Current Openings

[ATFDFF]

Howdy, all. Just wanted to throw a line out there and see what I could catch. Is anyone aware of any sole 9-1-1 services that are hiring Paramedics currently? I have been a Paramedic for a number of years now at a service that does approximately 15% transfers and I find myself beginning to feel ever so slightly burnt out and bitter at the thought of continuing to do this amount of transfers for the rest of my career. I know many people enjoy them and while they occasionally present very good learning opportunities, they are not my cup of tea; I feel at this point in my career I need to transition to a sole 9-1-1 service. Location doesn't weigh too heavily on my mind, as I am very flexible.

Thanks in advance everyone.

 

[gonefishing]

Howdy, all. Just wanted to throw a line out there and see what I could catch. Is anyone aware of any sole 9-1-1 services that are hiring Paramedics currently? I have been a Paramedic for a number of years now at a service that does approximately 15% transfers and I find myself beginning to feel ever so slightly burnt out and bitter at the thought of continuing to do this amount of transfers for the rest of my career. I know many people enjoy them and while they occasionally present very good learning opportunities, they are not my cup of tea; I feel at this point in my career I need to transition to a sole 9-1-1 service. Location doesn't weigh too heavily on my mind, as I am very flexible.

Thanks in advance everyone.

Where you from?

 

[COmedic17]

Nearly all private services do both 911 and IFT on the side. The money is really in IFT.


If you want to do all 911 and no IFT, look at a fire based EMS system. You will probably need both fire 1 and hazmat though.


However, if only 15% of your calls are IFT and your that disgruntled about it, have you considered that the job itself might just be weighing you down?

 

[Jim37F]

However, if only 15% of your calls are IFT and your that disgruntled about it, have you considered that the job itself might just be weighing you down?

This. Plus how many of your 911 calls are glorified IFTs? Chances are if you do find yourself in a 911 exclusive work environment at least, probably more than, 15% of your 911 calls you'll be doing the exact same thing as on an IFT..

 

[ATFDFF]

However, if only 15% of your calls are IFT and your that disgruntled about it, have you considered that the job itself might just be weighing you down?

I can see why you would say that, however it in all honestly is not. Maybe disgruntled wasn't the right wording, so I'll take the blame for that. I've been at my service for nearly a decade and I wouldn't mind changing my scenery up a bit. I love the 9-1-1 aspect of things but truly cannot stand IFTs. My heart is not now (nor has it ever been) in receiving a full report from an ED nurse, having virtually any and all patient information given to me, and babysitting a patient with NS going at 125 per hour while going or an Ortho consult. At least in my neck of the woods, that's virtually all our IFTs amount to. Anything more critical gets flown and even in bad weather our local EDs will usually wait for the helicopter service's ground unit (despite myself and most paramedics at my service being Critical Care Paramedics). And even with services that do CCTs, from what I know truly unstable patients are few and far between. That being said, my heart IS in assessing my patients from the get-go, being the initial (and often sole) provider to address any and all issues, and determining appropriate transport.

 

[ATFDFF]

Where you from?

The midwest, but I'm terribly flexible. I've got virtually nothing tying me down.

 

[ATFDFF]

This. Plus how many of your 911 calls are glorified IFTs? Chances are if you do find yourself in a 911 exclusive work environment at least, probably more than, 15% of your 911 calls you'll be doing the exact same thing as on an IFT..

I won't at all disagree, obviously. It would be terribly naive of anyone to believe that ALL 9-1-1 is interesting or exciting. That being said, at least in the 9-1-1 setting (even on a bulls*** call) I am the one assessing the patient, I am the one determining the immediate course of treatment/destination, I'm the one determining interventions. That's exactly what I love about this job and that's a stark contrast from 99% of IFTs where you're handed everything you need to know about the patient, told what the patient has had done/will be having done while en route, and babysitting for the duration of the trip.

