# RSI MEDIC 1 Ambulance



## EMT9396 (Mar 21, 2017)

I have recently applied to RSI MEDIC 1 Ambulance company which is in Baldwin park Ca . I was wondering if anybody has worked at this company and what they have to say about it . I should be doing an interview with them soon . I did a ride along with them and the two EMT's I was with said many things about them . This would be a great company for me to start out because its about 15 minutes from my house . I have also applied to Medcoast and PRN ambulance . If anybody has worked there too and could leave feed back on the hiring process and their overall impression and feeling of the company that would be much appreciated . Thank you in advance .


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## gonefishing (Mar 21, 2017)

EMT9396 said:


> I have recently applied to RSI MEDIC 1 Ambulance company which is in Baldwin park Ca . I was wondering if anybody has worked at this company and what they have to say about it . I should be doing an interview with them soon . I did a ride along with them and the two EMT's I was with said many things about them . This would be a great company for me to start out because its about 15 minutes from my house . I have also applied to Medcoast and PRN ambulance . If anybody has worked there too and could leave feed back on the hiring process and their overall impression and feeling of the company that would be much appreciated . Thank you in advance .


All of the companys you have applied to are your basic LA County ift.  Tons of dialysis and discharge transfers.

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## VentMonkey (Mar 21, 2017)

But they have such a deceptively coool name?!!!


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## DesertMedic66 (Mar 21, 2017)

They don't RSI. Do they even have medics or is their name all a lie? Haha


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## VentMonkey (Mar 21, 2017)

DesertMedic66 said:


> They don't RSI. Do they even have medics or is their name all a lie?


1. I know you're joking.
2. Looks like they do; their website is actually a lot more professional than I expected, good on them for that at least.

http://rsiamb.com/services/


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## Jim37F (Mar 21, 2017)

I believe it's called RSI because the parent company is "Rescue Services International"....I don't remember Rapid Sequence Intubation ever even mentioned in my EMT class, so I would be less than surprised if many of their EMTs connected that RSI with the name.....but in any case unless you consider taking someone to/from dialysis or doctors appointments or discharges from the hospital to the SNF to be "Rescues" then the name is still somewhat misleading in that regard lol because as gonefishing said, RSI Medic One is just another one of your typical IFT companies (I don't even think they're one of the dozens that claim backup 911s with Downey or whoever lol)


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## gonefishing (Mar 21, 2017)

RSI does have medics.  They took over Medic1 who were based out of San Dimas/Monrovia for years since around 1954.  They use to be a legitimate company.  Now its just a renal rodeo.

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## EMT9396 (Mar 21, 2017)

one of the emts i did the ride along with said they back up one of the fire departments but i forgot which department and i didnt hear anyone going to back them up much less do a 911 call for them . so i wouldnt consider them to really be a 911 company . i was considering doing the IFT because they actually do all of the interacting with the patient and they gain a lot of patient care skills unlike in 911 calls where if there is much severity to the call then the medics do everything and you end up as the taxi . i was kind of looking for a place where i could use the skills i have learned .


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## VentMonkey (Mar 21, 2017)

EMT9396 said:


> *unlike in 911 calls where if there is much severity *to the call then the medics do everything and you end up as the taxi.


Is there? Crap, was I supposed to be doing stuff back there??


EMT9396 said:


> i was kind of looking for a place where i could use the skills i have learned .


So am I. When you find it, let me know.


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## gonefishing (Mar 21, 2017)

EMT9396 said:


> one of the emts i did the ride along with said they back up one of the fire departments but i forgot which department and i didnt hear anyone going to back them up much less do a 911 call for them . so i wouldnt consider them to really be a 911 company . i was considering doing the IFT because they actually do all of the interacting with the patient and they gain a lot of patient care skills unlike in 911 calls where if there is much severity to the call then the medics do everything and you end up as the taxi . i was kind of looking for a place where i could use the skills i have learned .


Than leave LA County.  Don't think like that.  You will interact with the patients and do something in a 911 setting.  Not much in LA county but hey its something.  If you want to be a real emt minus just a gurney van driver with a  emt card, go out of LA county.

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## EMT9396 (Mar 21, 2017)

i was thinking about going up to kern county area where Hall ambulance is at . i have heard that most of the fire department out there are EMTs and the only or most of the medics are from the ambulance companies . seems like a good place to get to use your skills .


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## medichopeful (Mar 21, 2017)

Taking a (quick) glance at their website, they seem to have at least one CCT unit that does RN/RT level transfers.  From their website:

" Assisting the RN are two Emergency Medical Technicians who have had additional medical training relative to nurse-level critical care transports."

