Amr San Diego or United Ambulance?

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shizzle

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I'm not having the easy time finding employment as an EMT-B in San Diego but as of now i have two prospects which are amr and united.

I've tried to find info about United but theres not much online. I know they don't do emergencies/als which is something I'm interested in because I want good experience due to my goals of becoming a paramedic. They seem to mainly do ift.

Does anyone know anything about this company? Is it a good place to gain good experience which would aid in my future goal of becoming a paramedic?

I have not heard anything back from AMR which i had an interview/skills test for last week which i believe went well.
 
Are you stuck in CA?
 
No but i would like to stay here until i finish medic school.

Why do you ask?
 
AMR deffinetly vs "united" there's a few fly by night company's if it's not a large established known name, I wouldn't bother.
 
AMR runs basically all 911 in the City and County of San Diego, with the only exceptions being fire departments and Mercy far in "the sticks." United only does BLS transfers, and most of them are dialysis and wait and returns as they have no contracts with any hospitals. As a basic at AMR, you'll start out as a transfer EMT but most of the transfers are hospital discharges or transfers. After 6 months, you can "bridge" to the 911 side (may be less right now because they're hurting for EMTs on the City side). You can also go to the County side, but there aren't going to be many spots open for a while because AMR is losing their Chula Vista 911 contract per the rumors coming out of the mill. AMR will also pay you through medic school, but you have to sign a 3 year contract. Long story short, if you're trying to further your career in EMS with a lot more opportunities, go with AMR. If you're looking for an easy job where reports can be written prior to you picking up the patient because all calls are basically the same, then go with United. Just my two cents. But coming from someone who has worked in San Diego's EMS system and systems in Texas, if you really want to do stuff when it comes to 911 and medicine, and want actual livable wages, San Diego is not the place to do it. Feel free to PM me with any questions.
 
Also, in regards to you doing medic school in San Diego, then going elsewhere, I most definitely would not recommend going about it that way. San Diego paramedic schools only teach San Diego protocols, and making the move to another county or state will be extremely difficult after that, as you basically have to relearn how to paramedic, and totally learn skills, i.e. RSI. It's doable, as the County has lost close to 20 paramedics to Texas. But if you have a choice, I wouldn't do it that way.
 
BGrant said:
Also, in regards to you doing medic school in San Diego, then going elsewhere, I most definitely would not recommend going about it that way. San Diego paramedic schools only teach San Diego protocols, and making the move to another county or state will be extremely difficult after that, as you basically have to relearn how to paramedic, and totally learn skills, i.e. RSI. It's doable, as the County has lost close to 20 paramedics to Texas. But if you have a choice, I wouldn't do it that way.
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BGrant said:
AMR runs basically all 911 in the City and County of San Diego, with the only exceptions being fire departments and Mercy far in "the sticks." United only does BLS transfers, and most of them are dialysis and wait and returns as they have no contracts with any hospitals. As a basic at AMR, you'll start out as a transfer EMT but most of the transfers are hospital discharges or transfers. After 6 months, you can "bridge" to the 911 side (may be less right now because they're hurting for EMTs on the City side). You can also go to the County side, but there aren't going to be many spots open for a while because AMR is losing their Chula Vista 911 contract per the rumors coming out of the mill. AMR will also pay you through medic school, but you have to sign a 3 year contract. Long story short, if you're trying to further your career in EMS with a lot more opportunities, go with AMR. If you're looking for an easy job where reports can be written prior to you picking up the patient because all calls are basically the same, then go with United. Just my two cents. But coming from someone who has worked in San Diego's EMS system and systems in Texas, if you really want to do stuff when it comes to 911 and medicine, and want actual livable wages, San Diego is not the place to do it. Feel free to PM me with any questions.
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Appreciate the responses. You've definitely made me question my plan of action but im not leaving san diego for at least another 2 years for family reasons.

I actually got a job with care ambulance. Amr put me on their waitlist. Care is mostly ift also. I honestly just want to get the experience time needed to apply to medic school which i plan on applying next year or the year after. It really sucks to keep hearing all these bad the things about paramedicine in san diego because i love living here but its whatever.

If there was a school or two you would choose in SD, what would they be? I hear great thinvs aboug palomar but other than that, not much others. Also, do you think ift prepares you adequately for medic school?
 
shizzle said:
Appreciate the responses. You've definitely made me question my plan of action but im not leaving san diego for at least another 2 years for family reasons.

I actually got a job with care ambulance. Amr put me on their waitlist. Care is mostly ift also. I honestly just want to get the experience time needed to apply to medic school which i plan on applying next year or the year after. It really sucks to keep hearing all these bad the things about paramedicine in san diego because i love living here but its whatever.

