# Paramedic positions in NYC



## Aaliyah (Apr 22, 2017)

I currently live upstate NY, working part-time as an EMT. I'll be finishing my paramedic course June/2017. I'd like to move to NYC this summer. I will be taking the upcoming EMT civil service test for FDNY, but I'd like to find a paramedic position outside of FDNY while I wait to hear back. Can anyone give me an idea of how difficult it may be to find a paramedic job in NYC?


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## VentMonkey (Apr 22, 2017)

I have no idea since I am a certified West Coast paramedic, but these guys seem like a legitimate place to start:

https://www.northwell.edu/find-care/services-we-offer/center-emergency-medical-services/about

I did learn of someone recently who may be able to help you... @rescue1. Also, I still don't completely understand how EMS works in that city. I only understand that the FDNY is so overwhelmed with call-volume. The culture and approach to prehospital medicine actually seems surprisingly more antiquated than I had initially thought.


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## Jim37F (Apr 22, 2017)

@NysEms2117


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## VentMonkey (Apr 22, 2017)

Jim37F said:


> @NysEms2117


He's "the _other_ 90% of NY"


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## NysEms2117 (Apr 22, 2017)

Why do you want to leave upstate? You get treated better and paid more! Also short of you being the son of cuomo, chances are youll be waiting quite a long time, I think theres a FDNY thread on this forum somewhere that has the same information beaten to death about 3,000 times. Bottom line, upstate you get paid more and treated better


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## Handsome Robb (Apr 22, 2017)

NysEms2117 said:


> Why do you want to leave upstate? You get treated better and paid more! Also short of you being the son of cuomo, chances are youll be waiting quite a long time, I think theres a FDNY thread on this forum somewhere that has the same information beaten to death about 3,000 times. Bottom line, upstate you get paid more and treated better



According to that thread there's like a two year wait from the time you test until you start the academy. I watch the thread just for the entertainment factor. Learned some cool stuff about the FDNY though. 


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## RocketMedic (Apr 22, 2017)

Why not work as a real medic in Texas?

When I go to work on Monday, I might RSI, transfuse blood, throw out some Ketamine and chemically cardiovert someone with diltiazem, for all I know. 

No state taxes, personal freedom, six different ecologies, guns if you want them, a surprisingly accepting and libertarian culture, multiple seasons per month, and we're one of the most diverse places on Earth, low cost of living and generally high standards for EMS without a lot of the subordination to nursing you see in certain left coast states.


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## Aaliyah (Apr 22, 2017)

NysEms2117 said:


> Why do you want to leave upstate? You get treated better and paid more! Also short of you being the son of cuomo, chances are youll be waiting quite a long time, I think theres a FDNY thread on this forum somewhere that has the same information beaten to death about 3,000 times. Bottom line, upstate you get paid more and treated better


You don't get paid more up here. Also my family lives in NYC. Besides, finding a paid ems position with any type of benefits in my area is impossible. There isn't much opportunity up here, plus it isn't culturally diverse.


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## NysEms2117 (Apr 22, 2017)

I'm in Albany and make more then most paramedics(hourly rate) I work part time. Albany is just as culturally diverse. 2 hours from the city.


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## EpiEMS (Apr 23, 2017)

You're better off outside of NYC as far as wages vs. cost of living go unless you can get on one of the hospital services...FDNY doesn't come close on the wage front. 

My understanding is that - typically - folks start off at SeniorCare or one of the privates then move on to a hospital or FDNY.


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## Carlos Danger (Apr 23, 2017)

I'm a rural bumpkin, born and raised in rural NYS. Still very much a small-town guy, even after moving around and living in urban settings.

That said, I can definitely see the allure of living in NYC. For a little while, at least. It's like a different world.


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## VentMonkey (Apr 23, 2017)

[QUOTE="EpiEMS said:


> My understanding is that - typically - folks start off at SeniorCare or one of the privates then move on to a hospital or FDNY.


I wonder if this still holds true for folks such as myself.

