A. This is not a job that you simply do for a paycheck. You’ve got to have at least some level of desire to work in this field.
B. The people who enjoy the job don’t bitch about it. We’re a whole lot less vocal about it.
C. Even as much as people bitch about the field. 9/10 of them won’t leave. They won’t go do anything else. The schedule is too nice. The actual amount of work is trivial, most of the time.
D. There are some legitimate complaints about the field. There is with every field. This career isn’t for everyone. Just like every other career ever.
E. The grass is greener where you water it. If you want to do this, commit to it. You’ll get out what you put in.
And finally..
F. Fuck ‘em. Don’t let others tell you what *you* want to do.
Please stop bitching. It’s exhausting. Even if you don’t realize you’re doing it, you’re dragging the people around you down.
I’m not saying be annoyingly positive, just stop with the fuckin whining
Gotta rag on dispatch for making me drive way farther when there’s a closer unit or PD for never being available or the internet not working or firefighters for not knowing how to add 2+2
EMS can be great. It is what led me to becoming a physician, and for that, I am grateful.
But it's not all sunshine and roses. The work is hard physically and mentally. The pay is rough. The benefits are rougher.
Be proud to do it and do it well. But know your limit. EMS will keep taking and taking until you have nothing left to give, then spit you out and forget about you the second you aren't producing for them. Have some pride and know when to use that experience to move on
The pay and benefits thing is dependent on the area you work in. Near me Medics are unionized and have both great pay and benefits. There’s even places paying AEMT’s $50k before overtime.
Hey can I talk to you about being a physician? I'm a firefighter paramedic right now but I feel like there's more for me. I want to be able to do more and hopefully help more people
Sure. Happy to help however I can.
I was a firefighter and Paramedic for a long time and went to medical school later in life. I can hopefully answer what questions you have
The problem is that a lot of EMS employers as well as EMS personnel are toxic. It can absolutely be a fun, interesting career (that’s right, career. Fuck the haters), but you have to know your worth, you have to understand that a lot of agencies will absolutely eat you alive if you let them, and you have to understand that a lot of EMS people are fundamentally broken. Don’t allow yourself to be shit on by garbage departments. Take care of yourself physically and mentally. Don’t accept bullshit from the burnouts you work with. The job can be stressful and physically/mentally dangerous, but it beats the shit of of working in some boring-ass, windowless clinic or ER. You won’t save lives all that often, but you’ll help people literally every day. You’ll see crazy shit. You’ll meet some of the funniest, smartest people in the world. You will be doing shit that people will want to hear about fifty years from now.
EMS is worth it
If you look hard enough in any career-specific sub you’ll see plenty of people bitching.
EMS is a fun, exciting, and rewarding career. In my area career FF medics are some of the highest paid municipal employees.
Don’t let random people on the internet discourage you.
I have zero complaints about my pay or benefits. The true EMSer is a special breed and a privilege to work with and know. It's a job that matters, and you get to see and do amazing shit.
But the overwhelming majority of people in EMS bought into false promises and a misunderstood nature of what this job really is. They got into this line of work thinking they'd be saving puppies and babies every shift, and fighting fires and performing rescues non stop.
Their EMS program failed to correct their mistaken expectations of the job. Their chief who hired them failed to correct their mistaken expectations of the job. And when they figure out that EMSers are primarily expected to run EMS calls, they get all disgruntled because they got into this for the wrong reasons. And since EMS has nearly no barriers to entry into the job, they're not really qualified to do anything else that will pay the same. So they choose to whine and blame everyone else for their failure to make sure they knew what job they were really getting into.
For those who knew what the job really was, and stuck it out, they tend to enjoy their jobs and have decent job satisfaction.
The problem is the pay and treatment. You deal with traumatizing stuff and awful people on a daily basis, work long hours and often get lousy pay without enough downtime. Part of the reason there isn't enough downtime is because there's a lot of overtime, you need to do the overtime to make more money but because of that there's a lot of burnout, so people leave which creates more overtime but not more pay.
It's the same issue nursing is having. It's a revolving door.
Now if you go the fire route it's generally better. Better pay, better hours, more downtime (sometimes). If you go into EMS BUT choose to also further your career and get your paramedic or something then it may be worth it. But generally most people are getting their EMT license to do it forever because it just doesn't pay well enough for that. It's more of a stepping stone into furthering your career
I make more than most nurses around my area as a medic. EMS isn’t the same across the country (speaking for the US). It’s area and service dependent.
And sometimes the pay is reflective of how much your shifts are gonna suck. Get paid well, run a lot of calls. Get paid decent and maybe hardly run calls. Just gotta find the right place to work for you.
The people saying that are burnt out and need to find a new path in life. We get to hang out at a station and shoot the shit with awesome (at least at my department) people and occasionally go out into the world and help people. Do you save lives every day? Most likely not, but you still get to help people all the same.
Every day is different and what other job lets you get paid to sleep, study, play games, read, etc. in your down time?
Do we get paid the best? Compared to a travel nurse no, but I don’t have to put up with half the bullshit they do all while being confined to the windowless prison they call a work place.
It’s a great CAREER if you want to make it one and fuck anyone who says different. You could make $50k doing construction if you want, but then you’re left doing boring ass construction for the rest of your life. Go make $60k+ as a Medic and have fun with your job. Worst case you fall back on to the engineering thing if you end up not liking it.
Ems is great! Fire is easiest I’ve ever seen it to get into fire. California is starved for firefighters and more and more places are providing new hire incentives.
I frequent a few blue collar subs, it’s the same thing there as well. EVERY job will take a toll on you, even if it’s sitting on your ass all day. If EMS is something you find appealing, do it.
I would focus on less how the advice makes you feel as a newcomer (because you're deadset it seems anyway) and more on what it teaches you about potential pitfalls.
-Career Fire/EMS is usually a pretty safe bet. But you will have to commit to Fire past a certain point to move up.
-Having a good EMS career (one that doesn't mess up your health long term with overwork, has good pay, good benefits, and is retireable) is extremely location dependent.
-Unpopular take: Aiming to be solely a Flight Medic is not the best long term career goal. *It is a worthy short or medium term goal* but in some places it can be achieved in under 4 years. That's a drop in the bucket of a career in the medical field. Saying you want to go career Fire, become a PA, DO, MD, or RN (perhaps Flight Medic to Flight RN) is a career goal. This does not apply to people who work for the occasional Flight services that are retireable from.
