BEST EMS Job/Agency in 2019?

[ExpatMedic0]

Inclusion Criteria: Official EMS agency which hires paramedics and or EMT's nationally or internationally
Exclusion Criteria: Cannot be "dual role" such as HSE and Paramedic or Fire Fighter and Paramedic or police officer and paramedic. Must be exclusive EMS.

Based Upon
1. Pay
2. Benefits
3. Schedule
4. Work environment
5. Location of job


And.... GO!

 

[Tigger]

Aren't all of those things sort of personally dependent? I have excellent benefits, a fire pension, the 48/96 schedule that I desire, and it it's located where I need my job to be. Pay is on the high end of local. Excellent equipment, staffing, minimal forced OT, good promotional opportunities and the ability be on the ground floor of a growing department.

So do I have the best job in the country? Doubt it. But it's pretty much the best for me.

 

[ExpatMedic0]

Yeah, that does sound pretty sweet! And yes, it's a very subjective thread, but hopefully enlightening ;-)

 

[Tigger]

I getcha. I really like where I'm at, but I think it's more of my mindset and goals that make it that way. We aren't Sussex, we aren't KCM1, we aren't Denver Health. We're a suburban fire district that does EMS pretty darn good, but we aren't ever gonna be mecca status.

 

[DrParasite]

We're a suburban fire district that does EMS pretty darn good, but we aren't ever gonna be mecca status.

pretty darn well, not pretty darn good. if you are describing how your agency does EMS you should be using the adverb, not the adjective.

And I agree, there is no "best EMS job" because every agency has their own advantages and disadvantages, and each person has their own desires and hard stops. a 48/96 doesn't appeal to me at all, because I think a 48 hour shift is both potentially dangerous and just not good, which is why many of the busier agencies are transitioning from 24s to 12s; but there are plenty of slower places that still do 24s, 48s, or even 72s.....

It really boils does to does a job offer you the 5 things that you are looking for.... and then, how well do you fit in with the agency's culture, because if the job is awesome but you don't mesh well with their corporate culture, it won't be a pleasant experience, regardless of if you are an awesome medic or not.

 

[RocketMedic]

Definitely not the place that mandatory-overtimes a paramedic onto a wheelchair van. That’s right, steals a day off on 24/48s to be a wheelchair van driver.
That is not a best employer.

 

[GMCmedic]

I get paid way to much money to ride in a fairly spacious dual engine aircraft with a great saftey record (as a company). Its also 15 minutes from home, with coworkers that Ive known for years prior to coming here, its a kelly schedule (which I prefer), and virtually endless education opportunities.

I won't say were the best in the business, there a things I believe we do better, and there are things I think our competitors do better.

 

[Tigger]

Definitely not the place that mandatory-overtimes a paramedic onto a wheelchair van. That’s right, steals a day off on 24/48s to be a wheelchair van driver.
That is not a best employer.

Continuing to post the same line over and over again does not seem likely to fix your current situation.

 

[DrParasite]

Definitely not the place that mandatory-overtimes a paramedic onto a wheelchair van. That’s right, steals a day off on 24/48s to be a wheelchair van driver.
That is not a best employer.

So why are you still there? Not to sound too obvious, but you sound miserable, and it sounds like a crappy place to work. And not for nothing, but if I was a medic, and I was mandated to work a wheelchair van on my day off, I'd respectfully turn it down, because I had already started drinking when they called me. Or I was out of town and not returning for another day.

I'm not going to say the grass is always greener elsewhere, but I moved 500 miles for a new job, and that job sucked. You're a medic in a nation that has a so-called shortage. What is stopping you from finding a better job elsewhere, one where you don't get mandated on your day off to man the wheelchair van?

 

[RocketMedic]

So why are you still there? Not to sound too obvious, but you sound miserable, and it sounds like a crappy place to work. And not for nothing, but if I was a medic, and I was mandated to work a wheelchair van on my day off, I'd respectfully turn it down, because I had already started drinking when they called me. Or I was out of town and not returning for another day.

I'm not going to say the grass is always greener elsewhere, but I moved 500 miles for a new job, and that job sucked. You're a medic in a nation that has a so-called shortage. What is stopping you from finding a better job elsewhere, one where you don't get mandated on your day off to man the wheelchair van?

$ for airline tickets to find a better job. That’s pretty much the only reason I can think of. At least I’m on a 911 shift today so I haven’t been wheelchaired.

 

[FiremanMike]

I know I'm going to get nailed for this, but for the most part the "best" EMS jobs are with fire departments. Highest pay, best benefits, generally 24/48. Work environment depends entirely on your crew/partner, so those things can change.. You may or may not want to ever fight fires, but if you can make it through the fire academy and probation, very few folks would argue with you if you said "I want to ride the medic, you guys can have my fire truck spot".

