46Young

Everyone knows that to err is human, so even the best intentioned personnel can occasionally miss something during restock or whatever. It's the oncoming shift's responsibility to ensure that everything is adequate and accounted for, because they are the only ones answerable should there be a discrepancy. At my academy only a few were showing up at 0500. The majority rolled in at 0530-0550, ate breakfast then started work, with one or two coming in at 0630 or so. Their refusal to put forth the same effort as others resulted in them getting the worst post academy assignments, with their new shift being made well aware of their poor attitude and lack of effort in the academy. You see, at the academy you're be evaluated for your "burning desire" to be there, as well as skills and test scores. You may graduate regardless, but the field will see to it that you're made miserable to the point that you leave the job. Nothing that would qualify for a paper trail on the shifts part, either. It's done smoothly and tactfully. Relieving a crew early is most beneficial, as many have side jobs and other obligations, and may well be slammed with heavy traffic after the true end of shift or late job if working in a large urban area. It's a nice thing to do for someone. Simple as that. Every effort you make need not be for personal benefit/gain. Right. You 're subject to a lengthy hiring process, including an entrance exam, CPAT, polygraph, psych, medical, and maybe oral boards. You earn the spot in the academy, beating out many others. Now you need to show how bad you want it. The job is a very coveted position, and anyone that gets the chance at an academy can consider themselves extremely fortunate. Your job is now hanging on by a thread until you graduate. Anything you can do to gain favor will work in your benefit. You should also have the inherent desire to help your fellow recruits, as they may risk their lives to save yours one day, and vice versa. JPINFV, I uprooted my family and moved several states away for the academy. Anything could have happened, and I would have been out of a job, with a wife and a daughter to provide for. I'm now making 69k base in my second year with a low cost of living, generous pension, benefits, working conditions, decent medical, and a three year DROP (ka-ching!). You better believe that I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make it out of the academy in good standing. whatever it takes. It will now pay off for the rest of my career and my comfortable retirement. The probie needs to raise the flag, make coffee, change the water coolers, plus other tasks prior to the start of work. It expexted of them. The rookie needs as much time as possible form studying and drilling throughout the day, anyway. Everyone did it at the start of their careers. Smae thing for the academy. It's a rite of passage.

Like I said earlier, if you come in early it saves the off going crew a late job, and you get to go home early for the same reason. You're actually working the same hours, but saving late jobs. This doesn't really apply with a 24/48 schedule, though. We did a 1/2 hour early shift change at Charleston County EMS, and we would drive to the hospital for shift change if they're on a late job. In NYC the buses sit on street corners, and generally not allowed to 10-2 (return to station) until 15 minutes prior to shift's end, or risk an NOI (write up). We were always early anyway, just due to parking issues.

Bingo! For JPINFV, an example of showing up early for class/lecture, maybe an hour or two, would be for a group review prior to a test or quiz that day, or to discuss the previous days lectures with classmates when you're fresh, not at a study group at 2200 hrs when everyone's burnt. Those efforts will benefit you as well as your classmates. That's the best similarity that I can come up with in regards to showing up early for the benefit of others.But, if you're only about looking out for #1, I don't know what to tell you. We in the fire service actually look forward to our next shift, we actually enjoy our jobs, and are generally willing to do for others, even though it may be of no direct benefit to us. Oh wait, if we are willing to do for others on the job without being asked, that effort returns in kind. One hand washes the other.

We're talking about time consuming physical taske that allow for more time for training if taken care of before the day's start, not rolling in for a lecture. Everyone's gear needs to aligned just so, and it also needs to be a team effort to get that squared away, not just one or two people taking care of it. Many hands makes light work. Every station starts at 0700. There's no overlap of start times. Showing up an hour early is selfless and helps out the other person. The favor is returned in kind. You're actually not losing any time, as you get to leave work an hour early. I show up around 0540 or so, do a quick cursory rig check, and work out until the start of work. It benefits the off going crew and myself.