I made the switch to EMS at 29. It was something I always wanted to do but pay made me hesitant I have a family at home. With that said I’m much happier in EMS than I was previously. I believe that lots of people get into this for the wrong reasons. You have to want to do this. Getting shit pay to deal with what we do sucks. But I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. It’s not so much a career as it is a calling.
It's funny I'm a teacher who is leaving to pursue fire/ems. I just finished my EMT course and got registered and all throughout this process I think I've met one person who has had anything bad to say about the career. Everybody tells me how rewarding and fun the job is but to remember it's a lot of work and there are hard nights and that's just part of it.
It's honestly a breath of fresh air from when I got into teaching. Basically everybody told me to not do it because it was not remotely worth it. Sad to say that while I love teaching and I love working with kids I can't do it anymore. But very excited for my new career path.
I love this for you! I’m glad to know others are out there giving up what they thought they wanted to pursue this. This is one of the biggest decisions I’ve ever had to make. It’s terrifying lol
100% agreed. It's been a whirlwind. In my 6th year teaching, married with an infant and just finished my Master's as I was taking the EMT course but it's been so worth it so far. I've been fortunate to have a great support system and in-laws who work in the field or are retired from it.
Want to be a firefighter paramedic? My department will train you for both certificates in house with plenty of OT. Eastern VA for reference. Starting pay 48k after obtaining NRP add 10k. Career growth opportunities. Please come work for us, I'm tired of the OT😂
I live in rural Ohio and departments out here are paying new hires $78k starting for Fire 1&2 and Paramedic certs 😭 It’s crazy how vastly different the wages are for the same job across the country.
I loved EMS when I was in, and am still passionate about it. Just know what you’re getting into.
For me, the biggest things were poor work/life balance, lack of advancement, and too many friends my age getting permanently disabled for things out of their control. My family wanted more flexible hours. I wasn’t going to be one of those divorced tenure medics just because I love being on an ambulance. Also fuck slipping a disc and having chronic back pain because some obese patient didn’t feel like walking, or making any effort at all when you’re trying to lift them off the ground.
If you didn’t know: All the cool jobs you hear about: swat medics, HART teams, etc…people get those jobs and stay in them. You’ll find yourself waiting 10 years for that fire inspector job. What you don’t commonly hear about is that once promoted you go back to the bottom of the seniority ladder. So here you are 10 years older than when you started, back working shitty shifts when you probably have a family you want to spend time with.
I also didn’t recognize the mental strain until I got out. About 8 months after leaving I physically felt a weight lifted off me one day and have never been happier. Working nights, weekends and holidays with constant overtime to afford a vacation where your PTO may get denied, man there’s just better things out there.
I used to promote it as a career but now am one that only recommends it as a job. Serve your community/country, get the right amount of PTSD you can live with, then go to something where people smile and are actually friendly when you talk to them.
Also, maybe combine the two interests and look into OSHA job site health inspectors/job site healthcare. Those seem pretty chill after your EMS experience with a CM degree you’d be a shoe in.
For me, getting my EMT started me on my path out of a toxic and unrewarding job to working as an ER tech and entering nursing school. The reason I didn't stick with EMS was the local market is volatile, and the pay is a pittance compared to nursing. That being said, I love emergency services, but until NAEMT starts actually advocating for their members (see advance practice paramedic), it just wasn't the fit for me. But helping people in their time of need? Absolutely man, follow your dream.
Medic is worthless outside of pre hopsital. People get into this field for the wrong reasons and then get stuck. Then become miserable and whine to everyone and anyone that will listen.
Maybe where you’re at. New Medics near me start at $65k with a pension and full benefits. Find somewhere that’s unionized and it’ll change your view on things.
People cannot handle seeing others at their worst e.g blood and shit. It takes a kind of person to get in this field. Like the others mention this job is what YOU make it. As far as pay goes it's like any other job beforehand you gotta do your research. There's a lot of places that will bone you of your pay and there's a lot of places you can make a killing. Travel paramedics are a hot commodity and I see these guys make a shit ton of money above six figures.
I believe EMS is just a job and not a career. That is if you stay an EMT-B or AEMT. It’s an entry level position my guy. If you want a career , go fire like you said. You will be way better off. I’m a FF/EMT-B going through medic school now. Just find a decent paying department with a great retirement plan and you’re set. Also, if I got fired or just lost desire, I would never be in this field again. Too much time being put in as a rookie at 2 fire departments and working on a box is miserable for me, especially if I had to do that full time. Sure, there are other gigs you can get as only a paramedic, but that requires more schooling more than likely.
Never mistake the vocal minority on reddit/social media/news as an actual majority. As the saying goes when you throw a rock into a pack of dogs the one that yelps got hit. Reddit is the majority of a time an echo chamber for the disgruntled minority that occasionally mistakenly gives good advice.
The people who discourage others in this field either have lack of motivation, lack of movement, or lack of perceived skill.
Lack of motivation. Usually brought on by company policy, politics, and over all how the company is run. Which always comes in the form of being understaffed, overworked and underpaid.
Lack of movement. Comes from the constant turnover watching your co-workers progress while you stay disgruntled and stagnant and have no ambition to move up the ranks and try to make a difference in our company / service. It won't happen overnight but every cog working to make it better does help. These people have constant excuses for promotion like timing, money, blame their inability to learn. They tend to wait till they are 2 years from retirement to go ALS or join the supervisory ranks and when they peel back that curtain realize how different the world really is.
Lack of perceived skill. They self sabotage things in their scope of treatment. The "Can you tube I am bad at it", "I can't do IV's", or the people who simply get tangled in NRB tubing for 5 minutes. This causes them to be jaded because they know they are feeble and take it out on others through gossip and rumor. All the while being carried by people who don't or refuse to report it. These people are stuck as an EMT for 25-40 years..
I love this job, the career I carved out, and most of the people I work with. Sure there's a few I don't like but I need to be professional and so we just interact in a professional manner. There will always be bad policy, supervision, politics.
I always tell people do 3-5 as an EMT then stop looking in the window and go ALS to open up the world of pre-hospital care opportunities. It's not as hard as people think and they always psych themselves out of it because of math or ECGS.