^^I'd try to become one of those two EMTs.  You'll learn a TON.


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## VentMonkey (Mar 21, 2017)

gonefishing said:


> If you want to be a real emt minus just a gurney van driver with a  emt card, go out of LA county.


In all seriousness, when I was a _not-rea__l?_ EMT in LA I did more splinting, auscultated blood pressures, and assessments than I have seen any EMT here do collectively over 8 years, so, yeeeeah...


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## gonefishing (Mar 21, 2017)

medichopeful said:


> Taking a (quick) glance at their website, they seem to have at least one CCT unit that does RN/RT level transfers.  From their website:
> 
> " Assisting the RN are two Emergency Medical Technicians who have had additional medical training relative to nurse-level critical care transports."
> 
> ^^I'd try to become one of those two EMTs.  You'll learn a TON.


Yea, never saw their cct unit? I do know one time MLK needed a cct unit bad for a serious patient.  I helped the charge RN try to find a provider.  They didn't have anyone available.  This was a year or two ago.

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## gonefishing (Mar 21, 2017)

VentMonkey said:


> In all seriousness, when I was a _not-rea__l?_ EMT in LA I did more splinting, auscultated blood pressures, and assessments than I have seen any EMT here do collectively over 8 years, so, yeeeeah...


Those were different times.

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## NysEms2117 (Mar 21, 2017)

medichopeful said:


> Taking a (quick) glance at their website, they seem to have at least one CCT unit that does RN/RT level transfers.  From their website:
> 
> " Assisting the RN are two Emergency Medical Technicians who have had additional medical training relative to nurse-level critical care transports."
> 
> ^^I'd try to become one of those two EMTs.  You'll learn a TON.


I can first hand back that up. As a EMT-B on a NYS CC rig, my CC-P partner teaches me more in a day then i learned in the 2-3 month EMT class i took.


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## medichopeful (Mar 21, 2017)

gonefishing said:


> Yea, never saw their cct unit? I do know one time MLK needed a cct unit bad for a serious patient.  I helped the charge RN try to find a provider.  They didn't have anyone available.  This was a year or two ago.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk



Huh, maybe their website is outdated?  With that being said, if they do have a CCT unit, I would very strongly encourage the OP to try to get on it.  BLS IFT is a great start, and even some 911, but being around critically ill patients will give you a whole new idea about what the word "sick" means.


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## gonefishing (Mar 22, 2017)

medichopeful said:


> Huh, maybe their website is outdated?  With that being said, if they do have a CCT unit, I would very strongly encourage the OP to try to get on it.  BLS IFT is a great start, and even some 911, but being around critically ill patients will give you a whole new idea about what the word "sick" means.


Exactly.  Usually from experience those units are the hardest to get on and are usually the people that have stuck it out for a while.   If this guys looking for serious experience try doing something other than an ift company and go for a big name.

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## EMT9396 (Mar 22, 2017)

NysEms2117 said:


> I can first hand back that up. As a EMT-B on a NYS CC rig, my CC-P partner teaches me more in a day then i learned in the 2-3 month EMT class i took.



when i did a ride along there the first call was for a CCT and the nurse was teaching me a lot there. the EMT's kind of had a bad attitude about it and seemed like they were over it but i would love to be in their postion and be able to learn as much as i could from a nurse doing that


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## VentMonkey (Mar 22, 2017)

gonefishing said:


> Those were different times.


Nope, times can change all day long, the willingness and desire to learn is intrinsic, or, it isn't.

What @medichopeful said, OP. Make the most of your situation, and gain the most from what you can at your company. No matter how bad the company is, there's _always_ learning opportunities.

I learned a ton from doing CCT even in LA. It depends on you and your perspective. None of us can convince you otherwise, just offer our advice. There a smart, well-balanced and good providers in every county. Getting caught up in what you hear from so and so is a horrible habit, taking it with a grain of salt, less horrible.


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## medichopeful (Mar 22, 2017)

NysEms2117 said:


> I can first hand back that up. As a EMT-B on a NYS CC rig, my CC-P partner teaches me more in a day then i learned in the 2-3 month EMT class i took.



Dealing with critically ill patients is eye opening.


