Top states to be an EMT or Paramedic

[Kavsuvb]

If you had to rate the top 10 states to be an EMT and a Paramedic, what would it be and what state would be the number 1 state to be an EMT and a Paramedic.

 

[CANMAN]

1. Texas
2. Maine
3. Delaware

Those would be my top 3 personally, based off great jobs available, cost of living, stuff to do, etc. I am sure alot of people will say Washington state, but I am not even thinking about repeating P school, regardless of how good the potential employer is. It's an insult in my opinion to a provider who has a strong background and great resume.

Also on my list would be places like Colorado, Montana, Utah just strictly based off the area and my desire to one day live somewhere with some great hiking, nature, scenery compared to where I live currently. I would love to have a cabin off the grid (think the movie shooter). I don't know much about the job market's in those areas so didn't want to put them on my list.

 

[NomadicMedic]

1- Texas.
2- Delaware.
3- Oregon.

Worst places?

Georgia. Hahahah.

 

[DrParasite]

What are you basing this criteria on for being the best? Pay, schedule, jobs? these can all vary from agency to agency. Texas might be great in Austin-Travis, but might suck in Houston or in the middle of nowhere (i know nothing about Texas, just using them as an example)

Or are you factoring in cost of living, potential for advancement / other roles within organizations, stuff to do besides work? And are you limiting yourself to being on the ambulance? Northern Virginia is a great play to be an EMT and paramedic; especially if you want to be a firefighter too. Great pay, great retirement, and you don't run your *** off. But you also rarely see sick patients.

Like it said, it's very subjective and depends on how you define "the best."

 

[sweetpete]

1) Texas
2) Ohio
3) Texas

 

[Jn1232th]

1. Texas
2. Maine
3. Delaware

Those would be my top 3 personally, based off great jobs available, cost of living, stuff to do, etc. I am sure alot of people will say Washington state, but I am not even thinking about repeating P school, regardless of how good the potential employer is. It's an insult in my opinion to a provider who has a strong background and great resume.

Also on my list would be places like Colorado, Montana, Utah just strictly based off the area and my desire to one day live somewhere with some great hiking, nature, scenery compared to where I live currently. I would love to have a cabin off the grid (think the movie shooter). I don't know much about the job market's in those areas so didn't want to put them on my list.

Washington state? Does it require its own program or something?

 

[NomadicMedic]

Washington state? Does it require its own program or something?

King County will only credential Paramedics who attend the Harborview/UW paramedic program.

 

[FLMedic311]

I am sure alot of people will say Washington state, but I am not even thinking about repeating P school, regardless of how good the potential employer is. It's an insult in my opinion to a provider who has a strong background and great resume.

Not a lot of people will say Washington. For a few reasons. As a whole, this state is not actually a great state to be a Paramedic in. King County being the outlier. I do find it interesting however how riled up people get about going through medic school again.
- Is it stressful? Yes
- Do you learn/benefit from it? Most definitely, as long as you come in with a willingness to learn.
- Is it fun? Actually, yea it kinda is!
- Is it necessary? No, probably not, as they say, "1000years of tradition impeded by progress..."
But!? What would you do to land a job that earns you a +110K your first year on?? Working only 102 Shifts a year. In a mildly busy system at worst.
It's a insult? What?!? To do what you should be doing as a tenured Paramedic anyway, essentially a year of CE.. To get full pay, benefits and retirement to do something most people have to pay to do.. All the while probably doing better then the average Paramedic does working full time?? Yea I guess that is insulting... You're right, it's a smack in the face! I can only imagine Nomad, Vent or anyone else for that matter waiting for me to start ranting on here LOL. Is it the best place in the world to work..? Maybe not, top 10..? I don't know how you could exclude it!