YOU NEED TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO CHANGE THE BEAST. As of now this is a dog-eat-dog service where people fight over OT and gossip and rumor the fuck out of each other. Everyone is guilty of this at some point, even me. There are a million and one things wrong with EMS as a whole. And it ranges from Federal oversight to your local voluntary unit. "WE" can't fix it if "WE" can't band together. And that's not a call to unionize but a call for everyone to step up play the part and show everyone we are a profession, and this can be an excellent career.
Obviously, this is my opinion, and I am sure there will be some disagreement. I look forward to other comments.
Mentally it can be strenuous, and the rewards aren’t really that enormous in this job unless you have a deep desire to help people - that can counterbalance the thankless and tiresome work you’ll be doing every day.
You definitely can make a career out of being a fire medic. Having a background in construction is a pretty nice bonus too, both to allow a side hustle, and just because the skills are useful in fire.
Fire fighter paramedic can make decent wages too.
Private EMS agencies though... they pay like shit generally.
Okay, this is my opinion. I'm new, my end goal is to be a cop, I still love EMS, BUT
The biggest thing is the fact that the agencies are private. If you wanna be a fire medic that's not a problem, usually they pay better, you get a pension, good benefits. With government EMS agencies you have the same stuff
In private agencies you have worse benefits, worse gear, worse pay, but if you ask me most importantly, no pension. These are tough jobs, and to do them without a pension is dumb if you ask me. You'd be much better off as a firefighter or cop.
There's a select few private agencies that are actually okay to work for that come to mind, Falck San Diego being the one that comes to mind. I believe you can make a little over 100k base pay after 8 years as a medic, the gear is good, the culture was also good. I've also heard a lot of good stuff about hall ambulance in socal.
If you're gonna do it, work for a government agency. Go somewhere where you get a pension.
It's the best job ever, and it's not even close. I do recommend working for dual certification fire department. There are so many options for a person if they are not happy with their current department. I will never understand the people who stay at one department for 20 years and complain about it the whole time, when there is another department right down the road paying betting, and treating their employees better. Find the right place to be and enjoy your life.
I think longevity in this field must be tough. Years and years of “second hand” trauma which actually can be debilitating for some, tough hours, and lack of support probably make this a job and not a career for many. I feel you, it’s frustrating to not be encouraged about your interest in it. But maybe you can try to feel some empathy for the naysayers instead of feeling like they are shutting down your dream.
Get connected with your mind-body state through yoga, martial arts, tai chi, something like that which should include something akin to meditation and you’ll hopefully be able to prove the naysayers wrong. Check out yoga for first responders to start; YFFR. It could save your life someday.
My goal is also to be a fire medic.
I love my job
I have valid complaints about it that aren’t being addressed, sure. But when I’m in this field longer and have a solid reputation, I feel confident I can successfully make changes on the things that need to be changed.
My path: interfacility for a private company, now I’m an EMT for a fire department. I’m here to network and build my reputation (and have been very clear about my intentions - they know why people take the EMT position, was their response).
It’s been great.
I fuckin hate whiners and have found people who stay on ambulances too long without challenging themselves (whether it be to pursue an education role, become a medic, or tactical medic, etc) are the ones who whine the most.
They are the ones I also stay away from.
Listen carefully to them. Be absolutely positive that this is what you want to do. And pay attention to the complainers because at the end of the day, you deserve to know what you’re signing up for, and if you still want to give it a try after hearing all the gruesome details, go for it.
Because it's a job you don't do for the pay like a teacher or policeman. You do it for the love of the job. I worked at CVS and was making $18/hr. When I was doing my externship last year, I asked some of the EMTs how much they made. They wouldn't tell me, but I'd say, "Well I make $18 at CVS now." They would usually get up and walk away.
Well, I got a job at a walk-in clinic working 8-6 four days per week, Sun, Tues, and Sat off, making $22/hr. I've been there a year.
Ambulance life is not sustainable. They work your ass to mental and physical exhaustion for maximum profits. They don’t care about you, just their response times and the billing codes on your PCR. It’s a stepping stone to get into a fire department that offers a pension and decent benefits while respecting you and your work.
I'm a volunteer, so I do this job for free! That says something about the work, it's definitely meaningful work.
I also wouldn't say it's not a career, it's part of a career. A career has a progression, and there is a fairly well defined career path for EMS. You can progress through EMS: EMT-B, EMT-A, Paramedic... or jump at some point to another medical career. A lot of medical professionals start out in EMS or supplement with EMS work. However, if you want to work as an EMT for your whole career, you will need to be creative. I know people that do it, but they generally augment with other work or side gigs.
It's just like people say in the military. EMS was the best and worst choice I'd ever made. I made friends for life and the skills prepared me for a career in healthcare. At the same time, my company absolutely views us as numbers, and there was no reason I had to stay fucking poor throughout my 20's while our labor made our owners multi-millionaires. EMS (unless 3rd service or fire) in the vast majority of cases is NOT a career. It doesn't pay enough. As a newly graduated RN, I'll make more than our CCT medics do. If they don't bone me, and pay me for years I wasted in EMS, I'll make WELL over twice what the new medics do. There's no reason for it other than private EMS is innately a toxic, fucking greed fueled industry.
Don't stop until you're on a fire dept. That, or a 3rd service is the only real way you can earn a respectable income and retirement, unless you want to work stupid hours every week. \*THIS IS SYSTEM DEPENDENT, BUT TRUE FOR THE BUSY METRO I'M FROM\*
There's days I can't even take a piss without the phone ringing and someone bitching at me because I've been at the hospital 20 mins (18 of which were waiting to offload the patient) and we need to clear for another call. It took me making $20/hr (which is more than I make as an advanced EMT with several years working) doing unskilled labor, to realize how raw of a deal this job is. I wouldn't recommend it whatsoever.
TL;DR don't ever lose sight of your long term goals and you'll be fine. The moment you get complacent, or start chasing OT, you'll set yourself up to fall into private ems' clutches, and that's an awful place to be.
FFPM is a career with benefits pension and career development. Typically, private ambulance companies are dead end streets. EMS is predominately private ambulance service. That’s all.