No, showing up early, 1-1/2 hours early is one of many ways to show the academy how much you really want the job, the job that many others covet. We were required to be dressed and lined up with our gear arranged by no later than 0700. There was much to set up for the day's practicals. Waiting until after lineup to start arranging the equipment wastes time that could be better spent getting in extra skills rotations. Showing up early with your classmates benefits the group, whereas getting an extra hour of sleep is purely selfish. Showing up early in the field benefits your fellow FF, potentially saving them a late job. In turn they also show up early to relieve you. In both cases, the off going FF can go home immediately after being relieved at 0600 or whatever. One hand washes the other. People helping people. Selfish minuteman skells have no place in EMS, fire, or any combination thereof. If you're so petty as to think along the lines of "if they pay me from 0700, then I'll be there at exactly 0700" you'll likely be self centered and be lazy/look for shortcuts in other areas as well. This is an undesireable and incompatible attribute when seeking employment within the fire service. Perhaps you need to experience the fire academy first hand to truly understand and appreciate the lessons and core values that are being instilled.

The captain is implying that blue collar work is "hands on", rather than pushing pens or working off of a computer, which generally doesn't require one to get dirty or exert themselves physically to any significant degree. The captain is working to instill a strong work ethic and to discourage shortcuts and laziness. In the fire service everyone helps out one another, exhibiting selflessness and the desire to do their part, to achieve their goals as a team. The repeated blue collar references are meant to drive home the fact that the recruits are no longer working in corporate America or other jobs that don't require the same degree of physical effort and a selfless, team oriented approach. To me, the term "blue collar" conjures up images af my forefathers working the Brooklyn docks, construction work, public safety, and any manual labor job. The captain seeks to assosciate those images of hard working individuals with the physical effort required with a career in the fire service. The fire academy is all about the symbolism of what they're being asked to do. When we walked the hall, we always hugged the right wall, and always had to have a partner. This serves as a reminder that we adhere to the "two in/two out" rule, and to stay oriented on a wall when working the interior in low to no visibility conditions, to avoid becoming lost. We had an 0700 start time. Many were there at around 0500-0530 already setting things up for that days practicals. If you show after 0600, you're regarded as a selfish, lazy minute man, not willing to help out others who may benefit by you arriving to work early consistently. Whenever we leave class, we take our PIK kits (fanny packs with gloves, goggles, antimicrobial gel, face shield, N-95, etc) and our water bottle without exception. This is to reinforce the importance of remembering to take all necessary equipment/gear to each call. Everyone's gear must be arranged exactly the same way at lineup, and each recruit must appear exactly the same as everyone else. This symbolizes the team mentality, with a de-emphasis of "self".

Here's a great video from one of my favorite sites.I believe these guys are Phoenix Fire. Great montage. I love the snatch/C&J shots along with the FF carrying down the other FF while on air and making it look easy. Check out the message at the end. That says it all. It's equally applicable to both EMS and fire.

