I have heard from many people that a paramedic career has a high burnout rate. Is this true? Why?
I understand that after a certain age, I will most likely be unable to do the physical duties required but is there something else? Is it just THAT stressful?
I'm only 19 right now, so being awake and working long shifts don't faze me at the moment. I'm sure that'll change if/when I get a family to support. Are you away from them for that long?
Would you say that this is really a career? Sorry for the amount of questions, any help is highly appreciated. Cheers!
This is how it went for me, and likely a lot of others:
Being an EMT seems like a cool job. At first, you're happy to get hired anywhere, for any salary, even if it's just interfacility txp. After getting the first job. you want to get into 911. At first, it's exciting to be "doing it" out in the field. After a while, the low pay and mostly non emergent cases of 911 abuse begin to wear on you. So, you get your paramedic cert. That's fun for a while, and it may be a liveable wage depending on where you live. Add a couple of years to that, and it's back to square one. The pay is enough to pay the bills plus a little extra if you OT or per diem work every week. You get tired of getting woken up night after night for frivolous calls. You now have five+ years on the job, and are starting to think about longevity and career advancement. Odds are, you haven't been promoted to anything above a field provider. The problem is, you're basically in a dead end job. There are some FTO positions in some places, but the opportunities for career advancement, and with that a liveable wage (maybe) are few and far between, and are subject to cronyism and nepotism more often than not.
Basically, you get five to seven years in, and you want to better yourself, and possibly get off the road at least in part. There aren't too many people who want to work on an ambulance for 25-35 years straight. The opportunities to get off the road are rare. In EMS, there is generally little opportunity for career advancement, or lateral opportunities into other divisions within the department. You may get into dispatch, or support services, but that's about it. EMS departments can be quite clicky, and you have to be connected to get a supervisor position. Also, most places outside of municipal EMS don't have pensions. If you're only making enough money to pay the bills, how are you going to save enough for retirement with just a 401k or 403b?
That's the appeal of fire based EMS departments. You get a liveable wage, good benefits, a pension, a career ladder with regular promotional tests (in medium to large sized departments), and opportunities to lateral over or promote into other areas, such as fire investigations, Hazmat, TROT, maybe USAR, Life Safety, EMS training, Fire Academy training, Safety Officer, EMS Captain (supervisor), etc. There are many ways to go other than EMT> medic> supervisor (rare) or lateral to dispatcher or support services. That's pretty much it for most places.
The problem with fire based EMS, depending on the department or region, is that EMS may be underfunded, and you may work with people who only got their EMT or medic to get the fire job. It's a tradeoff. If the fire department doesn't embrace EMS, it's a decision between working with people who are focused and serious about EMS, for lower pay, an inferior retirement, and no career ladeer, or the opportunities in the FD, with a disappointing, non aggressive EMS arrangement with apathetic co-workers.
The other problem is, if you don't have a degree that allows you to get out of EMS if you choose, you'll eventually be stuck for life. The money's just good enough not to quit, even if that includes OT to pay the bills, and you lack the job skills to make that much anywhere else. The ones who are more ambitious will use an EMS job to pay some bills while they get a degree and then move on to greener pastures.
