So I do not have sympathy for the paramedic making $9 an hour, because no one is holding a gun to their head making them work for pennies. Was that to harsh for you?
while I don't have any sympathy either, it sickens me even more that their are paramedics willing to work for $9 an hour. I know I wouldn't, but then again, I am worth more than $9 an hour.
Unless you work for a tax paid system, which most do not. You can expect shady business and poor wages. Why? Like I said, they are there to make their pockets fatter. Just like any other career field, those companies will continue to pay you squat until there is no supply for their demand.
Baffles me that in other fields, people that are "forced" to work more shifts, are paid little etc. don't stick around long. They find a new job, or further their education. While people in EMS believe they entitled more just because they put on a uniform. It's a freaking job, stop getting butt hurt when people tell you other wise.
Which is exactly why I refuse to work for a for profit EMS agency. In NJ, NY & NC, I have worked for tax funded agencies. In fact, the last time I did work for a for profit entity was 15 years ago, I made $11.25 an hour, and only accepted that because I was also able to get 6 college credits out of the deal for a 3 month part time stint. But I digress
As you said, if you are paid poorly, forced to work more shifts, than find a new job, which often means leaving your old one. Your only worth what an employer is willing to pay. And if you don't like what you are being paid, you can either find a new job, find a new location, or find a new career. It's sad that if you leave a crappy job, there are 10 more willing to work for crappy conditions, but that is what has happened.
Why is EMS not a career, but a job? I think Chewy gives a pretty good set of reasons. I wanted to make it my career, but I couldn't raise a family on 11.25 an hour. So I got a job in a new field that is paying me close to $25 an hour, working day shift, and I doubt I will ever want to step foot on an ambulance ever again.
B) If you want change, sack up and take some personal initiative to effect change. Whether is approaching your supervisor, HR, or union rep for higher wages. It can even be what Chewy did and leave to greener pastures, theres nothing wrong with that. In the end you do whats best for you and your family. Complaining on the internet to a bunch of strangers is going to get you nowhere.
C) Want your EMS service to be more in the limelight like FD and PD? Again approach your sup with some PR ideas. Every year the fire dept. takes kids and does shop with a firefighter, there's toys for tots as well. The sheriff's dept. has coffee with a cop and shop with a cop. Some places have guns n hoses (sporting event between FD&PD) where proceeds go to a charity. My EMS service has a toy drive around November where we are out by Walmart collecting toys for kids for Christmas. All of these are good community public relations ideas. Again, personal initiative.
What most of us are saying is take some initiative to effect change. Theres nothing wrong with leaving a company for something thats more sustainable for raising a family. Do you plan on working for your EMS system till you retire 20, 25, even 30 years down the road? Or are you using your company/system as a stepping stone like most of the EMT's and medic's for something better?
I think what part of the issue is there are people who want to make EMS their career, similar to how the Fire Departments and Police Departments are seen as respectable careers, wile EMS is a stepping stone job.
One of the big problems is that EMS is almost always run with the fewest ambulances possible, and an ambulance that is not on a call is not making money, and as such, can be considered as not necessary. It takes a progressive agency head to budget for a PR supervisor / Public information officer, who can coordinate PR stuff and can work on justifying sending crews to these PR events (hint hint, cops don't work events for free, and neither do career firefighters, and yet some places want a dedicated EMS presence, but don't feel they should have to pay for it)
As many people have said, no one thinks about EMS until they need the ambulance. Despite the fact that there are more EMS calls than EMS fire calls (subtracting first responder calls, of course), people will protest a closed down fire station but will accept having empty ambulances or nor nearby ambulance.
BTW, the more "respect and recognition" EMS as a whole gets, the more likely you will see more tax funded agencies being formed (and people will see the benefits of not outsourcing it to a greedy for profit agency), the more EMS will be seen as able to stand on it's own in the public safety triangle, the respect (as an industry) EMS will get, and EMS will be able to transition from a stepping stone job to a 20-30 year career. But it will take progressive leadership both locally and nationally to get it done, and too many are not willing to do what is needed to get it done.
