# Working at Elite Ambulance



## gonefishing (Mar 27, 2015)

COmedic17 said:


> Aren't they one of the states with the most EMS schools per capita?


To extent now.  Alot of campuses shut down, rop programs lost budgets etc.  I've noticed alot of companies are damn well doing anything and everything to get somebody in the door except for Schaefer,McCormick,Care,Amr your other companies are raising the wages but people like Bowers (rural metro) are not from what some people I know applied over there were offered  $9.30 an hour with no OT and no paid dot either and they are madly seeking people.  PRN I heard raised the pay.


----------



## BASICallyEMT (Mar 27, 2015)

I worked at Elite for 1 year as my first EMT gig. I appreciate them giving me a job because at the time I really needed income. They had some good EMTs working while I was there. But, for anyone trying to actually function as an EMT I would recommend staying away from these L.A. dialysis companies.. Company moral was very low and u are hired on and trained to be a mindless taxi driver. Your skills will atrophy and you will learn nothing that will truly benefit you in a ALS/911 system. You will definitely earn every penny you get during your shift. Management was pretty crappy but it's a job. And I vouch on the high turnover rate but don't forget there Is a line of fresh EMTs that are willing to work for dirt cheap. When I left Elite they were having student ride alongs I wonder how that's going.


----------



## Elite Ambulance (Mar 27, 2015)

We have actually increased the amount of training we offer our EMT's. If all the EMT wants to do is take grandma to dialysis, this isn't the company for that EMT. We do mandatory weekly scenarios, we have online courses offered, initial training and annual training online. Elite is a stepping stone to 911 and fire departments but our EMT's need to learn while they are here. I started off at an IFT company, worked my way through medic school and got hired onto a 911 ambulance company and eventually a fire department. I try to give our EMT's the experience and training they need to do the same.

We are making attempts at decreasing our dialysis patients. For the dialysis patients we do transport, they are evaluated for medical necessity every 90 days. We don't tell our EMT's to lie on the paperwork either. We are doing some back up for a fire department (not Compton) so that the guys can get some experience.

We still allow CIEMT students to ride with us and many come back after they get their EMT certification for employment. I think our guys do a good job of showing the students what the job is like.

As far as the "crappy management", there are 2 managers here. One does the billing and payroll, had major surgery but still managed to get the paychecks out to the guys. The other does operations, training, QI/QI, etc. and works 16 hours a day to make sure everybody has what they need and the company is operating within the requirements of the EMS Agency. Both do whatever they have to within reason to give everyone what they need. Both have open door policies and know each employee by name and know who is in paramedic school, has a sick family member or a new baby. Management is tough on tardies and unexcused absences, vandalism to the ambulances and poor patient care or customer service.  If that makes management crappy then yes, management is horrible.

It is a shame that LA County won't let all privates run EMS and as a result, privates run what is available to them. That isn't going to change. All privates have dialysis patients. That won't change either. There are dialysis patients that must go by ambulance due to medical necessity and medical necessity isn't just bed confinement. Medicare pays for those patients. We currently run a mix of dialysis, IFT, medical aids and a unit posts for 911 back up. Work sucks, and as an EMT, your not going to make a lot of money but what you do with the job you have speaks volumes about you to your manager and the person who looks at your employee file when you apply for the firefighter position. The best you can do is to find a company that follows the rules,  pays you correctly (daily or weekly overtime, no bounced checks, not in cash, etc.) gives you the hours you need, provides you with uniforms at no cost to you, and gives you a clean ambulance that is well stocked. Show up every day to that job on time and do the best work you can do and once you have done your time, get hired on with a 911, fire department, RN or whatever you want to do.


----------



## CALEMT (Mar 27, 2015)

gonefishing said:


> offered $9.30 an hour with no OT





BASICallyEMT said:


> I would recommend staying away from these L.A. dialysis companies



Makes me appreciate $10.57 a hr with OT just a little bit more. 
To add I personally would just stay away from LACo as a whole. The grass is greener on the other side (Kern Co, San Bernardino Co, Riverside Co)


----------



## BASICallyEMT (Mar 27, 2015)

Sounds like much has changed since I left. I assume it's the union that was brought in?


----------



## COmedic17 (Mar 27, 2015)

I was understanding all the way up until I read " he works 16 hours a day".


My current 48 & 96 hour shift rotations have a hard time feeling sympathy for his 16 hour days.


----------



## BASICallyEMT (Mar 27, 2015)

.


