Prevailing Wage - How much does it pay?

[itzfrank]

How much do they pay medics in your area?

Ours Varies between whether or not your union, basically.

Non-Union Companies pay 10-12/hr for EMT-Ps and 8-9/hr for EMT-Bs
Union Companies pay 13-15/hr for P's and around 9-10/hr for B's
Very rarely does a place pay extra for NREMT status or any certs.

This is in the central IL region. There are obviously some big differences between companies and situations. These are just general ranges. I'd like to hear what other areas are paying.

 

[46Young]

How much do they pay medics in your area?

Ours Varies between whether or not your union, basically.

Non-Union Companies pay 10-12/hr for EMT-Ps and 8-9/hr for EMT-Bs
Union Companies pay 13-15/hr for P's and around 9-10/hr for B's
Very rarely does a place pay extra for NREMT status or any certs.

This is in the central IL region. There are obviously some big differences between companies and situations. These are just general ranges. I'd like to hear what other areas are paying.

How many average hours a week? 40, 42, 53, 56, 72?

 

[46Young]

NYC BLS gets 9-13 an hour IFT, and 15-22 or so for 911. Medics (no I's) get 19-23 an hour IFT, and 22-35 for hosp based 911. 40 hour workweek.

FDNY EMS salaries (not that great) :
http://www.nyc.gov/html/fdny//html/community/ems_employment.shtml#paramedic_salary

Charleston County EMS, SC, 38k/yr on a 24/48 to start, 45k after six months, up to 68k in ten years. BLS in the 20's on the 24/48. No difference in either case for part timers.

Northern VA, IFT BLS, 9-11/hr, 13-17/hr for ALS (EMT-I, EMT-P). Schedules vary. Single role fire based is around 42k/yr, 24 hrs WOOWOOOO, 42 hour week I think. Fire based EMT's get 40-48k to start, up to 70-80k, typically a 56 hour week, or a 24/48 with kellys. ALS, 48-53k base, 5-8k in riding pay, and another 5k or so in cert pay. My dept, with all incentives, pays around 65k/yr for a released ALS provider right out of the academy.

RAA in Richmond advertises 15/hr to start for new medics, more DOE. BLS or IFT I don't know.

 

[EMSLaw]

That's insultingly little...

 

[medic417]

That's insultingly little...

Why? There is basically no education required and there is a flood of emt's and Paramedics on the market. What other job pays so much for so little true expertise and education?

 

[itzfrank]

56/week for us usually. Although I notice more and more of us work 2 24/48 jobs.

 

[TransportJockey]

Company I just got hired on with is 24,500 a year. Hourly depends on what shift you're working. If you're on 48hrs/week, you make less and hour than someone working 4 10s/wk

 

[Aerin-Sol]

http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes292041.htm

gov averages

 

[46Young]

Why? There is basically no education required and there is a flood of emt's and Paramedics on the market. What other job pays so much for so little true expertise and education?

Administrative Assistant, DSNY, or garbage man any other sanitation dept, truck driver, city bus driver, basically the majority of civil service tests. The pay isn't great, but the trade off is that you get a great retirement, benefits, medical, etc. It's troubling that municipal employee pension benefits are being targeted in an attempt to shift the blame from the banks and businesses that got us into our economic issues.

As far as education and such, it's really up to the employer, since EMS as a whole lacks unity and organization. One the one hand, these employers could look at the overabundant supply and require medics to have degrees and such, along with spotless backgrounds. On the other hand, these employers can give the bare minimum in pay and benefits possible so long as there are enough applicants willing to take the positions of those that look for better opportunities. That's how EMS is at the moment. Employers on the average would rather pay less and take anyone with a pulse and a patch rather than compensate for legitimate college education. Some might give 2-3% of yearly base for degrees, but not having one is certainly not a barrier to employment at the moment.

 

[46Young]

I'll likely take a ton of heat for this....

I've noticed an trend for increased educational requirements in the fire service in the form of degrees. Right now it's for promotions. It varies by dept, but more and more are requiring degrees as a condition for career advancement. There are typically an overabundance of qualified applicants for every vacant fire and fire/EMS vacancy.

Since the trend of requiring degrees for career development has been steadily growing within the fire service, it's only a matter of time before the larger and most desireable depts will start requiring EMS degrees for entry level firemedics, and maybe fire science degrees for basic FF's.

The major barrier to requiring degrees as a condition for employment would be racial quota hiring. That would be more on the FF side than the firemedic side, anyway. If I had to bet the farm, I would wager that fire/EMS will require EMS degrees much earlier than the balance of the EMS industry, Oregon, SoCal, Houston, and FL notwithstanding. I haven't seen much of a trend towards degree requirements outside of Oregon. Maybe at the top of the food chain, as in the director or Asst director, but certainly not at the field provider or middle management. I'm sure there are statistical outliers to the contrary, but degree requirements in EMS are far from standard practice.