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## EMT9396 (Mar 22, 2017)

VentMonkey said:


> No matter how bad the company is, there's _always_ learning opportunities.



thats what i have figured out . every company will have their problems . if you go in knowing about the problems and looking for the the experience will be worse for you . like you said make the best of the day of the call and of the time your with that company and learn as much as you can


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## NysEms2117 (Mar 22, 2017)

EMT9396 said:


> when i did a ride along there the first call was for a CCT and the nurse was teaching me a lot there. the EMT's kind of had a bad attitude about it and seemed like they were over it but i would love to be in their postion and be able to learn as much as i could from a nurse doing that


I like to consider myself an adult... I knew my place. He has the alphabet soup for a reason, he earned it. Do i do a lot of his setup and bch work, you bet. Is it that work that can potentially save somebody, you bet. Instead of putzing around with his gear, i lay it out, get it ready, I know what he needs for what calls. I call the hospital and get the doc on the line for him for certain meds. Working on the CC rig is an absolute blessing. I see more critical patients as an EMT-B then most normal paramedics see in 5 years.
The adult workforce is about knowing your spot, and never settling, always be a sponge and absorb the information being offered. They are the CCRN for a reason, or the Flight medic, they earned that spot, just as you can if you so choose. My caveat is it may not always come back to you in the same way (that golden rule crap) which is my big complaint with being an adult lol.


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## EMT9396 (Mar 22, 2017)

NysEms2117 said:


> I like to consider myself an adult... I knew my place. He has the alphabet soup for a reason, he earned it. Do i do a lot of his setup and bch work, you bet. Is it that work that can potentially save somebody, you bet. Instead of putzing around with his gear, i lay it out, get it ready, I know what he needs for what calls. I call the hospital and get the doc on the line for him for certain meds. Working on the CC rig is an absolute blessing. I see more critical patients as an EMT-B then most normal paramedics see in 5 years.
> The adult workforce is about knowing your spot, and never settling, always be a sponge and absorb the information being offered. They are the CCRN for a reason, or the Flight medic, they earned that spot, just as you can if you so choose. My caveat is it may not always come back to you in the same way (that golden rule crap) which is my big complaint with being an adult lol.




i just want to learn as much as i can . it doesnt matter to me how other people feel . it will only make you better in the end


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## NysEms2117 (Mar 22, 2017)

EMT9396 said:


> i just want to learn as much as i can . it doesnt matter to me how other people feel . it will only make you better in the end



You keep that attitude and actually mean those words, and you'll go far. Don't get caught up in other people's sht would be my words of wisdom lol.


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## VentMonkey (Mar 22, 2017)

NysEms2117 said:


> always be a sponge and absorb the information being offered.


Quoted for the truth.


NysEms2117 said:


> They are the for a reason Flight medic, they earned that spot...


...if by this you mean by being a bunch of self righteous blowhards? Then, yes. It does take many years to master aquatic levitation.


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## NysEms2117 (Mar 22, 2017)

VentMonkey said:


> Quoted for the truth.
> 
> ...if by this you mean by being a bunch of self righteous blowhards? Then, yes. It does take many years to master aquatic levitation.


i never said how they earned that spot my friend


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## DrParasite (Mar 22, 2017)

NysEms2117 said:


> I can first hand back that up. As a EMT-B on a NYS CC rig, my CC-P partner teaches me more in a day then i learned in the 2-3 month EMT class i took.


I had a different experience, because I absolutely HATED being on a CC truck..... I used to tell people the scheduler assigned me to it when I pissed her off.  We ran 1 medic, 1 nurse and 1 EMT, so while I did get to see some cool stuff, and some new toys, I also did too many runs that were CCT only because the patient needed a cardiac monitor, as they were having cardiac surgery in the morning.

So I loved the unstable  CCT transfers (even if I ended up driving for most of them), because the patient was sick, but most of the prescheduled ones were not exciting, just an IFT with a cardiac monitor attached.  Give me the urban 911 calls any day, even if they turn out to be taxi rides to the ED more often than not.

But to each his or her own.


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## medichopeful (Mar 22, 2017)

DrParasite said:


> I had a different experience, because I absolutely HATED being on a CC truck..... I used to tell people the scheduler assigned me to it when I pissed her off.  We ran 1 medic, 1 nurse and 1 EMT, so while I did get to see some cool stuff, and some new toys, I also did too many runs that were CCT only because the patient needed a cardiac monitor, as they were having cardiac surgery in the morning.
> 
> So I loved the unstable  CCT transfers (even if I ended up driving for most of them), because the patient was sick, but most of the prescheduled ones were not exciting, just an IFT with a cardiac monitor attached.  Give me the urban 911 calls any day, even if they turn out to be taxi rides to the ED more often than not.
> 
> But to each his or her own.



What does your system consider a CCT? I agree, the simple "IV, O2, monitor would get pretty boring pretty quickly, but I personally also wouldn't consider that a true CCT.


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## NysEms2117 (Mar 22, 2017)

@DrParasite we don't do all that many transfers, albany med has a CCRN/CCRN/RT team that does those complex transfers, we are mainly a 911 CC rig. EMR(Driver) EMT-B(myself), CC-P(head provider). 


