Walmart Raises Minimum Wage to $10 - Why Not EMS?

Angel said:
I saw that and plan on putting in an app. im definitely surprised it pays that good, and retirement is great as well.
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Yes, but does 75K go that far out there? We have the same program here in Maryland and they don't pay that much. Upon Successful completion of the Trooper Academy the salary is increased to $44,124. If accepted into the Aviation Command for a Trooper Medic position the salary is increased to $49,624. So here in MD to be a trooper Medic you are only makeing around $5,500K more.
 
for nearly everywhere except the bay area and probably LA. but for central valley on up, id be living like a king. thats more than twice what i make now. and thats just the starting wage. like desert said, if i could do some kind of flight medic/tactical stuff itd be the perfect job.
 
gotshirtz001 said:
I could BLS 95% of my calls... Doesn't make them BLS calls.

Eventually I would lose my license.
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Nice jab. C'mon now, don't kid yourself.

Also, it's a certification, not a license... Perhaps you need a refresher.

CHP would be a cool job, if you want to be AAA with a gun....
 
SandpitMedic said:
Nice jab. C'mon now, don't kid yourself.

Also, it's a certification, not a license... Perhaps you need a refresher.

CHP would be a cool job, if you want to be AAA with a gun....
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I would lose my medic license (CA) if I invariably did only BLS interventions on my ALS patients.
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1425047361.373090.jpg
 
COmedic17 said:
There's no possible way "95%" of my calls are BLS. Where are you getting your "facts"? Maybe in IFT 95% are BLS. Not what I have seen, though.
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There is no way to know exactly what percentage of patients transported by EMS are "true" ALS patients, of course.

But if you look at the types of patients that ALS interventions have actually been shown to consistently and positively affect outcomes in, it is really a very small subset of transports. Severe asthma, certain cardiac patients, etc.....I think that's about it.

Personally, based on what I've read and seen in my 15 years in EMS, I would guesstimate that in most systems, BLS could safely transport 90% or more of all patients - prehospital or IFT - without any decrease in patient outcomes.
 
dank said:
You are WAY to full of yourself. Last time I checked basic first aid was taught in boy scouts and I did not see them being taught to administer medication or check people for trouble breathing or how to do a trauma assessement. Being an EMT IS not basic first aid.

I did spend half a year getting EMT certification!
Emergency Medical Technician:
Start Date: 03-15-2015
End Date: 08-02-2015
Location: MFRI Northeast Regional Training Center

http://www.mfri.org/cgi-bin/schedule.cgi?S=MDFS&R=3
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So, you took 5 months to complete a 130 hour course. Good for you.

http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/BoyScouts/AdvancementandAwards/MeritBadges/mb-FIRS.aspx I certainly don't want to split hairs here, but this Basic First Aid module includes CPR and AED use, splinting, moving patients and LOTS more. Maybe MFRI could just give out a merit badge?

Oh wait, EMTs learn about oxygen too. The red cross offers that class: Administering Emergency Oxygen Contact Hours: 2.5 CEUs Awarded: 0.3

It's a job with with an entry level skill set, and should be paid accordingly. And honestly, paramedics shouldn't be paid much better. And in many cases, they're not.
Wanna make more money? Get a better education and become a nurse, doctor or garbage man.
Hell... there's people that will VOLUNTEER to do this job. How does that improve the value of the EMT?
 
SandpitMedic said:
.... I meant largely as a whole.
Not precisely 95%; it's probably closer to (GUESSTIMATING) 75- 80% BLS or what should be BLS. Of those, maybe only 25% would benefit from an ambulance, totes-magoats.

I'm not quite sure if there are adequate stats on the numbers of ALS vs BLS, considering the amount of over-treatment that goes on.

I can assure you that because you think that anxiety attack/ETOH/4 day tummy ache/flu/etc needs to be placed on an EKG, does not make it a true ALS call.
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I would say a large amount require either drugs- or are trauma. All trauma calls are run ALS until proven otherwise.
 
dank said:
Last time I checked basic first aid was taught in boy scouts and I did not see them being taught to administer medication or check people for trouble breathing or how to do a trauma assessement. Being an EMT IS not basic first aid.

