# Working at McCormick/Banking overtime



## Virgil (Nov 19, 2018)

Hey guys, it's been a while. I've finally gotten my State cert all done, and am cleared to work. So I'm primarily looking at McCormick, since I did my ride along there and loved it. It's pretty hectic, using a Thomas guide is gonna be fun. But I think jumping straight into 911 is the best possible experience I can get.

Now the only thing I'm curious about is overtime, I'm trying to save as much money as possible. At some point I'll get on 24hr's, and I've heard overtime is abundant, but can I work 3 24's a week? 

This is both a pragmatic and HR-type question, it's much easier to _consider _doing it then actually doing it. 

Pay isn't necessarily an issue if I'm able to bank 32 hours of overtime a week. And this all may sound very naive, so please bear with me.

If anyone can shed some better light on this, I'd appreciate it.


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## DrParasite (Nov 19, 2018)

1) overtime is abundant, until it's not.  
1a) there is no employer mandate to provide an employee with overtime, unless it's written into a union contract.


Virgil said:


> I've heard overtime is abundant, but can I work 3 24's a week?


2) sounds like an HR question... best to direct this question to the company's HR department.


Virgil said:


> Pay isn't necessarily an issue if I'm able to bank 32 hours of overtime a week.


3) when the overtime dries up, what will you do?  see point #1 

4) do you have the job yet?  sound like your still looking for your first EMS job. so all of your worries might be moot if you don't get the job offer.  why would you put all your eggs in one basket?  What if they don't offer you the job, then what are you going to do?

5) 3 24s a week, every week, will get old pretty quickly, especially if you are busy during those 24s.  Standup 24s are dangerous, and sleeping in a truck during your downtime while posted in a parking lot or street corner is hell on your body.

disclaimer: I know nothing about mccormick, my comment are about EMS in general.


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## Virgil (Nov 19, 2018)

DrParasite said:


> 1) overtime is abundant, until it's not.
> 1a) there is no employer mandate to provide an employee with overtime, unless it's written into a union contract.
> 2) sounds like an HR question... best to direct this question to the company's HR department.
> 3) when the overtime dries up, what will you do?  see point #1
> ...



Completely fair, and exactly the kind of discussion I was looking for. 

All good points, and I've taken the majority of them into account. I didn't want to get very far ahead of myself, but I've always been one to try and cover all my bases. 

1/1a/2/3) I work a second job right now, as a public safety officer, which fields me extra money, in the event of a no-overtime-available scenario. And it's not like I need the overtime to survive, it would moreso be for savings. So if it happens to dry up, it would be a non-issue. 

4) I was also looking at AMR Riverside and Care, both of which I will also be applying to. But you're absolutely right. I shouldn't be worrying too much, especially on a job I haven't become invested in yet. More of a character flaw than anything, ha. 

5) As much as I'd like to think my early 20's makes me invincible, I know it doesn't. I'm no stranger to sleeping on concrete or working so long I forget the drive home, right now I am just prioritizing my budget, and I'm seeing through the "Do what you gotta do" lens. Preemptive, and jumping the gun. Since I've never worked a 24, especially on an ambulance. I'll just have to wait and see how things go. 

Thank you for your response though, helped me redirect my focus on some things.


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## RocketMedic (Nov 19, 2018)

Riverside all the way lol. Or Texas. My partners do cool things.

Heck, there are a LOT of places hiring now.


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## Jim37F (Nov 19, 2018)

It's been about 2 years since I left McCormick (geez, where on earth did the time go?) But I will say it's the only ambulance job I had where I keep in touch with my former coworkers...

While McCormick is one if the best LA private companies IMO.... it's still an LA private company...with plenty turnover. Overtime is abundant. I remember there were rules about how much you could work in a single stretch...but if you weren't picky about where you worked (and McCormick covers a huge area), you could bank a ton of OT when I was there
Until you finally need to sleep. Theres a couple stations where you can expect to sleep at night (namely Palos Verdes, Malibu, Agoura and Calabasas... and that's where the OT is _NOT _readily available). No you'll be working  Lynwood, Willowbrook, Compton, Carson, Inglewood, Hawthorne, even Torrance you'll be up all night running calls, getting 4ish hours of sleep (if you're lucky that's a single block)...you wont be wanting to work 2x 12s and 3x 24s a week...especially when you realize that's all minimum wage...
That being said there are people that practically live at McCormick stations cuz they always pick up OT. Idk how they did it as I'd get off shift in Willowbtook, go home and basically end up sleeping all day lol (it happened more than once I'd clock out and rack out in the dorm at station for a few hours until I was human enough to drive home lol).

