# How hard is it to get an EMT-B job?



## MosquitoXEL (Jan 3, 2011)

Hey guys,

Say I am fresh out of school with an EMT-B certificate, how hard would it be to find a job in the Sacramento area? Would it be possible to find a job?

I'm just worried because I hear the horror stories of finishing school and not being able to get a job.

Thanks


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## usafmedic45 (Jan 3, 2011)

California- and most of the rest of the nation- is horribly oversaturated with EMT-Basics.  That's the problem with it being so quick and easy to obtain that particular credential.


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## MosquitoXEL (Jan 3, 2011)

usafmedic45 said:


> California- and most of the rest of the nation- is horribly oversaturated with EMT-Basics.  That's the problem with it being so quick and easy to obtain that particular credential.



Is it the same story for EMT-I's?


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## usafmedic45 (Jan 3, 2011)

From everything I have ever heard, California's job market for EMS personnel at all levels is pretty crappy.


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## Jackson (Jan 3, 2011)

How about for the south east?


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## MikeyB (Jan 3, 2011)

i got a job as a paratransit with an ambulance co  you only need a drivers license and cpr cert  the good thing about that is i can transfer over to the EMT side when i pass my test   you might wanna look in to that just to get ur foot in the door


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## ClarkKent (Jan 3, 2011)

MosquitoXEL said:


> Is it the same story for EMT-I's?



I do not know about all of California, but I know where I live (Sacramento), they do not have EMT-I only EMT-B and EMT-P only.  Check with your local EMS office to find out.


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## Ansible (Jan 4, 2011)

LilRay said:


> How about for the south east?



Seconded! I'm looking into this too. My best guess would be Atlanta, considering the number of large hospitals there.


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## armywifeemt (Jan 4, 2011)

Well, let's put it this way... the laws of supply and demand dictate that when the supply is low, and the demand is high, the cost goes up? That would mean that a high labor cost for EMT's (In other words, high wages) would mean that we were in high demand and low supply. 

Since I can get a job at In and Out burger making $11 an hour, and the highest paying gig I can find as an EMT here pays roughly $9.50 an hour, I would say that fast food workers are in higher demand than EMT's in California. 

That is why I said screw it all, and started my own business when we got here. 

I love the EMS field, but I can't find a decent place around here to volunteer, and I don't see myself being okay with getting paid less for having people's lives in my hands than I would for having people's food in my hands anytime soon. 

You might be able to find a job, but don't expect to be able to live on the wage it pays.


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## Phlipper (Jan 7, 2011)

LilRay said:


> How about for the south east?



If you mean the Southeast US, as opposed to CA, it took me months just to find a place to _volunteer _to get some experience prior to medic school.  You can't swing a dead cat in VA, SC, or NC without hitting an EMT-B looking for truck time.


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