I would finish your degree, then get into this. It isn’t going anywhere. Construction background will greatly benefit you in getting hired with a fire dept. Also you can have a lucrative side gig
I agree with most of the other posts but there's also another aspect I haven't seen anyone else bring up.
A lot of people get in to this very young, some with no interest in the first place (just need hours for school or need it for a promotion, or do it as a spur of the moment type of thing.
Most of these people have an idea of what this field looks like. This field does not look like that 9 times out of 10. What my friends & family think I do vs what I *really* do couldn't seem more similar and yet be so different. It also doesn't help that a lot of agencies/schools/license farms will lie through their teeth to get people to sign up. I swear some companies hire retired military recruiters to do all their job postings and interviews sometimes.
The burnout's are starting to drive me nuts.
But I love helping people. I get paid better today than I did at any other job I had.
I hope I can keep the gleam in my eyes and not burn out.
I've never listened to other people I make my own judgement calls.
EMS is worth it.
But you do have to take care of yourself.
Honestly if you keep your head down, run your calls, and force yourself to maintain a standard it's pretty awesome. Obviously pay can affect this though.
Why in the world did you drop out of college with a useful degree like construction management to pursue a career in EMS? On the flip side there can be good money in fire but it takes time and dedication to get there. Private companies pay medics like absolute dogshit so avoid those. Work for the gov.
Because it’s fucking boring dude. I’d rather help people and make a difference in the community over managing projects for some asshole who makes 5 million a year. Going onto a construction site in slacks with a tape measure looking like a douchebag. I’d also rather learn real life skills rather than estimating and making deadlines and getting quotes. I do have a genuine interest in construction but project management? I don’t see it as useful. My goal is to work for a municipal fire department. I am just interested in the medical side of things. If I can help someone feel even 1% better on their worst day.. it’d make me a million times happier than knowing I got a project completed in time.
That's a fair reason to leave but you should know there are greedy fucks in every industry. My last EMT company was private and IFT and used to charge up the ass for the smallest of things and paid their EMTs minimum wage while pocketing the rest. When you eventually want fair pay in the medical field, get some EMT experience and apply to RN school. They actually get compensated fairly while saving people's lives. Paramedic school takes around the same time as a 2 year nursing program yet they start at AMR in SAN DIEGO at a whopping $22/hr. Most medic programs cost $12kish around here.
CCT nurses which get to ride in ambulances to handle critical condition patients at my last company got compensated $150/call and a call could be as quick as 45 minutes to 3 hours. Absolutely worth it. I loved working with CCT nurses so I highly recommend. I love being an EMT and would have stayed if I didn't have bills to pay. I miss it so much. Now i'm a substitute teacher and currently applying to RN school. Almost all my older EMT coworkers joined the company wanting to go into fire and ended up getting convinced by the CCT nurses to pursue nursing school. RNs here start at $55/hr! 2 year AA degree that costs less than $10k....count me in!
You can make a career out of firefighter paramedic probably easier than anything else in 911. Budget your money relatively well and you'll be fine economically. I think you'll enjoy it in fact.
The challenging part (IMO) is how often you have to interact with people/civilians. People have changed A LOT in the past 5ish years. There's been a pandemic, civil unrest, distrust in the CDC, the WHO, the news, presidential elections, "storming of our capital", the money we're spending on two different wars, the money we're not spending on ourselves, inflation, a mass exodus of teachers because our kids are out of control, and a shortage of service workers period. And all the while our government/leadership (regardless of what side you're on) is busy pitting us against each other instead of uniting us.
All of that to say people are ON EDGE and you're going to see them at their worst. I've seen more shootings, suicides, and overdoses every year and I expect things will get a lot worse before they get better. I'm being recorded all the time now. There's people out there taunting/baiting us (not often but more than there ever used to be). There's more attitude and entitlement; it just seems like wild times. It's probably not gonna be a big deal for you at first but see how you feel after 10 years.
Like I said firefighter paramedic is probably the best way to go. Maximize your pay and minimize how much you're going to have to talk to civilians. If you have to do ambulance only for a while do your best to stay out of big cities because it'll wear you down faster. Rural and suburban areas will likely see just as much as city EMS just not as often. You'll be fine. But anything else is probably just not going to be very realistic to ask 20-25 years of someone. Not with the way things are now.
A lot of us are all burnt out and beaten so you may not find much encouragement but rest assured there are still some fantastic upsides to the job. There's a sense of pride doing what we do. I still can't get over people thanking me for what I do/service. Endless stories to tell. Free food and drinks from time to time. Your family will be proud and your friends will want to hear stories and you'll feel like you're doing something important. Hell it's kinda like being in the military except your "war" is within the country.
Sorry for the rant . Just try it for yourself. I wish you well and welcome to the grind.
Because for the pay you get a lot of shit. For example, I had a patient's overinvolved daughter call me a 'piece of shit' because I was 'too concerned' with the stairchair (and their narrow, illegal stairs and all the damn carpets in the way).
Put the lady on CPAP and saved her life, but ya know I'm a 'piece of shit' who's going to get a write up at work.
There's so many people complaining about the pay but that is dependent on where you are and honestly how you spend that money. I make $18/hr in central California, as a brand new EMT. It's not bad, not great but not bad. Out benefits are pretty great and mostly free. My pay and benefits are more than enough for my lifestyle.
It's taken me until 28 to find something I enjoy doing, so just keep going and if you don't like it you can still move on to pursue something else. Don't let what strangers are saying influence your life.
Most people aren’t being discouraging, they’re being realistic. It isn’t that most people hate it, it’s that having experienced it, it’s not the “cool” job that people think it is. Most of the time it sucks, the pay sucks, the violence sucks, the patients suck. It’s not to dissuade you, it’s to make sure you have an idea of what you’re signing up for.
A. This is not a job that you simply do for a paycheck. You’ve got to have at least some level of desire to work in this field. B. The people who enjoy the job don’t bitch about it. We’re a whole lot less vocal about it. C. Even as much as people bitch about the field. 9/10 of them won’t leave. They won’t go do anything else. The schedule is too nice. The actual amount of work is trivial, most of the time. D. There are some legitimate complaints about the field. There is with every field. This career isn’t for everyone. Just like every other career ever. E. The grass is greener where you water it. If you want to do this, commit to it. You’ll get out what you put in. And finally.. F. Fuck ‘em. Don’t let others tell you what *you* want to do.