BUT for all that, there are indeed times OT just dries up. It'll be abundant, then it wont (heck, that just happened here).
As much as I liked McCormick, I'd probably rather have worked at AMR Riverside due to that way you're the transporting medic unit. Not being told what to do by non transporting fire who's scene control extends into your BLS transport from the call... (I'm glad I'm now in a system where Fire is first response only, and the ambulance has full medical scene control from the moment they arrive on scene, but I digress, youd have to be a fire medic working for an FD with it's own internal fire medic transports for that to happen in LA...)

As far as Care goes, I can't say anything bad about them, other than I couldn't wear their white shirts all day and have it clean at the end of a 12 or 24 lol! Both cover large areas, including areas known for "gnarly" calls and really nice upscale areas, both have power lift and power load gurneys, which is nice.

You'll probably rather keep working part time at that other public safety job than rely on OT at any ambulance company, so def keep that job if able, but both companies (McCormick and Care) will demand you be able to stick to their schedule, like I said I can't speak about Care since I never worked there, but short of Military Reserves/Natl Guard, McCormick really doesn't like it too much if you keep calling off, like you can get in trouble for calling off too much in to short amount of time, so dont rely on a second job with a set schedule you have to work around


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## Virgil (Nov 19, 2018)

Great insight there Jim, I really appreciate it. 

In all honesty, you're probably right concerning OT. I would keep that second job and most likely work around McCormick. A little easier since a lot of the guys work other jobs, and the scheduler is a part-time EMT as well, so he knows the situation. I did my ride along with 15's, and then my second with 2's, I loved both. I would honestly prefer to get into 15's. 

Could you expand on AMR's protocol? Is it a Medic-EMT paired unit? I might just try and do a ride along or visit a station to get a better glimpse of their system.


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## VentMonkey (Nov 19, 2018)

Or you could just try Hall. Still more than likely better than both McCormick and AMR internally. 

They also have their own in-house paramedic academy now as well.


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## 45revolution (Nov 27, 2018)

“5) 3 24s a week, every week, will get old pretty quickly, especially if you are busy during those 24s. Standup 24s are dangerous, and sleeping in a truck during your downtime while posted in a parking lot or street corner is hell on your body.” 

Mccormick in a nutshell


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## Qulevrius (Nov 30, 2018)

McCormick - mainly work skid rows, spend endless hours at various local resorts such as Centinela and St Francis.
CARE - more diverse since EOAs are bigger. A trade off between less stress with FD in LACo but horrendous wall times, and significantly more stress with FD in OC, with little to no wall times.

The common factor for both ? You might think it’s EMS, but it’s not. It is, in essence, a 3rd party taxi service with lights & sirens, and a couple of overworked, underpaid, and <mostly> disillusioned folks.


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## wtferick (Dec 1, 2018)

Qulevrius said:


> McCormick - mainly work skid rows, spend endless hours at various local resorts such as Centinela and St Francis.
> CARE - more diverse since EOAs are bigger. A trade off between less stress with FD in LACo but horrendous wall times, and significantly more stress with FD in OC, with little to no wall times.
> 
> The common factor for both ? You might think it’s EMS, but it’s not. It is, in essence, a 3rd party taxi service with lights & sirens, and a couple of overworked, underpaid, and <mostly> disillusioned folks.


Well put! The land where medics ride with the "wrong" patient.


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## CbrMonster (Dec 3, 2018)

i spent 7 years at care ambulance service 09-16. 

currently they're a little over staffed according to one of the nurses still there. when i was there i consistantly could work 100hr work weeks/4 24's a week at stations of my liking very rarely would i work a super busy 24. they don't pay the highest i actually think they are the lowest paying hourly but i could easily make up for it by working lots of ot.

i enjoyed working in oc, you just sit there keep your mouth shut and do what your told until you are trusted by the medic. once that happens the world opens up and they'll let you go far outside your scope if your willing, let you go into their box, ect. 

you can work a majority of laco with care as well but you're going to be posting in parking lots and getting ran on most shifts out there


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## Qulevrius (Dec 4, 2018)

CbrMonster said:


> i enjoyed working in oc, you just sit there keep your mouth shut and do what your told until you are trusted by the medic. once that happens the world opens up and they'll let you go far outside your scope if your willing, let you go into their box, ect.



