Cypress Creek EMS

Operations Guy said:
Changed my mind on Wise County. I pretty certain they only hire full time from their part time pool. Forget that nonsense.
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We hire from our part time pool when possible. It's much easier to see if someone is the right fit with us if they've been working with us. We still open our applications to outside applicants, but we award a lot of extra points to the PT folks. We aren't stringing anyone along either, our PT is advertised as PRN and we aren't asking people to have us as their only employer. Work one shift a month or so and show that you actually want to work there.
 
Tigger said:
We hire from our part time pool when possible. It's much easier to see if someone is the right fit with us if they've been working with us. We still open our applications to outside applicants, but we award a lot of extra points to the PT folks. We aren't stringing anyone along either, our PT is advertised as PRN and we aren't asking people to have us as their only employer. Work one shift a month or so and show that you actually want to work there.
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See you would be the few agencies that do this then. Most agencies will hire part time or PRN then only hire from that pool while stringing people along for months with the false promises of full time. They get away with this by offering the world to young impressionable youth who just need a job to cover a few bills as they test for fire.
 
I have even seen younger folks thinking they are getting full time get through FTO then get told they are now part time with the excuse of budget restrictions.
 
Operations Guy said:
See you would be the few agencies that do this then. Most agencies will hire part time or PRN then only hire from that pool while stringing people along for months with the false promises of full time. They get away with this by offering the world to young impressionable youth who just need a job to cover a few bills as they test for fire.
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I can think of many agencies in Colorado that hire this way, but ok.
 
Tigger said:
I can think of many agencies in Colorado that hire this way, but ok.
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I meant by not using a popularity contest to hire their full time and being up front with potential new hires. Also let's be honest Woodland Park is not like most areas ambulances cover.
 
Operations Guy said:
I meant by not using a popularity contest to hire their full time and being up front with potential new hires. Also let's be honest Woodland Park is not like most areas ambulances cover.
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We are very similar to a good chunk of Colorado. Small towns, large district, and somehow providing 24/7 ALS despite being minimal assessed value and a majority Medicaid/Medicare payor mix. When people think of Colorado they think of ski areas, and even those services struggle despite having actual assessed value. As such, many services run season and part time employees to meet peak demand.
 
Tigger said:
We are very similar to a good chunk of Colorado. Small towns, large district, and somehow providing 24/7 ALS despite being minimal assessed value and a majority Medicaid/Medicare payor mix. When people think of Colorado they think of ski areas, and even those services struggle despite having actual assessed value. As such, many services run season and part time employees to meet peak demand.
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That's all fine and dandy as long as the employer is upfront about it. What I have issue with is Ambulance companies stringing along people along with some dream of full time. It doesn't work for ems personnel that have obligations outside of work like a family. What are they suppose to do work three part time jobs with the possibility of full time maybe? That's where I have the issue.
 
Tigger said:
I can think of many agencies in Colorado that hire this way, but ok.
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Colorado is the exception I guess with seasonal requirements but I have seen way to many agencies use a large part time pool to fill full time positions. Then dangle full time in front of people as to why they should continue to work there. I don't fault businesses for this as its a way to cut cost as they don't have to supply benefits of an employee that is under a certain amount of hours a week. Once businesses where not faulted for trying to employ people who actually wanted to work. Now they are fined due to red tape and political interference. Let's hope business gets a much needed boost and a friendly atmosphere over the next couple years.
 
The other consequence of the "part time test period" practice is that it effectively weeds out a lot of qualified, experienced employees like me who are not going to tolerate getting strung along. Good offer or go home; my time is valuable and I'm not one to dither about waiting.
 
RocketMedic said:
The other consequence of the "part time test period" practice is that it effectively weeds out a lot of qualified, experienced employees like me who are not going to tolerate getting strung along. Good offer or go home; my time is valuable and I'm not one to dither about waiting.
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As we have rediscovered countless times, interpersonal dynamics count for more than a resume or experience. We hardly have a company style, so it isn't about "doing it our way," it's about getting along with the group that is here. Even when we hire externally, your reputation and references are what count the most (and passing the tests). Our last external hire was straight from paramedic school despite having several applicants with prettier resumes. We can teach people to become excellent providers (I am getting it now), we can't teach people to get along with others. As such, applicants with a long list of previous employers are a bit of a red flag. If you couldn't get comfortable at your previous employer, what is to say you'll want to stay here?
 
