Ambulance service STARTS medics at $54k/year !!!!!

[crotchitymedic1986]

Buddy of mine just left Mississippi to go to work for Central Ambulance in Atanta (private service). They start medics at $54k, EMTI's at $45k, and have vents and IV pumps on all 24-hour units, pneumatic stretchers on every unit. He says full family medical and dental will run him around $200/month. Dont know anything about the quality of the service yet (he is still in orientation), but it seems that they do take care of their employees. And unlike California or New York, the cost of living is cheap (can get a nice home in the country for under $150-200k, can get a nice home in the city for under $ 250k.

http://www.centralems.com/

[Arctickat]

My medics start at about $52,000 a year but they also get at least 20 hours a month in overtime which equates to another $10,000 or so. Basics start at about $43,500. As well as a cost shared benefits and retirement package.

[Michael]

Keep this in mind.

[CBEMT]

We Offer

Beginning EMT salaries of 35,000

Beginning Paramedic salaries of 47,000

47's not bad to be a transfer jockey, but it ain't 54, that's for sure.

[crotchitymedic1986]

and they also get all the overtime they want ---- sounds to good to be true for that part of the country.

[FormerEMSLT297]

READ THE FINE PRINT... ALWAYS

Funny ,, the web site www.centralems.com says "EMT's $35,000

Paramedice $47,000....."

now they may have a signing bonus or relocation allowance or 47K may be the bottom rung for new medics and your buddy may be getting more ,,, BUT.

47K or 54K That sounds like a pretty good starting salary, but you need to read the fine print... and figure out the hourly wage...

If they work you 24/24 or even 24/48 and you end up working a 56 hour week, or more, than thats not exactly 47 or 54K per year....

so to do that caluculation you should look at HOW many hours a month you are working..

if you wortk a 5/2 5/3 or even a 5/2 5/2,, thats not bad, but if you more your actual hourtly rate is inthe toilet.

For Example .....

Take an average Month or 31 days..... if you are working a 24 on 48 off sched. Starting with the first of the month, and skipping 2 days (days off).. at the end of the month you will have worked:

11 shifts x 24 hours = 264 Hours

do the same thing for 4 X 10 hour days with 3 days off (my schedule, sometimes)

19 shifts x 10 = 190 hours worked.

But on of the BEST shifts is 12 on 12 off or 12,14,14,,, which .. in a 31 day period you end up working also about 168 hours or so per month

now take the FDNY Paramedic sched. 5 on 2 off, 5 on 3 off.

you would only work 168 Hours in the same 31 day period...

Now there are benefits to all these shifts, but .... the more time you actually work,, the less your hourly wages.

Not to mention the less you work, the more time you get to moonlight (if so inclined), or chase dates, spend time with family, decompress, whatever.....

All rookie Paramedics shoult think about this and understand it, before you hire on with some company that is going to pay you 50K per year, but work you 60 + hours per week...

Good luck

any quesions about my calculations PM me, I'll break it down even more...

Former

[Arctickat]

Keep this in mind.

Exchange rates cannot factor cost of living and are not reflective of living costs as money is bought on the exchange based on desirability. An oil change costing $40 CAD a few years ago at the exchange rate of .65 still costs $40 CAD while instead of costing $27 US at the old exchange rate cost $33 at the US current exchange rate. The only relevance the exchange rate might have is if someone from the U.S. decided to work in Canada but live in the U.S.

As to the previous poster, he makes a good point. Annual wage is not as relevant as the hourly wage. Fresh out of school new EMTs make $21.611/hr new medics make $26.413/hr. I guess it depends on what the shifts in Atlanta are like and how many hours are required to work to make that wage.

[crotchitymedic1986]

apparantly the website hasnt been updated --- he said they were at 52 and went to 54 in october. He works the typical 12hour shift / 48 hour week at $20 or 21/hour (cant remember the figure). 24/48 crews are paid less hourly, but same yearly.

[spenac]

Also be carefuls about the services that require free standby. Many services will pay a great hourly rate but when you factor the free time where you are on call and not free to do anything hourly rate greatly drops.

My service pays paramedics nearly $20 an hour, no free hours, plus overtime, family insured including dental and eyes for less than $75 a month, retirement, etc.

[crotchitymedic1986]

what is free standby ??????????