Yep, another job-hunting thread. Help.

[Emergency Metaphysics]

Colleagues,

In a couple of months I'll be road-worthy as an EMT. I generally know HOW to search for a job, but what I'm more curious about is the question of "which" one to apply for.

Could you please give me some things I should look for in a prospective employer? How about things that should be red flags? What are some of the bait-and-switch tactics employers use to hire EMTs/Paramedics only to have them wake up in a nightmare of a job?

I need to learn what you know about how to sort out the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Cheers, and humble thanks,
E.M.

 

[Angel]

things i look for is, since ems is a small community, what is morale like between employees and what the general word on the street is. if everyone is miserable, and everyone you talk to about company A is something always bad, and more than 1 person says DO NOT work there. then definitely...think really hard about it.
obviously take it with a grain of salt, but to date, (having worked for several BLS/IFT companies) all opinions have been accurate.
at the end of the day, you can do your time, get experience and move onto something better.
training pay and time they invest in training you is something important since you're new. i once got suckered into the promise of being able to work 911 shifts after a month, never happened. people were working there over a year before they even got close.
pay attention to turn over rate as well.

 

[Emergency Metaphysics]

Angel

things i look for is, since ems is a small community, what is morale like between employees and what the general word on the street is.

Thanks Angel,

I understand that a lot of the job hunt is common sense. The issue becomes how does one gather the sort of intelligence you describe. Companies certainly don't advertise their turn-over rates or pay, so finding a way to compare companies to one another has been difficult for me.

The problem is complicated by the fact that in order to take a job it is likely I will have to move several hundred miles, and I would rather be able to gather as much intelligence on the prospective employer before I uproot and pay for a move.

Know what I mean?

 

[Chimpie]

I haven't tried it for an EMS job, but there's a website called Glassdoor.com. Individuals are able to anonymously post reviews, salaries and other information about companies they've worked for.

You may want to check them out, throw in the name of the company/agency you're interested in and see what's listed.

 

[Emergency Metaphysics]

I haven't tried it for an EMS job, but there's a website called Glassdoor.com. Individuals are able to anonymously post reviews, salaries and other information about companies they've worked for.

You may want to check them out, throw in the name of the company/agency you're interested in and see what's listed.

Chimpie, thanks for this! This is the idea I'm looking for ... and others like it. I'll give it a look and let you know how useful it ends up being for our line of work.

Thanks again.

 

[Emergency Metaphysics]

**UPDATE**

Chimpie's suggestion of glassdoor.com is spot on. Keep the ideas and what you look for personally in an employer coming!

Cheers,
M.

 

[Chimpie]

**UPDATE**

Chimpie's suggestion of glassdoor.com is spot on. Keep the ideas and what you look for personally in an employer coming!

Cheers,
M.

Glad I could help.

 

[NomadicMedic]

Unfortunately, starting as an EMT, you start at the ground floor. Most people are happy to take whatever shift they can get, wherever they can get hired.

As you gain experience and add to your resume, you can start to cherry pick jobs that look appealing. Making a list of desirable tendencies in an employer is a good way to narrow down your job hunt.

For example, when I was looking for a new position I made a list of the things that were important to me. No system status management. All ALS. Third service. Pension. Promotional ladder. Progressive protocols. Paid education. Cost-of-living. Quality-of-life. Proximity to my parents house.

After looking, I narrowed it down to five or six systems, picked my favorite, applied and was hired.

In the beginning, any EMT experience is a foot in the door.

 

[Emergency Metaphysics]

For example, when I was looking for a new position I made a list of the things that were important to me. No system status management. All ALS. Third service. Pension. Promotional ladder. Progressive protocols. Paid education. Cost-of-living. Quality-of-life. Proximity to my parents house.

What you describe is essentially what I'm trying to do. The terms you used: "No system status", "all ALS", "third service", and "progressive protocols," all need some elaboration for me. I'm not as up-to-speed on my EMS jargon as I should be. Could you explain what those are and why they were important to you?

Thanks much!

 

[DesertMedic66]

What you describe is essentially what I'm trying to do. The terms you used: "No system status", "all ALS", "third service", and "progressive protocols," all need some elaboration for me. I'm not as up-to-speed on my EMS jargon as I should be. Could you explain what those are and why they were important to you?

Thanks much!

System status management or SSM is where ambulances are posted on street corners instead of inside stations for their shift.

All ALS means he only runs ALS (advances life support). And no BLS (basic life support).

Third service means that the company he works for is not a private company. It is provided by the county usually (like police and fire departments). It usually means pay is good, benefits are good, and retirement is also good.

Progressive protocols are what you are able to due in the field. There are some areas where protocols are very limited (pretty much all of CA). We have to contact the hospital for a lot of stuff and there is also a lot of stuff we can't do. With a progressive system you are able to do a lot for your patient and your contact with the hospital is usually limited.

 

[Emergency Metaphysics]

Thanks for the clarification! Now, the question is how to gather answers to those questions of whether a company does or is all of the things you mentioned. I suppose some of it is on their respective web sites, while a simple phone call might be all that's needed.