 

[COmedic17]

I can see why you would say that, however it in all honestly is not. Maybe disgruntled wasn't the right wording, so I'll take the blame for that. I've been at my service for nearly a decade and I wouldn't mind changing my scenery up a bit. I love the 9-1-1 aspect of things but truly cannot stand IFTs. My heart is not now (nor has it ever been) in receiving a full report from an ED nurse, having virtually any and all patient information given to me, and babysitting a patient with NS going at 125 per hour while going or an Ortho consult. At least in my neck of the woods, that's virtually all our IFTs amount to. Anything more critical gets flown and even in bad weather our local EDs will usually wait for the helicopter service's ground unit (despite myself and most paramedics at my service being Critical Care Paramedics). And even with services that do CCTs, from what I know truly unstable patients are few and far between. That being said, my heart IS in assessing my patients from the get-go, being the initial (and often sole) provider to address any and all issues, and determining appropriate transport.

As a 911 medic, about half of my calls are complete BS and less intriguing then a transport.

EMS isn't always exciting.

 

[ATFDFF]

As a 911 medic, about half of my calls are complete BS and less intriguing then a transport.

EMS isn't always exciting.

Thank you, I've been a Paramedic for going on 10 years. I am aware of this.

Sorry I even broached this topic. I was just hoping for a bit of help.

 

[NomadicMedic]

Any of the three county services in DE. No IFT, all 911. Not fire.

 

[cruiseforever]

Hennepin Co. ambulance in Minneapolis, MN.

 

[Will980]

There are several places in Texas that hire paramedics only. Cy-Fair VFD, Cypress Creek EMS, Austin-Travis County, Williamson County, all of these services do 911 only and all start around $55,000.

 

[Tigger]

I won't at all disagree, obviously. It would be terribly naive of anyone to believe that ALL 9-1-1 is interesting or exciting. That being said, at least in the 9-1-1 setting (even on a bulls*** call) I am the one assessing the patient, I am the one determining the immediate course of treatment/destination, I'm the one determining interventions. That's exactly what I love about this job and that's a stark contrast from 99% of IFTs where you're handed everything you need to know about the patient, told what the patient has had done/will be having done while en route, and babysitting for the duration of the trip.

While initially I was going to say that 15% of your calls being IFT hardly sounds like a bad deal, if you are a critical care service and are not getting utilized I understand where your disgruntledness comes from. Some of the sickest patients I've ever seen have come out of our local ED and not only are you starting from the beginning with them half the time, you also have to right the facility's wrongs too.

So maybe don't be afraid of IFTs. I work for a great third service that is the exclusive 911 provider in our area and while I like 911 calls as much as the next person, I've realized that some of the other stuff we do to is pretty sweet.

 

[LaceyA]

Have you thought about Working for a Hospital? Like the ER?

 

[ATFDFF]

Have you thought about Working for a Hospital? Like the ER?

Yep! My part time job is an EMS service that's based out of a community hospital and I really enjoy it. That being said, while I certainly LOVE the educational opportunities it gives us (it's really nice to see our field interventions work...see our field diagnoses get ruled in or ruled out in real time vs. hearing about it through the grapevine) we can't do much clincially while in the ED in between calls. The nurses union in this area and throughout this particular hospital system is very strong and actively makes moves to limit what we can do. We ("we" being the Director of Operations and EMS System Coordinator) have tried to reach out to the administration and union representatives and show how we can supplement their RNs and not try to take them over, but they won't bite, unfortunately. I could go on for another hour on this topic but that's a discussion for another time. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[ATFDFF]

While initially I was going to say that 15% of your calls being IFT hardly sounds like a bad deal, if you are a critical care service and are not getting utilized I understand where your disgruntledness comes from. Some of the sickest patients I've ever seen have come out of our local ED and not only are you starting from the beginning with them half the time, you also have to right the facility's wrongs too.

So maybe don't be afraid of IFTs. I work for a great third service that is the exclusive 911 provider in our area and while I like 911 calls as much as the next person, I've realized that some of the other stuff we do to is pretty sweet.

I appreciate the input and I think you're spot on. It would be interesting to see how my opinion would change if I spent some time with a CCT service somewhere in the state. I'd imagine it would change for the better, as they're truly the patients you're able to sink your teeth into (both in the moment and retrospectively as a learning opportunity).