Career Advice

[huynhm129]

I am currently enrolled in an EMR course, and will be attending school for EMT in the fall.

I was just wondering if most people worked as an EMT for a period of time before becoming a full fledged EMT-P, or do they just jump into it the following school year?

From my province's occupational profile for Ambulance attendants, a lot of EMT's working are volunteers. For the paid workers, there is no real information on wages, as they group all ambulance attendants (EMR, EMT and EMTP including the volunteers) together.

I was wondering if anyone could give me any information on the matter of what the best course of action is, as well as how much an emt makes on average.

I am in Alberta.

 

[hurt88]

I think in general most EMT-B fresh out of school will make between minimum wage to maybe $10-12 per hour starting out. Of course all of this depends on your location, overtime, call bonuses, etc....

As for going straight from EMT-B to paramedic classes that is what I am going to be doing. I actually just finished my EMT-B last semester and will be jumping right into medic come fall. What I'm hoping for is a part-time job to get some field experience that will hopefully aid me in the classes coming up.

Just as a bit of advice though and I'm sure you are aware of this, everyone will tell you if your going to school to become an EMT or Paramedic that you don't need to be doing it for the money. If money is what your searching for in your career then look into nursing. I'm taking a nursing entrance exam tomorrow just to see if I can get in an if so then I am switching to that instead. A two year RN program will get you $20 or more an hour right out the door.

 

[huynhm129]

Just as a bit of advice though and I'm sure you are aware of this, everyone will tell you if your going to school to become an EMT or Paramedic that you don't need to be doing it for the money. If money is what your searching for in your career then look into nursing. I'm taking a nursing entrance exam tomorrow just to see if I can get in an if so then I am switching to that instead. A two year RN program will get you $20 or more an hour right out the door.

Oh no I don't plan on doing this for the money, it's just I don't know if I have the funds to jump straight into the Paramedic Program.

I know that RN's and Paramedic's earn roughly the same in Alberta, (~$30 +/- $5 an hour)

 

[Outbac1]

I'm not sure what they pay at ambulance services in Alberta but here on the east coast a PCP(Alberta EMT) makes about $21.00/hr and an ACP(EMT-P) is about $25.00/hr. to start.
In the Alberta oil patch PCPs are getting $300.00+/day and ACPs $600.00 +/day.

Some schools want you to work as a PCP for two years before going to ACP school and others will take you when you've finished PCP school. Only Alberta uses the EMT label. The rest of Canada uses PCP and ACP.

 

[huynhm129]

Would you know anything about Critical Care Paramedics or becoming a Flight Medic?

 

[Handsome Robb]

The local flight service here flies a CCRN and a CCEMT-P. Another one we interact with flies two CCRNs. It all depends on the service your trying to get hired on with.

Not sure about Canadian standards though.

 

[Outbac1]

Here you would need about 5 years experience as an ACP to be considered for a CCP flight spot. Flight nurses need several years ICU and ER experience to be considered.
Here flight RNs make around $35 - 40.00 hr according to the provincial nursing contract and CCPs around $33.00.
If this is your goal it is doable. It is not easy, cheap or quick. It also takes a lot of "WORK". You will get out of it what you put in it. It will probably take 8 - 9 years to be able to work as either.
The sooner you start the sooner you finish.

 

[Canoeman]

Career advise

Well grasshopper

please study hard and put your mind into your hands to do the skills - find a good mentor - and learn from a master - don't just talk the talk - walk the walk

From there your aspirations will find you and take you to where you want to go.

Canoeman

 

[usafmedic45]

becoming a Flight Medic?

-Clinical Experience, we're talking years (often 8-10+ years) of it in a high-volume high acuity prehospital setting. Obscene amounts of in-hospital experience and the credentials that go along with it (RN, RRT, PA-C, etc) also are pretty much going to be more or less required in a lot of markets if you want a fighting chance. Even in my case, with about 16 years of EMS and about 14 years of in-hospital experiences as well as a background in supervision, research, teaching and the other aspects listed below it took a lot of persistence and continuous improvement to get my foot in the door for the service I now work with. I actually suspect somewhat that they interviewed me finally just to get me to stop pestering them. LOL
-Supervisory Experience: Once again, preferably several years of it.
-Education: A lot of services I know folks at more or less expect their applicants to have bachelors degrees.
-Teaching experience: ACLS, PALS, CPR, TNCC, ATLS, EMS courses (EMT/EMT-P), respiratory therapy programs, etc.
-Research experience: It can really help to set you apart in a stack of resumes where all other things are equal. Research publications are pretty much the standard by which this sort of thing is judged.
-Public speaking experience: Speak at conferences, become the PIO for your ground service, etc
-References, etc: Keep a running collection of reference letters, awards, etc. Keep in touch with your references as the years go by.
-One final note: Get rides in helicopters and small fixed wing aircraft (even if it's not an HEMS or air ambulance aircraft) to make sure you have the stomach and ears for this sort of thing. I've known quite a few damn fine providers who were permanently grounded upon realizing they have an intractable tendency towards motion sickness or sinus problems. Also, some people just never get fully comfortable with inherent nature of small aircraft and especially helicopters.