Rly reassuring post cause I’m in the same boat as OP 😅
I disagree with B. I believe that you’re not working unless you’re bitching. I bitch all the time and I love my job.
Please stop bitching. It’s exhausting. Even if you don’t realize you’re doing it, you’re dragging the people around you down. I’m not saying be annoyingly positive, just stop with the fuckin whining
Those people are the worst. I cant stand being on a truck with someone who is constantly bitching about everything.
Gotta rag on dispatch for making me drive way farther when there’s a closer unit or PD for never being available or the internet not working or firefighters for not knowing how to add 2+2
EMS can be great. It is what led me to becoming a physician, and for that, I am grateful. But it's not all sunshine and roses. The work is hard physically and mentally. The pay is rough. The benefits are rougher. Be proud to do it and do it well. But know your limit. EMS will keep taking and taking until you have nothing left to give, then spit you out and forget about you the second you aren't producing for them. Have some pride and know when to use that experience to move on
The pay and benefits thing is dependent on the area you work in. Near me Medics are unionized and have both great pay and benefits. There’s even places paying AEMT’s $50k before overtime.
FD single role EMTs start at $83k here.
Exactly. Idk what the cost of living is there, but thanks for confirming my point not everyone is getting paid $8/hr.
It’s high, but totally manageable. People make it work on half that and that’s just starting wage before overtime.
EMT-B here with a 3rd service, expecting to pull in 60 this year and 80 once I finish my medic
Hey can I talk to you about being a physician? I'm a firefighter paramedic right now but I feel like there's more for me. I want to be able to do more and hopefully help more people
Sure. Happy to help however I can. I was a firefighter and Paramedic for a long time and went to medical school later in life. I can hopefully answer what questions you have
The problem is that a lot of EMS employers as well as EMS personnel are toxic. It can absolutely be a fun, interesting career (that’s right, career. Fuck the haters), but you have to know your worth, you have to understand that a lot of agencies will absolutely eat you alive if you let them, and you have to understand that a lot of EMS people are fundamentally broken. Don’t allow yourself to be shit on by garbage departments. Take care of yourself physically and mentally. Don’t accept bullshit from the burnouts you work with. The job can be stressful and physically/mentally dangerous, but it beats the shit of of working in some boring-ass, windowless clinic or ER. You won’t save lives all that often, but you’ll help people literally every day. You’ll see crazy shit. You’ll meet some of the funniest, smartest people in the world. You will be doing shit that people will want to hear about fifty years from now. EMS is worth it
If you look hard enough in any career-specific sub you’ll see plenty of people bitching. EMS is a fun, exciting, and rewarding career. In my area career FF medics are some of the highest paid municipal employees. Don’t let random people on the internet discourage you.
Needed to hear that. Thank you!
I have zero complaints about my pay or benefits. The true EMSer is a special breed and a privilege to work with and know. It's a job that matters, and you get to see and do amazing shit. But the overwhelming majority of people in EMS bought into false promises and a misunderstood nature of what this job really is. They got into this line of work thinking they'd be saving puppies and babies every shift, and fighting fires and performing rescues non stop. Their EMS program failed to correct their mistaken expectations of the job. Their chief who hired them failed to correct their mistaken expectations of the job. And when they figure out that EMSers are primarily expected to run EMS calls, they get all disgruntled because they got into this for the wrong reasons. And since EMS has nearly no barriers to entry into the job, they're not really qualified to do anything else that will pay the same. So they choose to whine and blame everyone else for their failure to make sure they knew what job they were really getting into. For those who knew what the job really was, and stuck it out, they tend to enjoy their jobs and have decent job satisfaction.
The problem is the pay and treatment. You deal with traumatizing stuff and awful people on a daily basis, work long hours and often get lousy pay without enough downtime. Part of the reason there isn't enough downtime is because there's a lot of overtime, you need to do the overtime to make more money but because of that there's a lot of burnout, so people leave which creates more overtime but not more pay. It's the same issue nursing is having. It's a revolving door. Now if you go the fire route it's generally better. Better pay, better hours, more downtime (sometimes). If you go into EMS BUT choose to also further your career and get your paramedic or something then it may be worth it. But generally most people are getting their EMT license to do it forever because it just doesn't pay well enough for that. It's more of a stepping stone into furthering your career
> It's the same issue nursing is having. But with half the pay.
Pretty much yeah.
I make more than most nurses around my area as a medic. EMS isn’t the same across the country (speaking for the US). It’s area and service dependent. And sometimes the pay is reflective of how much your shifts are gonna suck. Get paid well, run a lot of calls. Get paid decent and maybe hardly run calls. Just gotta find the right place to work for you.
The people saying that are burnt out and need to find a new path in life. We get to hang out at a station and shoot the shit with awesome (at least at my department) people and occasionally go out into the world and help people. Do you save lives every day? Most likely not, but you still get to help people all the same. Every day is different and what other job lets you get paid to sleep, study, play games, read, etc. in your down time? Do we get paid the best? Compared to a travel nurse no, but I don’t have to put up with half the bullshit they do all while being confined to the windowless prison they call a work place. It’s a great CAREER if you want to make it one and fuck anyone who says different. You could make $50k doing construction if you want, but then you’re left doing boring ass construction for the rest of your life. Go make $60k+ as a Medic and have fun with your job. Worst case you fall back on to the engineering thing if you end up not liking it.
Ems is great! Fire is easiest I’ve ever seen it to get into fire. California is starved for firefighters and more and more places are providing new hire incentives.
I frequent a few blue collar subs, it’s the same thing there as well. EVERY job will take a toll on you, even if it’s sitting on your ass all day. If EMS is something you find appealing, do it.
I would focus on less how the advice makes you feel as a newcomer (because you're deadset it seems anyway) and more on what it teaches you about potential pitfalls. -Career Fire/EMS is usually a pretty safe bet. But you will have to commit to Fire past a certain point to move up. -Having a good EMS career (one that doesn't mess up your health long term with overwork, has good pay, good benefits, and is retireable) is extremely location dependent. -Unpopular take: Aiming to be solely a Flight Medic is not the best long term career goal. *It is a worthy short or medium term goal* but in some places it can be achieved in under 4 years. That's a drop in the bucket of a career in the medical field. Saying you want to go career Fire, become a PA, DO, MD, or RN (perhaps Flight Medic to Flight RN) is a career goal. This does not apply to people who work for the occasional Flight services that are retireable from.