Doing more work an average consistently, of low to moderate exertion in this case, doesn't equal the physical demands and requisite prep work for markedly more strenuous, albeit less frequent incidents. I could walk 5 miles a day, every day, maybe jogging for a quater mile after every mile. That's okay for burning calories, but will do little for overall conditioning, unless I'm grossly undertrained. Now compare that to the demands of running 10 sprints on a track (1.25 miles) maybe once every four days. The walker will be done after maybe two or three sprints, and will likely either pull a muscle, or possibly exacerbate a cardiac/respiratory condition. Low to moderate physical activity, even if done to excess, has little transfer to high intensity ecercises. Notice how the recruits are doing circuits with wallball, kettlebell swings, push presses and burpees? Way more intense and appropriate than moderate intensity distance running and some high rep calisthenics, which is already more strenuous than the average ambulance shift. Many large FD's at the present learn from LODD's and seek to prevent recurrences through training and new SOP's. One such preventative measure is death with a cardiac etiology sustained either responding to, during, or returning from an incident. We, like others, have a peer fitness program, an OHC for yearly evals including blood work, stress tests, mobility eval, vision/hearing, and such. We have a yearly work performance eval, where you're geared up, on air, and complete a work circuit in under 10:47. I've noticed that a fair number of these stress related LODD's are suffered by volunteers, who may not have any such preventative programs in place, and also may not participate often. I don't know about bravado and machismo. We train to go at least 1/2 hour straight at high intensity, which is about the max our 45 min cylinder will last before going into vibralert. I once considered going into FDNY EMS. Their PAT was a mere 3 mins on a 60 step/min stepmill while wearing 30 extra pounds. The other tasks were equally unchallenging. Compare that with a FF physical test. The entrance test was once quirte rigorous, and you had to be in top condition and strong to pass. Now, we have the CPAT. It's a vastly watered down version of previous tests designed to cater to certain protected classes, who cried that the former PAT was too tough, and was preventing many from that protected class from advancing through the hiring process. Even the CPAT (which is a joke) is way more intense than any EMS styled PAT's. If single role EMS were more physically strenuous overall when compared with single role FF's, would the physical testing for EMS not reflect that, comparitively speaking? AK, how is EMS exposed to more dangers than suppression jobs? Single role EMS aren't generally subjesct to IDLH conditions, good depts have suppression pieces block the road during an MVA, shielding the scene, PD secure the scene prior to entry. Good training prevents BBP exposure and needle sticks. I worked in NYC, where we faced more potential dangers than most. I've never left for work there wondering if it would be for the last time. Unlikely I'll lose life or limb on the job, but there is a much greater chance, statistically speaking, than in EMS.

I have to disagree with you on EMS being more physically demanding than fire, even in the presence of low call volume. We actually do interior firefighting a good amount of the time as opposed to exterior ops. And even if we do decide to go defensive (surround and drown) we still need to do a primary search. It takes a high level of conditioning to be fully encapulated in your gear, where there's absolutely no way to vent body heat, breathing what isn't enough air, as in conserving air and not being to take a deep enough breath when you need it, basically oxygen deprivation when you think about it. This can be in high heat conditions, where you're either humping hose, breaking down doors/walls, and carrying out bodies while already greatly fatigued. What about throwing ladders? One ought to be able to throw a 35 by themselves, but I'll let that go. If you can't throw a 24 by yourself, and then climb it and throw a roof ladder, you're useless on the fireground, as you're wasting precious time and may need another FF to help you when they have other tasks to accomplish. Try venting a roof with only an axe and a pike pole. It'll kick your arse if you're out of shape as you need to do it as quick as possible, before you fall through the roof. What's the most strenuous thing an EMS provider does? Maybe carrying someone down the stairs on a Reeves or stair chair? My breathing doesn't even change. Even pulling drywall is more tiring than that. Most EMS agencies require you to deadlift 125 lbs by yourself and 250 with assistance. Not tough to do. Why do you think that there are so many FF's stroking out and having massive MI's and dropping dead on/after a call? Poor physical conditioning. I don't see many dropping dead while doing EMS activities, thank goodness.

I know, I briefly considered FDNY EMS when I first graduated medic school, but I decided to stay with North Shore LIJ and look for a lucrative friemedic gig out of state. It's all about the best retirement. I wasn't cool with having to go to work everyday for 8 hours with the possibility of a mandation, plus lousy work conditions. Sitting on a street corner, seeing all kinds of stuff and buffing jobs is fun when your career is young, but I know that it would get old fast and I would burn out at around the 10 year mark. How am I supposed to schedule per diem work when I'm going to vwork 5 days a week as it is? I thought that I had died and went to heaven when I learned that we can PT at work here.

Too bad that more places don't hold an EMS academy. My former hosp based employer held a two week orientation which was mostly powerpoints, alphabet card recerts and ride alongs. My former third service employer held a one day (that's 8 whole hours!) of orientation and then it was into the field as a released provider, after a ridiculously quick hiring process (a few weeks). More of this would be a great thing for the EMS service. For one, it would ensure that all are able to do the job physically. Yearly CPAT type testing ought to be implemented to keep employees from losing their physical conditioning. It would also instill a sense of pride in their chosen profession, and would also instill a sense of accomplishment and seriousness in the profession that is severly lacking today in the absense of high educational standards. Most who are willing to endure a paramilitary style academy should be able to perform well in the field, at least as far as productivity, ethics, and attitude are concerned. The instilattion of core values in the academy certainly can't hurt. It would weed out many of the cretins working across the country currently, as in "Screw this, who do they think they are making me do all this stuff, exercising, yes sir, no sir, marching, and all. I don't wanna do all this work. I'm just doing this for the easy work and quick money. I don't want the job anymore. Let someone else have it".

