Survey (of sorts): Why EMTs Don't go to Paramedic School

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reconjohn929

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Hello to everyone on this board; I am wondering if you can help me out.

I am in the process of starting a non-profit paramedic education program. In doing so, I would like appeal to the needs of the EMT who has put off going to medic school for some reason or another. So, if you are an EMT, I would like to know what is preventing you from furthering your EMS career by becoming a paramedic. Is it a pricing issue? Perhaps a time issue? Maybe it's a scheduling problem? I would really like to hear from you, and thank you very much in advance!
 
It may just be that my area provides a large variety of opportunity and funding for working Basics to go to Medic school, but I really don't come across Basics that are titled as EMT-Bs and plan to not ever attend Medic school. Found some while working IFT in San Antonio, but that's a different area.

My original plan was to be an AT, and went to EMT school to obtain some extra knowledge in emergency care. That class hooked me on emergency medicine, and my career plans have slowly shifted over the past few years. Back then I had no intention of upgrading, but my career was not specifically as an EMT (though I planned to hold the credentials). Today I am resting somewhere in the emergency response framework, be it on a truck, emergency management, or with FEMA. That said, I have it laid out to get my AEMT and Paramedic after my undergrad.

I don't quite fit the bill for your survey, but originally my lack of advancement was due to the fact that getting EMT-B is easy and is even easier to maintain. Didn't see the need to go further, given my career. I see a bunch of people do the same thing.

I'm interested to see the fitting responses for this.
 
EMS is something I do in my spare time. I never intend on making a career of it.

That said, I'm not against getting more education. But spending thousands of dollars and two years of my time on it is not something I'm prepared to do right now.
 
reconjohn929 said:
Hello to everyone on this board; I am wondering if you can help me out.

I am in the process of starting a non-profit paramedic education program. In doing so, I would like appeal to the needs of the EMT who has put off going to medic school for some reason or another. So, if you are an EMT, I would like to know what is preventing you from furthering your EMS career by becoming a paramedic. Is it a pricing issue? Perhaps a time issue? Maybe it's a scheduling problem? I would really like to hear from you, and thank you very much in advance!
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1) cost
2) scheduling issue
3) location, location, location.
 
I work part-time for my agency. I have two school-age kids, both high-needs/special-needs and there's no way I'd be able to devote the time and mental resources to medic school right now.

My agency also puts new medics on first year medic pay. So the guys who had been with the former township fire departments that got assimilated into our agency, as EMTs, if they were to promote to medic they'd take a massive pay cut to go back to 1st year medic pay. There comes a point on the pay scale where you'll take a pay cut to be a medic. If you've been with the company for 5 years, and are on 5th year EMT pay, you'll go to 1st year medic pay if you promote. If you've been an EMT for 10 years, and you promote to medic, you'll go to 1st year medic pay.
 
vcuemt said:
EMS is something I do in my spare time. I never intend on making a career of it.

That said, I'm not against getting more education. But spending thousands of dollars and two years of my time on it is not something I'm prepared to do right now.
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This is my situation as well. I can't justify the cost and time commitment involved in becoming a medic as a part time job. I think this is a common amongst part time emts. Most of the basics I know that do ems full time have plans to go to medic school. If ems is your career you'd be crazy not to become a medic.
 
AtlasFlyer said:
My agency also puts new medics on first year medic pay. So the guys who had been with the former township fire departments that got assimilated into our agency, as EMTs, if they were to promote to medic they'd take a massive pay cut to go back to 1st year medic pay. There comes a point on the pay scale where you'll take a pay cut to be a medic. If you've been with the company for 5 years, and are on 5th year EMT pay, you'll go to 1st year medic pay if you promote. If you've been an EMT for 10 years, and you promote to medic, you'll go to 1st year medic pay.
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This is seriously messed up. I don't care how long someone has been working as a basic, they should never be paid more than a medic. In my opinion, a first year medic should make more than a 30 year basic.