If there was a school or two you would choose in SD, what would they be? I hear great thinvs aboug palomar but other than that, not much others. Also, do you think ift prepares you adequately for medic school?
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Completely understand your family situation. And Care is relatively okay. For medic school, while it's definitely possible to pass and excel with IFT experience, it would be good for you to get 911 experience, if only to see if you actually want to do 911. That may sound ridiculous, but I know more than a few paramedics that prefer IFT over 911. But Care is good, as you run with lots of CCT nurses and a good few are willing to teach and help you out; that is actually how I got through pharmacology with a passing grade. However, passing paramedic is very much based upon individual effort.
In regards to medic schools in the area, both Palomar and EMSTA are okay. Southwestern is...I mean, there are good medics that come out of there, but it doesn't really prepare you to be a good paramedic in the field from my experience. Palomar is highly trauma focused per the medics I know that went there. However, if I could recommend a program anywhere in Southern California, I would say UCLA. It is competitively (ish) priced with EMSTA, and they offer a hybrid program that allows you to do a good portion of didactic online, and attend skills.
 
BGrant said:
Completely understand your family situation. And Care is relatively okay. For medic school, while it's definitely possible to pass and excel with IFT experience, it would be good for you to get 911 experience, if only to see if you actually want to do 911. That may sound ridiculous, but I know more than a few paramedics that prefer IFT over 911. But Care is good, as you run with lots of CCT nurses and a good few are willing to teach and help you out; that is actually how I got through pharmacology with a passing grade. However, passing paramedic is very much based upon individual effort.
In regards to medic schools in the area, both Palomar and EMSTA are okay. Southwestern is...I mean, there are good medics that come out of there, but it doesn't really prepare you to be a good paramedic in the field from my experience. Palomar is highly trauma focused per the medics I know that went there. However, if I could recommend a program anywhere in Southern California, I would say UCLA. It is competitively (ish) priced with EMSTA, and they offer a hybrid program that allows you to do a good portion of didactic online, and attend skills.
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I never considered that medics would prefer ift over 911. Why? More chill/less stressful I guess. If SD had more options with employment i would seek 911 experience but honestly i was just thankful that care gave me a shot. I wasn't having any luck with other job prospects. I wasn't told all those details about working with nurses which makes me even more excited to start.

I was just checking out ucla's website and its peculiar that they require applicants to take their prep course which is in-person and costs $800. Kinda turned me off but i am still interested. I got my Emt cert at palomar and fire fighters/medics do instruct the classes so maybe thats why its more trauma focused??? Not sure
 
shizzle said:
I never considered that medics would prefer ift over 911. Why? More chill/less stressful I guess. If SD had more options with employment i would seek 911 experience but honestly i was just thankful that care gave me a shot. I wasn't having any luck with other job prospects. I wasn't told all those details about working with nurses which makes me even more excited to start.

I was just checking out ucla's website and its peculiar that they require applicants to take their prep course which is in-person and costs $800. Kinda turned me off but i am still interested. I got my Emt cert at palomar and fire fighters/medics do instruct the classes so maybe thats why its more trauma focused??? Not sure
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One of the reasons I get frequently is they get to practice medicine more on critical care transports. Another reason why one of my close friends prefers it is how broken 911 systems tend to be in certain areas, including San Diego. But if AMR gives you a call back, I'd definitely give them a hard consider. Depending on where in the county you live, you could even apply with Care in Orange County (not the same Care as you're with) or AMR Riverside in order to get that 911 experience in. But really, starting out, it's great to have IFT experience. Care San Diego holds the Kaiser Hospital contract here. According to employees that I've spoken with, you actually run a lot of legitimate calls. For example, someone can walk into a Kaiser Clinic with a STEMI. They need to be transported out, and often instead of calling 911, they'll call Care and a CCT unit will respond and transport lights and sirens to an appropriate facility.
With the paramedic prep course, that's actually not terrible. All of the medic programs in San Diego require a medic prep course, and I believe I paid ~$500 for mine at EMSTA. So if you can spare the time for it (usually two or three days), I'd definitely do it.
 
FWIW, this is coming from a FF/PM in SDCo. Where you work as an EMT isnt going to be that big of a deal. You can get through medic school without 911 experience. So what. you didnt push a gurney for fire. I would however choose AMR, because when you finish school, you can reclass to medic and have your job. I would do some searches on Care SD, I have heard nothing but awful things. And no CCT medics will not practice more medicine, at least not in SoCal, because outside of HEMS, CC medics dont really exist. As far as medic programs in SD, IMO Palomar is the best, it's mostly taught by FF-PM's from the northern part of the county, and most of those FD's actually give a hoot about EMS. That being said, stay the hell out of LA for medic school, even if the program is good, your internship will not prepare you for life outside of the LA/OC bubble. I spent 10 years as a medic in Riverside County and went to medic schoolthere, have worked in Kern, LA, and SD all as 911 medic. Go to school somewhere else, RCC, Crafton are good choices. Dont waste your money on private schools, not worth it. If you have to stay in SD, Palomar is the way to go. EMSTA isnt a bad school, just way too expensive.
 
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