I love the show. It was pretty much the same thing at my academy at the Fairfax FRD. Tough PT, inspections, trips to OHC for injuries (or face being recycled into another class), having our flag stolen numerous times, the whole paramilitary atmosphere, the whole idea that your job is hanging on by a thread, with the risk of being terminated for failure in skills or written tests, as well as professional standards, recruits giving up a lot in sacrificing their previous job as well as putting stress on the family for a chance at the greatest job in the world where anything could happen, resulting in you being dismissed. Risk little to gain little, risk a lot to gain a lot. Love it! I can't believe that, in addition to everything else, they pay us PAY US to PT while on duty. I almost fell over when I learned that PT on duty was mandatory XD! Twist my arm! Know what I'm saying? I went from working hosp based to third service, and I was lucky to get to the gym twice a week. I bought a pair of large kettlebells to get in a few hard metcon sessions during the week to compensate. Now I get in a 30-45 min session before work, another during work, maybe another session after shift change if I have a plans at home that day. Tire flipping, sledge shots, sandbags, sleds, as well as an indoor gym with an olympic weight set, pullup bar, bench, DB's up to 80#, treadmill, stepmill, weighted vests. When I started the academy I practically got off on the fact that we were doing hard daily PT as well as work performance, which is when you're fully dressed, on air, and doing a series of tasks back to back with no rest. Hurts so good! It was motivating seeing the recruits doing kettlebell swings, burpees, pullups, band walks, push presses and such. That's what's effective, not distancerunning every day ad nauseum with a bunch of pushups, situps and stuff, that's archaic and has poor transfer to actual job performance.

Okay, so striking isn't an option. Have you tried a slowdown? You know, take an hour and a half to write your report at the ER each and every time? Decon your unit for an hour after each and every call. You're technically not striking, but you'll cripple the system nonetheless. Of course, if something seriou(which is maybe 10% of calls in reality) comes across, go available to run the call. If you do IFT, take in excess of an hour on the floor and do the same at every drop off, assuming it's a routine transfer. Since you're frequently held over, make it standard practice throughout the service to bang in sick the next shift after each mandated holdover, each and every time, to cost them in OT what they ought to be spending in higher salaries and hiring. Does your union have no political connections? My union uses Firepac $$'s, which is only 5 bucks out of each check (voluntary) to assist with lobbying, campaign contributions for politicians that are sympathetic to our needs, PSA's and such. We also participate in numerous charities, both because we generally want to, as well as the great PR that we receive. It works exceddingly well here.

It looks like FBEMS is gaining market share at an ever increasing rate. If it results in a more effective EMS delivery than what's currently in place, then I'm all for it. What I don't endorse is taking over what was once a single role arena and making it necessary to be dual role if you still want to to do EMS professionally. What I would be in favor of would be a properly funded, staffed, and directed EMS division under the FD. Engine medics would be authorized to work on the box as well to keep minimum EMS staffing, for OT, along with mandatory ride time to keep proficiency, as directed by the OMD. If FDNY EMS, Philly and like systems were run well, I would use them as examples. Alexandria Fire and EMS uses only single role medics for their seperate EMS division. Although there are exceptions, medics in fire based systems (usually dual role) have much better working conditions, pay, benefits, career development, and retirement. For all those working in an area with compensation in line with a low cost of living are selling themselves short. Many grossly underestimate their financial needs in retirement. If you want to know more, just ask me and I'll start a thread in regards. Some EMS political organization might be able to negotiate a seperate, single role EMS division under a new FD takeover. Just sayin'. Otherwise, the evil empire will continue to devour all that it sees. EMS does the lion's share of the call volume anyway. Strong political representation would mandate a seperate single role EMS division reflective of the education and training involved for personnel, as well as the high call volume when compared to suppression. The only region that I've seen EMS and fire salaries in line with respective call volume is in the Carolinas, but the salaries for both sides are paltry when compared with the rest of the country, even with state retirement. 70% of 60 grand (if you're lucky) may support me for a few years, but inflation (even with COLA's) will erode that benefit over time. Again, if you want me to elaborate, ask me and I'll post a thread in regards to retirement, pensions, 401k's, so on and so forth.

