# How good is your AMR division?



## SuprMedic (Apr 13, 2013)

Hi everyone, I've been at AMR for 5 years, i've worked here long enough to know that every division is very different, and can range from Good, to bad, to ugly. I'm looking to get out of AZ because its way to hot, its 90 right now at 12pm in April. So I was wondering how things are at everyone elses division? How good is the starting pay for EMTs/ Medics? What are the shifts like? Do you have stations or do you post? How well does management treat you? Even if you don'twork at AMR feel free to chime in.


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## wanderingmedic (Apr 13, 2013)

SuprMedic said:


> Hi everyone, I've been at AMR for 5 years, i've worked here long enough to know that every division is very different, and can range from Good, to bad, to ugly. I'm looking to get out of AZ because its way to hot, its 90 right now at 12pm in April. So I was wondering how things are at everyone elses division? How good is the starting pay for EMTs/ Medics? What are the shifts like? Do you have stations or do you post? How well does management treat you? Even if you don'twork at AMR feel free to chime in.



This make me chuckle. I am actually looking to apply at AMR in Havasu. Where I work now (Ann Arbor, Michigan area) we do not have an AMR division. 

How have you liked working for AMR in Havasu?


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## BeachMedic (Apr 13, 2013)

See below.


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## SuprMedic (Apr 13, 2013)

Haha, its ok, at best. The pay for Medics is fairly good, about 48,000/yr if you don't pick up any overtime, and 30,000/ yr for EMTs. All our ambulances are staffed with 1 EMT and 1 medic. We work either 12 or 24 hour shfts, and have a shift bid every 6 months. We have one of the largest geographical areas of any AMR division, its not uncommon to respond to locations that are over an hour away on 911 calls. The call volume varies greatly depending on the time of year and the location of the station, I've ran anywhere from 0 to 15 calls in 24 hours. The drawbacks to working at this division is we do a lot of long distance transfers, usually to Vegas or Phoenix, and management here has no people skills what so ever, and everyone in management has a "my way or the high way" attitude. The best part of AMR in general though is that if you don't like it at one place you can transfer somewhere else, each division is almost like working for a different company. I used to work in LA County for AMR too.


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## BeachMedic (Apr 13, 2013)

In Santa Cruz we have five 24 hour stations and one 12 hour day car.  Some nicer than others. No street posting. We are a dual medic county with no EMTs. A mixture of ALS FDs and BLS volly/state FDs.

It's a touristy beach/surf community which has a decent size population. Call volume becomes almost unbearable in the summer lol.  It's a mixture of midsize city and rural areas/mountain communities.

Starting 24 hour rate is 19 an hour for a medic. 12 hour rate is about 23 starting. If you already make more at another AMR division they will match your pay when you transfer. 

Imo management treats us fairly and with respect. It's a small county So there is no flying under the radar. 

The county office has only 2 employees.  So AMR and Fire pretty much run the show. They have a really good relationship. Joint EMS training and all our equipment is identical. Fire hires almost exclusively from AMR.

The protocols provide a fair amount of autonamy and make sense for the patients. 

It's a good place to work. Like anywhere both plusses and minuses.


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## RocketMedic (Apr 13, 2013)

I have nothing but good things to say about my AMR time in Alamogordo, NM. Id go back if the family was there. AMR Las Cruces was also great.


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## Danno (Apr 13, 2013)

BeachMedic said:


> In Santa Cruz we have five 24 hour stations and one 12 hour day car.  Some nicer than others. No street posting. We are a dual medic county with no EMTs. A mixture of ALS FDs and BLS volly/state FDs.
> 
> It's a touristy beach/surf community which has a decent size population. Call volume becomes almost unbearable in the summer lol.  It's a mixture of midsize city and rural areas/mountain communities.
> 
> ...



This sounds really nice, thanks for adding another place for me to consider transferring to.  How do you like living in SC?


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## BeachMedic (Apr 13, 2013)

Danno said:


> This sounds really nice, thanks for adding another place for me to consider transferring to.  How do you like living in SC?



Oh brah I just moved to Oahu. I only work one shift a month in Santa Cruz these days. Santa Cruz city is really expensive and has some sketch areas. If I were to live in County I'd live in Aptos. It's 10 minutes up the rode and much much nicer. Still on the ocean too. 

