# Average income of a paramedic



## Kathi (Jul 9, 2012)

Hey there,

I`m a german paramedic and since it´s getting more and more worse over here, I wanna emigrate (long term speaking).
At the moment I´m doing further studies, once or twice a month so it gets easier for me to get a permission to work for different countries.

My question now is, whats the average income of a paramedic? Main interest is Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the US of course!  

Does anyone here work there or know someone who works there?

Glad for any bit of information

cheers kathi :beerchug:


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## Imacho (Jul 9, 2012)

Kathi said:


> Hey there,
> 
> I`m a german paramedic and since it´s getting more and more worse over here, I wanna emigrate (long term speaking).
> At the moment I´m doing further studies, once or twice a month so it gets easier for me to get a permission to work for different countries.
> ...



Habe diri!! Wir bekommen nicht zu viel. Im California machen sie ungefähr $13-15/Stunde. Dass ist ungefahr $30,000/jahr.  Ich wohne in NC und ich bin froh mit mein Einkommen. $37,000/Jahr. Aber mit Überstunden mache ich mehr als $50,000/Jahr. Sehr bequem. Ich Höfe mich das ich hilfreich bin.


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## we talking bout practice (Jul 9, 2012)

Pay varies alot in Canada. Here on on the east coast for a Primary care paramedic (bit more schooling then an emt-i or Aemt, but similar scope) it is about 22-25 dollars an hour with Advanced care Paramedics making only 2-3 dollars an hour more. Nova Scotia is quite saturated with PCP's and Pei is Small, with few job openings. New Brunswick has jos a plenty but mostly casual (you will get your hours), but they have no ACP scope. In Ontario the jobs are difficult to find and compete for also they prefer to train in house in many cities, but the pay is in the 30's and higher. If you are looking to sit around do nothing ALBERTA. Sit in an oil camp of somthing make some cash (again depends on scope). There is also a need for city medics from what I hear in Alberta. someone else can confirm or denie that. British Columbia is pricey to live in but gorgeuos.


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## Hockey (Jul 9, 2012)

we talking bout practice said:


> Pay varies alot in Canada. Here on on the east coast for a Primary care paramedic (bit more schooling then an emt-i or Aemt, but similar scope) it is about 22-25 dollars an hour with Advanced care Paramedics making only 2-3 dollars an hour more. Nova Scotia is quite saturated with PCP's and Pei is Small, with few job openings. New Brunswick has jos a plenty but mostly casual (you will get your hours), but they have no ACP scope. In Ontario the jobs are difficult to find and compete for also they prefer to train in house in many cities, but the pay is in the 30's and higher. If you are looking to sit around do nothing ALBERTA. Sit in an oil camp of somthing make some cash (again depends on scope). There is also a need for city medics from what I hear in Alberta. someone else can confirm or denie that. British Columbia is pricey to live in but gorgeuos.




And in Michigan I'm making $13.20 a hour with many areas paying $9.50-12 a hour starting.  Highest is around $15-16 starting with $20ish topout


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## NomadicMedic (Jul 9, 2012)

Just as a comparison, in Sussex County DE, single role medics start at roughly 19.00/hour, with lots of opportunities for OT. There are yearly merit increases, COL increases, increases for promotion and college degrees. Add to that an excellent insurance package, a county pension and the lie cost of living in Delaware, it works out to be one of the better paying systems. 

And yeah, we're hiring. Within the next few years we expect to lose 1/3 of our staff to retirement. The original crew that started the system is getting close to the 25 year mark and is getting ready to cash out.


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## Kathi (Jul 9, 2012)

Thx a lot so far! It`s about $30000 a year over here as well, but we don`t get money for working more than the usual hours, we have to take days off. 
We don`t get extras for working on sundays etc. 
If you work during nights, you get an extra of $ 22 per night, but only if you work the whole 12 h shift.

If someone gets ill and has to go off the ambulance early and someone else is riding the last hours, no one gets the extra....


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## firetender (Jul 9, 2012)

I'm not sure money numbers will be very helpful because of such differences as taxes (UK, NZ, AUS vs. U.S.) and especially local costs of living. But if you take the numbers given here and do an internet search, I'm sure you'll be able to get a picture of how far your pay will go for what you do.