http://www.emtlife.c...unty+ems&page=3 post # 28 http://www.emtlife.com/showthread.php?t=14118&highlight=charleston+county+ems this thread as well

They did it to themselves. Dr Tober wasn't exactly asking the world of them. How lazy and apathetic can you possibly be to not even ride once every three months?

If it were me, I would always put things into terms such as "Staff advises the pt was found on the couch and observed to be twitching." I'll always paraphrase pt/staff/bystander accounts using that language unless a direct quote is necessary. Staff "advises" vs staff "said" makes a world of difference, especially in court. Don't quote verbatim unless absolutely necessary to validate treatment. What, exactly, is QA/QI's official problem with your statement? It doesn't seem like much of a big deal to me. Was there a pt care error with this call or something?

I strongly believe that those wishing to get some initial experience in EMS, where private based IFT is the only feasible option, should ONLY DO IT ER DIEM. Working at Wal-Mart, Costco, Staples, Applebees, TGIF, or something similar FT will likely pay better, and provide superior medical benefits. That would be a good strategy while waiting for an ER tech spot, a position in third service EMS, hospital based EMS, or while completing a degree. When you're hired as a brand new EMT for a private based IFT company, I strongly suggest getting shifts exclusively with medics. You'll see more acutely ill pts, you won't have to worry about any liability/negligence from working with an incompetent or inexperiences BLS provider. It's likely that you'll learn more when working with a medic, anyway. That's exactly what I did. After getting my EMT, I kept my FT job in beverage sales, did a stint as an EMS vollie for MVVAC (NYC), and worked per diem for seven months at Hunter Ambulance-Ambulette Inc. in Inwood NY. When the NSLIJ HS CEMS hired me, it was for FT employment, and I was set. At Hunter, it quickly became evident that I was working with inexperienced, clinically ignorant personnel on the whole. When I had exactly two weeks on, I had a partner that was brand new to the field. It was at that point that I chose to work exclusively with medics. One crew brought a pt with rigor into the ED in a stair chair with an NRB attatched. I've heard of a Metrocare (now Transcare) crew doing something similar. I've also witnessed a crew "bagging" an arrest pt through the NRB resevoir. I took pity and threw them a BVM so they wouldn't get jammed up. You don't want to get mixed up in a negative pt care issue at all, let alone that early in your career. True. Many have been laid off, with bills to pay and mouths to feed. When you need work, and need it yesterday, you're going to look for the quickest, easiset option. Enter EMS. A GED, 600-700 bucks and 120 hours of your time will make you eligable for hire. You and everyone else who seek a quick and easy route to employment. As such, EMT's are a dime a dozen, and are compensated as such. the most desireable agencies can afford to be selective, and also require prior experience, to at least see some form of work history in the field. Continue your education to seperate yourself from the pack. And contribute to your 401k regardless of the employer's willingness to pay. Recommended reading - The Truth About Money, The Lies About Money, and Rescue Your Money (read this first), all by Ric Edelman.

Add paramedic fly cars (chase cars, QRV's, whatever you want to call it) during business hours, when vollie participation is at it's least. The North Shore LIJ Health System CEMS is currently providing medic fly cars to several communities in Suffolk Co LI at no cost to the public. This was negotiated with the County, as NSLIJ bought a number of hospitals in the area, giving the health system considerable market share in the area. The fly car program was a give back to the area. The contract is set to expire, though, to the liking of the health system. The town of Rockville Centre contracted out EMS coverage to NSLIJ. The CEMS is a combo NYC 911/IFT agency. The CEMS provides 24/7 ALS coverage with an EMT/medic crew. The CEMS provides all equipment including the bus. The town guarantees a certain amount of revenue for the year. I think it's around $500,000 or so. The town keeps any additional revenue from billing. Worth mentioning, this is an area with a high cost of living and tax rate, with a proportionally high number of privtely insures residents, and few uncompensated cases. Perhaps the vollies in your area can put out some paid fly cars during the day. Perhaps an area hospital can provide a staffed txp unit for a certain amount of guaranteed compensation. To get the hosp to agree to a lower rate of compensation, perhaps the community could persuade local NH's, clinics, urgent care's and hospitals to let any IFT contracts with the privates expire, and let the hospital have exclusive rights to the IFT business in the area. The community gets professional coverage, and the hospital gets the IFT windfall. Win-win.

