Central Cal EMS

[Outskies]

Thanks for the info on the south side! Imperial looks pretty prosperous.

Any one here know the starting pay at American in Fresno/Kings for Medic?

 

[Angel]

Any one here know the starting pay at American in Fresno/Kings for Medic?

Also I got called for an interview, she said they're hiring full time and work (4) 12s a week.
I'm interested but the pay is a big concern because I would be uprooting myself from the Bay Area and moving by myself.
If anyone has any updated info I'd appreciate it!

Thanks

 

[Outskies]

My app got declined due to not having a CA license. So now I am currently going through the red tape.
@Angel let me know what the interview is like please. Maybe I can catch the next hiring process. Good luck!!!

 

[CentralCalEMT]

I asked my buddy who works for Fresno American. He said the interview questions are pretty typical with no curve balls really. He also stated that starting pay there he believes is around $12.50 for 12 hour shifts with no paramedic experience. He also said a lot of times you are on split shifts when you are new. (example, two days you work 1000-2200 and two days you work 1800-0600) Sometimes you work this schedule for months, but it is not that bad once you are used to it. They are pretty busy as well.

 

[Angel]

That's what I was afraid of....it's a 3 hr drive to Fresno and they may not combine interview, skills and written test for me in which case I'm not sure I will be going. I have another interview at a local company which pays the same, and granted isn't all 911 but I know they have decent and high acuity "scene" calls (nursing home to er) so I am a bit torn as to what to do....

Outskies is your application processing? Maybe they can work something out to where you can still go through the process along log as you have your license before you start? Some places (riggs (another round of hiring in sept)) do that...

 

[Outskies]

Are you kidding me?! $12 hourly rate for 12's. Wow that sounds miserable. I'm at almost $17 for 12 hour rates. Ugh idk if I could do that at all.
Yeah I talked to the HR lady (isn't helpful on any level btw) and even called the HR Director with the same answer, "You have to have the CA license NO EXCEPTIONS". Pretty lame.
Does any one here know how much Riggs starts off with pay?
Angel Riggs might be worth the 480hr field training lol.
I've been keeping in touch with Pistoresi but their turnover is very low and they just took on 2 medics right out of school last month. I guess I will have to try Sierra. Probably the same story as Pistoresi.

 

[CentralCalEMT]

Sierra and Pistoresi are both really good companies that get lots of applications. I do not know anyone currently at either but I do know some people who used to work for both, and they all spoke highly of both companies. Sierra also has low turnover and they start everyone out as part time and you have to work yourself into a full time position.

What you could do is start with a Tulare County company and get some experience there while you wait for openings. Tulare is a CCEMSA county just like Fresno and Madera counties so your card is equally good in all those counties. It is easiest to get hired in Tulare County. You are allowed in that system to work for multiple companies, so work for the Tulare County company full time while waiting for openings or working part time/per diem at your 1st choice company whether it is Pistoresi, Sierra, Sequoia Safety Council, etc. Then, when you get offered full time at the company that is your 1st choice, take it. You will all ready be used to working under the same CCEMSA protocols and your transition will be smooth.

 

[Angel]

Lol outskies I was just thinking the same thing about riggs! From a guy I talked to they pay 20 an hour 4-12s a week (so 48 Every week) and OT after 40. I know they are super busy and run lots of trauma. I have a bunch (4) apps in with AMR and remsa so if those fall through I'm definetly going to consider for sept. the fto bit will suck (or maybe it won't), but then again it doesn't have to be forever.

12.50 as second job till something better comes along isn't terrible, but I just can't justify moving that far away for it when something is closer and I can keep the job I'm at now to help off set the costs. I just want to start getting some experience so I'm a bit more marketable but it's more challenging than I thought.

Also I think it's an insult to pay medics that low RNs and even LVNs wouldn't settle for that junk.

Sierra and Pistoresi are both really good companies that get lots of applications. I do not know anyone currently at either but I do know some people who used to work for both, and they all spoke highly of both companies. Sierra also has low turnover and they start everyone out as part time and you have to work yourself into a full time position.

What you could do is start with a Tulare County company and get some experience there while you wait for openings. Tulare is a CCEMSA county just like Fresno and Madera counties so your card is equally good in all those counties. It is easiest to get hired in Tulare County. You are allowed in that system to work for multiple companies, so work for the Tulare County company full time while waiting for openings or working part time/per diem at your 1st choice company whether it is Pistoresi, Sierra, Sequoia Safety Council, etc. Then, when you get offered full time at the company that is your 1st choice, take it. You will all ready be used to working under the same CCEMSA protocols and your transition will be smooth.

 

[CentralCalEMT]

Yeah with all these supposed "openings" everywhere I was shocked at how hard it is to actually get a paramedic job. The reason I ended up in Tulare County was it is the first one to call me back and offer me a job after my interview lol. I knew nothing about the county, but just needed a job and it sounds like a lot of new medics are in that same boat.