 

[Summit]

Not a lot of people will say Washington. For a few reasons. As a whole, this state is not actually a great state to be a Paramedic in. King County being the outlier. I do find it interesting however how riled up people get about going through medic school again.
- Is it stressful? Yes
- Do you learn/benefit from it? Most definitely, as long as you come in with a willingness to learn.
- Is it fun? Actually, yea it kinda is!
- Is it necessary? No, probably not, as they say, "1000years of tradition impeded by progress..."
But!? What would you do to land a job that earns you a +110K your first year on?? Working only 102 Shifts a year. In a mildly busy system at worst.
It's a insult? What?!? To do what you should be doing as a tenured Paramedic anyway, essentially a year of CE.. To get full pay, benefits and retirement to do something most people have to pay to do.. All the while probably doing better then the average Paramedic does working full time?? Yea I guess that is insulting... You're right, it's a smack in the face! I can only imagine Nomad, Vent or anyone else for that matter waiting for me to start ranting on here LOL. Is it the best place in the world to work..? Maybe not, top 10..? I don't know how you could exclude it!

I give your rant 6/10 good effort, but more emotion and profanity next time please

 

[FLMedic311]

I give your rant 6/10 good effort, but more emotion and profanity next time please

I humbly accept this 6/10, and promise a stronger effort in the future! Thank you for your continued support!

 

[GMCmedic]

Ill just hang out here in Indiana with my 60k a year, low cost of living, and 1 and done medic school

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

 

[CANMAN]

Not a lot of people will say Washington. For a few reasons. As a whole, this state is not actually a great state to be a Paramedic in. King County being the outlier. I do find it interesting however how riled up people get about going through medic school again.
- Is it stressful? Yes
- Do you learn/benefit from it? Most definitely, as long as you come in with a willingness to learn.
- Is it fun? Actually, yea it kinda is!
- Is it necessary? No, probably not, as they say, "1000years of tradition impeded by progress..."
But!? What would you do to land a job that earns you a +110K your first year on?? Working only 102 Shifts a year. In a mildly busy system at worst.
It's a insult? What?!? To do what you should be doing as a tenured Paramedic anyway, essentially a year of CE.. To get full pay, benefits and retirement to do something most people have to pay to do.. All the while probably doing better then the average Paramedic does working full time?? Yea I guess that is insulting... You're right, it's a smack in the face! I can only imagine Nomad, Vent or anyone else for that matter waiting for me to start ranting on here LOL. Is it the best place in the world to work..? Maybe not, top 10..? I don't know how you could exclude it!

Meh different strokes for different folks I guess. You don't get full pay to go through school, you get 50k for the first 10 months. The 32.45 salary post school on a 47 hour work week works out to be 85,202 a year without overtime. Far stretch from 110 a year even with a crap ton of OT... so maybe year 3 you hit 110k with some OT. Decent starting salary sure, but I personally wouldn't wanna do P school over again where I am at in my life/career. Just because other people on the boards might be eager to work for a place like King doesn't mean everyone's desires are the same. Was specifically stating my opinion that I wouldn't do medic school again, as I see no purpose in it. That's an entirely different debate. Your opinion is obviously different, and that's ok! Sounds like you should apply....

 

[NomadicMedic]

Meh different strokes for different folks I guess. You don't get full pay to go through school, you get 50k for the first 10 months. The 32.45 salary post school on a 47 hour work week works out to be 85,202 a year without overtime. Far stretch from 110 a year even with a crap ton of OT... so maybe year 3 you hit 110k with some OT. Decent starting salary sure, but I personally wouldn't wanna do P school over again where I am at in my life/career. Just because other people on the boards might be eager to work for a place like King doesn't mean everyone's desires are the same. Was specifically stating my opinion that I wouldn't do medic school again, as I see no purpose in it. That's an entirely different debate. Your opinion is obviously different, and that's ok! Sounds like you should apply....

He already did. @FLMedic311 is a King County WA paramedic.

 

[CANMAN]

He already did. @FLMedic311 is a King County WA paramedic.

Well that would explain it

 

[DrParasite]

Decent starting salary sure, but I personally wouldn't wanna do P school over again where I am at in my life/career.

kind of an odd tangent, but why not? Assuming you are already a paramedic, wouldn't P school be easy, since you already know and passed the course?

