Are there any EMTs or paramedics on ATOT?

[Arkitech]

THe wife and I are thinking of leaving IT and possibly going into paramedic work. We're not entirely sure just yet so at the moment we're doing a little research.

So for you guys who are actually EMTs what's your work schedule like?

Are you happy with the pay?

What's a normal day like?

What's the worst thing you've encountered on the job?

How long were you in training before getting work?

 

[scorpmatt]

buy a police scanner, then go to the scene of accidents. you can there see for yourself

 

[RaynorWolfcastle]

I think that pliablemoose is an EMT, drop him a PM he can probably help you with your questions

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

I have known some people that did EMT/First Response work. They usually try to move on to something better. It's rough work. A friend has had the "luck" to witness such things as a fully decapitated motorcycle rider, severed mangled children, and an old man with such severe burns you could see bone. You need a strong stomach and to be able to basically turn off your emotions.

 

[StageLeft]

911paramedic said he loved his job, but I know the pay SUCKS. Unless you're doing super low tech support, you'll take a pay cut.

 

[Pliablemoose]

Originally posted by: RaynorWolfcastle
I think that pliablemoose is an EMT, drop him a PM he can probably help you with your questions

I'm an RN, EMT when I was 16 though, I currently work in a trauma center & it's the regional control for EMS... (Our docs ok treatment en route)

So for you guys who are actually EMTs what's your work schedule like?

Usually it's 7 12 hour shifts/2 weeks

Are you happy with the pay?

I think it's around $14/hour locally, but not sure

What's a normal day like?

There are no normal days, each one is different.

What's the worst thing you've encountered on the job?

Ever scooped up gray matter or intestines?

How long were you in training before getting work?

Varies from state to state: here's a good link http://bls.gov/oco/ocos101.htm

 

[Czar]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
911paramedic said he loved his job, but I know the pay SUCKS. Unless you're doing super low tech support, you'll take a pay cut.

yeah, he had a thread a long long time ago describing his work, after that I have so much respect for paramedics

 

[StageLeft]

I think becoming an RN would be a better route for a lot of people. You can do it in a couple of years of school, if you don't bother with a BSN, and your pay will be $40k+ starting off. I don't know pliablemoose's experience with it, but mrsskoorb's has been that the majority of the people she works with, most of whom are women, are immature and annoying. She's come upon a lot of gossiping and laziness.

 

[Drakkon]

i'm not an EMT/PAramedic but have been working with them and doing a couple of ridealongs, the worst i saw was a rattlesnake bite, those just look nasty and the person is in sooo much pain...the most gruesome from what the guys have told me are accident scenes, this one was like a semi hit a dude on a bike (the dumbass was riding along the freeway around 4am) they were picking up "pieces" of the guy for about 2 miles.
schedule for guys i work is 1 day on, 1 day off, or 2 days on, 3 days off where Day = 24 hrs, you live,sleep,eat at the "house" for that full 24 hrs.
normal day 99% of the time is (again for the guys i work with) picking up old people that have fallen out of bed, taking care of rattlesnakes (i live in AZ what do you expect?) and going to accident scenes where 90% of the time no one is hurt serriously. Only maybe 2 days a week will they actually have a true "emergency" call.
All of the guys i been with have been on the job from 2-5 years and seem to really enjoy it. They all try and move up to cheifs or training officers but the younger guys still have a lot of fun with it, cause occasionally they'll call you up for a life flight or a event run (like a football game or sporting event) and those can be both fun and intence.

 

[sharkeeper]

I'm an RN, EMT when I was 16 though, I currently work in a trauma center & it's the regional control for EMS..

Can you milk anything with nipples?

 

[Pliablemoose]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
I think becoming an RN would be a better route for a lot of people. You can do it in a couple of years of school, if you don't bother with a BSN, and your pay will be $40k+ starting off. I don't know pliablemoose's experience with it, but mrsskoorb's has been that the majority of the people she works with, most of whom are women, are immature and annoying. She's come upon a lot of gossiping and laziness.