While I have zero interest or desire to uproot my family and I to NYC, I would be ok doing ground CCP work for a seemingly legitimate outfit once I get my flight wiggles released (if ever); I don't know that people realize how bright some of these critical care paramedics are, or have the potential to be.

Northwell also has a 135, or 145 as well, TMK. It's predominantly IFT from what I know, but again, at this point their care is usually much more acute. Food for thought, OP.

Edit: it's an AB-135, I remember seeing the fenestron tail rotor.


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## EpiEMS (Apr 23, 2017)

VentMonkey said:


> I wonder if this still holds true for folks such as myself.
> 
> While I have zero interest or desire to uproot my family and I to NYC, I would be ok doing ground CCP work for a seemingly legitimate outfit once I get my flight wiggles released (if ever); I don't know that people realize how bright some of these critical care paramedics are, or have the potential to be.
> 
> ...



That's a good question, actually. An experienced medic *should *surely go to the top of the list for FDNY, but I don't think you get much credit for experience outside of NYC...Also, you'd have to get NYC REMAC credentialing (unrelated...the NYC medic protocols are pretty uninspiring). The only reason I'd want to work in NYC as a medic is to be *in* NYC as a medic. As far as broadening clinical knowledge/scope/etc., one is better off going elsewhere, I'd say.

I think Yale collaborates (or has some sort of joint venture) with Northwell for HEMS...SkyHealth, they call it. I've never dealt with them, but Yale's got some great name recognition 

No shortage of smart people around - but NYS (NYC, too!) has so many issues that it would be hard pressed to keep as many smart people as are really needed to have truly great EMS. NYC, I know for a fact, is a mess - and it only has gotten worse since the FDNY takeover of NYC*EMS back in 1996.


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## VentMonkey (Apr 23, 2017)

@EpiEMS I don't think I have the physical or mental desire to ever apply at FDNY, I was talking more the other service, with their reputable-looking CCT setup. 

Honestly, for me at this point aside from a pension, the FDNY would be a side step, if not a downgrade.


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## EpiEMS (Apr 23, 2017)

VentMonkey said:


> @EpiEMS I don't think I have the physical or mental desire to ever apply at FDNY, I was talking more the other service, with their reputable-looking CCT setup.
> 
> Honestly, for me at this point aside from a pension, the FDNY would be a side step, if not a downgrade.



Oh, it'd be a downgrade times two, easily! We're talking <$50k starting pay in NYC!

Ah, ok - Northwell is good. I like their people, from those I've met!


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## rescue1 (Apr 23, 2017)

VentMonkey said:


> I have no idea since I am a certified West Coast paramedic, but these guys seem like a legitimate place to start:
> 
> https://www.northwell.edu/find-care/services-we-offer/center-emergency-medical-services/about
> 
> I did learn of someone recently who may be able to help you... @rescue1. Also, I still don't completely understand how EMS works in that city. I only understand that the FDNY is so overwhelmed with call-volume. The culture and approach to prehospital medicine actually seems surprisingly more antiquated than I had initially thought.



So most of my EMS experience is in the Philadelphia region, but I live in NYC now for medical school so I have a vague idea what's going on. 

FDNY EMS has a long waiting list, partially because it's a big EMS agency in a sexy city with pretty good benefits (though the salary isn't exactly great for the COL here), but also because the easiest way to get hired by the FDNY as a firefighter is to work a few years as a paramedic and laterally transfer over. Firefighting in NYC is 100% a better job (better pay, benefits, promotions, etc) so lots of people try going this way.

But, there are like 10 (?) "voluntary" hospitals that provide 911 ALS to the city as well. Despite the name they're not volunteers (The big volunteer organizations in the city are Hatzolah, the Jewish ambulance service, and the Central Park Medic Unit, which covers...Central Park), and they make as much if not more than FDNY, though they don't get the pension or some of the sweet benefits. Off the top of my head in my part of Manhattan there's Mount Sinai EMS, Northwell EMS, NY Presbyterian EMS and St Luke's/Roosevelt EMS. Outside of Manhattan there's SUNY Downstate, Flushing Hospital, and Jamaica Hospital that also have 911 ALS, off the top of my head. Then there's SeniorCare, Hunter Ambulance and assorted other private ambulances who do IFT only. I can't really say if any are better or worse than the others, but I'd always try and take a 911 hospital job over one of the private companies. 

