Should I go into EMS???

[Rick Smith]

Hello Im a currently a junior in high school in Dallas, Texas and I'm seriously considering becoming an EMT and later a paramedic and I have a few questions. Exactly how hard are the classes? After you become certified how hard is it to get a job and can that job be full time? How long are the shifts?
Also I have a girlfriend and we are seriously considering marriage is there anyway with that salary that I would be able to afford a place to live, food, insurance and all the other financial obligations that come with a marriage?

Thanks

 

[ffemt8978]

Moved to appropriate forum.

 

[HotelCo]

Hello Im a currently a junior in high school in Dallas, Texas and I'm seriously considering becoming an EMT and later a paramedic and I have a few questions. Exactly how hard are the classes? After you become certified how hard is it to get a job and can that job be full time? How long are the shifts?
Also I have a girlfriend and we are seriously considering marriage is there anyway with that salary that I would be able to afford a place to live, food, insurance and all the other financial obligations that come with a marriage?

Thanks

I'll skip the first questions, because the last one is important if you're getting married: No.

You won't be making enough as an entry-level EMT to support a family. If she has a good paying job, it could work.
Let me put it this way: Managers at McDonald's make more than most Paramedics.

 

[Rick Smith]

Oh wow I can believe that about Mcdonalds, what if we postpone the marriage is it possible to support yourself single as a medic?

 

[HotelCo]

Oh wow I can believe that about Mcdonalds, what if we postpone the marriage is it possible to support yourself single as a medic?

Yeah, it is. Just don't take on too many financial obligations at once. Average pay around here for medics is $11-14/hr.

 

[Rick Smith]

Oh ok sweet just one last question...do you get to drive the ambulance at 18?

 

[HotelCo]

Oh ok sweet just one last question...do you get to drive the ambulance at 18?

It all depends where you go. My company hires 18+, but there are plenty that will require you be over 21, due to their insurance.

 

[Rick Smith]

alright gotcha oh and have you seen the movie bringing out the dead? is being a medic anything like that?

 

[HotelCo]

alright gotcha oh and have you seen the movie bringing out the dead? is being a medic anything like that?

I haven't seen it, but probably not. Most of the time, you'll get call for non-emergencies. Even if it comes in as a 911 call, that doesn't mean that it's a true emergency. I've only had a handful of patients that were truly emergent.

 

[Rick Smith]

oh wow so if its not car crashes, gun shot wounds, and cardiac arrests then what exactly are you doing?

 

[HotelCo]

oh wow so if its not car crashes, gun shot wounds, and cardiac arrests then what exactly are you doing?

Slip and falls, asthma, chest pain, welfare checks. Depending on where you work, you might also be doing dialysis transfers, and hospital discharges. Very few patients you come across daily will be true emergencies.

 

[MassEMT-B]

He is right about the emergencies. Then there’s the ones that come across as a normal transfer that go into cardiac arrest while enroute :wacko:. The pay thought really depends where you work. I will be making $12.75 as a basic and one company in Rhode Island pays around $20/Hour for medics.

 

[HotelCo]

He is right about the emergencies. Then there’s the ones that come across as a normal transfer that go into cardiac arrest while enroute :wacko:. The pay thought really depends where you work. I will be making $12.75 as a basic and one company in Rhode Island pays around $20/Hour for medics.

I bet that's a competitive hiring process. lol

 

[Rick Smith]

ok sounds good, what is the burnout rate like?

 

[Anjel]

ok sounds good, what is the burnout rate like?

Burnout depends on how you handle things. You have to have a balance between your personal life and work.

You have to have an outlet and a way to handle things.

You may get in the habit to work a lot of OT to make ends meat but too much can cause burnout.

And my tid bit about pay is.... I make 9.58 as a basic. I will make 13 as a medic starting off.

I am getting married next july and am freaking out. If my fiance doesn't get a job soon then the wedding will most likely be postponed.

If you figure 12 an hour. 48 hours a week. times 52 weeks. You are roughly at about 35k a year. Not a whole lot to raise a family on.

 

[nemedic]

Yeah, it is. Just don't take on too many financial obligations at once. Average pay around here for medics is $11-14/hr.

Ouch. I was quoted $13.25 for no exp basics going into the company I'm in the process of getting hired into. My current gig pays $12.50 before shift and night/weekend differential. I average $13.15.

 

[nemedic]

Ouch. I was quoted $13.25 for no exp basics going into the company I'm in the process of getting hired into. My current gig pays $12.50 before shift and night/weekend differential. I average $13.15.

But then again, cost of living is probably much lower where you're at, as opposed to the people's republic of MA

 

[MassEMT-B]

But then again, cost of living is probably much lower where you're at, as opposed to the people's republic of MA

or the rather awesome name of Taxachusetts.

 

[Tommerag]

Or you live in a state with no state income tax and low taxes

 

[clibb]

I make more working as an EMT in the ER Hospital here than some medic do in the field. Which is think is pretty messed up. I'd go fire if I were you.