PM, FF, or both?

[46Young]

True, while Sussex does not require a degree at time of hire, I expect that to change. In fact, almost all of our Medics are degreed, we pay a higher salary to medics with a degree, offer an excellent tuition reimbursement package and encourage medics to pursue higher education. Higher education is part of the promotional process. You cannot promote to P3 (our senior paramedic level) without a degree.

I'm not blinded by the light here at Sussex. There are some things I really dislike about working here. However, nothing serious enough to make me want to work anywhere else. If you're seriously considering working for a third service that has a non contributory pension that gets you 50% at the end, pays significantly better than any other paramedic service within 200 miles, places a huge emphasis on education and has a core of lifetime employees that are getting ready to retire... Then call, get an application, schedule a ride along and ask questions.

That's more like it. J/C, do they hire per diems? It's too far for me, but there are a few members of the department that live on the MD side.

 

[46Young]

I agree with this statement, but I am still of the mind that in order for things to change, the degree will have to come first.

As for transients,

It is not that I wanted to leave EMS, I wanted to do more than I was doing. I wanted to call my own plays.

If I could do that in EMS I would not have left. As it stands the only people who really get to do that are doctors. So be it.

Understood. I had no choice but to go fire based if I wanted to move out of the lower middle class and actually be able totake care of my family. I'm less than a semester away from the EMS AAS, but after that I'm going to go for Emergency Management. I can do a lot more with that than I ever could with a four ear EMS degree.

Basically, the EMS educational situation is a catch-22. I've seen more and more medics pop up with the EMS AAS, but I don't know of anyone that chooses to expand on that instead of more useful degrees. After all, the promotional opportunities in EMS are severely limited, so the EMS Bachelors has limited applications at best.

 

[46Young]

I work in a system that is run by the government. It is the only ambulance/ transport service in the province. The equivalent of an emt I starts at 23 and change for a 37.5 hour week. Where I did my training in the USA the medics start at 10. I really have no idea how you can live off of that without working every waking hour. I like my 4on 4 off schedule. I don't know how long I would last working everyday for just above minimum wage.

I don't know either. A lot of ambitious EMS workers here either go fire based, or get Emergency Management degrees, or maybe MBA's. The rest just work three jobs.

 

[NomadicMedic]

That's more like it. J/C, do they hire per diems? It's too far for me, but there are a few members of the department that live on the MD side.

Nope. Full time only.

 

[Handsome Robb]

If you're seriously considering working for a third service that has a non contributory pension that gets you 50% at the end, pays significantly better than any other paramedic service within 200 miles, places a huge emphasis on education and has a core of lifetime employees that are getting ready to retire... Then call, get an application, schedule a ride along and ask questions.

Ride along is pretty much out of the question, unfortunately, seeing as its 3000 miles away.

But I definitely will probably be calling tomorrow. I've been on the fence about it and I've never been to Delaware but I'm a pretty adaptable person. I really enjoy the volume we run here but I really don't enjoy the IFTs or SSM.

I'm young enough that the pay and retirement isn't a huge issue but it will be eventually. Hell my salary as an I pays the bills just fine and I'm able to put away 40-50% of each paycheck but then again I have no life between work and school at the moment.

 

[NomadicMedic]

Rob, wait a couple of days. Our education guy as at FDIC and won't be back til next week. Drop me a PM and I'll send you his contact info.

 

[Handsome Robb]

Rob, wait a couple of days. Our education guy as at FDIC and won't be back til next week. Drop me a PM and I'll send you his contact info.

10-4.

I sent the PM before I saw this post so disregard my statement about calling tomorrow.

Much appreciated.

 

[46Young]

Ride along is pretty much out of the question, unfortunately, seeing as its 3000 miles away.

But I definitely will probably be calling tomorrow. I've been on the fence about it and I've never been to Delaware but I'm a pretty adaptable person. I really enjoy the volume we run here but I really don't enjoy the IFTs or SSM.