This is the way I see it - some areas of the US are populated primarily by the working class, with a lower proportion of the elderly. With less elderly come less NH's, and less of a need for hospitals and clinics in general. Charleston SC is a good example. 4 out of 5 people I've spoken to that live there are in their mid 20-s to mid 40's, and have relocated from other areas. I didn't see a whole lot of NH's, or elderly in general for that matter. The eldery that I did see were generally in much better health, on average, than the elderly in NY. In NYC, there are upwards of 8 million living there. There is a huge population of elderly, who are in pooper health, on average, than other areas of the US. There are an ungodly amount of NH's there. There are plenty of hospitals in the greater NY area as well. Remember that the population expands exponentially, and the proportion of elderly vs others will steadily rise, if not explode upward. The baby boomers will reach retirement sooner or later. Who's going to take care of all these elderly? In NYC, all 8 million+ will amplify any population shifts regarding age, more so than any other region in the US. Now THAT'S job security!

There has been much debate about whether it's more beneficial to earn less with less overhead, or earn more in an expensive area. I know one thing to be true - when comparing two different areas, assuming that the cost of living is proportional to compensation from each job, it's more beneficial financially to live in the more expensive region. What's more, saving 10% of a 50k/yr salary, or 10% of an 80k/yr salary? which pension is worth more, 75% of 50k, or 75% of 80k? With a 401k/403b, which is higher, a 6% match of 50k, or a 6 percent match of 80k? Make sense? Of course, if you're miserable where you live, all of the above is irrelevant. Why are medic school graduates looking for BLS work in the privates? BLS are a dime a dozen in NY, as well as anywhere, though. Anyone with a GED and free evenings can get their mcert. A shortage of medic jobs in NYC doesn't suprise me, with NY Methodist running three classes at once, Stonybrook, St. Vincent's and LaGuardia barfing out hundreds of medics every year.

Vomit = bad. Trench foot/decomposing body = worse. Perfed colostomy = worse still. Odor from a crispy critter = worst. Check this out, it's a video of an electrocution fatality. NSFW. 6-05-09, Electrical Guide Wire = bad It's pretty graphic. See how you react to it. http://www.fridaypage.com/

