What would get you to quit your current EMS job?

DrParasite

The fire extinguisher is not just for show
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So questions are often raised about what you look for in an employer, but I was talking about my experiences with a former coworker of mine, and the topic came of when I decided I was going to look for another job.

We, in EMS, can often tolerate a lot (poor equipment, restrictive protocols, low pay, etc), for various reasons, but what are your deal breakers?

For example, at my previous non-EMS job, the day my boss started changing my schedule with no prior notice, I knew it was time to find something better (because the new hours and days conflicted with my prior commitments to teach at the local community college)

When I left NJ, it was a combination of my boss telling me I was never going to be able to switch from 5 years of night shift to day shift, and the realization that I would never be promoted to a supervisory position, because I can't be a "yes man."

Does anyone else have deal breakers that would get them to leave their current EMS job, assuming you are happy or happyish there?
 

Denver medic

Forum Ride Along
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It would have to come in the form of a change in culture. Currently we are a very employee driven company with very high standards of medical practice, employee satisfaction, and customer service. If any of these pillars starts to fail causing drift from standards, then it is no longer the company I love working for.

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NomadicMedic

I know a guy who knows a guy.
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I'd leave in a second if my wife would agree to move. As it is, I work for the best of a bad lot.
 

agregularguy

Forum Lieutenant
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I'd leave in a second if my wife would agree to move. As it is, I work for the best of a bad lot.

That's how I felt about MA.. Worked for the best of a bunch of eh companies in the area while I was with my girlfriend of the time. She split, I finished last semester of school and got out of there as fast as possible.
 

AtlasFlyer

Forum Captain
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I'm part-time, paid well, make my own schedule, no complaints. There is no better place near me to be that would match what I have. Others' situations may vary, as I know full well that I'm not at work long enough to get burned out or get annoyed by partners or management. Me, I'm happy. The only way I'd leave is if my husband will agree to move back home to WI where I'm from. Until that happens, I'm stayin' put.
 

GMCmedic

Forum Deputy Chief
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Upper management would have to disregard our safety and force us to do transfers all day and run 911 all night. As it stands they mostly respect that we are 911 service first and that we work 2 hours.

Or if I finally decide to fly.

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Tigger

Dodges Pucks
Community Leader
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I consider leaving all the time but in the end I don't think it's worth it. Our middle management is subpar. They bully the people who actually do the work, cannot embrace progressive medicine, and are just not motivated. Our chief is the opposite, but he lets the captains run the day to day operations. The chief will help me build a lasting career, so it is worth the weekly headaches I think. For now.
 

EpiEMS

Forum Deputy Chief
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You know, as somebody who isn't in EMS full time, I was thinking - what would get me to do EMS full time? I would definitely need better management, equipment, and protocols - and support from management to do the right thing. I don't think I could survive (emotionally) full time in EMS with the quality of EMS management that I experience. Now, if EMS were to go the way of nursing, where we're self regulated and have higher barriers to entry (perhaps unions?), I'd strongly consider jumping over to full time.
 

Aprz

The New Beach Medic
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For me, I have been thinking of doing something else either medically or non medically related. I'm kind of tired of EMS.
 

VentMonkey

Family Guy
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Short of being an administrator (just not my cup of tea), I can't think of any role I haven't enjoyed too much as a paramedic over 8, or so, years of employment at my service.

I wish the retirement was better, but I still can't see myself being anything aside from a paramedic in some capacity until I'm ready to retire, whether it's here or another system. To each there own.
 

Lo2w

Forum Captain
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In general, regardless of EMS or not, the few things that have prompted me to leave past employers were a lack of respect and/or throwing employees under the proverbial bus by management.

At my current gig? The company I work for is a rural based IFT and as a basic the work isn't bad. I'm eyeing a service in Michigan to relocate and will probably get in touch with the recruiter at the end of summer. My current company works pretty well with school schedules, if the other service was able to match I'd throw an application in once I had the money saved to move.
 

Carlos Danger

Forum Deputy Chief
Premium Member
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When I finally decided to leave full time EMS it was because I realized there just wasn't much future in it for me. Very little hope of professional advancement, education, or pay increases.

If I'd worked for a large, well-run organization that provided good pay and benefits and the prospect of decent advancement opportunities and being able to retire at a decent age, I may well have never gone the route that I did.
 

NysEms2117

ex-Parole officer/EMT
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I work EMS part time, and tbh the only reason I do it is to legitimately help my community. I work in LE so everybody always sees me as taking people into jail ruining lives (i work in a city). I wanted to show that i'm actually trying to better my community. I will do EMS part time no matter where I go because I really do like doing it, I just can't do it full time. My hat comes off to folks that can!
 