I'm sure if you shot out an application to all of these you'd be able to get something. I think this is a semi current list: http://www.nycremsco.org/newsflash1.aspx

Also I'm sure you know this if you have family here, but NYC is crazy expensive so if you move here without a job lined up I hope you have family or friends you can stay with.


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## VentMonkey (Apr 23, 2017)

@rescue1 I knew you were the right person for the job. Also, I have no desire to move to NYC. I was just trying to help the OP a bit.


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## NysEms2117 (Apr 23, 2017)

TBH, if you realllllly want to live in NYC. Do it, and if your an experienced medic, fly with Hackensack(NJ) AirMedic1-3. Fantastic pay, benefits ect. If your an experienced medic, AND you have been doing your networking, fly for one of the hospitals in the city and you'd make a ton of money and all that fun jazz. Simply working for the FDNY as my good pal @EpiEMS has stated, is simply for saying "I work for FDNY" you take a paycut from just about anywhere you'd be coming from. As an EMT i'm probably comparable salary wise to the NYC medic guys/gals. Unless you can get a gig with one of the major hospitals (Mt Sinai, NYP, ect) I don't feel it's fiscally responsible(or possible) to work normal(ish) hours and still survive in the city.

As i was typing this @rescue1 also said some of the same things  sorry for repeating. Good job mate!


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## rescue1 (Apr 23, 2017)

Deep down in their heart, everyone wants to move to New York 

At least that's my explanation for why the rent is so damn high.


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## NysEms2117 (Apr 23, 2017)

@rescue1 I have a buddy that pays roughly 4k for a 1 bed 1 bath down on sullivan&houston, down by 6th ave... Is that average? I can't fathom that much money for rent lol


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## rescue1 (Apr 23, 2017)

Also, as much as I love NY, I'm pretty sure you qualify for the city's affordable housing lottery on the EMT base salary. 

@NysEms2117 That's pretty expensive, though its also one of the most desirable neighborhoods in the city I think (West Village). My buddies and I pay a bit under $3000 for a three bedroom (so like 1k each) uptown in Harlem, for a kind of meh apartment. The outer boroughs are also cheaper. It's all still pretty expensive, but not $4,000 for a 1bed expensive. 

I can't imagine paying $4,000 for a single even if I was making a physician's salary.


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## NysEms2117 (Apr 23, 2017)

rescue1 said:


> Also, as much as I love NY, I'm pretty sure you qualify for the city's affordable housing lottery on the EMT base salary.
> 
> @NysEms2117 That's pretty expensive, though its also one of the most desirable neighborhoods in the city I think (West Village). My buddies and I pay a bit under $3000 for a three bedroom (so like 1k each) uptown in Harlem, for a kind of meh apartment. The outer boroughs are also cheaper. It's all still pretty expensive, but not $4,000 for a 1bed expensive.
> 
> I can't imagine paying $4,000 for a single even if I was making a physician's salary.


i think its west village/soho, but its for him and his wife, he's got his series 7's and above though. So technically it'd be 2k each but ya know. his is 4 room 1 bd 1 bath though. my bad for personal question just trying to wrap my head around that whole thing.


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## rescue1 (Apr 23, 2017)

Haha no worries. I'm just procrastinating for a pharm test so I'm happy to blab about anything that isn't some strange flavor of antibiotic.


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## Jim37F (Apr 23, 2017)

Honestly, FDNY is the only reason that I'd move east from LA lol, and unless their single role EMTs make 10 an hour being told what to do by engine guys every call, it wouldn't be a step down for me lol, although i think NYC's cost of living makes my corner of LA look cheap(er) lol, plus they have this nasty thing called "winter"....so from the So Cal native looking to move even further south west for the climes, that's gonna be a pass for me lol


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## NysEms2117 (Apr 24, 2017)

i was supposed to be placed out of the Manhattan parole office....thankfully somebody volunteered for it (idk why), that meant i would have been living in jersey... I refuse to live in the city, wayyy to expensive and wayyy to much sht happening for my liking. I will like Albany, very much .