----------



## BASICallyEMT (Mar 27, 2015)

I recall having many 14-16 hour shifts at Elite. They were cutting hours when I left because the owner didn't like paying us 30k in overtime.


----------



## toyskater86 (Mar 27, 2015)

Elite Ambulance said:


> We have actually increased the amount of training we offer our EMT's. If all the EMT wants to do is take grandma to dialysis, this isn't the company for that EMT. We do mandatory weekly scenarios, we have online courses offered, initial training and annual training online. Elite is a stepping stone to 911 and fire departments but our EMT's need to learn while they are here. I started off at an IFT company, worked my way through medic school and got hired onto a 911 ambulance company and eventually a fire department. I try to give our EMT's the experience and training they need to do the same.
> 
> We are making attempts at decreasing our dialysis patients. For the dialysis patients we do transport, they are evaluated for medical necessity every 90 days. We don't tell our EMT's to lie on the paperwork either. We are doing some back up for a fire department (not Compton) so that the guys can get some experience.
> 
> ...



This still did not give explanation to the threads about Elite Ambulance that currently exist on EMTLIFE. Furthermore, why would an Administrator of an organization work their management 16 hours days? If the Admin/Ownership is OK with this, just imagine how hard the "16 hour a day" managers work their field staff? It all starts from the top.


----------



## looker (Mar 28, 2015)

Elite Ambulance said:


> We have actually increased the amount of training we offer our EMT's. If all the EMT wants to do is take grandma to dialysis, this isn't the company for that EMT. We do mandatory weekly scenarios, we have online courses offered, initial training and annual training online. Elite is a stepping stone to 911 and fire departments but our EMT's need to learn while they are here. I started off at an IFT company, worked my way through medic school and got hired onto a 911 ambulance company and eventually a fire department. I try to give our EMT's the experience and training they need to do the same.
> 
> We are making attempts at decreasing our dialysis patients. For the dialysis patients we do transport, they are evaluated for medical necessity every 90 days. We don't tell our EMT's to lie on the paperwork either. We are doing some back up for a fire department (not Compton) so that the guys can get some experience.
> 
> ...



Elite ambulance, you mainly run Dialysis patient with occasion doing backup 911 and discharged from cedar and olympis hospital. You also do wheelchair transportation. The wife husband the that got criminal record is the one that is running the company and not her. You are not much different compare to all other ambulance in the area. So don't try to make your self look any special as you are not. Regarding your 911 back up contract, you get the call only if all other 911 back up providers are not available. Basically you are the last option in OC. If you think that management working 16 hour a day is a good thing and something to be proud well you are highly mistaken. It basically says company is having financial problem if company can't hire more management staff. As for your contracts, do you mean Logisticare? Yes really good company to work with


----------



## gonefishing (Mar 28, 2015)

LOL! oh snap somebody got called out by Looker big time!


----------



## BASICallyEMT (Mar 28, 2015)

looker said:


> Elite ambulance, you mainly run Dialysis patient with occasion doing backup 911 and discharged from cedar and olympis hospital. You also do wheelchair transportation. The wife husband the that got criminal record is the one that is running the company and not her. You are not much different compare to all other ambulance in the area. So don't try to make your self look any special as you are not. Regarding your 911 back up contract, you get the call only if all other 911 back up providers are not available. Basically you are the last option in OC. If you think that management working 16 hour a day is a good thing and something to be proud well you are highly mistaken. It basically says company is having financial problem if company can't hire more management staff. As for your contracts, do you mean Logisticare? Yes really good company to work with





gonefishing said:


> LOL! oh snap somebody got called out by Looker big time!



That's how I remember Elite.


----------



## FoleyArtist (Mar 29, 2015)

gonefishing said:


> To extent now.  Alot of campuses shut down, rop programs lost budgets etc.  I've noticed alot of companies are damn well doing anything and everything to get somebody in the door except for Schaefer,McCormick,Care,Amr your other companies are raising the wages but people like Bowers (rural metro) are not from what some people I know applied over there were offered  $9.30 an hour with no OT and no paid dot either and they are madly seeking people.  PRN I heard raised the pay.



i just want to add while most the bowers stuff may be correct there actually IS OT. i have no idea what the starting rate is for an emt though. i'm picking up 1-2 shift extra OT als shifts a pay period. its really helping out this financial hole i dug myself into past 2 years.


----------



## toyskater86 (Mar 31, 2015)

Elite Ambulance, do you have anything to add?


----------