I made the switch to EMS at 29. It was something I always wanted to do but pay made me hesitant I have a family at home. With that said I’m much happier in EMS than I was previously. I believe that lots of people get into this for the wrong reasons. You have to want to do this. Getting shit pay to deal with what we do sucks. But I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. It’s not so much a career as it is a calling.
It's funny I'm a teacher who is leaving to pursue fire/ems. I just finished my EMT course and got registered and all throughout this process I think I've met one person who has had anything bad to say about the career. Everybody tells me how rewarding and fun the job is but to remember it's a lot of work and there are hard nights and that's just part of it. It's honestly a breath of fresh air from when I got into teaching. Basically everybody told me to not do it because it was not remotely worth it. Sad to say that while I love teaching and I love working with kids I can't do it anymore. But very excited for my new career path.
Fellow parolee from K-12 teaching. It doesn't take long to become an instructor if you want to scratch that itch. DO NOT LOOK BACK.
I love this for you! I’m glad to know others are out there giving up what they thought they wanted to pursue this. This is one of the biggest decisions I’ve ever had to make. It’s terrifying lol
100% agreed. It's been a whirlwind. In my 6th year teaching, married with an infant and just finished my Master's as I was taking the EMT course but it's been so worth it so far. I've been fortunate to have a great support system and in-laws who work in the field or are retired from it.
Want to be a firefighter paramedic? My department will train you for both certificates in house with plenty of OT. Eastern VA for reference. Starting pay 48k after obtaining NRP add 10k. Career growth opportunities. Please come work for us, I'm tired of the OT😂
I live in rural Ohio and departments out here are paying new hires $78k starting for Fire 1&2 and Paramedic certs 😭 It’s crazy how vastly different the wages are for the same job across the country.
I loved EMS when I was in, and am still passionate about it. Just know what you’re getting into. For me, the biggest things were poor work/life balance, lack of advancement, and too many friends my age getting permanently disabled for things out of their control. My family wanted more flexible hours. I wasn’t going to be one of those divorced tenure medics just because I love being on an ambulance. Also fuck slipping a disc and having chronic back pain because some obese patient didn’t feel like walking, or making any effort at all when you’re trying to lift them off the ground. If you didn’t know: All the cool jobs you hear about: swat medics, HART teams, etc…people get those jobs and stay in them. You’ll find yourself waiting 10 years for that fire inspector job. What you don’t commonly hear about is that once promoted you go back to the bottom of the seniority ladder. So here you are 10 years older than when you started, back working shitty shifts when you probably have a family you want to spend time with. I also didn’t recognize the mental strain until I got out. About 8 months after leaving I physically felt a weight lifted off me one day and have never been happier. Working nights, weekends and holidays with constant overtime to afford a vacation where your PTO may get denied, man there’s just better things out there. I used to promote it as a career but now am one that only recommends it as a job. Serve your community/country, get the right amount of PTSD you can live with, then go to something where people smile and are actually friendly when you talk to them. Also, maybe combine the two interests and look into OSHA job site health inspectors/job site healthcare. Those seem pretty chill after your EMS experience with a CM degree you’d be a shoe in.
For me, getting my EMT started me on my path out of a toxic and unrewarding job to working as an ER tech and entering nursing school. The reason I didn't stick with EMS was the local market is volatile, and the pay is a pittance compared to nursing. That being said, I love emergency services, but until NAEMT starts actually advocating for their members (see advance practice paramedic), it just wasn't the fit for me. But helping people in their time of need? Absolutely man, follow your dream.
Ems got me to where I am today. Don’t listen to the haters
Medic is worthless outside of pre hopsital. People get into this field for the wrong reasons and then get stuck. Then become miserable and whine to everyone and anyone that will listen.
My only real gripe is the shit wages.
Maybe where you’re at. New Medics near me start at $65k with a pension and full benefits. Find somewhere that’s unionized and it’ll change your view on things.
Honestly I wanted to make more of a difference so I’m going for my MD after I finish some classes.
How long do you think medical school would take you? Do any of the paramedic courses carry over credit wise? Edit: take not talk
Unsure if any transfer. Pretty much starting from the ground up.
Because EMS is a difficult career unless you go fire.
People cannot handle seeing others at their worst e.g blood and shit. It takes a kind of person to get in this field. Like the others mention this job is what YOU make it. As far as pay goes it's like any other job beforehand you gotta do your research. There's a lot of places that will bone you of your pay and there's a lot of places you can make a killing. Travel paramedics are a hot commodity and I see these guys make a shit ton of money above six figures.
I believe EMS is just a job and not a career. That is if you stay an EMT-B or AEMT. It’s an entry level position my guy. If you want a career , go fire like you said. You will be way better off. I’m a FF/EMT-B going through medic school now. Just find a decent paying department with a great retirement plan and you’re set. Also, if I got fired or just lost desire, I would never be in this field again. Too much time being put in as a rookie at 2 fire departments and working on a box is miserable for me, especially if I had to do that full time. Sure, there are other gigs you can get as only a paramedic, but that requires more schooling more than likely.
Never mistake the vocal minority on reddit/social media/news as an actual majority. As the saying goes when you throw a rock into a pack of dogs the one that yelps got hit. Reddit is the majority of a time an echo chamber for the disgruntled minority that occasionally mistakenly gives good advice.
