southwest ambulance, arizona?????

[MSBMEDIC]

HEY PEOPLE NEED YOUR OPIONS ON SOUTHWEST AMBULANCE, NOT SO MUCH ABOUT PAY, BENEFITS,ECT.., BUT MANAGEMENT, FIRE DEPTS TX. OF SOUTHWEST EMPLOYEES AND THEIR TX. OF ONE ANOTHER. DO PEOPLE STAY AT SOUTHWEST. WHATS THE YEARLY TURNOVER OF EMPLOYEES. LOOKING FOR POSSIBLE EMPLOYMENT IN THAT AREA, FOR 911 SERVICE, NON GOVT., PRIVATE COMPANY ONLY.

[akroeze]

WHY ARE WE YELLING?

[MSBMEDIC]

sorry, just got off shift(24) this a.m. and havent taken nap...

[WolfmanHarris]

I DON"T KNOW WHAT WE'RE YELLING ABOUT!

Sorry I don't know a thing about Southwest. If they're like the airline you pay for the extra bag of peanuts.

[crotchitymedic1986]

Its been my experience that you will find whatever you are looking for wherever you go to work. Happy people find a way to be happy in any environment, miserable people always find a way to be miserable wherever they are (regardless of pay, benefits, management, turnover). If there was a perfect place to work, we would all be there. Go in with the attitude of "What can i do to make this service better", versus the usual medic attitude of "what does this service have to offer me", and you will be happier than your coworkers, whereever you are. And if despite all of those warm and happy thoughts, you find yourself at a horrible job --- QUIT.

[spenac]

Is this Southwest Air Ambulance?

[defib_wizard]

It depends where you work for them. I have had some friends work for them some loved it & others hated it. The majority of the 911 calls, the fire medic will be with you. You will be considered the transport medic. Like anywhere else you have the standard " stage by the door with the gurney type", and you have the ones that will welcome your opinion. It's like anywhere else you will have to earn their respect. Some of them will never give it too you but others will in time.

My advice to you if you decide to try working here is, Be objective, let them get to know you and your abilities. Pick your battles well, the fire dept's are well represented. You will probably do a lot a interfacility transports where the pt is entirely your responsibility.

Last but not least STAY HYDRATED. The "dry heat" will kill you if you don't.

Hope this helps.

[Arizonaffcep]

Are you looking for Southwest in Tucson or Phoenix? Big difference. Never worked for SWA in Phx, but in Tucson, it's a great place to be from...if you know what I mean. They have gotten better since I left them, but are still "ambulances are forever, crews are temporary" in their mentality. Dispatch rules the roost, they know more than you, even though they are not certified in EMS certs (dispatch certs, yes, but not EMS). Pay isn't great, but ot after 40 hrs. Bennies from my understanding are not that great. Typical private, for profit company in that fashion. Medical director is OK...not on the forefront of EMS, but above the norm for AZ. In Tucson, SWA has the CON (certificate of necessity) for MOST of Pima county, they do the 911 transports for Oro Valley (Golder Ranch Fire) and have a good working relationship with them, and also do the transports for the extreme majority of Northwest Fire District, and it depends on the crew...most are good, but some can be pricks. They are the only ALS for South Tucson, and also cover some of the area covered by Rural/Metro Fire (the same company as Southwest Ambo), and crew relations are great there. They also are the 911 for Green Valley (mostly old people) and have good working relationships there.

If you are a medic, then after a while (I believe) you can get qualified to use RSI, have Zofran, Versed and Cardizem.

In Phx, they are the 911 transport for a LOT of Maricopa County...it's easier to tell you where they aren't...they are not in Scottsdale, 1/2 of Chandler, Tempe, Sun Lakes, City of Phoenix, Daisy Mountain Fire District, Buckeye Valley, Sun City and Sun City West (I know it seems like a lot, but they are in more cities than not). In the Phx area, Fire rules. Chandler and Mesa are a joke to work with. In fact, EMS only responds code 3 in Mesa when requested to upgrade, or on pregnancy problems and one other thing, which I think is an OD. Ya...pretty F'd up. Other than that...I've heard the best place to work for SWA is actually in Pinal county (Maricopa Operations), because other than Casa Grande Fire (uses SWA for transports), and Eloy (does their own transports), they are the ONLY ALS in the county. But...draw back is only 1 hospital (slightly higher capability than a clinic). That's what I know...hope it helps!

[MSBMEDIC]

so its like jonny and roy waiting for the amb. drivers to arrive and t/p their patient with one of them on amb. and the other driving "rescue squad" 51.

do we run up with stretcher and listen, not ask. follow their orders and smile and state "you are my hereo" and if they say bend over we state, "yes sir", do you want lube or not?. i'm curious, because these "fire gods" are there to assist you and provide info. about patients.

let's go people give me some answers, why is southwest always hiring emt/medics is it because there expanding or because they have poor management skills, "fire gods" bother people's anal cavity too much, ect...

[Arizonaffcep]

so its like jonny and roy waiting for the amb. drivers to arrive and t/p their patient with one of them on amb. and the other driving "rescue squad" 51.

do we run up with stretcher and listen, not ask. follow their orders and smile and state "you are my hereo" and if they say bend over we state, "yes sir", do you want lube or not?. i'm curious, because these "fire gods" are there to assist you and provide info. about patients.

let's go people give me some answers, why is southwest always hiring emt/medics is it because there expanding or because they have poor management skills, "fire gods" bother people's anal cavity too much, ect...

Well...let me put it this way...they've pretty much expanded as far as they can in Arizona...