Yep, that's about it... The younger nurses all think they'll marry doctors, they're disillusioned idiots in a couple of years when they figure out all the good doctors are married or that the ones that will date them aren't going to mary them...

Imagine working with a bunch of women all cycling their period at the same time...

The pay isn't great, the hours have the potential to seriously suck if you don't like nights.

The biggest plus is that it's relatively recession proof.

I'd stay in tech if I were you, also nursing school slots are getting very competitive because of the economic climate...

I'll pull in ~$80K this year with OT etc (I have 2 jobs, work a minimum of 2 12 hour shifts at another hospital in addition to my FT gig), but I work in a specialty area, have sh1tloads of experience, certifications, and work in an area where RN's are relatively well compensated. Some areas have very non-competitive wages.

 

[Pliablemoose]

Originally posted by: sharkeeper

I'm an RN, EMT when I was 16 though, I currently work in a trauma center & it's the regional control for EMS..

Can you milk anything with nipples?

I limit my milking attempts to human females

 

AdamDuritz99 would know. You could contact him via PM if he still frequents the forum.

Originally posted by: Skoorb
I think becoming an RN would be a better route for a lot of people. You can do it in a couple of years of school, if you don't bother with a BSN, and your pay will be $40k+ starting off. I don't know pliablemoose's experience with it, but mrsskoorb's has been that the majority of the people she works with, most of whom are women, are immature and annoying. She's come upon a lot of gossiping and laziness.

Oh no, that must be for Alabama. Here it's at least $40 per hour for acute hospitals. I don't know much about convalescent. Some pay lower and some relatively the same.

 

[StageLeft]

Oh no, that must be for Alabama. Here it's at least $40 per hour for acute hospitals. I don't know much about convalescent. Some pay lower and some relatively the same.

Out of school, nationally, the average nurse sure as sh*t is not making $40/hour.

 

[Pliablemoose]

Originally posted by: DearQT
AdamDuritz99 would know. You could contact him via PM if he still frequents the forum.

Originally posted by: Skoorb
I think becoming an RN would be a better route for a lot of people. You can do it in a couple of years of school, if you don't bother with a BSN, and your pay will be $40k+ starting off. I don't know pliablemoose's experience with it, but mrsskoorb's has been that the majority of the people she works with, most of whom are women, are immature and annoying. She's come upon a lot of gossiping and laziness.

Oh no, that must be for Alabama. Here it's at least $40 per hour for acute hospitals. I don't know much about convalescent. Some pay lower and some relatively the same.

Outside of metro California areas, (and housing costs really impact wages there) the best I've seen is $36/hour for specialty units working for an agency with no benefits

Thanks for playing... didn't know you were a nurse Luvly...

3/4 down the page, they list average wages. http://bls.gov/oco/ocos083.htm

 

[Pliablemoose]

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Oh no, that must be for Alabama. Here it's at least $40 per hour for acute hospitals. I don't know much about convalescent. Some pay lower and some relatively the same.

Out of school, nationally, the average nurse sure as sh*t is not making $40/hour.

Yep, same old luvly, all kinds of opinions, facts, advice and they're all bullsh1t

How is it all your many friends haven't freaking killed you yet?

 

[Fullmetal Chocobo]

I currently work in dispatch at work. Does that count?
Tas.

 

[deejayshakur]

while on the topic of nursing, there is always the option of becoming a travelling nurse. while i was working at the ER around here, two young and fairly attractive nurses from virginia came all the way over yonder to california and i'm sure they were making a handsome quick buck since wages in california are much higher than that of most other states. plus, due to the rn shortage, the cali hospitals will welcome you with open arms, pay for your housing and food, and give you a car to drive for those 6 or 12 months that you're here. after that, if you're looking to relocate permanently, you've already got your foot in the door.

the other thing you'll want to think about is would you want to be hospital-based or out in the field. besides work environment, i believe the pay in the hospital is a little lower, but i'm not quite sure. of course, the type of trauma/pathology you'll see depends on where you work as well. me, i was a unit clerk for 3 years and shooting for an EM residency after med school. the camaraderie in EM is hard to beat.