I like the mountains too.  Felton or Ben Lomond are nice if you're into country folk and tall trees. Probably 15-20 minutes to the coast from there. All depends on what you like.  San Jose is 30 minutes away.  San Francisco is about an hour and 45 minutes away. Monterey is about 40 minutes away. If You're into any kind of outdoor activity it's a great place to live. Santa Cruz has a pretty heavy local surf culture though


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## Always BSI (Apr 14, 2013)

I'd like some info on Riverside AMR.

Thanks


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## racingmedic (Apr 16, 2013)

I was also curious...I just applied to AMR in dallas area.  got called to come interview/test.

was also curious about the testing....what does that entail?


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## DesertMedic66 (Apr 16, 2013)

Pay isn't the best but its better than the IFTs in the area. We do mostly posting but have some comfort stations. 12 hour, 24 hour, 48 hour shifts. 

We do a ton of events (currently in the middle of our biggest event for the year). 

We are fairly busy and offer incentives to cover shifts if needed. 

Management is amazing. All are current Medics who still work in the field. The doors are always open type of a deal. It's a great place to work. 

But if your looking to get away from the heat then you are out of luck with my division.


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## Always BSI (Apr 16, 2013)

I love the heat man!

Nothing like summer time in Havasu. 120 plus degrees and white women for dayyyyyyys.

:rofl:

:beerchug:


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## mike1390 (Apr 16, 2013)

DesertEMT66 said:


> Management is amazing. All are current Medics who still work in the field. The doors are always open type of a deal. It's a great place to work.



Quoted for truth!


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## SuprMedic (Apr 17, 2013)

Always BSI said:


> I love the heat man!
> 
> Nothing like summer time in Havasu. 120 plus degrees and white women for dayyyyyyys.
> 
> ...



"White women?" you mean 80 year old white women? Haha, the only time good looking women show up is for 3-4 weeks during sring break.....Havasu is basically one giant retirment community in the winter, so thats our busy season....people getting run over by boats in the summer and old people falling in the winter, thats how it works, haha


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## Always BSI (Apr 17, 2013)

No way what part of Lake Havasu are you going to? lol.

I have a buddy that works for River Medical AMR and he lives right around the corner from the London bridge. He knows all the cool spots to go to like coves etc. 

It gets pretty dangerous in the summer though like you said people getting ran over by boats or driving the boat while drunk.


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## Fbarba123 (Apr 17, 2013)

hey!

There is also AMR Monterey.

Pay is similar to what was stated before. 36k for emts, 48k for medics w/o OT.

Weather never gets about 70, most homes over here dont even have AC.

We get a good mix of calls. We have the Monterey peninsula which includes pebble beach and parts of carmel, the weather is always amazing!

We also cover all the way down to slo county line, so we too have long response times, and there is salinas where you can run lots of calls during the day.

Management is great, IMO, and we just got new toughbooks, new sprinters, LP15s, along with power gurneys, and they keep updating everything.

We run around 35-40k calls a year so you keep busy but not too busy to wear your going to burn out anytime soon.

if you'd like more info PM me...


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## Danno (Apr 17, 2013)

mike1390 said:


> Quoted for truth!



Are you at AMR ventura?


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## mike1390 (Apr 17, 2013)

nope


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## DrankTheKoolaid (Apr 17, 2013)

Having only been with AMR San Mateo for 3 months my opinion means little. But from what I have seen and heard ill be happy spending the rest of my working days here. Once here for 10 years or so you make 100k a year with some overtime. 

With the exception of 1 24 hr station the rest are 12.5 hr trucks with a couple 9.5 mixed in there. Very intertwined with FD as they are ALS. Active Tactical medic program and specially trained medics can run a psych truck and write there own 5150s. 

I'll be happy here for sure with lots of options and great pay


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## SuprMedic (Apr 18, 2013)

Always BSI said:


> No way what part of Lake Havasu are you going to? lol.
> 
> I have a buddy that works for River Medical AMR and he lives right around the corner from the London bridge. He knows all the cool spots to go to like coves etc.
> 
> It gets pretty dangerous in the summer though like you said people getting ran over by boats or driving the boat while drunk.



I live on the far south end of town away from everything, I guess thats why I never see any good looking women. But the people in Havasu are still way better to look at then those Hillbillies that live in Kingman, AZ :rofl:


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## MidwestParamedic (Apr 20, 2013)

Does anybody know anything about AMR in Kansas? Specifically, AMR in Topeka?
Pay, hours, call volume, system status management vs posting, etc?


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