Think about it, if you're moving to NY on a CNA/EMT salary, how are you going to be able to afford rent in a gated community? Sure, Belle Harbor and points west are nice to live in, but how do you expect one to buy property making 10-20/hr? When I said stay away from Rockaway, I took into account that the more affluent and safe areas would be out of reach financially speaking. Anyway, if these areas are so safe, then why is a security force necessary? Also, If one wants to move into a decent part of Far Rockaway, don't they need to be Jewish? There are decent people as well as nasty ones anywhere you go. What important though, what matters is your surroundings. I've been redeployed plenty of times to the Rock, typically near PenGen, on 53I, 53D, and 54Y. I know what goes on. I worked for Hunter Ambulance as well, and drove around when not on a job. Going east of 116th, you can't tell me that anything in that direction beats living in Middle Village or similar areas. Sorry. And, if you're commuting by car, you need to pay a toll to get into Queens the quick way, and the train takes forever. Speaking of 116th st, I've been going to the beach there as long as I can remember, up to around 1995 or so. I have plenty of pictures in the family photo album from there. I've seen it slowly change for the worse over the years. Now I wouldn't be caught dead there at night. Smart move restricting street parking west of 116th during the summer. It keeps the rest of Rockaway segregated, as well as beachgoers from Queens and Brooklyn. Really, when you get to Belle Harbor, it's like night and day compared to Far Rock, Arverne, Rockaway Beach/Park, and anything else in the area. Long Beach, Jones Beach and Robert Moses are much better choices. Riis park is okay, but there are much better places to go. Anyway, for Floridastudent, I have a simple solution. when considering a neighborhood to live in, drive around the neighborhood around 1900 hrs, and again at around 2300 hrs or so. Observe who lives there and what goes on. I'm referring to criminal activity, loitering, police activity, not demographics per se. Are there thugs IFO every bodega at midnight, watching you intensely as you drive past? Check for an abundance of graffiti, the condition of buildings (well maintained or in a state of disrepair?), and how clean or dirty people keep their property. Do the math, so to speak, and decide what environment you're willing to live in. Plenty of work in Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx. Some privates off the top of my head are transcare (IFT/911), Citywide, Hunter Ambulance, Midwood, North shore Ambulance (not affiliated with the hospital) and AMR (IFT/911). Hospital based EMS in the outer boroughs include NSLIJ CEMS, NY Prebyterian (Cornell), NYHQ (Booth)and Jamaica/Flushing/Brookdale. St. Johns on QB and Mary Immaculate went bankrupt and closed due to a scourge of uncompensated cases. Pulse and a patch are good for privates, the hospitals take more work or a hook. Your best bet for getting hired and breaking into NYC 911 would be Transcare or Northe shore LIJ. My advice, get an ER tech position, maybe go per diem at a private, and try to get into EMS at a hosp. if that's what you want to do. NSUH Manhasset was paying ER techs 22/hr back in 2007. Look there, and try for NSUH EMS if you want.Otherwise, go ER tech>RN>challenge medic. It's easier to get into RN school and also get work as one than it is elsewher in the country. Only go FDNY EMS if you plan to stay in NY for life, and value a so-so pension and decent medical over hourly compensation. Otherwise, it's not worth it. Now that I think about it, the state gives pensions. A friend of mine left NSLIJ to work as an RN at Stonybrook hosp out on the island. 65k to start, 25 and out pension. If I had planned on staying in NY, I would have gone that route myself.

About your car, is it possible to keep it registered in FL? Much cheaper. Everyone else in NY does it. Go down any street, particularly in poorer areas, look down the block, and you'll see PA, NY, PA, PA, NC, NY, PA, FL, GA. I'm sure that Bed Stuy isn't exactly a prime destination for tourists. Long Island in general has cheaper insurance rates, and reasonable rates in the New Hyde Park area. Something else to consider.

Staten Island is too isolated. The city is either too expensive or too rough, depending on the area. No middle ground there. I've lived in Bushwick Brooklyn. I don't recommend it. Greenpoint is relatively safe, Bay Ridge is OK. So is Park Slope, but it's expensive. I wouldn't recommend any other neighborhoods. I've also lived in Ridgewood and Middle Village Queens. Both areas have buses and the M train. Ridgewood was getting a little ghetto, but the Eastern Europeans have bought up a lot of property there, and maintain it well. Glendale is OK. Bayside, Whitestone, Flushing, Fresh Meadows and Glen Oaks are good to live, but are expensive and lack much mass transit (except for Flushing). Best bang for your buck while being in a safe area would be Middle Village, Glendale, or Ridgewood from Fresh Pond Rd down to about Onderdonk or Seneca Ave. Stay away from Myrtle Avenue unless you're above Seneca. Metropolitan Ave from Forest Ave up through union Tpke is safe. Stay out of LIC, Astoria, Corona, Jackson Hts, Woodside, Sunnyside, East Elmhurst, and most of the Eastern/Southern part of Queens to include the Rockaways, and anything down Woodhaven. I've either lived, worked EMS or both in all of the areas I've mentioned so far. When you work nights, you see what really goes on. stay away from any areas along the J or A lines. I don't know much about the Bronx. Many parts of the Bronx are rough. Middle Village has no alternate side of the street parking, so you could easily keep your car there. Crime is relatively low there. My in-laws live there.