Let me rephrase that for you. Just sit there & watch a beefcake with exactly 1 year of post high school education do “medicine” to unsuspecting patients, but say nothing because he “doesn’t trust you”. And after a while, the “world opens up” because the Basic suddenly realizes that he can do slightly more than being just a U-Haul driver (the castrated OC protocols notwithstanding). And what is it exactly that they have in their box, 20 names plus saline bags and a glu-check ?


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## CbrMonster (Dec 4, 2018)

Qulevrius said:


> Let me rephrase that for you. Just sit there & watch a beefcake with exactly 1 year of post high school education do “medicine” to unsuspecting patients, but say nothing because he “doesn’t trust you”. And after a while, the “world opens up” because the Basic suddenly realizes that he can do slightly more than being just a U-Haul driver (the castrated OC protocols notwithstanding). And what is it exactly that they have in their box, 20 names plus saline bags and a glu-check ?



no offense meant but you seem very bitter. i've dealt with jerk medics in laco and oc. i've worked in hospitals and watched mastered degree'd nurses do the dumbest thing imaginable like give a patient (stepped down from icu to a med surg floor dx of dka) orange juice to raise their blood pressure.you know instead of just giving them a 250 bolus of ns and see how that went. a degree doesn't mean everything.


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## Qulevrius (Dec 4, 2018)

CbrMonster said:


> no offense meant but you seem very bitter. i've dealt with jerk medics in laco and oc. i've worked in hospitals and watched mastered degree'd nurses do the dumbest thing imaginable like give a patient (stepped down from icu to a med surg floor dx of dka) orange juice to raise their blood pressure.you know instead of just giving them a 250 bolus of ns and see how that went. a degree doesn't mean everything.



You know, as someone who worked in a hospital, you should know that giving a DKA pt a NS bolus is counter indicated, because it can drop their BGL too fast. There are dumb people everywhere, but EMS seems to attract them en masse. Not to mention the holier than thou attitudes and the completely uncalled for air of superiority.


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## VentMonkey (Dec 4, 2018)

CbrMonster said:


> i enjoyed working in oc, you just *sit* *there* *keep* *your* *mouth* *shut* and *do* *what* *your* *told* until you are trusted by the medic.


He might be a bit burned on that particular system, but @Qulevrius is spot on. If you’re that kind of “team player” cool, then yes I agree that _their _world opens up to you. Their small, limited fire-based world.

I stand by my OP here re: Hall. These EMT’s up here are responding to a bulk amount of what were once “ALS” calls along with our BLS FD’s- as it frickin’ should be.

They’re learning the full fundamentals of prehospital care without so much ego. A 2-hour drive and _that_ is a whole different world.

FWIW, CARE is pretty much old AMR LA and GG (OC) Ops. Nothing has changed since some of us—including myself—have left, and it’s been _*DECADES*_. I mean honestly? That’s just sad.

It’s still, well California, so you know?...Texas. There, happy, @RocketMedic?


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## CbrMonster (Dec 4, 2018)

Qulevrius said:


> You know, as someone who worked in a hospital, you should know that giving a DKA pt a NS bolus is counter indicated, because it can drop their BGL too fast. There are dumb people everywhere, but EMS seems to attract them en masse. Not to mention the holier than thou attitudes and the completely uncalled for air of superiority.



Far above my pay grade but the patient was not in dka anymore. But was put back in to dka with the orange juice he drank. But I learn something new everyday. I assume fluids saline + d5 would be better.

I will agree that ems attracts a ton of stupid without doubt.

There def is a paragod complex in the air even with emt’s in 911 vs ift companies


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## CbrMonster (Dec 4, 2018)

VentMonkey said:


> He might be a bit burned on that particular system, but @Qulevrius is spot on. If you’re that kind of “team player” cool, then yes I agree that _their _world opens up to you. Their small, limited fire-based world.
> 
> I stand by my OP here re: Hall. These EMT’s up here are responding to a bulk amount of what were once “ALS” calls along with our BLS FD’s- as it frickin’ should be.
> 
> ...



Can completely understand that. Hall is a company I would like to apply for once I have a p card. As far as cars being the old amr not too surprising to hear that considering how many amr employees where onboarded when Care took over their oc and la contracts


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## Qulevrius (Dec 4, 2018)

CbrMonster said:


> Far above my pay grade but the patient was not in dka anymore. But was put back in to dka with the orange juice he drank. But I learn something new everyday. I assume fluids saline + d5 would be better.
> 
> I will agree that ems attracts a ton of stupid without doubt.
> 
> There def is a paragod complex in the air even with emt’s in 911 vs ift companies



For the risk of derailing this thread:

If the pt went back to DKA after a cup of orange juice, it means that the DKA wasn’t corrected to begin with. Orange juice is just a magic bullet with a very short lived effect, but if the pt is NOT euvolemic at step down, then he should remain in the ICU until his fluids balance is corrected. There’s significantly more to the treatment of diabetic emergencies than just giving dextrose or insulin.