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DrParasite

DrParasite

The fire extinguisher is not just for show
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Take away my pension benefit.
This was actually a huge one for me as well, as NJ's pension system was grossly underwater, and there was serious discussion that it wouldn't be there for me when I decided to retire.
For me, I have been thinking of doing something else either medically or non medically related. I'm kind of tired of EMS.
What is making you tired of EMS?

and what are you looking to do? starting over is always tough, especially going from a senior paramedic position to an entry level position in ________
I will do EMS part time no matter where I go because I really do like doing it, I just can't do it full time.
That is the same reason I work at the FD. If I did it full time it would be a 14k pay cut (actually 15k, I got a raise last week). I am at the fire department because I enjoy it, and enjoy what I do If i didn't enjoy it, then I wouldn't do it.
 

NomadicMedic

I know a guy who knows a guy.
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I'm actually the opposite. I really like doing it full-time, because working two days a week gives me plenty of time for other projects.

I've come to find out that working in an office five or six days a week just isn't for me. I love being outside, I love being able to fix problems. I like the fact that it's always changing. I like the fact that it makes me think and challenges me.

Now, having said that… I don't particularly like the service I work for. In terms of education it's very backwards. We do a lot of things that are silly and in some cases, dangerous.

So getting me to leave my current job? A director or operations manager position at a progressive service would definitely raise my interest level. As would an education position. However, I would still have to be able to do a fair amount of patient care.

Unfortunately, (Or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) my wife has an excellent practice in Savannah, so we're here for a while. I'm just learning to make the best of it by doing 1000 other things as well.

Of course, I said that working in an office five or six days a week doesn't excite me, but doing it in EMS when I could still run out and back a crew on calls or take a shift in the truck… That's a different story. I have many years of experience in supervisory roles, and I was never the guy who sat behind his desk and kept the door closed.

You need to do two very important things to keep employees happy; you need to appreciate them and you need to listen to them. Even if you can't fix all the problems, if they know that you heard it and understand it, that goes a long way
 
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NysEms2117

ex-Parole officer/EMT
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I've come to find out that working in an office five or six days a week just isn't for me. I love being outside, I love being able to fix problems. I like the fact that it's always changing. I like the fact that it makes me think and challenges me.
I'm the same so i compromised :D!
 

RocketMedic

Californian, Lost in Texas
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"A director or operations manager position at a progressive service would definitely raise my interest level. As would an education position. However, I would still have to be able to do a fair amount of patient care."

That's my primary. I've got two bachelor's degrees and an AAS and I have a lot of opinions, ideas and knowledge that aren't strictly clinical and I want to use that fancy book learning. I want to run somewhere better than I've seen and worked under and I want to teach people right so that they're not set up for failure.

My secondary is...a deep sense of mediocrity here. I mean, I enjoy what I do as a paramedic. I love the adrenaline rush, the autonomy, and helping people. I love the job, but I hate the lifestyle. As it stands now, there are a few main reasons I would leave my current employer:

1) I get caught up in my employer's practice of blaming people and writing them up for being human. If you are sick, have a family emergency, anything, you are getting a write-up. Projectile vomiting, can't come in, plenty of PTO/sick time? Write-up for calling off. On-duty injury requiring hospitalization? Write-up. Family member in the ED, can't come in because of Reasons Involving Important Personal Moments? Write-up. I worked sick with bronchitis and was miserable, unsafe to patients and barely able to function because breathing was hard and coughing was frequent, plus the nausea and fever, but I want a good performance evaluation and exposing immune-compromised people to my raging infection is less important than a raise apparently, because I was told by the supervisor that calling off sick would result in a write-up and the use of the progressive discipline system. Also, apparently it's my fault for getting sick, because no one in healthcare has ever been exposed to pathogens.
Incidentally, the next time I am ill, I am going to personally demonstrate that illness to everyone with a hand in making that asinine policy. If it's good enough for patients, why not admin?

2) Schedule change: I can deal with long hours, in slower systems. This is not a slow system. Our UHU is around 0.6 as a system, which is insane for 24-hour shift work. At our 'core' stations, we average UHUs of 0.7, and sleep is a luxury at best. The company culture is that this is acceptable. In my professional, educated and career-oriented opinion, it is not. I am currently working a 12-hour peak truck and love it. If I were forced to a 24 in this system, I would go somewhere else that is either slower or lets me run 12s. If I can work with school, I'm OK with it, but I am not going to sacrifice school for work anymore.

3) Boredom: I really do feel like I've mastered a lot of 911 EMS, and I am pretty good at it. Part of me is ready for new challenges, and I do miss CCT work. if the right opportunity came along in the short- or mid-term, I might be tempted to leave. This also goes for money. If I get an opportunity to work the same or less and make a significant amount more without moving in the short term, I'd probably take it, particularly if it was something 'different' but still fun.

4) Opportunity for Real Development: I want to do something new, novel and different and I think that I want to do something that really comes "next", especially in terms of leading something. I can actually see myself running a hospital or something. The financial imperative is a good thing to mention here too. I would leave my employer and stay local for a decent raise, even in the same job. This job does not want me in a developed capacity, they want me to show up, run calls and agree with them.

5) Houston is a swampy swamp of swampiness and I miss nice places. Once school is complete, we will likely move somewhere nicer.
 
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