OVERTIME/FULL TIME Private Ambulance hours

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Matthemedic

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Im curious on how many hours people are getting when working full time for private ambulances here in San Diego as an EMT-B.
 
I'm a little north of San Diego but I can tell you it is going to vary greatly depending on the area in San Diego and the company (some companies are very strict on how many hours you can work)
 
DesertEMT66 said:
I'm a little north of San Diego but I can tell you it is going to vary greatly depending on the area in San Diego and the company (some companies are very strict on how many hours you can work)
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Im just trying to figure out if I can even live in SD on a EMT salary. I will be working full time 9-10$ an hour, was curious to see what some people were working.
 
The places I know of in SD will work you 12hr shifts 3/4 days a week, or 24s 10 days a month.
Where I'm at we work 96hrs one week 72 the next, but Kern county might be a little drive...
Until I started working at my current job I always had at least a full time and part time job, and was pushing 70hrs a week on 12s. That was the only way I could make a living on $9/hour.
 
From what I know, BLS services in SD have no shortage of employees and generally dont schedule people for OT.

A lot of SD emts work second jobs or burn up loans
 
LACoGurneyjockey said:
The places I know of in SD will work you 12hr shifts 3/4 days a week, or 24s 10 days a month.
Where I'm at we work 96hrs one week 72 the next, but Kern county might be a little drive...
Until I started working at my current job I always had at least a full time and part time job, and was pushing 70hrs a week on 12s. That was the only way I could make a living on $9/hour.
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I currently work as an EMT in San Diego and am doing alright only working one job. I work on a 3 on and 4 off rotating schedule and usually pick up at least one shift of OT on my short week.
 
CodeBru1984 said:
I currently work as an EMT in San Diego and am doing alright only working one job. I work on a 3 on and 4 off rotating schedule and usually pick up at least one shift of OT on my short week.
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Define "alright". When I was 18 working as an EMT making 8.50/hr I worked a ton of over time and thought I was doing "alright". I also lived at home and had very little actual bills. 9/hr equates to about 20k a yr give or take.
 
I am able to pay my rent, my bills, and have a little left. Granted I started out at 10.00/hr which is what the more reputable companies will start their new hires at.
 
Keep in mind you might be staying at 10 an hour if you remain with the same company for a while. If you have to have overtime to pay the bills and have left over, then the answer would be no you wouldn't be alright. It is never good to rely on the overtime, it can go away at the drop of a hat if the employer decides to hire more people to properly staff the company for the work they have. At a couple of companies I worked at in SoCal there were EMTs that relied on the overtime and when it went away they were left with bills they couldn't afford. Overtime should be used more for beefing up savings, paying for a vacation, or buying something that doesn't have monthly payments. But this is my opinion and observations.
 
luke_31 said:
Keep in mind you might be staying at 10 an hour if you remain with the same company for a while. If you have to have overtime to pay the bills and have left over, then the answer would be no you wouldn't be alright. It is never good to rely on the overtime, it can go away at the drop of a hat if the employer decides to hire more people to properly staff the company for the work they have. At a couple of companies I worked at in SoCal there were EMTs that relied on the overtime and when it went away they were left with bills they couldn't afford. Overtime should be used more for beefing up savings, paying for a vacation, or buying something that doesn't have monthly payments. But this is my opinion and observations.
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This is why I am looking to leave SD, and hopefully (if all goes well) I will be in the next few weeks! :) I should also clarify that we have OT built in to our current schedules as it is (I work 12hr shifts), so even without picking up an additional OT shift on my short week, I am still able to make ends meet.
 
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While it is OT. I assumed you were talking OT shifts which is different then getting paid for the hours you normally are working. It's not OT to me until it is not your regular tour of duty. Good luck with moving. EMS is better outside most of SoCal.
 
luke_31 said:
While it is OT. I assumed you were talking OT shifts which is different then getting paid for the hours you normally are working. It's not OT to me until it is not your regular tour of duty. Good luck with moving. EMS is better outside most of SoCal.
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Ah... Yeah, I still try to pick up an OT shift on my short week aside from the regular OT that is built into my regular tour of duty. Thanks for the the good luck... I'll need it! :)
 
OT is nice, but you should never rely on OT to pay your bills, because it can disappear at a moments notice
 
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