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## CbrMonster (Dec 4, 2018)

Sorry not sure how to private message on here: but just for my education sake and I like picking peoples brains for information and to self Improve. 

The patient was in icu and in dka there it was resolved and brought to a medsurg/tele floor for continued care at a lower level. What happened was the nurse was a new grad msn.  And have he patient multiple orange juices like 5-6 of them which sent him back into dka. And consequently back into the icu they went. 

Out of curiousity are you a nurse or what experiences do you have. Not doubting your skills knowledge, just for the asking for the sake of knowing what I can and can’t ask. 

Thanks in advance


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## Qulevrius (Dec 4, 2018)

CbrMonster said:


> The patient was in icu and in dka there it was resolved and brought to a medsurg/tele floor for continued care at a lower level. What happened was the nurse was a new grad msn.  And have he patient multiple orange juices like 5-6 of them which sent him back into dka. And consequently back into the icu they went.
> 
> Out of curiousity are you a nurse or what experiences do you have. Not doubting your skills knowledge, just for the asking for the sake of knowing what I can and can’t ask.
> 
> Thanks in advance



Presently, I’m a Basic with ~5 yrs of street & ED experience. Will have my BSN within ~2 yrs. I’m fortunate to work for a hospital that is small enough to keep everyone busy & have plenty of opportunities for hands-on experience. I also know the sh*t that I don’t know, and constantly ask questions (or read up on any interesting stuff I can find).

You can ask anything. I’m not promising to have an answer, but there are many very experienced folks here with various degrees who will most definitely help out.


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## RocketMedic (Dec 4, 2018)

CbrMonster said:


> Far above my pay grade but the patient was not in dka anymore. But was put back in to dka with the orange juice he drank. But I learn something new everyday. I assume fluids saline + d5 would be better.
> 
> I will agree that ems attracts a ton of stupid without doubt.
> 
> There def is a paragod complex in the air even with emt’s in 911 vs ift companies



DKA does not work like that. It’s actually diagnosed off of ketone levels. The glucose level does correlate, but the ranges themselves are not diagnostic criteria.

WRT Hall, if you’re serious about your craft, you’ve got to get out of LACo. Hall, Liberty Ridgecrest, American, etc...or move further.

FWIW, 90 percent of EMS is the same everywhere. There are things CA does better than TX, and a motivated, intelligent professional can find a way to be successful anywhere. But while y’all are trying to impress Orange County Fire into letting you check a glucose, we’re doing field blood transfusions.


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## Qulevrius (Dec 4, 2018)

RocketMedic said:


> DKA does not work like that. It’s actually diagnosed off of ketone levels. The glucose level does correlate, but the ranges themselves are not diagnostic criteria.



Yup. BGL is just a 1st step, then it’s all about correcting fluids balance, electrolytes balance, acid-base balance, doing follow up labs, checking for infection etc. Lot of work.


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## Virgil (Dec 5, 2018)

Lot of information here, thanks guys.

I will take a closer look at Hall, it would be a drive definitely so I don't know how the commute would work. 

But after hearing the politics of EMS(Specifically SoCal), I am admittedly more apprehensive of where to apply. My main goal is to go to medic school and move out of state to some FD. Maybe Wisconsin or Pennsylvania(or Texas hah). Politics aside, I just want to get my exp in the field and be done with it, so if that means working with some 'holier than thou' medics or some really ****ty company policies, than so be it I suppose.

But thank you for all the responses, I'm sure I will post an update if and when I make a finalized decision on a company.


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## Rano Pano (Dec 5, 2018)

Virgil said:


> Lot of information here, thanks guys.
> 
> I will take a closer look at Hall, it would be a drive definitely so I don't know how the commute would work.
> 
> ...



If by “exp” you mean you just want to get your hours to be *eligible* for medic school then it doesn’t matter what company you work for. If you want the best work experience then the others have already touched on that.


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## Virgil (Dec 5, 2018)

Aye, that's what I meant. Thank you.