I'm young enough that the pay and retirement isn't a huge issue but it will be eventually. Hell my salary as an I pays the bills just fine and I'm able to put away 40-50% of each paycheck but then again I have no life between work and school at the moment.

I'd go for it. So long as you're not doing 8 hour shifts every day, you can live as far away as Baltimore, Annapolis, Southern Jersey, maybe Philly, but that's really stretching it. You've got the Deleware and MD beaches, and you're probably a four hour drive to the outer banks (NC) if you like to surf. You're also a few hours from NY.

Also, you should absolutely give attention to your retirement now. For example, if you invest $10,000/yr in deferred comp (on top of your pension) with a reasonable annualized 8% average return for 30 years, you'll have over $1.2 million. Invested conservatively with a 5% return, that's an additional $60k/yr residual income. If you go for 35 years, that's $1.85 million! By contrast, if you wait until you're older to start investing, and contribute $10k/yr for 25 years, you're down to $858k. If you only do it for 20 years, you're down to 540k. If you're in your early 20's, you could be retired from a 25 and out at age 47-48. Earn a relevant degree like Emergency Management or Pub Admin, and continue to work for a few more years for phenominal money if you want. Figure it out now while you're young instead of getting a late start at your final career destination.

Another thing, if Sussex Co. won't take you, you could look to Alexandria Fire and EMS for a single role medic position. They start at around $50k/yr, and work two days out of every eight. They're a Virginia D.C. suburb. Or maybe investigate Charleston County EMS in SC if you want a warmer, costal locale. Their system wasn't my cup of tea, but perhaps you could schedule a ride along, or a station visit, and get the scoop as to how things run down there.

 

[Handsome Robb]

I'd go for it. So long as you're not doing 8 hour shifts every day, you can live as far away as Baltimore, Annapolis, Southern Jersey, maybe Philly, but that's really stretching it. You've got the Deleware and MD beaches, and you're probably a four hour drive to the outer banks (NC) if you like to surf. You're also a few hours from NY.

Also, you should absolutely give attention to your retirement now. For example, if you invest $10,000/yr in deferred comp (on top of your pension) with a reasonable annualized 8% average return for 30 years, you'll have over $1.2 million. Invested conservatively with a 5% return, that's an additional $60k/yr residual income. If you go for 35 years, that's $1.85 million! By contrast, if you wait until you're older to start investing, and contribute $10k/yr for 25 years, you're down to $858k. If you only do it for 20 years, you're down to 540k. If you're in your early 20's, you could be retired from a 25 and out at age 47-48. Earn a relevant degree like Emergency Management or Pub Admin, and continue to work for a few more years for phenominal money if you want. Figure it out now while you're young instead of getting a late start at your final career destination.

Another thing, if Sussex Co. won't take you, you could look to Alexandria Fire and EMS for a single role medic position. They start at around $50k/yr, and work two days out of every eight. They're a Virginia D.C. suburb. Or maybe investigate Charleston County EMS in SC if you want a warmer, costal locale. Their system wasn't my cup of tea, but perhaps you could schedule a ride along, or a station visit, and get the scoop as to how things run down there.

Thank you! It's greatly appreciated. Single roll is something I would be interested in, I really have no interest in suppression but who knows, maybe that will change.

The biggest roadblock I see is having spent my entire life on the West Coast in the same geographical area and absolutely love it here. The mountains on the East Coast just don't compare to the skiing or snowmobiling here but there are always ways around that.

As for ride alongs or station visit this biggest issue is having to travel across the country but I do have family friends that I could visit to justify it with a little bit of planning.

Currently being a PRN employee I don't have any sort of option for a 401k, which is all my agency offers, but I have been putting away money out of each paycheck into savings. I've finally dug myself out of the hole I created with my shenanigans straight out of high school. I probably should be putting away more but now only working 2 days a week and interning 4 days a week my income has pretty much been cut in half.