In my full time career I am an electrician. An apprentice electrician will never make more than a newly licensed electrician, no matter how long he's been doing it. To become licensed one must work for 4 years as an apprentice and then take the state exam. For one reason or another some guys don't take (or can't pass) the exam after 4 years. I've known guys that were apprentices for 10,15,20+ years. However at some point, no matter how long they have worked as an apprentice their pay "tops out". This means that they make the absolute most that an apprentice will ever make (not including a cost of living increase that raises everyone's pay evenly). The highest paid apprentice will always make less than the lowest paid licensed electrician. If the apprentice wants to make more money, he needs to become licensed. The same should apply to basics/medics, imo.
 
Sparky79 said:
This is seriously messed up. I don't care how long someone has been working as a basic, they should never be paid more than a medic. In my opinion, a first year medic should make more than a 30 year basic.

In my full time career I am an electrician. An apprentice electrician will never make more than a newly licensed electrician, no matter how long he's been doing it. To become licensed one must work for 4 years as an apprentice and then take the state exam. For one reason or another some guys don't take (or can't pass) the exam after 4 years. I've known guys that were apprentices for 10,15,20+ years. However at some point, no matter how long they have worked as an apprentice their pay "tops out". This means that they make the absolute most that an apprentice will ever make (not including a cost of living increase that raises everyone's pay evenly). The highest paid apprentice will always make less than the lowest paid licensed electrician. If the apprentice wants to make more money, he needs to become licensed. The same should apply to basics/medics, imo.
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That's the funny thing, and I don't necessarily agree.
In NYC a transport EMT makes $11 and a transport medic makes $22,
A 911 EMT can make anywhere from $20 to $28 and a medic can have $30 to $40.

So I can be a new 911 EMT and make more than a 5th yr transport medic. It all depends on location and type of service you do
 
Also, I'd rather have an experienced EMT work on me than a new medic. I saw it first hand, where an EMT explained to a medic, and walked him through his first arrest haha
 
lukgiel said:
Also, I'd rather have an experienced EMT work on me than a new medic. I saw it first hand, where an EMT explained to a medic, and walked him through his first arrest haha
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This is simply a sign of inadequate training and education for that specific paramedic. It doesn't serve as an indictment of a higher level of education with more useful interventions available being more helpful to a critical patient. Nothing against experienced EMTs, but all the knowledge available won't help your status asthmaticus patient breathe if you don't carry nebs or IV bronchodilators. Experience matters, but so does base level of education and scope of practice. This absolutely applies beyond paramedicine as well.
 
I'm an EMT, and I've worked on Al's rigs for the past year, that doesn't make me a medic, but I have a great deal of knowledge and when I work with new medics, I can set up a vent or iv pump when they can't, but I see new medics, especially when they jump on a 911 rig and get raped by older medics, most of the stuff comes from experience, even if you know all there is too know, but can't apply it, that's bad. I'm in a paramedic program now, which will be followed by ccemt-p and I agree with my comments, I won't be a good medic until a year or two on the road.
 
lukgiel said:
I'm an EMT, and I've worked on Al's rigs for the past year, that doesn't make me a medic, but I have a great deal of knowledge and when I work with new medics, I can set up a vent or iv pump when they can't, but I see new medics, especially when they jump on a 911 rig and get raped by older medics, most of the stuff comes from experience, even if you know all there is too know, but can't apply it, that's bad. I'm in a paramedic program now, which will be followed by ccemt-p and I agree with my comments, I won't be a good medic until a year or two on the road.
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Wow, sounds like the schools in your area are not doing their job and or the employers are releasing medics before they are ready.
No bashing you at all. It is just sad for our profession that EMTs like yourself are forced into this belief.
 
rofl @ crappy medics and Basicgods.
 
I intend to get my medic soon. I haven't done it yet for a few reasons:

1) I just graduated from college this year with a BSN, so my time has gone into looking for nursing jobs (which I'm happy to say I've found one!) as opposed to going straight to medic school
2) Although I'm going to continue working as an EMT in my current system, I'm starting an ER RN job very shortly. That definitely takes precedence over medic school for now!
3) Moneys

Like I said, I definitely intend to get my medic in the near future. At the current time, however, I have bigger things on my plate. And not enough cash.
 
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