Working In California?

K

Kaido

Forum Ride Along
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Hi, I'm new here, I'm 18 and super excited to begin work as an EMT. I just got signed up to do the initial certification course through the Hennepin County Medical Center here in Minneapolis, MN, and I will be taking the course over the first two months of summer after I graduate high school, and then very shortly thereafter I will be heading to Redlands, CA for four years of college. So I have a couple of questions about getting employed out there.

First of all, I will of course be taking the NRE, which I thought made me eligible to work in ALL states, but the woman at the other end of the phone at the EMS education center said MOST states when I asked her about it. When I asked her to clarify she couldn't give any examples of states that don't recognize the NRE. So is there an extra exam I might have to take before working in California?

Secondly, will I be needing a California driver's license to work in Cali?

Also, I'm still confused about how and where to apply for a job as an EMT. Redlands has two hospitals (I'm pretty sure), so would I be working directly for them or do the hospital dole out the work to separate companies/organizations?

Thanks for any information you can provide!

-Kaido
 
Redlands has one hospital (Redlands community). They do have EMT staff members but it is next to impossible to get hired by then unless you know someone on the inside.

In CA the majority of ambulances are from private companies. AMR is the biggest one in the area that holds a 911 emergency contract. You will need a CA drivers license to work for AMR as EMTs act as both EMTs and drivers.
 
New York doesn't use NREMT I believe.
 
Thanks for the quick response, the information is helpful. I think my next step will be to contact the campus employment & career services office at the university and see if they can help me out.

After reading the response I've thought of another question though. If the hospital has EMTs on staff, but outsources the ambulance work to companies like AMR, what exactly are the responsibilities of the "in-house" EMS staff? Do they just act as glorified orderlies or what?

Thanks again.

-Kaido
 
The hospital doesn't control EMS here so there is really no outsourcing. They are completely separate.

Out of the few number of hospitals that use EMTs in the clinical setting it is mostly as a monitor tech. They will help make beds, move patients, place 12-leads, help on full arrests, and some other odd jobs.
 
DesertEMT66 said:
The hospital doesn't control EMS here so there is really no outsourcing. They are completely separate.

Out of the few number of hospitals that use EMTs in the clinical setting it is mostly as a monitor tech. They will help make beds, move patients, place 12-leads, help on full arrests, and some other odd jobs.
Click to expand...


Thank you, sounds like pretty light work (relatively) but a good way to get some experience.

Do you believe that the skills necessary to be a 911 responder are lost quickly if not used? Could working in that sort of environment make me ineffective as a 911 responder if I got a job offer from AMR or a similar company after working in the hospital setting for an extended period of time?( a year or more)
 
It's a completely different environment. It will take a little while to adjust but it can be done without too many issues. In the hospital your not really used as an EMT so you will loose skills. However EMT skills are not hard at all to relearn.
 
DesertEMT66 said:
It's a completely different environment. It will take a little while to adjust but it can be done without too many issues. In the hospital your not really used as an EMT so you will loose skills. However EMT skills are not hard at all to relearn.
Click to expand...

But considering I will lose skills, is it more attractive to a possible employer (in the field of 911 response) for an applicant to be right out of their NREMT testing room or with a some experience in a hospital? I realize that this a very subjective question but any insight you can offer is helpful.
 
Experience in the hospital will help (at most places). While you may loose your skills you will gain experience in dealing with patients and knowing treatment options.
 
DesertEMT66 said:
Experience in the hospital will help (at most places). While you may loose your skills you will gain experience in dealing with patients and knowing treatment options.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your insight. Considering I'll be a college student I'll probably just take whatever work I can get but knowing these things definitely helps.
 
Just remember simply having your registry card does not make you eligible to work in a state. You still need the state license (emt license) to work. Also, and I'm not trying to discourage you but make sure yiu know the big picture, a lot of companies will not hire anyone under the age of 21 for ambulance jobs.
 
Kaido said:
Thanks for your insight. Considering I'll be a college student I'll probably just take whatever work I can get but knowing these things definitely helps.
Click to expand...

In California "whatever work you can get" as an EMT under the age of 21 isn't far fetched from the truth. Most hospitals like to see previous EMT experience and sometimes knowing someone on the inside is more than half of it.