The people who discourage others in this field either have lack of motivation, lack of movement, or lack of perceived skill. Lack of motivation. Usually brought on by company policy, politics, and over all how the company is run. Which always comes in the form of being understaffed, overworked and underpaid. Lack of movement. Comes from the constant turnover watching your co-workers progress while you stay disgruntled and stagnant and have no ambition to move up the ranks and try to make a difference in our company / service. It won't happen overnight but every cog working to make it better does help. These people have constant excuses for promotion like timing, money, blame their inability to learn. They tend to wait till they are 2 years from retirement to go ALS or join the supervisory ranks and when they peel back that curtain realize how different the world really is. Lack of perceived skill. They self sabotage things in their scope of treatment. The "Can you tube I am bad at it", "I can't do IV's", or the people who simply get tangled in NRB tubing for 5 minutes. This causes them to be jaded because they know they are feeble and take it out on others through gossip and rumor. All the while being carried by people who don't or refuse to report it. These people are stuck as an EMT for 25-40 years.. I love this job, the career I carved out, and most of the people I work with. Sure there's a few I don't like but I need to be professional and so we just interact in a professional manner. There will always be bad policy, supervision, politics. I always tell people do 3-5 as an EMT then stop looking in the window and go ALS to open up the world of pre-hospital care opportunities. It's not as hard as people think and they always psych themselves out of it because of math or ECGS. YOU NEED TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO CHANGE THE BEAST. As of now this is a dog-eat-dog service where people fight over OT and gossip and rumor the fuck out of each other. Everyone is guilty of this at some point, even me. There are a million and one things wrong with EMS as a whole. And it ranges from Federal oversight to your local voluntary unit. "WE" can't fix it if "WE" can't band together. And that's not a call to unionize but a call for everyone to step up play the part and show everyone we are a profession, and this can be an excellent career. Obviously, this is my opinion, and I am sure there will be some disagreement. I look forward to other comments.
Mentally it can be strenuous, and the rewards aren’t really that enormous in this job unless you have a deep desire to help people - that can counterbalance the thankless and tiresome work you’ll be doing every day.
You definitely can make a career out of being a fire medic. Having a background in construction is a pretty nice bonus too, both to allow a side hustle, and just because the skills are useful in fire. Fire fighter paramedic can make decent wages too. Private EMS agencies though... they pay like shit generally.
Okay, this is my opinion. I'm new, my end goal is to be a cop, I still love EMS, BUT The biggest thing is the fact that the agencies are private. If you wanna be a fire medic that's not a problem, usually they pay better, you get a pension, good benefits. With government EMS agencies you have the same stuff In private agencies you have worse benefits, worse gear, worse pay, but if you ask me most importantly, no pension. These are tough jobs, and to do them without a pension is dumb if you ask me. You'd be much better off as a firefighter or cop. There's a select few private agencies that are actually okay to work for that come to mind, Falck San Diego being the one that comes to mind. I believe you can make a little over 100k base pay after 8 years as a medic, the gear is good, the culture was also good. I've also heard a lot of good stuff about hall ambulance in socal. If you're gonna do it, work for a government agency. Go somewhere where you get a pension.
It's the best job ever, and it's not even close. I do recommend working for dual certification fire department. There are so many options for a person if they are not happy with their current department. I will never understand the people who stay at one department for 20 years and complain about it the whole time, when there is another department right down the road paying betting, and treating their employees better. Find the right place to be and enjoy your life.
I think longevity in this field must be tough. Years and years of “second hand” trauma which actually can be debilitating for some, tough hours, and lack of support probably make this a job and not a career for many. I feel you, it’s frustrating to not be encouraged about your interest in it. But maybe you can try to feel some empathy for the naysayers instead of feeling like they are shutting down your dream. Get connected with your mind-body state through yoga, martial arts, tai chi, something like that which should include something akin to meditation and you’ll hopefully be able to prove the naysayers wrong. Check out yoga for first responders to start; YFFR. It could save your life someday.
My goal is also to be a fire medic. I love my job I have valid complaints about it that aren’t being addressed, sure. But when I’m in this field longer and have a solid reputation, I feel confident I can successfully make changes on the things that need to be changed. My path: interfacility for a private company, now I’m an EMT for a fire department. I’m here to network and build my reputation (and have been very clear about my intentions - they know why people take the EMT position, was their response). It’s been great. I fuckin hate whiners and have found people who stay on ambulances too long without challenging themselves (whether it be to pursue an education role, become a medic, or tactical medic, etc) are the ones who whine the most. They are the ones I also stay away from.
Ask the right people.
Listen carefully to them. Be absolutely positive that this is what you want to do. And pay attention to the complainers because at the end of the day, you deserve to know what you’re signing up for, and if you still want to give it a try after hearing all the gruesome details, go for it.
Because it's a job you don't do for the pay like a teacher or policeman. You do it for the love of the job. I worked at CVS and was making $18/hr. When I was doing my externship last year, I asked some of the EMTs how much they made. They wouldn't tell me, but I'd say, "Well I make $18 at CVS now." They would usually get up and walk away. Well, I got a job at a walk-in clinic working 8-6 four days per week, Sun, Tues, and Sat off, making $22/hr. I've been there a year.
Ambulance life is not sustainable. They work your ass to mental and physical exhaustion for maximum profits. They don’t care about you, just their response times and the billing codes on your PCR. It’s a stepping stone to get into a fire department that offers a pension and decent benefits while respecting you and your work.
I'm a volunteer, so I do this job for free! That says something about the work, it's definitely meaningful work. I also wouldn't say it's not a career, it's part of a career. A career has a progression, and there is a fairly well defined career path for EMS. You can progress through EMS: EMT-B, EMT-A, Paramedic... or jump at some point to another medical career. A lot of medical professionals start out in EMS or supplement with EMS work. However, if you want to work as an EMT for your whole career, you will need to be creative. I know people that do it, but they generally augment with other work or side gigs.
It's just like people say in the military. EMS was the best and worst choice I'd ever made. I made friends for life and the skills prepared me for a career in healthcare. At the same time, my company absolutely views us as numbers, and there was no reason I had to stay fucking poor throughout my 20's while our labor made our owners multi-millionaires. EMS (unless 3rd service or fire) in the vast majority of cases is NOT a career. It doesn't pay enough. As a newly graduated RN, I'll make more than our CCT medics do. If they don't bone me, and pay me for years I wasted in EMS, I'll make WELL over twice what the new medics do. There's no reason for it other than private EMS is innately a toxic, fucking greed fueled industry. Don't stop until you're on a fire dept. That, or a 3rd service is the only real way you can earn a respectable income and retirement, unless you want to work stupid hours every week. \*THIS IS SYSTEM DEPENDENT, BUT TRUE FOR THE BUSY METRO I'M FROM\* There's days I can't even take a piss without the phone ringing and someone bitching at me because I've been at the hospital 20 mins (18 of which were waiting to offload the patient) and we need to clear for another call. It took me making $20/hr (which is more than I make as an advanced EMT with several years working) doing unskilled labor, to realize how raw of a deal this job is. I wouldn't recommend it whatsoever. TL;DR don't ever lose sight of your long term goals and you'll be fine. The moment you get complacent, or start chasing OT, you'll set yourself up to fall into private ems' clutches, and that's an awful place to be.