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## Jim37F (Dec 5, 2018)

Virgil said:


> I just want to get my exp in the field and be done with it, so if that means working with some 'holier than thou' medics or some really ****ty company policies, than so be it I suppose


Both Care and McCormick will give you "good" 911 field experience that the SoCal medic schools will look for. Both have "good" "high class" areas (Malibu anyone?), both have their ghettos full of GSWs and whatnot.

Never worked with OCFA, but I've heard they're not substantially different from working with LACoFD.... I can tell you the Compton Fire and Redondo Beach Fire guys are pretty cool, easy to work with, whereas LACo is hot or miss, plenty para-gods, "shut up, do what I say" types, as well as squaddies who are chill, expect you to work up to your scope, etc.

Of course, now that I'm in a system where EMS is EMS, and Fire, we're just first responders, no medics at all, after seeing the difference in systems...as much as I enjoyed my time at McCormick and still chit chat with my former coworkers there... I would wholeheartedly support you going up to Kern Co lol


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## Peak (Dec 5, 2018)

CbrMonster said:


> i've worked in hospitals and watched mastered degree'd nurses do the dumbest thing imaginable like give a patient (stepped down from icu to a med surg floor dx of dka) orange juice to raise their blood pressure.you know instead of just giving them a 250 bolus of ns and see how that went. a degree doesn't mean everything.





Qulevrius said:


> You know, as someone who worked in a hospital, you should know that giving a DKA pt a NS bolus is counter indicated, because it can drop their BGL too fast. There are dumb people everywhere, but EMS seems to attract them en masse. Not to mention the holier than thou attitudes and the completely uncalled for air of superiority.





CbrMonster said:


> Sorry not sure how to private message on here: but just for my education sake and I like picking peoples brains for information and to self Improve.
> 
> The patient was in icu and in dka there it was resolved and brought to a medsurg/tele floor for continued care at a lower level. What happened was the nurse was a new grad msn.  And have he patient multiple orange juices like 5-6 of them which sent him back into dka. And consequently back into the icu they went.
> 
> ...



Blood sugar levels have very little to do with DKA. While a very high sugar suggests DKA or HHS/HHNK (among other disease processes), it is more representative of their poorly managed disease state.

The ketoacidosis of DKA is associated a higher need for energy than than can be supplied by glucose in the cells. In most cases we see this in patients who are medication noncompliant or are new diagnosis, but you can have IDDM patients who are on their regular insulin dose but have increased metabolic demand (often from being sick) who aren't getting enough sugar in the cell and also resort to breaking down fat as an additional energy mechanism. Also keep in mind that the presence of ketone bodies on UA can be caused by many pathologies and not exclusively from DKA nor should UA ketones guide DKA management.

DKA can be diagnosed via a plethora testing, and different providers will have various opinions on what is the best combination. In addition to the presence of DM you can test for PH, bicarb, and gasses on an ABG/VBG electrolytes and calculated anion gap on a chem panel, β-Hydroxybutyric acid, and a myriad of other tests.

Since the body is flushing out glucose through their urine patients are often profoundly dehydrated so we often give 20cc/kg up to 2 liters of NS or LR from the beginning. There used to be a large concern that dropping sugars to fast would cause cerebral edema, especially in children, but a recent update in the literature suggests that this may not be as true as we thought [N Engl J Med. 2018;378(24):2275]. Patients are then continued on maintenance fluids, typically at 1.5 times maintenance up to 250 ml/hr; in adults it's not uncommon to see Ns as the maintnece fluid, however in pediatrics and some adult centers they will use the two bag method of D5 and D10 with K (depending on how fast their glucose is dropping).

A core tenant of DKA management  is the administration of insulin at a controlled rate such that the goal BGL drop is between 50-100 mg/dl/hr. Some systems do this by changing insulin rates, although often it is better to change the maintenance fluids instead. Insulin is continued even if the glucose is normal (with an appropriate dextrose containing maintenance fluid) if they still need to close their gap, correct acidosis, or resolve their ketotic state.

We cannot starve our DKA patients into a normal state, in fact starvation leads to ketoacidosis as well which we often see present in alcoholics. In the above example the orange juices would not have caused or worsened DKA, the patient probably needs nutrition anyway but a lack of appropriate insulin could have caused a worsened or new DKA state. In all likelyhood that patient was on a fairly aggressive insulin drip and when transferred to the floor the accepting hospitalist put in a insulin plan that simply didn't provide enough glucose to the cell, either out of insulin resistance (especially prevalent in mixed type diabetes) or increased metabolic demand.