 

[Shishkabob]

It depends fully on where you live if the wage is good or not. $20 in NYC cannot be compared to $15 in Texas, because Texas has a lower standard of living.


EMTs in DFW start between $8-11/hr. Medics start $13-16/hr brand new. Fire/medics are $16-20.

 

[46Young]

It depends fully on where you live if the wage is good or not. $20 in NYC cannot be compared to $15 in Texas, because Texas has a lower standard of living.


EMTs in DFW start between $8-11/hr. Medics start $13-16/hr brand new. Fire/medics are $16-20.

If that's based on a 56 hour workweek, then that's pretty good.

 

[subliminal1284]

Up here in the Milwaukee area Basics are averaging around $10/hr and Paramedics are at about $15/hr

 

[subliminal1284]

Why? There is basically no education required and there is a flood of emt's and Paramedics on the market. What other job pays so much for so little true expertise and education?

But you have to consider there are many jobs paying more than that with no training whatsoever required besides a High School Diploma so yes even though there are many emts and paramedics that doesnt equate to why the pay is so low. To put it into perspective the taco bell here is starting employees out at $9/hr. Simply put the pay is low because the employers are cheap.

 

[TransportJockey]

But you have to consider there are many jobs paying more than that with no training whatsoever required besides a High School Diploma so yes even though there are many emts and paramedics that doesnt equate to why the pay is so low. To put it into perspective the taco bell here is starting employees out at $9/hr. Simply put the pay is low because the employers are cheap.

My thinking is that pay is low because there are a glut of EMTs. Think about it. Each school/mill puts out a class every six months (10-30, or more). Every one of them wants to go out and play with the lights and sirens right away.

Now you look at fast food and a lot of people look at it as a kid job or a last ditch job. They offer more because it's harder to find people to work for them.

 

[medic417]

It depends fully on where you live if the wage is good or not. $20 in NYC cannot be compared to $15 in Texas, because Texas has a lower standard of living.


EMTs in DFW start between $8-11/hr. Medics start $13-16/hr brand new. Fire/medics are $16-20.

What? Surely you mean lower cost of living. The standard of living is much higher in Texas but cost is less.

As to pay in my area of Texas Paramedics get about $20 per hour all hours paid, plus great benefits, no money wasted on union fees, quality communities to live in, low cost of living, not part of fire, ..............

 

[Shishkabob]

What? Surely you mean lower cost of living. The standard of living is much higher in Texas but cost is less.

As to pay in my area of Texas Paramedics get about $20 per hour all hours paid, plus great benefits, no money wasted on union fees, quality communities to live in, low cost of living, not part of fire, ..............

Oh, my bad. Cost, I meant cost!

AHHH!!

 

[usafmedic45]

How much do they pay medics in your area?

Ours Varies between whether or not your union, basically.

Non-Union Companies pay 10-12/hr for EMT-Ps and 8-9/hr for EMT-Bs
Union Companies pay 13-15/hr for P's and around 9-10/hr for B's
Very rarely does a place pay extra for NREMT status or any certs.

This is in the central IL region. There are obviously some big differences between companies and situations. These are just general ranges. I'd like to hear what other areas are paying.

When I worked in east central Illinois (1999-2001) at good services we were making $15-18 an hour for P's (new grads pretty much....the more experienced guys with 15+ years of experience at the same service were making a little more than $18-20....never bothered to ask), $10-12 for I's and basically minimum wage or a little above for Bs. The pay scale for good services was similar across the river in Indiana, but the again there were far more services around the area (in both states) paying significantly less and that treated their employees like crap (*cough* Transcare in Terre Haute *cough*)

Union status had no factor and in fact, I would never work for an unionized service simply because I believe it is immoral for healthcare professionals to unionize (or more appropriately, to strike which I have seen several times before in hospitals). Remember as well, that the difference in pay (particularly if it is only a dollar or two an hour) is going to be largely eaten up by union dues and such.

 

[atropine]

most fire/medics in southern Cali make over 100k a year with overtime.

 

[MrBrown]

Ambulance Technician $52,000 ($36,400 USD)
Paramedic $57,200 ($40,000 USD)
Intensive Care Paramedic $64,400 ($45,000 USD)

All are for a 48 hour week (4x12 hrs shifts) and no overtime.

It's increasingly difficult to get onboard as an Ambulance Technician and with the move toward the Degree ("Paramedic") as the minimum standard for career entry now it's only going to get harder.