Depends on how big or small the ems company is.I used to work for a large ems company and made $9.00 an hour.
EMT pay
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Depends on how big or small the ems company is.I used to work for a large ems company and made $9.00 an hour.
JPINFV
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When summing up education levels, it's not an assumption that EMT-Bs lack education since betting that the average EMT-B has an extensive post-secondary education is like betting on 00 in roulette.
The same could probably be said of most paramedics.
JPINFV
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Never said it wasn't. If fact, stick around long enough and you'll most likely see another multi-page thread beating the education dead horse.
TransportJockey
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Long enough as in a week or so? That's about how long it usually takes for one of us to start beating that horse again
Trauma Chaser
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doube post
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Trauma Chaser
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Some would say the same about EMT-I's. Before I got on the fire department I use to work for a private company and they paid there EMT-I's the same as their EMT-B's because on an ALS unit they basically do the same thing. It's not fair to knock B's like that either. Anybody who saves lives for a living deserves to make a decent paycheck. Most of the people I work with are B's and they are better than some paramedics on the private owned companies. I know how much better you think you are because you are an advanced medic, I felt the same way when I was going through school. The fact is after working as an EMT-B for a while you pick up and learn advanced techniques. The only difference between some B's and P's are that one can perform and operate legally under their scope of practice and one can not. I know this isn't always true and believe me I know their are some retarded B's out there lol!!! However for the ones that do work hard I treat them with as much respect as I would treat any other paramedic. You have to start somewhere and it's not anymore easier being an EMT-B than being a paramedic.
LucidResq
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I would say the same about EMT-Is, and medics in our country. Most EMS professionals have very little education considering what they do and the interventions they are permitted.
We are not in the business of saving lives. We are in the business of assessing, transporting and providing stabilizing care for people who believe they are having an emergency. Occasionally, their definition of "emergency" will follow ours, and we may indeed help save a life. However, most of our patients would be fine with no treatment, a visit to their PCP in the morning, or some ibuprofen.
I would further argue that someone who calls 911 expecting a medical professional to come help them deserves more than a 18 year old High School graduate who's taken a 120 hour first aid class and nothing more.
I do agree that EMTs and Medics deserve better wages, but the standards we set for professionals in EMS are so low it's impossible to imagine that happening. There are a lot of reasons why EMTs are paid crap, but one of the big reasons is that since we only require a minimal level of education and training, it's so easy to get certified that almost anywhere you go in the US has a huge surplus of EMTs.
Techniques are often useless or dangerous without an adequate understanding of how they work and the conditions they're designed to treat or monitor.
I just completed my EMT-B course and took my State Exam last week. Having to wait four weeks for the results is killing me, lol. Although it would be a lateral move from my current job to this field for me in terms of pay, I'm obviously not doing it for the money.
To find out starting pay, pick up the phone and ask yourself. Or just walk in - someone somewhere might be able to help you - you'll do fine.
~ L
To find out starting pay, pick up the phone and ask yourself. Or just walk in - someone somewhere might be able to help you - you'll do fine.
~ L
DrParasite
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not arguments there but then you said this:
so if most of our patients would be fine with no treatment and a trip to their PCP in the AM, what's wrong with sending an 18 year old HS graduate who has taken a 120 hr course and nothing more? that's like saying the person with a broken finger needs a paramedic unit dispatched to transport him or her to the hospital.
and yet, that is, by original concept, exactly what a paramedic is. a poorly educated and highly skilled medical person who brings the ER to the patient, and operates under a doctor's license. someone who can push a lot of drugs, do a lot of cool procedures, but general has maybe an associates degree (and some not even have that). just saying
DrParasite
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take the onsite testing, it's sooooooo worth the money and the trip if you have to make one.
and come across the river to NJ, most places pay more in NJ for EMTs than in NY
LucidResq
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Because those rare calls when someone is actually sick are worth having someone well-educated and trained - every once in a while someone's life actually is on the line.
Also, even when someone is not really sick, we can cause harm with even "minor" interventions if we do not have a basic level of understanding of what's going on. Even if someone is not urgently sick and requires no invervention on our part, having a better understanding of A&P, pathophys, all that stuff makes us better at assessing. This may not be a big deal when we're assessing the patient since the doctor will be doing a much more thorough assessment anyways, but we have the advantage of being able to assess the scene or the home of the patient. Things that may be overlooked as unimportant by the uneducated/untrained eye may actually be important and helpful in diagnosis. Rare, but still.
If we had more education we'd be able to spend more time on things like human development, psychology, cultural competency, etc... Even if my patient is not in need of immediate medical intervention, it is still my job to take good care of them. A perfect example of this - last year I had a 12 yo with autism who mildly sprained his ankle at the amusement park. He was absolutely hysterical. Did I ask him or his mom a billion questions, start getting a history or assessing him in the middle of the busy park, rush him back to the first aid station and start poking and proding under the bright lights with people chatting away on the radios? No. Even with a little psych and child dev., a little bit of knowledge on autism from my couple of years of college ed., I was able recognize that the best thing I could do is, first of all, get a better idea of what makes the kid tick from mom, take it slow, reduce the stimuli ASAP... ie get him to a quiet place, turn my radio off and have someone else talk to dispatch for me.. turn off the lights at first aid.... etc. This kid was not sick at all, nor did he need any interventions beyond a quick exam and RICE, but I'm pretty sure the average 18 yo with a HS diploma and a quick EMT class would probably not have handled it as well.
More education = stronger workforce. Although primarily caregivers, what about each providers capacity to become an administrator, instructor, researcher, political advocate for our field?
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More education=stronger workforce, is good and all, however what is our field. Just asking , because where I live and work ems is public saftey, so I already have political advcates on my side.
pretty sure I have all you guys beat on low pay..... when I first started working for this company im at I was told I would make 12.50 an hour because I was part time. But as I transitioned into a full time position the shifts are 24 on 48 off. Well for the 24 hour crews we get 7.55 an hour..... Someone working for McDonalds makes as much as I do lol.... really sucks because I start Medic school in Aug and there is noone else in the area hiring 
This is pretty offensive to anyone trying to get into the field.
JPINFV
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Sometimes the truth hurts.
JPINFV
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Just because we started out (or are) a specific level doesn't mean that we have to ignore inadequate training standards or the basics of supply and demand.
...and yes, I'd love to go to something like the PCP/ACP/CCP system that parts of Canada has. 2 years to get to the entry level sounds like a good idea to me.
...and yes, I'd love to go to something like the PCP/ACP/CCP system that parts of Canada has. 2 years to get to the entry level sounds like a good idea to me.
TransportJockey
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I'm not interested in being polite or politically correct. I just am telling the truth