Oklahoma
- Thread starter Stamey95
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terrible one
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Tulsa and OKC use EMSA. They are talked about on here a lot, you can find some good info.
AceThunderstone
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The major company for Oklahoma is AMR through EMSA in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. We provide 911 coverage for both cities and many of the surrounding towns. I don't know a whole lot about OKC or other companies down there as I work on the other end of the turnpike, but I know of EMSStat out of Norman and Midwest Regional EMS out of Midwest City and Moore. Both of which I believe are hospital based systems.
You won't have any problem getting a job at EMSA as we are short staffed. Starting pay for brand new, green EMTs is $10.2x/hour. Not sure of the exact number but cost of living is far and away lower than MA. It's a busy system and when you're not on a call, you're posting or driving between posts. If you want more details, PM me. Though someone from OKC would probably know more of the specifics down there. We work for the same contractor through the same city trust under the same medical control board, but there are some weird differences.
https://www.emsaonline.com/careers.html
You won't have any problem getting a job at EMSA as we are short staffed. Starting pay for brand new, green EMTs is $10.2x/hour. Not sure of the exact number but cost of living is far and away lower than MA. It's a busy system and when you're not on a call, you're posting or driving between posts. If you want more details, PM me. Though someone from OKC would probably know more of the specifics down there. We work for the same contractor through the same city trust under the same medical control board, but there are some weird differences.
https://www.emsaonline.com/careers.html
TransportJockey
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We have at least one person here that works for EMSA OKC, and I bet he'll chime in shortly. Good luck!
RocketMedic
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Vacationing in Mexico lol.
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Judging by Ace's post he works there as well.
EMSA is a Public Utility Model so almost a cross between a county third service and a private to put it very simply. County entity (EMSA) that contracts a private contractor (AMR).
From what Rocket has told me, since he's vacationing, they run system status management, Medic/Basic staffing, good equipment (new-ish rigs, LP15s if I remember correctly, Impact 731 vents) and reasonable protocols (not the cutting edge but far from mother may I, they may be statewide protocols I can't remember. Not sure about their EMT scope of practice though). Sounds like a great system to get experience in although I do know some medics are attendant only so as an EMT with one of them you drive 100% of the time but I don't think that's the norm. Pay is in the 10/hr range for new EMTs, I don't believe they give any merit to prior experience in their pay scale but I may be wrong.
EMSA is a Public Utility Model so almost a cross between a county third service and a private to put it very simply. County entity (EMSA) that contracts a private contractor (AMR).
From what Rocket has told me, since he's vacationing, they run system status management, Medic/Basic staffing, good equipment (new-ish rigs, LP15s if I remember correctly, Impact 731 vents) and reasonable protocols (not the cutting edge but far from mother may I, they may be statewide protocols I can't remember. Not sure about their EMT scope of practice though). Sounds like a great system to get experience in although I do know some medics are attendant only so as an EMT with one of them you drive 100% of the time but I don't think that's the norm. Pay is in the 10/hr range for new EMTs, I don't believe they give any merit to prior experience in their pay scale but I may be wrong.
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TransportJockey
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They are the sole transporting 911 provider
RocketMedic
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We are the sole 911 transport for Tulsa, OKC and most of the suburbs of both, along with most of Tulsa and Oklahoma County. We are also set up so that ALL transfers within or originating from our area are "hypothetically" ours first, and we do frequent NICU, aeromedical ground team and interfacility transports (AMR likes money from those). We average about 70% 911 / 30% IFT on most days.
Equpiment is well-used but decent baseline....every truck has powered suction, an electronic transport vent/BiPap, (Impact 731), Lifepack 15s, power cots. Trucks are all Type-3 F450s. We are SSM, so they are well-used and beaten up. Supplies are often short of critical items because our management is currently practicing cost savings thanks to the stellar education they received at the Captain Ahab Business School. Gloves, cot sheets, blankets, saline, etc...there are days when you have to scavenge downed vehicles to go out.