Tigger said:
As we have rediscovered countless times, interpersonal dynamics count for more than a resume or experience. We hardly have a company style, so it isn't about "doing it our way," it's about getting along with the group that is here. Even when we hire externally, your reputation and references are what count the most (and passing the tests). Our last external hire was straight from paramedic school despite having several applicants with prettier resumes. We can teach people to become excellent providers (I am getting it now), we can't teach people to get along with others. As such, applicants with a long list of previous employers are a bit of a red flag. If you couldn't get comfortable at your previous employer, what is to say you'll want to stay here?
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Oh, I'm not arguing, I'm just pointing out the disadvantages of having a Kool-Aid tasting party as a part of the hiring process. Sure, you get people that assimilate easily, but you trade off people who don't fit easily and what they have to offer. It's a classic opportunity cost.

The real truth is that neither approach is right, or wrong. In my case, every move I have made is positive, for better options and opportunities, and because life is too short to deal with dealbreakers that I cannot change. Sure, it's not as "stable" as someone with the same time at one agency, but it's also not necessarily a negative reflection on the employee.
 
RocketMedic said:
Oh, I'm not arguing, I'm just pointing out the disadvantages of having a Kool-Aid tasting party as a part of the hiring process. Sure, you get people that assimilate easily, but you trade off people who don't fit easily and what they have to offer. It's a classic opportunity cost.

The real truth is that neither approach is right, or wrong. In my case, every move I have made is positive, for better options and opportunities, and because life is too short to deal with dealbreakers that I cannot change. Sure, it's not as "stable" as someone with the same time at one agency, but it's also not necessarily a negative reflection on the employee.
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I'm in the same boat. I have a long list of past employers, but it's always because I wanted something more or a better environment.

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RocketMedic said:
Oh, I'm not arguing, I'm just pointing out the disadvantages of having a Kool-Aid tasting party as a part of the hiring process. Sure, you get people that assimilate easily, but you trade off people who don't fit easily and what they have to offer. It's a classic opportunity cost.

The real truth is that neither approach is right, or wrong. In my case, every move I have made is positive, for better options and opportunities, and because life is too short to deal with dealbreakers that I cannot change. Sure, it's not as "stable" as someone with the same time at one agency, but it's also not necessarily a negative reflection on the employee.
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It's hardly a Kool-Aid party. It's nothing to do with the agency and everything to do with being able to get along with a variety of people. Our chief has made a concerted effort to ensure that we have people with all sorts of backgrounds and work ethics. With that comes a whole of host of personalities, so we need people that don't drink the Kool-Aid of a single way of doing things but are rather much more adjusting. What better way to find out if someone wants to do that than to work with them?
 
Bro, it's totally a Kool-Aid Party. You've got to like the Kool-Aid or fake it really well to be selected.
 
For what it's worth, I think that a lot of agencies, especially "elite" ones, have Kool-Aid Parties to get hired on. KCM1 requires you to foresake the notion that every patient deserves a paramedic, accept that 24s are the greatest, and that your previous experience only counts a little because Special Snowflakes. ATCEMS seems to hold any difficulties you've ever had, ever, against you and requires medics to accept that their skillsets and knowledge are unappreciated with long orientation processes. Even Creek requires you to concede that stand-up 24s are acceptable practice. It's all just different flavors of Kool-Aid.
 
I mean, look at me, DE_Medic, TransportJockey or even usalsfyre. All of us have multiple relatively recent employers, but if a job goes "oh, they're unstable, we won't risk hiring them", and instead finds a new/accepting person, they lose out on that skillset that they may need. Opportunity cost.
 
Yep they use the same excuses with cults. "Our way is what makes us enlightened and we hand pick our following." Next thing you know everyone is comfortable with sharing their wives then mass suicide.
 
"We require our new employees to demonstrate that they really like it here, and the best way to do that is to make yourself really useful to us for as little cost as possible to the organization."
 
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