Recommendations for east coast ambulance services

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jhenry

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Hey All,

I am currently a paramedic in Alaska. Working for an interfacility ambulance service and volunteering at a local fire department that does a little EMS. I have a couple of years of experience as a medic and two more years as an EMT II (EMT intermediate up here in Alaska). I recently just got married and my wife and I are looking to move ANYWHERE on the east coast. The job opportunities are pretty limited up here, especially if you are looking for any amount of experience. We are both very flexible about where we can move.

I am looking for a service that has a relatively large call value and does more 911 than interfacility. Money isn't a huge factor, but I would like to make more than less! It seems like there are a lot of private companies around, but their websites don't provide a whole lot of info. Some advice and recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks for the help!
 
I am very partial to Richmond Ambulance Authority. Medium sized city with good call volume, 12 or 16 hour shifts on a 48 hour work week, progressive protocols and way fewer IFTs than in years past. They require ALS providers to be NREMT-P certified, I'm not clear what your level is.

The other great part about RAA is that you'd live in VA, which has mountains and beaches, small towns and big cities, close proximity to many interesting things. I love living in VA. If you have to leave AK, you might as well.

Good luck to you narrowing it down!
 
Sounds like your up for some fun! My suggestion is that you narrow down a location or at least state youre interested in moving to. Within each state (except ca and nj) there are good opportunities, and we can help guide you with more information.
 
Sussex County Delaware. No IFT, all 911 ALS chase trick service, not an overwhelming call volume but enough to prevent "rust out". Great equipment, very competitive pay, excellent benefits, a county pension, an affordable cost of living, close proximity to beaches, DC, Philly, Atlantic City and more...
 
For quality of life and pay, the suburbs of the big cities tend to be ideal, though many of those systems are fire based.

I would recommend against Baltimore City and Philadelphia EMS unless you love running calls all day long. The Philly surburbs have some decent opportunities for 911 EMS, and the Baltimore and Washington DC suburbs are similar, but unlike the Philly area, you'll have to be trained as a firefighter too.

I hear Delaware's three ALS systems (one per county) are very nice, as n7lxi mentioned.
 
Thanks guys for the input! Both RAA and Sussex sound like awesome companies to work for. I have seen a lot of posts on here about sussex county and it does seem like a very progressive challenging company to work for. I would definitely like to do a ride along and see how it is. I just have to find the time to make it down there first! I am currently NREMT-P and have the standard BLS, ACLS, PALS, NRP, PEPP, and ITLS certs. I also do have all my firefighter certs. I'm just not interested in going that route right now.

As far as places to live go- Anywhere between North Carolina and New Hampshire excluding New Jersey. We have spent a lot of time in Massachusetts and Virginia and we really like those two places. Cant say I really know a whole lot about Delaware area.

abckidsmom- How is the hiring process at RAA?
 
jhenry said:
Thanks guys for the input! Both RAA and Sussex sound like awesome companies to work for. I have seen a lot of posts on here about sussex county and it does seem like a very progressive challenging company to work for. I would definitely like to do a ride along and see how it is. I just have to find the time to make it down there first! I am currently NREMT-P and have the standard BLS, ACLS, PALS, NRP, PEPP, and ITLS certs. I also do have all my firefighter certs. I'm just not interested in going that route right now.

As far as places to live go- Anywhere between North Carolina and New Hampshire excluding New Jersey. We have spent a lot of time in Massachusetts and Virginia and we really like those two places. Cant say I really know a whole lot about Delaware area.

abckidsmom- How is the hiring process at RAA?
Click to expand...

I am not sure how it is now. The last I heard, at least 4-5 years ago, it was just an application, an interview, a physical agility test (simple job-applicable lifting tasks), and a megacode type thing. There's a week long orientation class, and then time with the FTO, both for driving and for ALS preception. They are very rigorous with the driving.
 
As far as Sussex goes, it's not a "company". We're a non profit county agency. Same as the Sheriff's office or Tax Assessors. :)

If you're interested, send me a PM with any specific questions and I'll point you in the right direction to arrange a ride along and fill you in on the testing/hiring procedure.
 
n7lxi said:
As far as Sussex goes, it's not a "company". We're a non profit county agency. Same as the Sheriff's office or Tax Assessors. :)

If you're interested, send me a PM with any specific questions and I'll point you in the right direction to arrange a ride along and fill you in on the testing/hiring procedure.
Click to expand...

If I had ever wanted to move somewhere to work, that's where I would have gone. I love that area, and the system sounds fun to work in. We got a flyer on the VA OEMS mailing list a few years ago. Did you guys do a big hire or something?
 
No, but we will be hiring a lot more in the next few years. A significant number of our "original" medics will be retiring and we will have a lot of spots to fill.

It really is a good place to work. Great equipment, great benefits, low cost of living...
 
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