Paramedic Shortages

[RocketMedic]

I'd like to pose a question to the board:

Are you seeing a slowly-looming shortage of qualified, employable, ready paramedics in your area?

I've recently started to notice that we, as medics, seem to be becoming a bit rarer. Maybe it's the people that browsed by the forum in 2010 and decided to go RN instead, maybe it's deference to other fields, or maybe it's a misconception, but here in the Houston area, I feel like we're getting a little more prized.

Is it just me?

If it isn't, what is causing this?

 

[VentMonkey]

I'd like to pose a question to the board:

Are you seeing a slowly-looming shortage of qualified, employable, ready paramedics in your area?

I've recently started to notice that we, as medics, seem to be becoming a bit rarer. Maybe it's the people that browsed by the forum in 2010 and decided to go RN instead, maybe it's deference to other fields, or maybe it's a misconception, but here in the Houston area, I feel like we're getting a little more prized.

Is it just me?

If it isn't, what is causing this?

Burnout, disenchantment, retirement, call volume, etc.

Honestly? I don't think this is anything new. It's prevalent almost everywhere. Seldom is the paramedic that goes in with the idea of "I am going to make this a career".

Is it sad? Depends on how you look at it. Again, I don't think this problem will go away anytime soon.

You mentioned "qualified" paramedics. That term alone is a huge problem as it seems to me, A LOT of up and comers are forking out some serious dough for a license they view as "an EMT on steroids" to get them to the next level, and not a career.

I personally know this is my choosen career field, so I can understand the frustration, but at the same time I can't be upset that they're trying to better themselves by utilizing this beef up their resume.

I just think guys like myself suffer while we watch "revolving-door-paramedics" come and go.

 

[Aprz]

In my area, it seemed like they were never hiring for a long time. Now they are hiring all the time. Every where I have gone or looked, it looks like there is an academy at least every other month. It's insane. I feel like my area pays paramedics pretty well. It's not that rare for a paramedic to own a house if they commute from outside of the Bay Area.

For my area, it is definitely AMR losing the contracts. AMR had a grip on it forever. These new companies that came in just kind of ruined the nice atmosphere. They are a lot more strict and took away a lot of the perks.

I don't think it has a lot to do with education or willingness to go beyond. There are a lot of paramedics here that are content with the scope "Why do we need more?" If anything, they want something silly like Amiodarone instead of Lidocaine (who cares) or something not useful in the emergency setting with a 5-10 minute transport eg Solu-Medrol. There are some of us that wish for more, but not a lot of us.

 

[DesertMedic66]

We went from not hiring very many medics per year to hiring every couple of months. Right now we are hiring for paramedics badly. We are now offering a 10K sign on bonus, company will pay for medic school, and new medics are actually able to negotiate higher wages due to the shortage.

Out here it is all public services that are hurting. Fire departments and police departments are really hurting and even the local hospitals are offering incentives due to shortages.

 

[StCEMT]

I may be wrong since I am not on the management side of things, but if anything I think the St. Louis area isn't hurting at all. There are some places to get hired at that can have a lot of applicants for 1 spot. Not only that we have like....4 or 5 medic programs in the general area I can think of producing many future medics like myself.

Admittedly I probably fall more into the revolving door crowd. Not because I view it as a stepping stone, I love what I do. More so because of all the different things I want to do in life, I don't know if I want to be completely broken down by (or before) I retire. Not only that, part of why I want to be a PA is to work with Army medics and pass on the experience. I almost decided to be a teacher instead of a medic, so moving into an area where I could do that would be something I'd enjoy a change to do. If anything I will probably try to stay involved with this type of work long term, just in a different ways as I get older.

 

[WolfmanHarris]

Zero shortage in Ontario. Hiring for PCP's is extremely competitive with more than 1000 applicants for the 30 spots in our last hire and those numbers are typical for large services. ACP shortages are more common only because they generally have built up seniority by the time they complete their schooling and can be hard to entice away. So expanding services like mine are stuck losing ACP's to other positions outside Operations (who are more likely to be overrepresented among those seeking opportunities in leadership or within other programs at HQ), having in difficulty attracting ACP's away and not having the budget to pay for education for enough new ACP's to keep up with demand.

Paramedics generally enter the field now expecting to make a career. We are paid very well, once FT have excellent pension and benefits and with the increasing prevalence of power cots, power load, tracked stair chairs and liberal lift-assist policies physical injuries are WAY down. Since 100% of EMS services are unionized here and all but a few are third service public the glut of graduates has not created any downward pressure on wages.

 

[NomadicMedic]

Big shortage in the Savannah area.

 

[cruiseforever]

Most of the services in the Minneapolis area are looking. The biggest issue that I have heard is trying to find medics that want to work. When they are interviewed they will say what the company wants to hear. Once hired they do not want to work too early in the morning, weekends, sunny days and etc.

 

[VentMonkey]

Most of the services in the Minneapolis area are looking. The biggest issue that I have heard is trying to find medics that want to work. When they are interviewed they will say what the company wants to hear. Once hired they do not want to work too early in the morning, weekends, sunny days and etc.