 

[DesertMedic66]

I know I'm going to get nailed for this, but for the most part the "best" EMS jobs are with fire departments. Highest pay, best benefits, generally 24/48. Work environment depends entirely on your crew/partner, so those things can change.. You may or may not want to ever fight fires, but if you can make it through the fire academy and probation, very few folks would argue with you if you said "I want to ride the medic, you guys can have my fire truck spot".

This all depends on what you view and value. It’s not entirely about pay and benefits. Those play a part. I know a lot of firefighters who hate the job but like the money and benefits.

For instance my best agency would have decent pay/benefits, good schedule, very little political BS, progressive protocols, active medical directors, supportive management, built in safety nets, great continued education, no forced OT or forced hold-overs, and several other items. In CA there aren’t many, if any, fire departments that have more than 3-4 of these items.

 

[FiremanMike]

This all depends on what you view and value. It’s not entirely about pay and benefits. Those play a part. I know a lot of firefighters who hate the job but like the money and benefits.

For instance my best agency would have decent pay/benefits, good schedule, very little political BS, progressive protocols, active medical directors, supportive management, built in safety nets, great continued education, no forced OT or forced hold-overs, and several other items. In CA there aren’t many, if any, fire departments that have more than 3-4 of these items.

The dude's #1 and #2 were pay and benefits

 

[captaindepth]

For instance my best agency would have decent pay/benefits, good schedule, very little political BS, progressive protocols, active medical directors, supportive management, built in safety nets, great continued education, no forced OT or forced hold-overs, and several other items. In CA there aren’t many, if any, fire departments that have more than 3-4 of these items.

Working off of the list above, Denver Health Paramedics sounds like it would be a great fit AND they are currently recruiting paramedics.
The Denver Health Paramedic Division is a hospital based system, 911 only (NO IFTs), 120,000+ calls a year, four 10 hour shifts a week with staggered start times between 0500-2100hrs, good pay (I think minimum starting is around $23/hr and max is around $35/hr), amazing benefits and more specifically the medical plans are awesome (I pay something like $160.00/month for a family of four), the protocols may not be the most *progressive* but they fit the system perfectly and we very much function independently in a high volume system, command staff (management) is well structured, organized, and overall very pro employee/street crew satisfaction, We have a medical director as well three associate medical directors (medical direction team) with yearly EMS fellows (EM residents specializing in EMS) who go through the paramedic field training program and develop trainings for the division, an entire EMS education department which runs an EMT and P-school but is also responsible for Denver Fire Departments EMS education/training, there is also ALL of the C.E. opportunities available throughout the rest of the hospital, NO FORCED OT but there is an ample supply of OT if desired (this includes not only street shifts but also special events such as Broncos and Rockies games), there are certain shift times that are at higher risks for "late calls" but generally we get brought back to the garage 45 minutes prior to our clock out time, and finally there are a lot of alternative to working "just street shifts" such as working at Denver International Airport, Englewood (12 hour shifts in a fire station), Wild land fire deployments, QA team, HIT team, educational instruction opportunities, and more....

Its a great place to be a paramedic. Its fast paced, high volume, no BS EMS system. We are part of one of the best Level I trauma centers in the country and regularly get to meet with the trauma surgeons. The paramedic division is the tip of the spear in the city and county of Denver and we stand shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the first responders in the city.

If you or anyone else is interested in applying shoot me a message. I am not ashamed to admit there is a recruitment bonus and I don't see the downside in sharing that. If you want a chance to work for a great EMS system I will help you get a foot in the door.

https://denverhealthparamedics.org/

 

[DesertMedic66]

Working off of the list above, Denver Health Paramedics sounds like it would be a great fit AND they are currently recruiting paramedics.
The Denver Health Paramedic Division is a hospital based system, 911 only (NO IFTs), 120,000+ calls a year, four 10 hour shifts a week with staggered start times between 0500-2100hrs, good pay (I think minimum starting is around $23/hr and max is around $35/hr), amazing benefits and more specifically the medical plans are awesome (I pay something like $160.00/month for a family of four), the protocols may not be the most *progressive* but they fit the system perfectly and we very much function independently in a high volume system, command staff (management) is well structured, organized, and overall very pro employee/street crew satisfaction, We have a medical director as well three associate medical directors (medical direction team) with yearly EMS fellows (EM residents specializing in EMS) who go through the paramedic field training program and develop trainings for the division, an entire EMS education department which runs an EMT and P-school but is also responsible for Denver Fire Departments EMS education/training, there is also ALL of the C.E. opportunities available throughout the rest of the hospital, NO FORCED OT but there is an ample supply of OT if desired (this includes not only street shifts but also special events such as Broncos and Rockies games), there are certain shift times that are at higher risks for "late calls" but generally we get brought back to the garage 45 minutes prior to our clock out time, and finally there are a lot of alternative to working "just street shifts" such as working at Denver International Airport, Englewood (12 hour shifts in a fire station), Wild land fire deployments, QA team, HIT team, educational instruction opportunities, and more....