Now your job outlook as far as ambulance companies that might employ you due to your age :sad: I will say with most confidence most if not all the companies that provide 911 services will not hire you unless you're 21. Whats left is non-911, non-emergent, Inter-facility transfer, dialysis companies. There's an abundance of these companies that range from legit to shady on how they run operations. These forums are filled with threads. Doing a little research will pay off in the long run. Starting out zero experience these are still great places to get work experience and a good foundation but you'll utilize minimal EMT skills in the process.

The simplest way I can put it is be smart about who you work for, don't stay there longer than you have you, don't get complacent. Keep learning and growing, only half listen to the burnt out guy (I believe) they give perspective, and hopefully you'll come out with more good habits than bad from the IFT life.

Good Luck and welcome to socal EMS. :P
 
Generally in California you'll start out in an IFT ambulance. Some AMR counties will hire without experience for 911, but not many.

The "general expectation" is one to two years of IFT or volunteer fire before you will be considered for a 911 slot. That varies by county. Not sure what Redlands is like.

Some IFT companies will hire without an ADL and you will be tech-ing in the back only. Again, not many. AMR hires under 21 in Monterey County without prior experience, but they have a high turnover rate.

An IFT ambulance is the best place to start in my opinion. Don't expect decent pay though.
 
Quikclot said:
Generally in California you'll start out in an IFT ambulance. Some AMR counties will hire without experience for 911, but not many.

The "general expectation" is one to two years of IFT or volunteer fire before you will be considered for a 911 slot. That varies by county. Not sure what Redlands is like.

Some IFT companies will hire without an ADL and you will be tech-ing in the back only. Again, not many. AMR hires under 21 in Monterey County without prior experience, but they have a high turnover rate.

An IFT ambulance is the best place to start in my opinion. Don't expect decent pay though.
Click to expand...

quikclot where you located? I'd say pay is all the same. IFT vs 911. IFT will lure you in with a higher hourly but limit your OT and opportunities for it. Thats what i fell for. Additionally, most IFT companies don't offer 24s anymore and those that do majority seem to only pay partial 24s. Though 911 usually pays minimum a good 911 company pays straight 24s and you have opportunities to work 48s and on occasion 72s and 96s not to mention any short shifts that may be offered. as an EMT decent pay is what you make of it and in EMS we thrive on OT.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Monterey County. All IFT in the San Francisco Bay Area, with the exception of Falck ($18/hr WTF!) pay $9 (w/call bonus) to $11/hr (no bonus) whereas 911 in Santa Clara Co. is $17/18 (approx) and MoCo is $15, starting, with 2.5% increase per year

The IFT I was at only had 24's on the ALS units. The rest were 8's. Where I'm at now, we run 12's with four 24hr cars for the whole county.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Quikclot said:
Monterey County. All IFT in the San Francisco Bay Area, with the exception of Falck ($18/hr WTF!) pay $9 (w/call bonus) to $11/hr (no bonus) whereas 911 in Santa Clara Co. is $17/18 (approx) and MoCo is $15, starting, with 2.5% increase per year

The IFT I was at only had 24's on the ALS units. The rest were 8's. Where I'm at now, we run 12's with four 24hr cars for the whole county.
Click to expand...

I'm sorry to the OP for getting off topic but I don't even know where to begin… you're still quoting EMT pay right?! Because $9-11 i'd say is OC/LA average for IFT and minimum wage being for 911. everything else you've quoted is medic pay range down here!!!! I know NorCal has a higher cost of living its just crazy to see numbers in perspective.
 
Once again pay is all location dependent. In my area of SoCal (Redlands is very close to me) AMR pays better than the IFT companies.
 
Yeah that's all EMT pay rates. EMT tops out at $23/hr but at +2.5% a year raise it takes awhile needless to say.

And 911 just about anywhere pays better than IFT id think.
 
Quikclot said:
Yeah that's all EMT pay rates. EMT tops out at $23/hr but at +2.5% a year raise it takes awhile needless to say.

And 911 just about anywhere pays better than IFT id think.
Click to expand...

Why is that? IFT is guaranteed money, 911 is a money loser
 
IFT around here is $9-11 an hour with no call bonus and 8-10 hr shifts. If you work a ton of OT then it's lucrative...I guess...but there's OT on 911 too.

No ones really in EMS for the money. At least I'm not. IFT was a good spot to get patient contact, basic vehicle ops and intro to PCRs. I moved into 911 and am totally happy here. As long as I can make a living with a little extra cabbage on the side, I'm good. I bring in twice as much working 911 and get way better benefits.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top