If you have any questions I'm more than happy to answer them. In a former life I was a fire medic on a department that ran our own ambulance, I'm now an ED Charge RN for a tertiary/quaternary referral adult and pediatric hospital and still do some prehospital and transport stuff among other random tidbits.


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## Virgil (Dec 5, 2018)

Jim37F said:


> Both Care and McCormick will give you "good" 911 field experience that the SoCal medic schools will look for. Both have "good" "high class" areas (Malibu anyone?), both have their ghettos full of GSWs and whatnot.
> 
> Never worked with OCFA, but I've heard they're not substantially different from working with LACoFD.... I can tell you the Compton Fire and Redondo Beach Fire guys are pretty cool, easy to work with, whereas LACo is hot or miss, plenty para-gods, "shut up, do what I say" types, as well as squaddies who are chill, expect you to work up to your scope, etc.
> 
> Of course, now that I'm in a system where EMS is EMS, and Fire, we're just first responders, no medics at all, after seeing the difference in systems...as much as I enjoyed my time at McCormick and still chit chat with my former coworkers there... I would wholeheartedly support you going up to Kern Co lol



Much obliged haha, are there any company-specific things I should know about McCormick? I heard PTO is nonexistent, and that you can get "marked" on your record for little things and such. Any truth to those?


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## Qulevrius (Dec 5, 2018)

^ with that being said:

We usually hang 2-3 bags for DKA pts (LR + piggybacked dextrose, KCl, K acetate) plus insulin drip & BG reassessment until their sugar drops down to >200, then they’re cleared for ICU. Additional stuff applies.


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## Jim37F (Dec 5, 2018)

PTO is there, and available at McCormick. I used it a handful of times, basically whenever I had a test, or PAT or interview here at Honolulu Fire, I used a PTO day when I needed to fly out. Which worked out rather nicely for me lol

Obviously you need to request it in advance and get approved first, but just work with the scheduler, dont try to request it the week before  or try to take a month off at once or anything crazy lol

Now there are days that they do discourage calling off. Especially days they expect a lot of people to try and call off (some holidays and even festivals like Burning Man and Stagecoach) they'll have increased points for calling off (get too many points in too short of time, incur discipline, up to termination). 

Now calling off once on a high point day isnt gonna get you fired, but the points are set high to just below discipline thresholds, so if you have a habit of calling off, or tardy or whatev, trying to call off Christmas day, isnt gonna be good... but if you work your assigned shifts, and go thru one of the approved processes to get a day off in advance, you can make stuff work (you can do shift trades if you can find someone willing to work the day you want, in trade of you working one of their shifts, you can work a deal with the scheduler to work one or two open shifts in trade (that ones less guaranteed), request vacation or PTO well in advance, etc

What they're trying to prevent is people calling off "sick" the morning of, because they couldn't find anyone to cover while they go to Coachella (along with half the company doing the same).

It sounds harsher than it is. One of my friends who still works there just did like a week long trip to Japan, I was able to use PTO to go to Honolulu a few times for the FD hiring process here, so time off is quite doable (and pretty much all the 24 hr shifts mirror the fire schedule for their area, mostly LaCo Fires Kelly schedule, some of Torrances 48-96...either way you only work like 10-12 days a month... as long as you work within the system for shift trades/swaps/coverage/PTO/non paid vacation days/etc, it's pretty simple really...heck it was easier at McCormick to get a shift off than my current FD! Lol


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## Virgil (Dec 7, 2018)

That doesn't sound too bad. Hall Ambulance emailed me back today to take their behavioral assessment test, pretty good sign I think!

I'm gonna wait for McCormick's response, but I'm hopeful. Congrats on landing Honolulu btw, sounds like a sweet gig.


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## Qulevrius (Dec 7, 2018)

Virgil said:


> That doesn't sound too bad. Hall Ambulance emailed me back today to take their behavioral assessment test, pretty good sign I think!



Hall has a multi-phase hiring process. Phase 1 is the standard behavioral assessment (if anyone has trouble passing it, then they’re misanthropic sociopaths that have no business working for any company). Phase 2 is an interview with HR (and, consequently, where most fail). If you pass Phase 2, you’ll be scheduled for Phase 3 which is an interview with the VP and, if passed, get a conditional job offer. Phase 4 is your physical, and only then you’re a new hire scheduled for orientation.


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## VentMonkey (Dec 7, 2018)

I don’t have any direct info on their hiring process anymore, specifically for EMT.

