Americare is Bad

[TRSpeed]

You can't get an EMT job?

And you're being picky at what company you work for?

Even if it SUCKS it's still experience to get you in the door somewhere else.

This!

Don't get too carried away with these posts. Remember nowhere is it perfect especially in a Private ambulance company. There is still a 100 plus people working at Americare, I know some of them and they love it. It just depends who you speak too.

 

[ic3blink]

New EMT

Well the bulk of this thread is rather discouraging. Of all the companies I have applied to over the summer only americare asked me to come in for an interview.

The representative from Americare came to my EMT class along with other private company reps at the near end of the semester. I was really motivated to join with Americare because of the alleged redbull contract

I passed the written test and skills. Got the oral 1:1 interview immediately after. I was told to expect a call two days later if I made the cut.

Two days later I got that call and started making appointments for the medical exam and agility test. I passed those. Next I go to the Carson headquarters to fill out paper work friday August 24th.

I was asked to work 24hour shifts if hired. I'm not sure what the pay is exactly. I was eager to sign with any company that made me an offer at this point. I'm desperate to get experience, I dont care where at this point.

I hope Americare is not as bad as it seems to be. Anyway I'll let you guys know how it is after a couple weeks of employment.

Best of luck to all the other fresh graduates looking for work !

 

[james88]

Well the bulk of this thread is rather discouraging. Of all the companies I have applied to over the summer only americare asked me to come in for an interview.

The representative from Americare came to my EMT class along with other private company reps at the near end of the semester. I was really motivated to join with Americare because of the alleged redbull contract

I passed the written test and skills. Got the oral 1:1 interview immediately after. I was told to expect a call two days later if I made the cut.

Two days later I got that call and started making appointments for the medical exam and agility test. I passed those. Next I go to the Carson headquarters to fill out paper work friday August 24th.

I was asked to work 24hour shifts if hired. I'm not sure what the pay is exactly. I was eager to sign with any company that made me an offer at this point. I'm desperate to get experience, I dont care where at this point.

I hope Americare is not as bad as it seems to be. Anyway I'll let you guys know how it is after a couple weeks of employment.

Best of luck to all the other fresh graduates looking for work !

Good job. Let us know how it goes. I'd read this thread and take it with a grain of salt, most companies aren't prefect, and even though as a whole they can be great companies, if people wanted to say bad things there wouldn't exactly be a shortage of ammo. With this job you get out of it what you put into it.

 

[Amberlamps916]

Seriously, what makes Americare worse than the other 236,461 ambulance companies in LA County?

 

[Jambi]

Seriously, what makes Americare worse than the other 236,461 ambulance companies in LA County?

Nothing. People just like to bash, but they're all the same.

 

[MunchkinMedic]

Seriously, what makes Americare worse than the other 236,461 ambulance companies in LA County?

When I worked there, I had multiple paychecks deposited on a Friday, and come to find out on Monday or Tuesday they had bounced & I was well over $400 in overdrafts since I has bills to pay. I was constantly given rigs that were broken down, and told to just take the rig with the least amount of problems. Management was shady. Our station flooded during heavy rains & had tons of mold growing, and all of us were constantly sick. I was given a gurney that didn't work the way it was supposed to work, I was told to make it work or I could forget about working, and when I brought up the safety issue was suspended. I tried to down our rig due to fatigue (being the only driver on a shift) on a 72 and was told if I didn't run the call I would be fired. Americare is just not a happy place to work.

 

[iftmedic]

Welcome to personal opinion and perception in the world of EMS..............

1. They do not accurately pay their employees.

Then file a complaint with the DOL.

2. HR have intentionally screwed up paperwork.

Such as?

3. For new hires, they do not provide a 3 man after the fact that they promised one. (not too big of a deal if you have been an EMT for a while)

If its not in writing in a binding contract, then it isn't binding (welcome to EMS). Besides, why would you need a 3 person crew for new hires? I could understand a couple of shifts as third, but a new employee can be easily precepted (especially in an IFT environment) with a standard crew configuration.

4. No raises ( I think that's kind of standard)

Again, welcome to EMS. Why would a private for profit entity have an incentive to provide raises to the an EMT when their skills are easily acquired and in plentiful supply?

5. No lunches, No breaks, No down time. At any time. Not just one day here or there. Literally you will be constantly working. ER's have become the new rest stops.

Have I welcomed you to EMS yet? Patient needs are the priority and the business. Your personal wants are not. It is quite easy to be creative in getting a moment or two for your dietary needs (i.e. pack food).

6. They will stack call after call. They disregard patient care and will bully you in hurrying up and at times will coerce you to try to abandon your patient.

Having call after call is a good problem to have for a business. Of course, they will try to hurry you up, your maximum productivity is essential to their business.

7. Their FTO's are a joke. Only a few are actually good.

So what kind of quality improvement can you offer this issue? Can you bring something to the table that will make the situation better?

8. They have violated HIPPA laws and OSHA regulations.

What the heck is HIPPA? I've heard of HIPAA, but not HIPPA. Perhaps you may want to learn the actual name of the law before you spout off how they allegedly are not following it. Also, I am an OSHA consultant and outreach trainer, feel free to inquire about these allegations as well.