I did spend half a year getting EMT certification!
Emergency Medical Technician:
Start Date: 03-15-2015
End Date: 08-02-2015
Location: MFRI Northeast Regional Training Center

http://www.mfri.org/cgi-bin/schedule.cgi?S=MDFS&R=3
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1- length of course is not indicative of quality or amount of info gained- you spent half a year doing something that could be (and is done) in a matter of weeks
2- any reasonably minded teenager could easily be taught how to do the same things an EMT can including checking for 'trouble breathing or trauma assessment' as you said
 
So you're all saying that the role an EMT plays pales in comparison to that of a medic?
 
Mthom said:
So you're all saying that the role an EMT plays pales in comparison to that of a medic?
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In an emergent ALS call, yes.

For a pshyc patient with no other medical problems, I would say it's pretty even.
 
I'm not talking strictly ALS. I'm talking in general. This is starting to sound like the whole "nurse bashing medics" thing, except now it's medics bashing basics.
 
Mthom said:
So you're all saying that the role an EMT plays pales in comparison to that of a medic?
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Would you rather have 100 emts or 100 paramedics? Obviously we dont have that luxury hence we have different levels of training to fill the gaps.
EMTs are vital in the same way plumbers, electricians and garbage disposal is vital. But this thread isn't about usefulness, it is about $$$ and the reality is some parts of the country pay great for EMTs, some pay crap, but you can say that about alot of professions, and for a 120 hour course that is no different.
 
Well, the topic for the past few posts hasn't been completely about money, it's been about bashing Basics. I wouldn't compare the level of training a boy scout can pursue to a Basic EMT class. Nothing against the BSA, as I am a former member, but it's demeaning. Just remember that you all were basics at one time or another.
 
COmedic17 said:
All trauma calls are run ALS until proven otherwise.
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That's absurd. 90-95% of trauma management is BLS. Save for thoracic, airway, or brain insult or something that warrants pain management (but even still could be managed BLS without much difference in pt outcome.) Even bleeding out could be managed with BLS methods and fluids (BLS in some parts of the U.S.)

Not arguing about that anymore. You do you.
 
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Mthom said:
Well, the topic for the past few posts hasn't been completely about money, it's been about bashing Basics. I wouldn't compare the level of training a boy scout can pursue to a Basic EMT class. Nothing against the BSA, as I am a former member, but it's demeaning. Just remember that you all were basics at one time or another.
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I have the utmost respect for basics- in the same way i have respect for other services such as police, firefighters etc...my point of view is that it should be 3rd service to ensure they get the benefits that they deserve etc...but since they are private, nothing is gonna change.
 
I just don't get what a paramedic would say paramedics don't deserve to get paid more....yea we should raise the standards to a degree requirement, but to (at some places) make just over $11/hr?
Who's side are you on?
For the record I have 3 AA degrees in science and liberal studies and waiting for my paramedic degree to come and will be going finishing my bachelors next year. This isn't just a hobby
 
Mthom said:
Well, the topic for the past few posts hasn't been completely about money, it's been about bashing Basics. I wouldn't compare the level of training a boy scout can pursue to a Basic EMT class. Nothing against the BSA, as I am a former member, but it's demeaning. Just remember that you all were basics at one time or another.
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Boy scouts is pretty much first aid. It's usually done with a merit badge or 2 that takes maybe 8-12 hours.

EMT is like an advanced version of first aid in many places in the US. In my area of SoCal there aren't many meds at all that an EMT can give aside from oxygen and maybe some activated charcoal (not in the BLS level here). There are very few meds we are able to assist patients with (epi pens, MDIs, and nitro are about the only ones). You can assist patients with epi pens at a first aid level (at least when I took the merit badge course).

For the medic level you can assist patients with their medications and give a lot more medications and a decent number of other critical interventions.

This is coming from my point of view as an Eagle boy scout, former EMT, and now paramedic.
 
Mthom said:
I'm not talking strictly ALS. I'm talking in general. This is starting to sound like the whole "nurse bashing medics" thing, except now it's medics bashing basics.
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I am not bashing basics. I am saying that a good basic pales in comparison to being partnered with a even marginal medic. The fact that I can split all calls evenly makes my day SO much easier.

For the basics out there, I assume the majority of you are planning to become medics. If you are trying to carve out a career as a transporting EMT, you have your work cut out for you. I can't understand choosing to work in this field and staying at the ground floor.
 
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