I can say that there’s been some shifts in management. I don’t know who does the interviews these days. Chances are I’ve worked with, or directly under them as a (supervisor) subordinate.

Again, I don’t know what steps are past the psych test but if you make it to the next round just be honest and forthcoming. It really is a good place to start, and grow; particularly for basics.

It truly does beat the hell outta any LACo company. Even the “911/ fire call” ones.


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## Virgil (Dec 7, 2018)

Thanks guys, I like that it's a small family run company. 

What percentages of their calls are IFT compared to 911?

Do they usually run with County fire?


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## VentMonkey (Dec 7, 2018)

Virgil said:


> Thanks guys, I like that it's a small family run company.
> 
> What percentages of their calls are IFT compared to 911?
> 
> Do they usually run with County fire?


IFT to 911 ratio for BLS? I don’t know offhand.

Again, the county just restructured the way we prioritize calls. A lot of calls us paramedics would respond to L/S have now been deemed BLS calls until proven otherwise. If ALS is needed they can request an intercept.

I don’t work a whole lot of metro anymore, but will occasionally catch the bleed over from our dispatch on our radios. Either way, EMT’s are really trusted—and expected—to run calls to the best of their judgement and abilities.

Again, if paramedic is a goal of yours, whether it’s short or long-term, you really can’t go wrong here.

And just to pay homage to my pal @LACoGurneyjockey, Liberty Ambulance in Ridgecrest is certainly worth a gander as well.

We run with county and city fire. Both of whom are predominantly BLS. Why does that matter?


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## Virgil (Dec 7, 2018)

VentMonkey said:


> IFT to 911 ratio for BLS? I don’t know offhand.
> 
> Again, the county just restructured the way we prioritize calls. A lot of calls us paramedics would respond to L/S have now been deemed BLS calls until proven otherwise. If ALS is needed they can request an intercept.
> 
> ...



Oh very good, this is all just curiosity on my part. When I decide to go for something, I try to learn as much as I can about it. 

I was looking at Liberty out here in LA County and OC, but I will also check it out in Ridgecrest. 

My next puzzle is if I get the position, how is that going to work logistically. Maybe spend 3 days up there and then 4 down here.


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## Qulevrius (Dec 7, 2018)

Virgil said:


> Oh very good, this is all just curiosity on my part. When I decide to go for something, I try to learn as much as I can about it.
> 
> I was looking at Liberty out here in LA County and OC, but I will also check it out in Ridgecrest.
> 
> My next puzzle is if I get the position, how is that going to work logistically. Maybe spend 3 days up there and then 4 down here.



Liberty Ridgecrest and Liberty in LACo/OC are not the same company, although they have the same name. Last I’ve heard, LR predominantly hires medics and getting on board as a Basic is tough (as in, requires plenty of experience and a few votes of confidence from existing employees). 

Don’t buy into the 911 vs IFT BS. As a Basic with no experience, you want to do the private side for a few months if only to get comfortable with the job; I have, sadly, seen what 911 “exclusivity” does to fresh 20-something y.o. Basics, and it’s disconcerting. 

The info on the hiring process I have, dates some 3 years back; if @VentMonkey says the company had been restructured, then I’d listen to him.


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## Virgil (Dec 19, 2018)

Hall gave me the no-go unfortunately.

But good news, McCormick got back to me with a testing date! It's going to be a written, dummy drag, and a scenario based assessment. I'm pretty excited for it, and am going to be studying pretty hard over the next couple weeks to be at the top of my game.


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## Virgil (Dec 19, 2018)

@Jim37F I thought I'd summon you once more for McCormick info if you please haha. 

I've read all the thread on the FTO processes, etc. but for the initial testing, is this supposed to be NREMT style, or just demonstrate proficiency in the skills? How does that first " block" of testing go usually?(Written, Body drag, scenario)


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## Jim37F (Dec 19, 2018)

Off the top of my head (and it's been 2-3 years since I went thru it myself), the scenario was basically an NREMT medical assessment skill sheet. They might throw in a trauma, or medical w/ trauma to throw you, but basically follow the assessment skill sheet in order, just like in EMT class and you'll be fine. 

Drag test was easy, a weighted dummy, all of 50ft (and then the dummy becomes your patient for the skills scenario)


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## Virgil (Dec 19, 2018)

Jim37F said:


> Off the top of my head (and it's been 2-3 years since I went thru it myself), the scenario was basically an NREMT medical assessment skill sheet. They might throw in a trauma, or medical w/ trauma to throw you, but basically follow the assessment skill sheet in order, just like in EMT class and you'll be fine.
> 
> Drag test was easy, a weighted dummy, all of 50ft (and then the dummy becomes your patient for the skills scenario)



Sounds easy enough, thanks man. I'm a bit nervous for everything but I'm glad to be in the right direction finally.