9. Dispatch plays favoritism on a regular basis. ( pretty common)

Bienvenido a EMS!

10. They will and always will remind you that you are an AT WILL employee. They will literally have a normal conversation and will insert that line somewhere while talking to you.

As you are, this is a factual statement. Again, at the EMT level, you should be mindful that for every open position, there could be up to 100 applicants. You are disposable.

11. They tell their employees not to steal but do not supply their employees with proper equipment for the job. So the employee has to liberate what he needs.

Such as? If you do not have the required equipment as per your regulatory agency, then you should consider a complaint to them.

12. ALL cabinets are locked and difficult to get into. Some of the supplies are so old that the plastic bags are literally falling apart.

Then replace the supplies if their presence is required. Most things that are locked are difficult to get into, hence the whole locking definition.

13. Most calls are roughly a 30 mile drive so there is alot of traveling and that can be very draining.

Добро пожаловать в ед

14. Mechanics do not do their jobs most of the time. If you break down you are SOL.

Refer to your supervisor for further inquiry to ensure the issue is addressed.

15. They have so much paperwork it'll make you go cross eyed.

Herzlich Willkommen bei EMS

Find another company to work for. It's not worth working for them. I wrote ambiguously but I'm pointing out general issues that were a common practice. There are other things as well. Very petty but I didn't want the list to be any longer.

So while I did lay the sarcasm on pretty thick, my question to you is......................

Have you provided quality input that could improve the situation and work towards a solution or have you just come to gripe on an online EMS forum?

You are not telling anyone here anything we haven't heard before. This is a jacked up industry, occasionally having twisted priorities. But some of it is what it is.

Either be part of the solution, or consider another line of employment. Being part of the problem by *****ing isn't beneficial to anyone, especially you if there are any Americare folks on here (which I believe there is).

By the way, welcome to EMS........................

FlightPM this degree of exceptance to poor working conditions is the reason why its so rampant.. Because at the end of the day its just a god damn exploit, a sham... A transportation company no different than yellow cab. Its absolutely not EMS. And the previous poster is right ...I've worked for AMR and that was EMS ...and it was no were near as bad as Americare that company is outright rotten to the corps..

 

[iftmedic]

Welcome to personal opinion and perception in the world of EMS..............

1. They do not accurately pay their employees.

Then file a complaint with the DOL.

2. HR have intentionally screwed up paperwork.

Such as?

3. For new hires, they do not provide a 3 man after the fact that they promised one. (not too big of a deal if you have been an EMT for a while)

If its not in writing in a binding contract, then it isn't binding (welcome to EMS). Besides, why would you need a 3 person crew for new hires? I could understand a couple of shifts as third, but a new employee can be easily precepted (especially in an IFT environment) with a standard crew configuration.

4. No raises ( I think that's kind of standard)

Again, welcome to EMS. Why would a private for profit entity have an incentive to provide raises to the an EMT when their skills are easily acquired and in plentiful supply?

5. No lunches, No breaks, No down time. At any time. Not just one day here or there. Literally you will be constantly working. ER's have become the new rest stops.

Have I welcomed you to EMS yet? Patient needs are the priority and the business. Your personal wants are not. It is quite easy to be creative in getting a moment or two for your dietary needs (i.e. pack food).

6. They will stack call after call. They disregard patient care and will bully you in hurrying up and at times will coerce you to try to abandon your patient.

Having call after call is a good problem to have for a business. Of course, they will try to hurry you up, your maximum productivity is essential to their business.

7. Their FTO's are a joke. Only a few are actually good.

So what kind of quality improvement can you offer this issue? Can you bring something to the table that will make the situation better?

8. They have violated HIPPA laws and OSHA regulations.

What the heck is HIPPA? I've heard of HIPAA, but not HIPPA. Perhaps you may want to learn the actual name of the law before you spout off how they allegedly are not following it. Also, I am an OSHA consultant and outreach trainer, feel free to inquire about these allegations as well.

9. Dispatch plays favoritism on a regular basis. ( pretty common)

Bienvenido a EMS!

10. They will and always will remind you that you are an AT WILL employee. They will literally have a normal conversation and will insert that line somewhere while talking to you.

As you are, this is a factual statement. Again, at the EMT level, you should be mindful that for every open position, there could be up to 100 applicants. You are disposable.

11. They tell their employees not to steal but do not supply their employees with proper equipment for the job. So the employee has to liberate what he needs.

Such as? If you do not have the required equipment as per your regulatory agency, then you should consider a complaint to them.

12. ALL cabinets are locked and difficult to get into. Some of the supplies are so old that the plastic bags are literally falling apart.

Then replace the supplies if their presence is required. Most things that are locked are difficult to get into, hence the whole locking definition.

13. Most calls are roughly a 30 mile drive so there is alot of traveling and that can be very draining.

Добро пожаловать в ед

14. Mechanics do not do their jobs most of the time. If you break down you are SOL.

Refer to your supervisor for further inquiry to ensure the issue is addressed.