 

[Pliablemoose]

I saw a traveling nurse fax the other day for $1k/day, $4k/week for traveling RN's.... I didn't talk to them, so I don't know how accurate the offer was... but California is offering killer wages if you don't have to buy a house there. You also have to have no issues with being a strike breaker at times...

As soon as my daughter is in college I'm prob going to buy a motorhome/fifth wheeler & do the traveling nurse gig... 2.5 more years...

 

[RaynorWolfcastle]

Originally posted by: Pliablemoose

Originally posted by: RaynorWolfcastle
I think that pliablemoose is an EMT, drop him a PM he can probably help you with your questions

I'm an RN, EMT when I was 16 though, I currently work in a trauma center & it's the regional control for EMS... (Our docs ok treatment en route)

Oops, my bad. At least I was right about you being able to provide help

 

[StrangeRanger]

I do first response for the coast gaurd as a volunteer. So you know what that pays. But then I'm not in it for the pay. I have a FT job to pay the bills and get close to free training and coast gaurd experience as my "pay".
Normal day? Regular hours? Those don't apply to the field I work in. I'm on call for varying shifts through out the month. Usually a lot more hours in the summer months. I couldn't do this sh!t as a FT job, those that are FT EMT/EMS are true heros.
Worst thing I've done/seen.. hmm.. was probably cleaning up what use to be 4 people off a breakwater when the drunk driver of their boat slammed it at about 40 mph. Worst part was that the driver survived while the 4 people down below in the cabin did not. That was a nasty scene.
j

 

[Chunkee]

i did it for a spell when i was younger.

fascinating work...however, like cops, you will deal with scum o earth, low low pay, and dangerous as well.

typical United States priorities.... civil servants (minus the feds) get paid crap....and are not respected much. but if you can bat at least .325 and take steroids and sell tennis shoes, you can get millions and get treated like you are God.

social workers, police, fireman, paramedics, civil air patrol, rescue personnel.

you do it becuase you love it....hi burnout

jC

 

[GasX]

I used to be a volunteer ambulance worker. The worst thing I ever saw and old person clinging to life knowing there wasn't much time left and that it was all going to suck. Much worse than any stabbing or bar fight...

 

Originally posted by: Pliablemoose

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Oh no, that must be for Alabama. Here it's at least $40 per hour for acute hospitals. I don't know much about convalescent. Some pay lower and some relatively the same.

Out of school, nationally, the average nurse sure as sh*t is not making $40/hour.

Yep, same old luvly, all kinds of opinions, facts, advice and they're all bullsh1t

How is it all your many friends haven't freaking killed you yet?

Uh yeah, being the one who actually does accounting and is privy to the payroll of the registered nurses and other types makes me an unqualified authority. :roll:

Edit: Where did I state that it was the national average? I was just dispelling your view that the starting salary was $40K+ standardly. You didn't limit it to your area. It certainly isn't $40K+ to start in this region.

 

[Pliablemoose]

Originally posted by: DearQT

Originally posted by: Pliablemoose

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Oh no, that must be for Alabama. Here it's at least $40 per hour for acute hospitals. I don't know much about convalescent. Some pay lower and some relatively the same.

Out of school, nationally, the average nurse sure as sh*t is not making $40/hour.

Yep, same old luvly, all kinds of opinions, facts, advice and they're all bullsh1t

How is it all your many friends haven't freaking killed you yet?

Uh yeah, being the one who actually does accounting and is privy to the payroll of the registered nurses and other types makes me an unqualified authority. :roll:

So you're an accountant now?

And you work in a hospital? Where at luvly? How many beds? What about the Dept of Labor link I posted with wages, which is accurate according to Scoorb's wife's earnings in Alabama & my 20 years experience as an RN in 6 different states?

Do your nurses slot into a tiered pay scale or does your hospital start experienced nurses at the midpoint of the pay scale?

Walks away from YALP (Yet Another Luvly Post)

<---waits patiently for anyone besides DearQT/luvly to post that they know a hospital based RN making >$40/hr with benefits outside of metro CA city...

PSA: the moonlighter Physician pay is $65/hour for one with no experience, up to $120/hour with experience...

Bullsh1t!!!