Seriously? This is sad. Are these folks of a "younger generation"?...

 

[CALEMT]

Seriously? This is sad. Are these folks of a "younger generation"?...

We're not all that bad. There's a few of us who don't care working weekends, nights, holidays etc.

 

[Tigger]

We have a local turnover issue here, but not a shortage. Everyone but city fire doesn't pay well and they can't seem to promote enough medics as they have to go through way more schooling than driver/engineers do for the same pay. The county fire protection districts with medics also pay less than great as it turns out that the ambulance is not a moneymaker for anyone. People seem to bounce from place to place before either figuring it out or moving on to another career path.

The qualified part is another ballgame. There are always medics looking for jobs here, but we can't afford to hire brand new people where I work and we also need people that have some interest in doing more than just running calls.

 

[VentMonkey]

We're not all that bad. There's a few of us who don't care working weekends, nights, holidays etc.

You are correct, sir. I do know plenty of people of all ages who will find any excuse to not do what it is they're being paid to...work. I half tease, but more often than not, the 21 year old paramedic will be severely lacking the mental capacity to handle the workload*.

*This is by no means a dig, and is a generalized statement.

The qualified part is another ballgame. There are always medics looking for jobs here, but we can't afford to hire brand new people where I work and we also need people that have some interest in doing more than just running calls.

This^^^. I think this is an even bigger problem than the revolving door, and stepping stone employees that we see. It's those that plan (or even don't) on making it a career, then 10, 15, 20 years later have zero interest in learning, progressing, or bettering their medicine, and delivery models. It's one thing to be content with where you are, but it's a whole different issue when it becomes complacency, and in turn, that complacency wears on an entire company's, service's, and/ or system's culture; this to me, is truly disheartening.

@StCEMT mentioned going into educating military medics; that's pretty awesome, IMO. You see, even though realistically this job is very hard on one's body, if you plan ahead, or choose to, you can, and will find other ways to help your EMS community.

I, myself would not mind going into teaching, and/ or EMS management at either the local, or state level. Direct patient care is something that I still very much enjoy, but if I cannot physically handle the workload for an entire career, I do know that there are other ways I can effect change, and help others as a paramedic. I just don't know that enough paramedics go into this career field wanting to do much else aside from what's taught in textbooks before moving on to bigger, and better career fields altogether.

 

[EpiEMS]

Haven't been aware of a shortage in the more NYC-facing areas of CT...
I would imagine that given working conditions, FDNY ought to be hurting.

 

[CALEMT]

This is by no means a dig, and is a generalized statement.

I know and most people on here know haha. There's always those few who are not sure if serious or joking. But I do agree, the vast majority of us (millennials) have that mindset. I like to call it generation why. Why do I have to work nights? Why do I have to work weekends? Why do I have to run so many calls. I say suck it up and do what you're getting paid to do.

 

[VentMonkey]

 

[ExpatMedic0]

Private ambulance pay and hours are not typically very good. As a paramedic with a bachelors degree and most of the pre-recs for PA school, whats going to keep me in EMS; or my friend with an AAS and all the pre-rec's for RN school? We both have over 10 years on the job and were not alone. By staying in EMS we lose tens of thousands of dollars per year, work awful hours, miss most holidays, have no pension, are exposed to infectious diseases, heavy lifting, and road hazards daily. Some of these factors could be why there is a paramedic shortage in some areas and why we often lose many of our most qualified personal

 

[VentMonkey]

Private ambulance pay and hours are not typically very good. As a paramedic with a bachelors degree and most of the pre-recs for PA school, whats going to keep me in EMS; or my friend with an AAS and all the pre-rec's for RN school? We both have over 10 years on the job and were not alone. By staying in EMS we lose tens of thousands of dollars per year, work awful hours, miss most holidays, have no pension, are exposed to infectious diseases, heavy lifting, and road hazards daily. Some of these factors could be why there is a paramedic shortage in some areas and why we often lose many of our most qualified personal

All excellent points, @ExpatMedic0, which is again, why I cannot blame yourself or others from wanting move on. Personally I feel as though this is what I was meant to do for a living, so I am okay with the avenues I have given myself, even if I didn't/ don't pursue a degree.

Again, while I can't dispute your point of view, or post, it is to me sad to see others who have no ambition, drive, or end goals constantly moaning and groaning about why they don't want to be a medic anymore, or what "sucks" about their jobs. And while these people in life can bring anyone down, it does nothing for the few of us in this field as career-minded individuals.

It is these folks our industry can do without, even from the get go. I have no problems giving back to those truly in need of guidance. After all, we were all there once.

 

[Qulevrius]

It is these folks our industry can do without, even from the get go

They have a very important role - they offset the good ones.

 

[VentMonkey]

They have a very important role - they offset the good ones.

Not when majority rules in their favor.

 

[Qulevrius]

Not when majority rules in their favor.

That would qualify as a systematic error. Not to be overly idealistic, but there are companies that practice meritocracy; they're few, but they're there. So in a sense, the exceptions prove the rule. Have some faith, brother