15. They have so much paperwork it'll make you go cross eyed.

Herzlich Willkommen bei EMS

Find another company to work for. It's not worth working for them. I wrote ambiguously but I'm pointing out general issues that were a common practice. There are other things as well. Very petty but I didn't want the list to be any longer.

So while I did lay the sarcasm on pretty thick, my question to you is......................

Have you provided quality input that could improve the situation and work towards a solution or have you just come to gripe on an online EMS forum?

You are not telling anyone here anything we haven't heard before. This is a jacked up industry, occasionally having twisted priorities. But some of it is what it is.

Either be part of the solution, or consider another line of employment. Being part of the problem by *****ing isn't beneficial to anyone, especially you if there are any Americare folks on here (which I believe there is).

By the way, welcome to EMS........................

FlightPM this degree of exceptance to poor working conditions is the reason why its so rampant.. Because at the end of the day its just a god damn exploit, a sham... A transportation company no different than yellow cab. Its absolutely not EMS. And the previous poster is right ...I've worked for AMR and that was EMS ...and it was no were near as bad as Americare that company is outright rotten to the corps..

 

[iftmedic]

FlightPM this degree of exceptance to poor working conditions is the reason why its so rampant.. Because at the end of the day its just a god damn exploit, a sham... A transportation company no different than yellow cab. Its absolutely not EMS. And the previous poster is right ...I've worked for AMR and that was EMS ...and it was no were near as bad as Americare that company is outright rotten to the corps..

Besides he does not seem to be *****ing he's elaborating on his observations. And he's providing a solution he's warning other new EMTs on the possible ambush ...they hire new EMTs and paint a completely different picture.

 

[iftmedic]

All I've ever heard about Americare are horror stories. An FTO from my company was talking with a supervisor from ameri at lunch and an EMT looking for work asked about ameri. The supervisor even said to him not to go there. He wouldn't even recommend his own company! Not only that, my current coworker worked at Americare for only 2 months and would verify all of those things in a heartbeat. Btw, their paperwork seems absurd. 8 pages on why you go code 3 or use an AED. Stacking calls. 24 hour shifts running all day and night no breaks period. He knows he was shorted OT but doesn't even find the hassle worth complaining too. He has been told not to tell anyone that he put in his two week notice to go to another company or his supervisor will call and blacklist him everywhere. Filing a complaint means you are terminated.

Honestly, it sounds like a :censored::censored::censored::censored: hole from everyone I talk to who was and/or is employed there.

I worked there.... Its the worst job ever ...I was happier at Carl's Jr when I was a teenager

 

[Angel]

this thread is over 2 years old...

 

[iftmedic]

this thread is over 2 years old...

Yes it is...

 

[Angel]

:kanye shrug:

 

[iftmedic]

FlightPM this degree of exceptance to poor working conditions is the reason why its so rampant.. Because at the end of the day its just a god damn exploit, a sham... A transportation company no different than yellow cab. Its absolutely not EMS. And the previous poster is right ...I've worked for AMR and that was EMS ...and it was no were near as bad as Americare that company is outright rotten to the corps..

Sorry I meant Core

 

[iftmedic]

Oldie but Goodie

 

[ITBITB13]

OP,
If you want to improve work conditions, find a bunch of employees who feel the same way, (shouldn't be too hard if you work for ameriscare) and talk to a workers union consultant.

That's what's going down where I work. It's going to bring results.
It could do the same for you. Feel free to pm with questions.

 

[iftmedic]

OP,
If you want to improve work conditions, find a bunch of employees who feel the same way, (shouldn't be too hard if you work for ameriscare) and talk to a workers union consultant.

That's what's going down where I work. It's going to bring results.
It could do the same for you. Feel free to pm with questions.

Live better work union

 

[Neverland OC Paramedic]

hey IFT medic...I agree with you about americare and its shady policies.....the owner is like the wizard of oz hiding behind his computer....

 

[BOS 101]

I worked for their san diego chapter, and let me say they are shady as hell.
I tried to keep my head down and out of it, as they treated new people like walking garbage sometimes. But I was not too out of the loop to miss them holding calls so that people didn't get paid night hours. They held one call for nearly a half hour (came in as an emergency medical aid, probably nothing actually emergent but still) on a friends night hours til 2 minutes after the mark so that he didn't get the extra pay. correct me if im wrong but I am pretty sure that is illegal, or at least just crappy. I had heard of medicare fraud and such but investigated no further and left for another job that paid me double wage(a break for once thank bhudda). The management was very ragtag , O and the ops guy came back. Theres a whole hilarious story there but I think I should have the decency to let it go. My FTO had texted and drove the ambulance several times and was a completely unprofessional jerk, but of course a newbie wont get time of day so I was helpless and just had to deal with it.
Although for LA companies supposedly this is par for the course

 

[Rescue One Ambulance]

Come over to rescue one Ambulance....we're small but we pay you what youre owed, we dont try to screw anyone over, plus we make you pay for your LADOT....our unit are in good shape. Its a small company but its pretty neat.