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## DrParasite (Apr 24, 2017)

.Ahhhh yes, FDNY, the holy grail of EMS.... in New York City... and only in NYC...


Jim37F said:


> Honestly, FDNY is the only reason that I'd move east from LA lol, and unless their single role EMTs make 10 an hour being told what to do by engine guys every call, it wouldn't be a step down for me lol,


actually most of their engine guys won't tell you what to do, they don't want to be there, and they are only first responders, so once you show it, it's your game. 

I have known many former FDNY EMS people, and have worked with many (both super high ups and field staff)..... at the end of the day, it's just another job, and many still have side jobs that they work on their days off (or on their night shifts, when they should be ho.  Many of the ambulance personnel are using it as a shortcut to the fire side (which, as mentioned, is 100% better).  There used to be a website (http://www.fdnysucks.com/) that documented many of the issues, told by an unnamed FDNY paramedic, but it has (unfortunately) shut down.

although it's a little outdated, the content about this is pretty much the same:  https://emtlife.com/threads/new-yorks-poorest.7686/

To be fair, FDNY does give you some of the best training available, and they do give you the ability to be more than just a regular ambulance EMT or paramedic..  They do give you some nice equipment to play with.  When it's available, and when it's working.

But many of the issues in the previous link are still highly prevalent: http://www.gothamgazette.com/city/6839-killing-of-fdny-emt-spotlights-issues-for-unsung-profession

BTW, many to most of the employees at FDNY EMS live in the surrounding boroughs (they can't afford to live in manhattan), live with family, work copious amounts of OT to makes ends meet, or have three or four "roomates" who all sign the lease but they actually live in NJ, or long island and commute into work.


Kiya said:


> I currently live upstate NY, working part-time as an EMT. I'll be finishing my paramedic course June/2017. I'd like to move to NYC this summer. I will be taking the upcoming EMT civil service test for FDNY, but I'd like to find a paramedic position outside of FDNY while I wait to hear back. Can anyone give me an idea of how difficult it may be to find a paramedic job in NYC?


Get a job as a paramedic in new jersey, you'll make much more $$$$ run fewer BLS calls, and the cost of living will be much lower than in NYC.  And if you still want to work for FDNY EMS, you will have a decent paying job to pay the bills while you wait to be called.


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## EpiEMS (Apr 24, 2017)

@DrParasite is on the money for how FDNY EMS stands.



NysEms2117 said:


> @rescue1 I have a buddy that pays roughly 4k for a 1 bed 1 bath down on sullivan&houston, down by 6th ave... Is that average? I can't fathom that much money for rent lol



That is not surprising - especially if it is in a nice new building. Funny enough, the Lower East Side used to be *really* cheap, but it is now "cool" (has been for a little while now) and thus is no longer affordable.



rescue1 said:


> Also, as much as I love NY, I'm pretty sure you qualify for the city's affordable housing lottery on the EMT base salary.



That sounds right to me...I think you might also qualify for EITC and a number of other benefits, too, especially if you have dependents.



Jim37F said:


> unless their single role EMTs make 10 an hour being told what to do by engine guys every call, it wouldn't be a step down for me lol, although i think NYC's cost of living makes my corner of LA look cheap(er) lol



Ahh, as @DrParasite says, the FDNY CFR-D guys don't really care very much about EMS - they'd be more than happy to let you take over. I can't tell you how many times I've seen them standing around a patient doing the stare of life until EMS shows up.


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## Aaliyah (Apr 29, 2017)

@rescue1 would you happen to have an idea of the starting pay of a medic at Seniorcare?


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## rescue1 (Apr 29, 2017)

Aaliyah said:


> @rescue1 would you happen to have an idea of the starting pay of a medic at Seniorcare?



I don't know exactly, sorry. If I had to guess it would probably be somewhere between $20-24 an hour? 