DrParasite said:


> But to each his or her own.


Agreed


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## NPO (Mar 22, 2017)

LA County EMS, be it 911 or IFT, is pretty much all a joke unless you have the very specific career aspirations to be a paramedic firefighter with equal interests in fire suppression and prehospital medicine. And even then...

I'll echo what everyone has said, I learned a lot on CCT in LA. There's also something to be said for a job 15 minutes from home, even if it's just a stepping stone. 

In LA you probably won't be much of an EMT. I also suggest you look outside LA and OC for work if you want to be a prehospital provider rather than a prehospital taxi. 


EMT9396 said:


> i was thinking about going up to kern county area where Hall ambulance is at . i have heard that most of the fire department out there are EMTs and the only or most of the medics are from the ambulance companies . seems like a good place to get to use your skills .


I've more than said my bit on Kern County EMS. Message me directly if you have questions, or use the search tool. There are several of us who work in Kern County on this forum, and we're all happy to share our piece. 

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## elshion (Apr 7, 2017)

I currently work for Medic 1
Medic 1 bought out RSI and acquired their LA County contracts. We were recently bought out by Ambuserve in November or so.

We do discharges and NET ER calls. We used to do backup for West Covina and were the primary NICU transport out of Huntington Memorial and Queen of The Valley, but ever since Ambuserve bought us out, they've been gearing more towards running a ****ton of discharges and hospital to hospital transfers, leaving no units available for Fire or NICU calls. 

@EMT9396 , if you got hired by us, PM me please


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## RocketMedic (Apr 7, 2017)

I will admit that BLS providers _do_ a whole lot more in tiered systems than in all-ALS systems.


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## elshion (Apr 8, 2017)

In regards to CCT's, we do not have a specific shift dedicated to them. We have an RN on shift 1100-2300, and on-call 2300-1100. If a CCT call comes in, whatever shift is available and closest to station is assigned to the call. They pick up the RN, change call-signs, and run the call. After the call, assuming there isn't another CCT stacked, they return to station for RN dropoff, and revert back to their original call-sign.


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## wtferick (May 18, 2017)

elshion said:


> I currently work for Medic 1
> Medic 1 bought out RSI and acquired their LA County contracts. We were recently bought out by Ambuserve in November or so.
> 
> We do discharges and NET ER calls. We used to do backup for West Covina and were the primary NICU transport out of Huntington Memorial and Queen of The Valley, but ever since Ambuserve bought us out, they've been gearing more towards running a ****ton of discharges and hospital to hospital transfers, leaving no units available for Fire or NICU calls.
> ...


How funny. They did the same thing to Shoreline whenever a call dropped in the city. They would have no back-up units.


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## elshion (May 18, 2017)

wtferick said:


> How funny. They did the same thing to Shoreline whenever a call dropped in the city. They would have no back-up units.


Oddly enough, Shoreline was bought up by Ambuserve in '14, who then subsequently bought us out this last November


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## wtferick (May 18, 2017)

elshion said:


> Oddly enough, Shoreline was bought up by Ambuserve in '14, who then subsequently bought us out this last November


Yep. Shoreline was an awesome place to work at before the whole ambuserve issue. Hope medic1 doesn't go to poop.


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## elshion (May 21, 2017)

wtferick said:


> Yep. Shoreline was an awesome place to work at before the whole ambuserve issue. Hope medic1 doesn't go to poop.


too late on that my friend


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## linda simeone (Jun 21, 2017)

EMT9396 said:


> I have recently applied to RSI MEDIC 1 Ambulance company which is in Baldwin park Ca . I was wondering if anybody has worked at this company and what they have to say about it . I should be doing an interview with them soon . I did a ride along with them and the two EMT's I was with said many things about them . This would be a great company for me to start out because its about 15 minutes from my house . I have also applied to Medcoast and PRN ambulance . If anybody has worked there too and could leave feed back on the hiring process and their overall impression and feeling of the company that would be much appreciated . Thank you in advance .


Ironically, I just interviewed with them. Nice people, interview went well, they give you a 50 question test, all on EMS. They do mostly IFTs, they had many rigs parked on side of building. Office is very nice, as were the people who interviewed me. I'm older, and been an EMT 18 years, and my true field is event work, not IFTs, so not sure if its what I want or need to do. Good luck, give it a shot. Oh, they start you at minimum wage.


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## SandpitMedic (Jun 24, 2017)

VentMonkey said:


> Is there? Crap, was I supposed to be doing stuff back there??
> 
> So am I. When you find it, let me know.


 
Haha! Good one.

My last four flights have been legit! I'm on a roll!


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