Morale is in the crapper and death-spiraling. Supervisors, management range from "benevolent neglect" to "actively hostile" with a hefty dose of "not my problem". Credit always finds a home at the top, blame is swiftly placed on field employees. Lots of admin and supervisor-level smack talking of one another and employees in general. Payroll is an issue in terms of accuracy of hours recorded, pay rates and bonuses, this is an AMR problem. Multitudes of empty promises are the order of the day. Internally, it's very negative with the usual high-school cliques, rumors, etc. It's definitely not the small station-based system you know your coworkers at. Responsiveness to concerns is a joke. Pay raises are nonexistent for field staff, but dispatch is a much better-paying gig.
Benefits are decent. EMTs start at 10.2x an hour, paramedics at 14.73 for a brand-new medic. 4x12s, overtime is usually plentiful. I'm at 15.82/hour as a paramedic. A guy who has been here a decade is at 15.90 an hour thanks to dysfunctional pay and raise schedules. With that being said, we are pretty profitable for AMR- they make $250 iirc for each transported call in the system, of which there are many.
Onboarding is a 4-week academy for all levels followed by 2-6 weeks of third-ride FTO. Good and bad- very dependent on who you get as an FTO. Most are decent. Some are not.
We run P/B. Medic techs all calls, regardless, by "city statute" (really, Medicare fraud avoidance). As an EMT, you are essentially an assistant and driver (we literally call you "EVO" here). I have learned the hard way not to let my EMTs do too much because it tends to backfire, but most of mine have been homegrown EMSA-only EMTs who see me as an elitist :censored::censored::censored::censored::censored::censored::censored:, so an outsider tends to do better with me. Standards for perceived success are really low, but the CABS Training Approach does produce competent drivers.
For medics, it's not terrible. The pay is middle-of-the-road lower middle class, we are fairly autonomous in most things and can do a passable job out of our filthy trucks. There's no pride in the servoce though and QI works on the Principle of Exception, so don't be all "doing a great job" with niceties like effective pain management. Some things are very much protocol-driven, which leads to some truly stupid moments. www.okctulomd.com has our protocols for download. We are in charge of all medical- Fire works for us.
It's a resume-builder, not a career place. Tulsa is somewhat better than OKC.
My recommendation? Look at where you want to be in four years and work towards that.
Equpiment is well-used but decent baseline....every truck has powered suction, an electronic transport vent/BiPap, (Impact 731), Lifepack 15s, power cots. Trucks are all Type-3 F450s. We are SSM, so they are well-used and beaten up. Supplies are often short of critical items because our management is currently practicing cost savings thanks to the stellar education they received at the Captain Ahab Business School. Gloves, cot sheets, blankets, saline, etc...there are days when you have to scavenge downed vehicles to go out.
Morale is in the crapper and death-spiraling. Supervisors, management range from "benevolent neglect" to "actively hostile" with a hefty dose of "not my problem". Credit always finds a home at the top, blame is swiftly placed on field employees. Lots of admin and supervisor-level smack talking of one another and employees in general. Payroll is an issue in terms of accuracy of hours recorded, pay rates and bonuses, this is an AMR problem. Multitudes of empty promises are the order of the day. Internally, it's very negative with the usual high-school cliques, rumors, etc. It's definitely not the small station-based system you know your coworkers at. Responsiveness to concerns is a joke. Pay raises are nonexistent for field staff, but dispatch is a much better-paying gig.
Benefits are decent. EMTs start at 10.2x an hour, paramedics at 14.73 for a brand-new medic. 4x12s, overtime is usually plentiful. I'm at 15.82/hour as a paramedic. A guy who has been here a decade is at 15.90 an hour thanks to dysfunctional pay and raise schedules. With that being said, we are pretty profitable for AMR- they make $250 iirc for each transported call in the system, of which there are many.
Onboarding is a 4-week academy for all levels followed by 2-6 weeks of third-ride FTO. Good and bad- very dependent on who you get as an FTO. Most are decent. Some are not.