Could it be a waste of your time? sure, but you're getting paid during the entire process. Assuming you know every thing, that it should be a breeze, and if you don't (maybe your program skipped a few things), then you can learn new stuff and be brought up to "their standards."

Many municipal fire departments send every new hire through their academy again, regardless of if you are qualified or not. How is this any different?

 

[EpiEMS]

Could it be a waste of your time? sure, but you're getting paid during the entire process.

Eh, if it's less than you would otherwise be making, it could be a big turnoff -- though if you stay in KCM1, I'd wager you end up paying yourself back and more in a year or two (based on most EMS salaries I've seen).

 

[RocketMedic]

The pay is nice, but I just don't want to sit through medic school again lol.

 

[VentMonkey]

I give your rant 6/10

I'll give it a 7/10 just for the shoutout.

I often wax and wane about KCM1. Would I ever, or could I ever see myself doing it? Realistically no, but it's still very well-respected, appears to pay quite well, has great benefits, and really is in one of my favorite city's on the West Coast.

SCEMS still surpasses them IMO just based off of seemingly shear autonomy, and their geographically induced interactions with critically ill patients.

@DrParasite you have a valid point, as most FD's do this routinely, but not single-role EMS departments/ services. Then again, us single-roles tend to be a very peculiar bunch.

Five years ago I may have certainly had the ambition to go through the rigors that is their hiring process, but now? Eh, I'm hardly sure how much farther I could, or would want to take this paramedic thing.

 

[Carlos Danger]

Personally, I can't stand being made to jump through unnecessary hoops. I would not necessarily find having to repeat paramedic school insulting, but certainly a needless waste of time and resources, and therefore a significant deterrent to applying at any agency that would require it. I also have to wonder what the motivation behind such a requirement is. If it is to mold everyone into an identical drone in terms of the way that they practice, then it definitely would not be the place for me.

Bigger picture, sending every new employee to school for an entire year just to refresh their knowledge and "get everyone on the same page" seems like a collosal waste of resources, and it seems unlikely that King Co can't find more pressing ways to use that money and personnel.

 

[DrParasite]

SCEMS still surpasses them IMO just based off of seemingly shear autonomy, and their geographically induced interactions with critically ill patients.

assuming you mean sussex county DE, I fail to see what geography has to do with it.... unless you mean being in a tiered system, and not having to deal with BLS patients...... which, IIRC, is similar to KCM1....

@DrParasite you have a valid point, as most FD's do this routinely, but not single-role EMS departments/ services. Then again, us single-roles tend to be a very peculiar bunch.

I get a valid point, but not even a like on my post? I sense a rigged system....

and I agree, most don't..... in fact, almost all won't.... however, most single role EMS agencies have absolutely pitiful orientations, most less than a week in length. It has only been in the last few years have I seen orientation academies lasting over a month become more common (at least in NC), where you have to do classroom work before you even step foot on a truck. So maybe KCM1 is just really ahead of the curve on this one?

Personally, I can't stand being made to jump through unnecessary hoops. I would not necessarily find having to repeat paramedic school insulting, but certainly a needless waste of time and resources, and therefore a significant deterrent to applying at any agency that would require it. I also have to wonder what the motivation behind such a requirement is. If it is to mold everyone into an identical drone in terms of the way that they practice, then it definitely would not be the place for me.

IDK, everyone having the same high clinical standards, everyone on the same page in terms of operations, and a rigorous training process where you can make 110k after 3 years and you primarily treat only ALS patients?

Or think of it this way: if everyone wasn't on the same page, and held to the same high standards, do you think they would still have such a positive reputation an a high performing EMS agency?

Bigger picture, sending every new employee to school for an entire year just to refresh their knowledge and "get everyone on the same page" seems like a collosal waste of resources, and it seems unlikely that King Co can't find more pressing ways to use that money and personnel.

Personally? I agree. but as long as i'm not paying for it, my paychecks don't bounce, and their finance people see the value in it so they keep budgeting for it year after year, I wouldn't object to it, provided I was confident that I could pass the class with no issues.