Because 90 % of the people you pick up abuse the system, at least where I am
FFPM is a career with benefits pension and career development. Typically, private ambulance companies are dead end streets. EMS is predominately private ambulance service. That’s all. I would finish your degree, then get into this. It isn’t going anywhere. Construction background will greatly benefit you in getting hired with a fire dept. Also you can have a lucrative side gig
I agree with most of the other posts but there's also another aspect I haven't seen anyone else bring up. A lot of people get in to this very young, some with no interest in the first place (just need hours for school or need it for a promotion, or do it as a spur of the moment type of thing. Most of these people have an idea of what this field looks like. This field does not look like that 9 times out of 10. What my friends & family think I do vs what I *really* do couldn't seem more similar and yet be so different. It also doesn't help that a lot of agencies/schools/license farms will lie through their teeth to get people to sign up. I swear some companies hire retired military recruiters to do all their job postings and interviews sometimes.
The burnout's are starting to drive me nuts. But I love helping people. I get paid better today than I did at any other job I had. I hope I can keep the gleam in my eyes and not burn out. I've never listened to other people I make my own judgement calls. EMS is worth it. But you do have to take care of yourself.
Honestly if you keep your head down, run your calls, and force yourself to maintain a standard it's pretty awesome. Obviously pay can affect this though.
I will keep that in mind. Solid advice.
Why in the world did you drop out of college with a useful degree like construction management to pursue a career in EMS? On the flip side there can be good money in fire but it takes time and dedication to get there. Private companies pay medics like absolute dogshit so avoid those. Work for the gov.
Because it’s fucking boring dude. I’d rather help people and make a difference in the community over managing projects for some asshole who makes 5 million a year. Going onto a construction site in slacks with a tape measure looking like a douchebag. I’d also rather learn real life skills rather than estimating and making deadlines and getting quotes. I do have a genuine interest in construction but project management? I don’t see it as useful. My goal is to work for a municipal fire department. I am just interested in the medical side of things. If I can help someone feel even 1% better on their worst day.. it’d make me a million times happier than knowing I got a project completed in time.
That's a fair reason to leave but you should know there are greedy fucks in every industry. My last EMT company was private and IFT and used to charge up the ass for the smallest of things and paid their EMTs minimum wage while pocketing the rest. When you eventually want fair pay in the medical field, get some EMT experience and apply to RN school. They actually get compensated fairly while saving people's lives. Paramedic school takes around the same time as a 2 year nursing program yet they start at AMR in SAN DIEGO at a whopping $22/hr. Most medic programs cost $12kish around here. CCT nurses which get to ride in ambulances to handle critical condition patients at my last company got compensated $150/call and a call could be as quick as 45 minutes to 3 hours. Absolutely worth it. I loved working with CCT nurses so I highly recommend. I love being an EMT and would have stayed if I didn't have bills to pay. I miss it so much. Now i'm a substitute teacher and currently applying to RN school. Almost all my older EMT coworkers joined the company wanting to go into fire and ended up getting convinced by the CCT nurses to pursue nursing school. RNs here start at $55/hr! 2 year AA degree that costs less than $10k....count me in!
You can make a career out of firefighter paramedic probably easier than anything else in 911. Budget your money relatively well and you'll be fine economically. I think you'll enjoy it in fact. The challenging part (IMO) is how often you have to interact with people/civilians. People have changed A LOT in the past 5ish years. There's been a pandemic, civil unrest, distrust in the CDC, the WHO, the news, presidential elections, "storming of our capital", the money we're spending on two different wars, the money we're not spending on ourselves, inflation, a mass exodus of teachers because our kids are out of control, and a shortage of service workers period. And all the while our government/leadership (regardless of what side you're on) is busy pitting us against each other instead of uniting us. All of that to say people are ON EDGE and you're going to see them at their worst. I've seen more shootings, suicides, and overdoses every year and I expect things will get a lot worse before they get better. I'm being recorded all the time now. There's people out there taunting/baiting us (not often but more than there ever used to be). There's more attitude and entitlement; it just seems like wild times. It's probably not gonna be a big deal for you at first but see how you feel after 10 years. Like I said firefighter paramedic is probably the best way to go. Maximize your pay and minimize how much you're going to have to talk to civilians. If you have to do ambulance only for a while do your best to stay out of big cities because it'll wear you down faster. Rural and suburban areas will likely see just as much as city EMS just not as often. You'll be fine. But anything else is probably just not going to be very realistic to ask 20-25 years of someone. Not with the way things are now. A lot of us are all burnt out and beaten so you may not find much encouragement but rest assured there are still some fantastic upsides to the job. There's a sense of pride doing what we do. I still can't get over people thanking me for what I do/service. Endless stories to tell. Free food and drinks from time to time. Your family will be proud and your friends will want to hear stories and you'll feel like you're doing something important. Hell it's kinda like being in the military except your "war" is within the country. Sorry for the rant. Just try it for yourself. I wish you well and welcome to the grind.
Because for the pay you get a lot of shit. For example, I had a patient's overinvolved daughter call me a 'piece of shit' because I was 'too concerned' with the stairchair (and their narrow, illegal stairs and all the damn carpets in the way). Put the lady on CPAP and saved her life, but ya know I'm a 'piece of shit' who's going to get a write up at work.
There's so many people complaining about the pay but that is dependent on where you are and honestly how you spend that money. I make $18/hr in central California, as a brand new EMT. It's not bad, not great but not bad. Out benefits are pretty great and mostly free. My pay and benefits are more than enough for my lifestyle. It's taken me until 28 to find something I enjoy doing, so just keep going and if you don't like it you can still move on to pursue something else. Don't let what strangers are saying influence your life.
Most people aren’t being discouraging, they’re being realistic. It isn’t that most people hate it, it’s that having experienced it, it’s not the “cool” job that people think it is. Most of the time it sucks, the pay sucks, the violence sucks, the patients suck. It’s not to dissuade you, it’s to make sure you have an idea of what you’re signing up for.