Its a great place to be a paramedic. Its fast paced, high volume, no BS EMS system. We are part of one of the best Level I trauma centers in the country and regularly get to meet with the trauma surgeons. The paramedic division is the tip of the spear in the city and county of Denver and we stand shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the first responders in the city.

If you or anyone else is interested in applying shoot me a message. I am not ashamed to admit there is a recruitment bonus and I don't see the downside in sharing that. If you want a chance to work for a great EMS system I will help you get a foot in the door.

https://denverhealthparamedics.org/

Thanks for the heads up on that department. If I ever move to CO I will keep it in mind. Right now I have a pretty sweet HEMS gig in CA which lines up with the majority of what I want.

 

[NomadicMedic]

I did a phone interview with Denver Health. I couldn't convince my wife that Denver was a good idea.

There's lot of places that are good. I know several with great pay but an absolutely toxic culture in the department. I know of some with lousy pay but people line up to work there. The idea is to identify where you want to live and then search for a job around there.

Lots of people aren't fans of PA, but where we live and what we do are just about perfect for my wife and I. It's certainly not a progressive state for EMS and overall for providers the pay isn't great ... But my service gives me lots of freedom to do what I'm interested in, compensates me well and doesn't micromanage any aspect of my position. That's a 100% win for me.

And if you want to come work for an agency that's in the rebuilding stages in central PA, drop me a note. (Medics on single providers squads!)

 

[captaindepth]

Happy wife, happy life... right? A lot of people are concerned about the cost of living here in the Denver Metro area but its definitely doable. My wife is an elementary school teacher, I'm a medic (and I refuse to work OT due to the work/life balance thing) and we are able to own a home in the city in a decent neighborhood and live comfortably. The math is different for everyone and living comfortably means different things to each individual. We can't afford a super nice RV, or a big speed boat, or a brand new F150, but we are able to enjoy summers, vacations, camping, fishing, and a nice meal out without doing the math on the spot. I grew up in the bay area and I have friends and family that think the cost of living in Denver is a bargain, it's all about perspective.

 

[RocketMedic]

+1 on the work/life balance. I am very over 24-hour shifts.

 

[VentMonkey]

Medics on single providers squads!

Interesting, all paramedics? Would you mind elaborating on here for the masses?

I’m in the same boat as @captaindepth. My work/ life balance could not be better. And as you and others have said, picking a place where you don’t mind living is probably more important than finding your dream agency or unicorn system. I call it adulting.

We don’t live lavishly or extraordinarily outside of our means, but still have enough to enjoy life without constantly worrying about our finances.

I’ve never understood people’s desires to live above, and/ or even beyond their paycheck. I guess that’s the perceived “American dream”...debt.

 

[DrParasite]

+1 on the work/life balance. I am very over 24-hour shifts.

I'm not... to be honest, I love the idea of 24 hours shifts, particularly on a 24/72 schedule. The corollary is you need to have enough units where you aren't doing standup 24s, and have enough units to handle the "routine" volume, without using all available resources. But that would also require EMS administrators to get away from the thinking that an ambulance not on a run isn't worth having, because it isn't making money or answering calls.

Highest pay, best benefits, generally 24/48.

all true things (24/72 is even better), but many departments are less than stellar EMS providers, because

very few folks would argue with you if you said "I want to ride the medic, you guys can have my fire truck spot".

Your department seems like an exception to this, but most EMS units get ran into the ground, at least compared to their suppression counterparts. Many of those FFs want to be FFs, they have no desire to do EMS, and if the ambulance (and EMS runs) went away tomorrow they wouldn't miss it. In fact, if they missed a few EMS runs because they were on a detail, oh well, but if they missed a structure fire or a rescue assignment... the guys wouldn't be happy. If it's your week to be on the ambulance or you are on an EMS run, and you miss a fire in your first due because you are tied up on a respiratory call, you will be unhappy. Again, maybe not your department, but most people who I have spoken to.

If your overall runs for your department are 80% EMS, yet you don't have as many ambulances in service as you have engines, than EMS isn't your priority, because it's not funded properly (and the powers that be would rather bandaid an understaffed EMS system with FD first responders, but that's another topic).

When you look at pay, you also need to look at location. I hear SoCal FF/PMs make 100,000k easily before OT.... but when a 2 BR 2bath single family house costs $750,000, guess where much of your salary is going to? compare that to making $15-30 an hour in NJ, but if a house costs less than 300k.... in an expensive place like denver or NYC, where they have higher than average salary, but when you factor in cost of living, it might not be as appealing.

BTW, I am liking most of NC. Not perfect, but very little mother may I in my area. The busier places are going to 12s, but some 24s still exist. But it all depends on what you are looking for in an agency. And the taxes are much lower than the NY metro area.