 

[DesertMedic66]

Thanks for the clarification! Now, the question is how to gather answers to those questions of whether a company does or is all of the things you mentioned. I suppose some of it is on their respective web sites, while a simple phone call might be all that's needed.

Websites, phone calls, talking to employees

 

[Chimpie]

Websites, phone calls, talking to employees

Exactly. This is where networking pays off.

You can get some information from a website or phone call, but nothing will beat talking to the individual EMT/Medic who works there every day. After talking to a few of them, you'll also pick up on the morale and possibly get to see what type of equipment (new or run down) they use.

Side note: Dress appropriately when networking. You may end up talking to someone who may have an influence on you getting hired or not.

Story time: I've been in (non-ems) management most of my career. When someone asks if I'm hiring or not, the hiring process begins that very moment. The application process has been mostly online. After telling them that, I usually ask for their name "so I can be on the lookout for their application." If they come in wearing shorts and flip flops, their application will probably get denied pretty quickly. Come in looking presentable, I'll remember that and will give their application a little extra reading time.

 

[TransportJockey]

Websites, phone calls, talking to employees

Linkedin is actually a good resource for this

 

[NomadicMedic]

I understand that you're excited about the job search, but you need to understand that as an EMT, you're basically a McDonalds employee. There's no real career positions as an EMT, it's a starter position. Like fast good or retail. Find a job where you're getting paid regularly and can continue your education while working. If you decide to stick with EMS, once you become a paramedic, you'll be qualified to apply for services that may have some of the attributes you find important.

 

[Drax]

Apply for any and every job you come across regardless. I've going to do some quick breakdowns, obviously not mention every single possibility for EMT jobs but most.

Private Ambulance - Pretty self explanatory, any EMS based transport company which may respond to interfacility transports, facility to home or vice versa transports, 911 transports, secondary to fire transports (called to transport after stabilized or checked out by fire), and maybe a few others.

Hospital Based - ED/ER Tech. These jobs can be difficult to get because they often have decent benefits with OK (for EMT) pay. They often require you to have 1-2 years experience in emergency/urgent care settings and sometimes other certifications, like CNA or NA-R. Different from place to place.

Volunteer Firefighter - These gigs may give you a small stipend, but typically not enough to sustain. However they sometimes have resident programs which means you get to live at the station. Typically they'll help you keep your certs and training up to date much like a private ambulance company would. You may also have to go through fire academy as a condition of being selected.

Career Firefighter - Firefighter/EMT, First response to medical emergencies typically. Sometimes includes ALS. Sometimes transports, sometimes hires private ambulance companies. Extremely difficult to get into. Amazing though.

Government EMS - Some larger cities/municipalities run their EMS. For example Detroit EMS is separate from Detriot Fire. Basically like a private ambulance company but a government job instead. Another example is New York City EMS.

Camp/Event EMS - Sometimes you can find temp jobs for events and camps and stuff. Only thing is, you typically need to have your state certification as an EMT before you can really get into doing this type of work.

Other - Casinos, Correctional Facilities, Urgent Care Facilities, Off-shore, Schools, etc etc etc the list goes on.

My advice, if you meet the requirements, you apply for that job and every other job you qualify for. There is such a huge surplus of EMTs that the employer literally can select from the cream of the crop, so you'll need all the experience you can get. Getting on as a volunteer might be the best way to get started in densely populated areas.

 

[Emergency Metaphysics]

Apply for any and every job you come across regardless.

Thanks for this; it's helpful. I know I can be too finicky about my first job, but I also want to ensure that I'm doing actual EMS and not letting my newly-aquired skills rot and rust right away.

It's unfortunate that there's a glut of EMTs. I plan on advancing as soon as possible to medic school. I've already worked in a correctional facility as an officer, so that might be a real option for me once I'm certified as an EMT.

If you think of anything else that you consider helpful in job-hunting, please let me know.

Mahalo,
M.

 

[Drax]

Thanks for this; it's helpful. I know I can be too finicky about my first job, but I also want to ensure that I'm doing actual EMS and not letting my newly-aquired skills rot and rust right away.

It's unfortunate that there's a glut of EMTs. I plan on advancing as soon as possible to medic school. I've already worked in a correctional facility as an officer, so that might be a real option for me once I'm certified as an EMT.

If you think of anything else that you consider helpful in job-hunting, please let me know.

Mahalo,
M.

You could accept the first job, maybe switch to another if you get a second call. Then in 6 months you could be looking to apply at the type of agency you're actually interested in.

Otherwise you could not work for 6-18 months. Possibly let your NREMT slip, lose motivation, and basically start all over either in this field or a new one. Not to mention, it doesn't look too cool when they ask you in your interview, what kind of continuing education have you done since you got your NREMT? What kind of experience have you got since you got your NREMT? "Well um...I...um...none." Just saying.

Don't know about Hawaii, but I believe some states require you to have a certain number of patient contacts as part of application for paramedic school.