Like I said earlier, I'm in med school here, all my EMS connections are in Philadelphia. I think someone at my school works part time for one of the hospital EMS systems, I can ask him what he think the starting rate would be.


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## graycord (May 2, 2017)

Aaliyah said:


> I currently live upstate NY, working part-time as an EMT. I'll be finishing my paramedic course June/2017. I'd like to move to NYC this summer. I will be taking the upcoming EMT civil service test for FDNY, but I'd like to find a paramedic position outside of FDNY while I wait to hear back. Can anyone give me an idea of how difficult it may be to find a paramedic job in NYC?





Aaliyah said:


> @rescue1 would you happen to have an idea of the starting pay of a medic at Seniorcare?



As long as you get your remac, it will not be hard at all. 
Starting pay at Seniorcare, like all the privates in the city, would be somewhere in the 20-22/hr range.


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## EpiEMS (May 2, 2017)

graycord said:


> Starting pay at Seniorcare, like all the privates in the city, would be somewhere in the 20-22/hr range.


Thanks for the info -- the hospitals' voluntary services are higher, right? Like $25-30?


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## DrParasite (May 2, 2017)

typically yes


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## GMCmedic (May 2, 2017)

I know nothing of NYC EMS. Whats this voluntary and paid stuff

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## EpiEMS (May 2, 2017)

GMCmedic said:


> I know nothing of NYC EMS. Whats this voluntary and paid stuff
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk



It is a nightmarishly bad setup, from a macro perspective

FDNY EMS runs 911, but there are also hospitals ("voluntaries") that participate as part of the 911 response system and are dispatched by FDNY. There are also volunteer agencies, some of which are part of the 911 system and others that aren't. Oh, and there are privates that do IFT, and some that do IFT and 911. 

It is a mess and a half. 


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## Jim37F (May 2, 2017)

Yeah, from what I can gather, Voluntaries =/= volunteers (and those still exist there too!) even though FDNY has jurisdiction over pretty much the whole city, some hospitals run their own ambulance programs and some private companies are also part of the 911 system but some aren't....but yet anyone with a scanner can "buff" a call, i.e. listen for FDNY to get a call, decide you wanna run it instead, and self dispatch to the scene....


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## EpiEMS (May 2, 2017)

Here's a list of agencies.


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## graycord (May 3, 2017)

EpiEMS said:


> Thanks for the info -- the hospitals' voluntary services are higher, right? Like $25-30?



Yes, but now that Transcare is out of the game, I doubt any voluntary starts at less than 27.



EpiEMS said:


> Here's a list of agencies.



It's kind of a start, but that site hasn't been updated in years.
LICH is dead. Transcare is dead. NYHQ is dead. Lutheran EMS is much bigger now and doesn't use the same webpage anymore. And that's just off the top of my head and what I recognize, so be careful going through that.


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## Aaliyah (May 3, 2017)

graycord said:


> Yes, but now that Transcare is out of the game, I doubt any voluntary starts at less than 27.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Would you mind giving me a few places you'd recommend me applying. Keep in mind I have EMT experience but won't have any paramedic experience. Also I'll have NYC remac.


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## graycord (May 3, 2017)

Aaliyah said:


> Would you mind giving me a few places you'd recommend me applying. Keep in mind I have EMT experience but won't have any paramedic experience. Also I'll have NYC remac.




Basically any and all of the privates. You're bound to get something.

I don't know where you'd wind up coming from or if travel would be an important factor, but there's Seniorcare, Midwood, Instacare in Brooklyn.
Priority One, RCA, Primary Care in Staten Island.
Citywide, Lifeline in the Bronx. There's a Seniorcare base there also.
Hunter, First Response, and RCA have bases in Queens, somewhere near Five Towns iirc.


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## Aaliyah (May 3, 2017)

graycord said:


> Basically any and all of the privates. You're bound to get something.
> 
> I don't know where you'd wind up coming from or if travel would be an important factor, but there's Seniorcare, Midwood, Instacare in Brooklyn.
> Priority One, RCA, Primary Care in Staten Island.
> ...


Thank you very much


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