Just remember if either of you, or anyone else reading this, do come to the central part of the state, the cost of living is less. I make around $14 after a year here, but my company has 48 hour shifts and OT is available so I am not in the $12.50 club. However, the lower pay that is offset by the fact things are cheaper here than in NorCal or SoCal. My 4 bedroom house on a quiet dead end street costs me $1250 a month compared to $2,000 for the mediocre apartment I had when I lived in LA. It is all about finding the balance of experience, schedule, location, cost of living, etc. that will make you happy and it is definitely a crummy process.

 

[BeachMedic]

AMR Santa Cruz is about to have massive turnover come August. We've already hired a ton of new people this year. If you're looking for a busy dual-medic 911 system by the beach you can apply here.

 

[Angel]

why is that? are they union? whats hours and pay? ive applied to 3 or 4 amr positions and havent heard anything yet its a slow process i guess. why do they run dual medic? i figured amr was all medic/emt. how are the protocols?

AMR Santa Cruz is about to have massive turnover come August. We've already hired a ton of new people this year. If you're looking for a busy dual-medic 911 system by the beach you can apply here.

central, yea i know what you mean, COL low so that may spread a little better than it would here. its just a staggering number to see. you have no issues paying bills or anything? im assuming OT is plentiful. im still not sure what i want to do yet...

answered my own question. if this is up to date

http://amr-southbay.com/santacruz.html

 

[chaz90]

^^
This dual paramedic service isn't doing 12 leads yet? Oh California. You never fail to surprise me.

 

[TRSpeed]

Haha I was reading that!!

 

[Angel]

i think (hope) its old, the copyright was 2008 and all the other links are up to '09....

 

[Outskies]

Not to mention that no where in CA uses waveform Capno. At least not any where that I have looked.

I will definitely avoid AMR like the plague if I'm relocating. Already work for them and it's all the same BS no matter where you're at.

 

[BeachMedic]

^^
This dual paramedic service isn't doing 12 leads yet? Oh California. You never fail to surprise me.

Been doing 12-leads and transmitting for years now. That website is pretty out of date.

The pay is a bit higher now too.

California scope is what it is. I'll never move out of state for, "better protocols" lol. EMS is my job, not my life. AMR Santa Cruz is fairly progressive and tries to remain up to do with the most current treatments that actually work. We're given a lot of free reign to make our own decisions too as long as we can justify them.

When I was working in Hawaii I had a much larger scope but some of the practices had some pretty old school thinking. (e.g. BACKBOARD EVERYBODY.)

 

[BeachMedic]

Not to mention that no where in CA uses waveform Capno. At least not any where that I have looked.

I will definitely avoid AMR like the plague if I'm relocating. Already work for them and it's all the same BS no matter where you're at.

Alameda County, Santa Cruz County, and San Benito County all use waveform EtCo2. I can vouch for them because I've worked in these counties.

No idea where you are getting your information from but it's becoming pretty standard everywhere.

http://www.santacruzhealth.org/phealth/ems/3policyindexals.htm

Even some of those are out of date. Take atropine out of the PEA/Asystole protocol and swap out Lido for Amio in V-fib/v-tach arrest.

For those interested.

 

[BeachMedic]

why is that? are they union? whats hours and pay? ive applied to 3 or 4 amr positions and havent heard anything yet its a slow process i guess. why do they run dual medic? i figured amr was all medic/emt. how are the protocols?



central, yea i know what you mean, COL low so that may spread a little better than it would here. its just a staggering number to see. you have no issues paying bills or anything? im assuming OT is plentiful. im still not sure what i want to do yet...

answered my own question. if this is up to date

http://amr-southbay.com/santacruz.html

All of the AMR operations in the Bay Area are in the same union UEMSW(1600+ members strong locally). Aside from Monterey County (which is why their pay sucks.) We actually might be striking soon too if AMR doesn't play ball. You can apply to 3 or 4 AMR positions but each AMR operation is completely different and separate from the next. AMR gives it's local operations a lot of personal leeway in how they run their county as well as hiring practices.

We run dual medic because it's the way it has always been. I believe we're one of the last two counties in California running that way. Will it remain that way forever? At least as long as our current medical director is in place and until the County wants to restructure the contract. Unfortunately, imo we're oversaturated with Medics. It's useful because there are a lot of BLS fire departments we run with. I still think a lot of skills get diluted due to most scenes having 4-5 medics on scene depending on the fire crews.

We're having a ton of turnover because about 10 people are leaving for nearby Fire departments.

We have 5 24 hour stations that operate on a 3 day Kelly schedule with a 4 days off between tours. We have one 12 hour car, two in the summer because our call volume goes through the roof with the beach tourists.

Top step medics (after about 10 years) make around 84k or so without OT. Starting, on a 24 hour car you'll probably make 19 an hour. 12 hour shifts are about 23 an hour.

Protocols are posted above. If you don't like the surfer brah attitude you'll have to adjust to Santa Cruz a bit haha.

 

[RocketMedic]

Those protocols are so 2004. But not horrible.