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## EmergencyMedicalSike (Jan 23, 2019)

Virgil said:


> Sounds easy enough, thanks man. I'm a bit nervous for everything but I'm glad to be in the right direction finally.


Hey man hope you made it through. So they went back to dummy drags for the physical instead of AMR’s PAT process?


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## Virgil (Jan 23, 2019)

EmergencyMedicalSike said:


> Hey man hope you made it through. So they went back to dummy drags for the physical instead of AMR’s PAT process?



My current job got a big contract and they needed my help right before my testing date, so I talked to McCormick and they just told me to reapply when I'm ready since they switched systems for the new year. Oh well, but other good news is that I got a call back from AMR Riverside, so once I am finished getting my Ambulance Drivers cert I'm going in for testing. I have heard nothing but good things about Riverside so I am excited.

Will apply to McCormick again if AMR doesn't work out, for whatever reason. But I have high hopes!


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## EmergencyMedicalSike (Jan 24, 2019)

Nice dude. But did McCormick clarify what they meant by “switching systems for the new year”?


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## Virgil (Jan 24, 2019)

EmergencyMedicalSike said:


> Nice dude. But did McCormick clarify what they meant by “switching systems for the new year”?



They told me that they switched application systems/records coming into the new year, so maybe all applications from the year prior were wiped? 


From what I can deduce, I applied to McCormick back in December and had an initial date set for early Jan, which I had to reschedule. No big deal, but then my work got that contract so I called to reschedule once again(Poor image on my part, and I was very hesitant to even ask). They were nice about it, and said "Well, we switched systems so just apply when you're ready and we'll go from there."

IMO I think they just didn't want to reschedule again or didn't want to have me as a holdover for too long. So they just told me to reapply. I'm not sweating it too much, I just hope I didn't leave a bad reputation for myself.


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## SBEMT (May 4, 2019)

Virgil said:


> @Jim37F I thought I'd summon you once more for McCormick info if you please haha.
> 
> I've read all the thread on the FTO processes, etc. but for the initial testing, is this supposed to be NREMT style, or just demonstrate proficiency in the skills? How does that first " block" of testing go usually?(Written, Body drag, scenario)


@Virgil I test in 2 weeks for McCormick. Any suggestions on what to study for the written test??


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## SBEMT (May 4, 2019)

Jim37F said:


> Off the top of my head (and it's been 2-3 years since I went thru it myself), the scenario was basically an NREMT medical assessment skill sheet. They might throw in a trauma, or medical w/ trauma to throw you, but basically follow the assessment skill sheet in order, just like in EMT class and you'll be fine.
> 
> Drag test was easy, a weighted dummy, all of 50ft (and then the dummy becomes your patient for the skills scenario)


@Jim37F do they make you wait to do the skills scenarios until you pass the dummy drag? Also, any suggestions on specific topics to study for the written test for my Mccormick interview?


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## Virgil (May 6, 2019)

SBEMT said:


> @Virgil I test in 2 weeks for McCormick. Any suggestions on what to study for the written test??


I wouldn't know, I never tested with them.

Oh also, for anyone wondering, the whole reason for the "system shift" is because AMR acquired McCormick and so they switched over to the AMR system just after I applied. AMR system requiring you to have your K4 DMV Printout, a handful of FEMA courses, and your Ambulance Drivers Certificate.


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## Jim37F (May 6, 2019)

SBEMT said:


> @Jim37F do they make you wait to do the skills scenarios until you pass the dummy drag? Also, any suggestions on specific topics to study for the written test for my Mccormick interview?


I don't recall the exact order, its been 3-4 years now, but I believe it was the written test and map test, then a few days/week later was the dummy drag (then I did the scenario on the dummy)  followed by the interview.


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## SBEMT (May 7, 2019)

Thanks!


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## Uclabruin103 (May 7, 2019)

Care pays $15 an hour now...  And I always believe it's one of the better ambulance companies in the area.


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## SBEMT (May 8, 2019)

Jim37F said:


> I don't recall the exact order, its been 3-4 years now, but I believe it was the written test and map test, then a few days/week later was the dummy drag (then I did the scenario on the dummy)  followed by the interview.


Thanks


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