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

[PotatoMedic]

From employees to management, I've always heard this. "There's no money in 911. The real bread and butter is IFT." Then why do all the mad money making IFT companies have the worst most blown out equipment and the barely breaking even 911 companies have the better equipment?

Vegas has separated 911 from IFT and it seems to work just fine. As a basic If you want to work a 911 car in Vegas, you need to do your time on a event shift or IFT car before you get certified as an EMT-Intermediate and get assigned to shifts in the 911 system.

Contract mandates can require newer equipment. And usually the company that has the 911 contract has the profitable hospital and IFT contracts. So the money hole that 911 is, is worth it for the profitability the IFT contracts are.

 

[akflightmedic]

Then why do all the mad money making IFT companies have the worst most blown out equipment and the barely breaking even 911 companies have the better equipment?

Ummm, this would be the part where the money making (PROFIT) takes place...for profit means you watch how every dollar is spent and you do not replace until absolutely necessary and if it is unessential you do not buy it to start with. 911/Govt provided/subsidized means you are either contractually obligated to have certain equipment with certain dates OR you are spending everyone else's money so it is really no big deal how much of the budget you have blown.

 

[RocketMedic]

The old, wrecked equipment is hardly exclusive to ift.

 

[TransportJockey]

The old, wrecked equipment is hardly exclusive to ift.

Exactly. I worked for a little 911 company in central NM that had some of the oldest and barely working equipment I've ever seen. By comparison, my equipment at AMR (except for our initial trucks which came out of the DRT fleet) was all in good working order and we even had a few things that no one in the area used.

 

[Christopher]

(disclaimer: president of non-profit department)

We pay better than the minimums and try to be above-average for our area, for all job functions. Why? Two simple reasons:

1. Better employees.
2. Better retention rates.

Both decrease the cost of doing business. One area agency led the charge to increase paramedic pay which has made it much harder for us to meet objectives #1 and #2 above. So we're doing a pay study at the moment and will probably see big increases for paramedics and COLA bumps for non-paramedics.

As for "EMT" as a career. Sure, make it a career. But with any career there will be a salary band, and in all likelihood the band will be sized based on the needs of the corporation. Our FF/EMT's have the narrowest band and once topped out would only receive COLA increases. Why? At their level their value-add to the corporation isn't enough to justify a wider band; and advancement in the organization is typically coupled with an increase in value-add. Nothing wrong with maxing out your band, nothing wrong with riding the same job for 20-30 years. There is also nothing wrong with your corporation topping out your pay.

Lastly, as an aside which addresses some earlier comments about how bad the "gubmint" does things...working for a Fortune 5 company I can assure you private businesses do it no better, and most often worse. But keep on believing private companies and the "free market" solve all problems. (Because we don't have a true free market and obviously it is way more complicated than "private good, public bad; MURIKA")

 

[Tigger]

well, to start off with, many nurses are unionized. this often helps lead to higher wages. The other way, in it's most simplest terms, is that many nurses refuse to work for peanuts. Meaning, if you are willing to work for 10/hr, why should an employer pay you any more? That is where the union comes into play; the staff as a whole (by way of the union) agree as a collective unit not to accept or work for a wage lower than they feel is appropriate. And then as a whole, they negotiate with management for better benefits

No doubt their unions have helped with their compensations. But nursing's increase in education has allowed them to become a player in many aspects of healthcare, which allows them more opportunities to make that money.

 

[Carlos Danger]

No doubt their unions have helped with their compensations. But nursing's increase in education has allowed them to become a player in many aspects of healthcare, which allows them more opportunities to make that money.

Only something about 20% or less of nurses belong to unions, and outside of a few regions (Ca, NY, etc) nursing unions are actually pretty uncommon. So it's probably safe to say that overall, the unions have little to do with nursing compensation.

 

[Carlos Danger]

Lastly, as an aside which addresses some earlier comments about how bad the "gubmint" does things...working for a Fortune 5 company I can assure you private businesses do it no better, and most often worse. But keep on believing private companies and the "free market" solve all problems. (Because we don't have a true free market and obviously it is way more complicated than "private good, public bad; MURIKA")

The point isn't that a free market is "perfect" (I've never heard anyone make that claim, actually); the point is that as an economic system, it is far better than any alternative. Many of the problems that people like to point to as evidence of failure of the free market can actually be traced directly to government influence and corporatism.

 

[irishboxer384]

Wow this thread really took off. With the passion on here then we should form our own national company, members here in each state....

On a more realistic note, arguably the most qualified people to comment on this matter are those who own/have owned their own medical company...or even ANY company at all. Running a business is a huge ordeal- I spent 2 years putting together my own business plan for my own 'thang', and for personal reasons have yet to apply everything that is prepared and ready to roll. With that being said... my minuscule insight into the business world...it is much more complex than a simple- pay the people more because it's the right thing to do.

