That means if you reduce wear and tear on the vehicles, reduce maintenance costs, reduce fuel consumption, it will put more dollars back into your pocket. You, the employee. You have a vested interest in doing what you can to save the company money, so yes the program sucks but it does make you more money in the long run.


I hope all this information helps, and if you have any further questions please feel free to ask.


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## milhouse (Mar 14, 2008)

thank you very much that information helps a lot. that is exactly what i was looking for now what ever else you can tell me about the company is great and that includes everyone else. 

again thank you for the info.


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## Outbac1 (Mar 14, 2008)

Well that was interesting. For a minute I thought you were talking about the way our Nova Scotia system was run. I had heard our system was patterned after Acadien and from what you said we are pretty close. We have many, or part of the things you mention both pro and con.

 I may have to check them out next year after I get my ACPs.  $20,000. sign up eh.  HMMMM Got to be a nice beach there somewhere. B)


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## tjbroussard (Sep 24, 2008)

Interesting read as I browse through the forums.  Just as an intro, and probably my first post, I have just recently returned to Acadian as their military veteran recruiter.  I say returned, because I worked at Acadian part-time off and on from '77 to '82 while I was in nursing school, then left for a job in Florida, which led me to 21 years in the Air Force and now as you can see, back full-time.  As a newbie here, and since I work for them, I guess it would be poor form / forum rule violation for me to engage in the discussion but rather only be able to offer "off line" career advice if need be....  I will say that Acadian has come a long way since I left in '82 and I still enjoy the trucks!  Being a native of Lafayette, it is also great to be home!


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## MJordan2121 (Sep 24, 2008)

I work for AMR and Acadian and Acadian is my favorite. Better equipment, better trucks, in house schooling and much more. Good luck with your decision.


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## pumper12fireman (Sep 24, 2008)

Hmm, as a hopefully new paramedic here in a few months, this definitely catches my eye. Obviously the bonus is nice, but how about actual pay? Any relocation bonuses like AMR??


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## tjbroussard (Sep 24, 2008)

Everything is negotiable.....but to go farther we should talk offline.


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## pumper12fireman (Sep 24, 2008)

PM just sent.


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