We run P/B. Medic techs all calls, regardless, by "city statute" (really, Medicare fraud avoidance). As an EMT, you are essentially an assistant and driver (we literally call you "EVO" here). I have learned the hard way not to let my EMTs do too much because it tends to backfire, but most of mine have been homegrown EMSA-only EMTs who see me as an elitist :censored::censored::censored::censored::censored::censored::censored:, so an outsider tends to do better with me. Standards for perceived success are really low, but the CABS Training Approach does produce competent drivers.
For medics, it's not terrible. The pay is middle-of-the-road lower middle class, we are fairly autonomous in most things and can do a passable job out of our filthy trucks. There's no pride in the servoce though and QI works on the Principle of Exception, so don't be all "doing a great job" with niceties like effective pain management. Some things are very much protocol-driven, which leads to some truly stupid moments. www.okctulomd.com has our protocols for download. We are in charge of all medical- Fire works for us.
It's a resume-builder, not a career place. Tulsa is somewhat better than OKC.
My recommendation? Look at where you want to be in four years and work towards that.
AceThunderstone
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Wow. We miss PPlus up here in Tulsa, but it's not that bad. Guess we got the better deal on managers, supervisors, and QI. And the EMTs here are actually good, as are the VSTs who keep the trucks and equipment clean.
It's bizarre how different things are between the divisions.
It's bizarre how different things are between the divisions.
RocketMedic
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Ace, its not that the EMTs are bad, but that they are treated as children here. Y'all have it way better there.
AMR has made every bad decision possible here.
AMR has made every bad decision possible here.
AceThunderstone
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Sorry to hear that. The only issue up here right now is pay and staffing which, to our managers' credit, is being worked on. Unfortunately, the pay issue is a fight against AMR, not the local execs. I haven't encountered the other problems you mentioned. I've never even heard the term EVO used.
I do miss the 42-hour workweek but at least we're getting the Stryker Power Load System. Though that's also exclusively in Tulsa.
I do miss the 42-hour workweek but at least we're getting the Stryker Power Load System. Though that's also exclusively in Tulsa.
RocketMedic
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I am missing five hours off this last check despite perfect Kronos use, and a pair of bonuses that have been "in processing" for two months. So done with AMR...
terrible one
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Oh man Rocket that's a bummer it turned so bad with AMR. Hope things work out for ya.
AceThunderstone
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Ah yes, I forgot about the wonderful Kronos and telestaff. Don't get me wrong, none of us like AMR, but there is still some sense of camaraderie between field crews and supervisors. And a faint glimmer of hope for EMSA.
I'd really like for EMSA to follow the lead of systems like Medstar and RAA who got rid of their contractors (AMR in both cases) and instead took over operations directly. Unfortunately, that is not likely to happen. And while I'm adamantly opposed to fire-based systems, I'm growing increasingly worried that may become the best option as I doubt any company that likes it's employees will be able to outbid the AMRs and Rural Metros of the world.
Williamson is supposedly retiring sometime soon, though, so maybe something can change. In the meantime, seeking greener pastures may be the best thing to do for a lot of us.
I'd really like for EMSA to follow the lead of systems like Medstar and RAA who got rid of their contractors (AMR in both cases) and instead took over operations directly. Unfortunately, that is not likely to happen. And while I'm adamantly opposed to fire-based systems, I'm growing increasingly worried that may become the best option as I doubt any company that likes it's employees will be able to outbid the AMRs and Rural Metros of the world.
Williamson is supposedly retiring sometime soon, though, so maybe something can change. In the meantime, seeking greener pastures may be the best thing to do for a lot of us.
DrParasite
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you think maybe there might be some coloration between the low pay and being short staffed?
AceThunderstone
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Eh. With the exception of some of the nicer fire departments and the tribal ambulances, that's the best you're going to do as a new emt. It's also far cheaper to live here than where the OP is coming from.
Exactly - $10+/hr for EMT goes a long ways in OK.