 

[cruiseforever]

Only something about 20% or less of nurses belong to unions, and outside of a few regions (Ca, NY, etc) nursing unions are actually pretty uncommon. So it's probably safe to say that overall, the unions have little to do with nursing compensation.

I would disagree about unions not helping to increase wages. Here in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area there is a very strong nurse's union. When ever they go on strike or threaten to. They get an increase. That increase radiates out into the non-union hospitals as they increase the nurse's pay to keep staff.

I see the same thing here as a paramedic. The services with unions get an increase. The non-union ones get an increase, but it may not be as large.

 

[Carlos Danger]

I would disagree about unions not helping to increase wages. Here in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area there is a very strong nurse's union. When ever they go on strike or threaten to. They get an increase. That increase radiates out into the non-union hospitals as they increase the nurse's pay to keep staff.

Sure, but that effect is very localized.

In most of the country, nursing unions don't exist at all or involve a very small number of nurses.

My point was that unions have little impact on nursing wages OVERALL.

For example, when the unions in Minneapolis/ St. Paul or DC threaten to strike, it has zero impact on the nurses here in the Carolinas, where nursing unions basically don't exist.

 

[DrParasite]

Sure, but that effect is very localized.

In most of the country, nursing unions don't exist at all or involve a very small number of nurses.

My point was that unions have little impact on nursing wages OVERALL.

For example, when the unions in Minneapolis/ St. Paul or DC threaten to strike, it has zero impact on the nurses here in the Carolinas, where nursing unions basically don't exist.

Hmm. nursing unions are very strong in Mass, NJ,NY, DC, VA, and California..... and they get paid well....

Thinking of it another way, firefighters are not unionized in the Carolinas..... As a result, in SC, firefighters have some of the lowest wages for full time departments in the US. wages aren't as bad in NC for firefighters, but you aren't going to make as much money as you will in, say, Virginia. There are no union for EMS either, but is some places EMS does make more than firefighting.

NC and SC don't have unions, period. as a result, wages, especially in public safety are lower than in other parts of the country. Fire and PD also have higher turnover in the carolina's than in the NE (where I am from); and by turnover, I mean people leaving for other departments, not leaving for other career paths.

 

[Carlos Danger]

Hmm. nursing unions are very strong in Mass, NJ,NY, DC, VA, and California..... and they get paid well....

Thinking of it another way, firefighters are not unionized in the Carolinas..... As a result, in SC, firefighters have some of the lowest wages for full time departments in the US. wages aren't as bad in NC for firefighters, but you aren't going to make as much money as you will in, say, Virginia. There are no union for EMS either, but is some places EMS does make more than firefighting.

NC and SC don't have unions, period. as a result, wages, especially in public safety are lower than in other parts of the country. Fire and PD also have higher turnover in the carolina's than in the NE (where I am from); and by turnover, I mean people leaving for other departments, not leaving for other career paths.

Nurses get paid more in those areas because those are the most expensive places to live in the US, not necessarily just because of the strength of the unions. I got paid pretty well in NC as a flight nurse, without having to play the socialist union game.

My point had nothing to do with whether unions increase wages for those that belong to them, though.

My point was simply that, with only about 18% of RN's being unionized across the US (that's straight from the AFL-CIO themselves), and with nursing unions tending to be concentrated in specific geographic areas, they simply don't impact the vast majority of RN's in this country.

 

[gonefishing]

You have to remember about right to work states as well which have the highest poverty in the states.

 

[cruiseforever]

Sure, but that effect is very localized.

In most of the country, nursing unions don't exist at all or involve a very small number of nurses.

My point was that unions have little impact on nursing wages OVERALL.

For example, when the unions in Minneapolis/ St. Paul or DC threaten to strike, it has zero impact on the nurses here in the Carolinas, where nursing unions basically don't exist.

That would explain the high number of nurses from the east coast that came here to work during the last strike.

 

[Carlos Danger]

That would explain the high number of nurses from the east coast that came here to work during the last strike.

Travel nurses.

 

[dank]

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.

Where I work we carry epi pens so we can give them if needed, not assist someone in using one.

 

[SandpitMedic]

There's a posting for AMR OKC with a $3500 relocation bonus.

Meanwhile San Berdo county has a posting for Paramedic AO for 11.17/hr

LOLZ

It's all about where you go.

 

[RocketMedic]

There's a reason for that relocation bonus....EMSA is not in great straits.

 

[RefriedEMT]

Hello All,

I am writing to inform you that Liberty Ambulance is now offering $13.00 per hour for new hire EMT's. We are offering a $500 sign on bonus as well. We have full-time employment opportunities in Downey, Santa Ana, North Hollywood and the South Bay. Check us out and apply at www.libertyambulance.com

I'm gona have to ask you to move your company to Vancouver, Washington.