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## RocketMedic (Jul 9, 2012)

At my AMR (USA's largest ambulance company) division, I'll make about $37,000 a year with reasonable overtime. In Southern New Mexico, it's pretty reasonable.


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## WestMetroMedic (Jul 10, 2012)

In Minnesota, rural paramedics can start around $30k USD/year and my service in Minneapolis (which is the market driver for the Minneapolis St Paul metro area) starts at $44k USD/year and after 10 years, you make $67k USD/year.  We also have overtime options, holiday pay, shift differentials and an aggressive benefits package, but the piece de resistance, is our pension plan that is 99% of the average of your 3 highest paid years with 33 years of service (3%/year, minus 1.5% for every year you draw prior to age 55), paid for the rest of your life.

In my experience, Minnesota is pretty "middle of the road" as far as cost of living in the united states.


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## Level1pedstech (Jul 10, 2012)

WestMetroMedic said:


> In Minnesota, rural paramedics can start around $30k USD/year and my service in Minneapolis (which is the market driver for the Minneapolis St Paul metro area) starts at $44k USD/year and after 10 years, you make $67k USD/year.  We also have overtime options, holiday pay, shift differentials and an aggressive benefits package, but the piece de resistance, is our pension plan that is 99% of the average of your 3 highest paid years with 33 years of service (3%/year, minus 1.5% for every year you draw prior to age 55), paid for the rest of your life.
> 
> In my experience, Minnesota is pretty "middle of the road" as far as cost of living in the united states.



That pension is a pretty nice little benefit. Who is the administrator for your pension plan and are thier investments solid?


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## WestMetroMedic (Jul 11, 2012)

It is the state of Minnesota public employee retirement account.  They have upped our contribution a slight amount in recent years, but for all intensive purposes, the the money i would normally continue to social security, instead goes towards this pension, so i will have a very limited social security check when i start to draw.

Unlike the Wisconsin state employee pension, which did not require any employee contribution  and was a burden on the state and not self sustaining, Minnesota has kept the employee obligation appropriate to the needs of the program and has minimized any possible undue burden on the tax base (and that is my stance as a stingy libertarian).


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## Kevinf (Jul 11, 2012)

WestMetroMedic said:


> ...but for all intensive purposes...



:wacko:

Intents and purposes! Or entensive porpoises if you're a whaler


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## atropine (Jul 11, 2012)

This coming fall LAFD will be hiring, you could make anywhere from about 60k to 120k your first year, that is if you can make it through probation, and as a bonus you get to live in sunny southern Cali, with no tornados, midwest humidityor any of the other messed up weather that the rest of the US has to put up with.


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## Imacho (Jul 11, 2012)

atropine said:


> This coming fall LAFD will be hiring, you could make anywhere from about 60k to 120k your first year, that is if you can make it through probation, and as a bonus you get to live in sunny southern Cali, with no tornados, midwest humidityor any of the other messed up weather that the rest of the US has to put up with.



It would be nice to be making that much. However, its still a poor system and well below par with limited protocols.  
Fire should be supporting the ambulance crew as basic first responders. Ambulances should also be 3rd service. Much more efficient and easier to work with.


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## marshmallow22 (Jul 14, 2012)

Yeah, you can make 120k your 1st year at LA CITY (if you work a lot of OT, which in a lot of cases, rookies are allowed very limited access to OT) ... A lot easier said than done.  There will definitely be a fatigue factor as most likely you'll be placed in the ghetto getting little to no sleep, and no down time as a rookie.  So good luck with that!


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## OIFXGunner (Jul 14, 2012)

atropine said:


> This coming fall LAFD will be hiring, you could make anywhere from about 60k to 120k your first year, that is if you can make it through probation, and as a bonus you get to live in sunny southern Cali, with no tornados, midwest humidityor any of the other messed up weather that the rest of the US has to put up with.



You might not have the bad weather that the rest of us do, but at least the rest of us don't have to worry about waking up one day to our state sliding off into the ocean. h34r:


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## gw812 (Jul 15, 2012)

Ah, Cali. The land of fruits and nuts...


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## hibiti87 (Jul 15, 2012)

ah texas land of steers and....


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