Question about NY paramedic/EMT scene

[46Young]

Which section(s) of the Rockaways? Far Rockaway? Bayswater? Seagirt? Edgemere? Arverne? Hammels? Rockaway Beach? Rockaway Park? Belle Harbor? Neponsit? Roxbury? Rockaway Point? Point Breeze?

Roxbury, Rockaway Point and Point Breeze are gated, co-op communities, with their own security force, so if you say those are high crime areas, the locals will definitely have words with you.

And, as a point of information, I live in the Belle Harbor/Neponsit area, and work basically in Far Rockaway,

You do realize that the fool stupid actions of a few locals regrettably end up with entire neighborhoods being "painted with the same brush". I've actually met really decent people in what are considered some of the worst Public Housing Projects in the city, and some really nasty folks in the "rich" neighborhoods.

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.

That is certainly a possibility! I guess I could use my mother's address here in Florida.

I am cutting and pasting all this great information! Thank you!

Middle Village looks very promising, and even relatively affordable.

So is there much EMT work available out in the boroughs or would I most likely need to commute 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.

[Richard B the EMT]

I'm forgetting the name, but there is another gated Co-Op community, in Brooklyn, deep west end of Coney Island. Unlike Roxbury, Rockaway Point, and Point Breeze, you have to be checked in, even if a resident.

At Rockaway Point and Point Breeze, at least you can drive through the community, and access it using a special coin that a resident could give you in advance, otherwise, it's a security card into a slot, or a security officer escorting you allowing you and your vehicle access.

I've tried going to visit that lighthouse at the end of Coney Island, but, because I do not have friends there, and don't carry "Press" cards, I've been, if politely, refused.

The road through R.P. and P.B.? Apparently, it was rebuilt using NY State funding, and as such, they had to open it to the world. You just need what I mentioned before to get off of it. Even outside the community, the road is called "The 'State' Road".

Gated communities? It is privately owned lands, unfortunately, they can do what they want, fence and/or security wise.

As for real estate costs, my family has been in the building, from when it was put up on our lot roughly 1935. I have seen the documents for the sale, and the house construction.

There are some houses, here in Belle Harbor/Neponsit, that have recently sold, or are currently on the market for $3/4 Million, so at least in this community, I'm making your point for you.

Edited October 28, 2009 by Richard B the EMT

[Snafu3532]

Okay I do not have any information about NYC life, but I do have a question for you...

You are moving all the way up to New York because your daughter wants to go to school there? Are you doing this to get in-state tuition, or just so your daughter is not so far away? If the latter is the case, perhaps you should consider that part of the college experience is being away from home. Your daughter might even been interested in NYC because of the distance.

This question might be a little presumptuous, but it can be huge if overlooked. I suggest talking to your daughter about it if you haven't already.

Good luck!

[Floridastudent]

Okay I do not have any information about NYC life, but I do have a question for you...

You are moving all the way up to New York because your daughter wants to go to school there? Are you doing this to get in-state tuition, or just so your daughter is not so far away? If the latter is the case, perhaps you should consider that part of the college experience is being away from home. Your daughter might even been interested in NYC because of the distance.

This question might be a little presumptuous, but it can be huge if overlooked. I suggest talking to your daughter about it if you haven't already.

Good luck!

I hear ya. The reason we'd move to New York is to get the in state tuition. Other than that, I'm fine with having her go to college wherever she wants. She's been obsessed with going to college in NYC for years, and I'm fine with that. Once I moved there' I'd assess things, and after she got her one year of residency, I'd decide if I wanted to work and live in NY forever or if the high rents eat up too much of the higher salary. (Florida salaries are really low but rent is cheap.)

[tskstorm]

There is a lot of good information here, but to add my 2 cents ... I have 4 friends who have recently graduated Medic school with me, all with NYC 9-1-1 experience who haven't even been able to get a job doing BLS IFT ... They are some of the best new medics, and best EMT's I know, the job market is tough out here right now, apply around before committing ...

[Floridastudent]

There is a lot of good information here, but to add my 2 cents ... I have 4 friends who have recently graduated Medic school with me, all with NYC 9-1-1 experience who haven't even been able to get a job doing BLS IFT ... They are some of the best new medics, and best EMT's I know, the job market is tough out here right now, apply around before committing ...

That is a concern - here in Florida as well as in New York. I always thought that healthcare was the safe fallback career, you can always get a healthcare job - ha. I am sure there are more jobs in healthcare than there are in a lot of other fields - but also a lot more people competing for each job these days, as EVERYBODY floods into healthcare.

What about nursing? Does the job market seem better for that in NYC?

[46Young]

I hear ya. The reason we'd move to New York is to get the in state tuition. Other than that, I'm fine with having her go to college wherever she wants. She's been obsessed with going to college in NYC for years, and I'm fine with that. Once I moved there' I'd assess things, and after she got her one year of residency, I'd decide if I wanted to work and live in NY forever or if the high rents eat up too much of the higher salary. (Florida salaries are really low but rent is cheap.)

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.

There is a lot of good information here, but to add my 2 cents ... I have 4 friends who have recently graduated Medic school with me, all with NYC 9-1-1 experience who haven't even been able to get a job doing BLS IFT ... They are some of the best new medics, and best EMT's I know, the job market is tough out here right now, apply around before committing ...

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.

[46Young]

That is a concern - here in Florida as well as in New York. I always thought that healthcare was the safe fallback career, you can always get a healthcare job - ha. I am sure there are more jobs in healthcare than there are in a lot of other fields - but also a lot more people competing for each job these days, as EVERYBODY floods into healthcare.

What about nursing? Does the job market seem better for that in NYC?

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!

[Floridastudent]

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.

Why, I never thought of it that way - you are absolutely right! I need to keep researching to get an accurate picture of rents in NYC. I live in one of the fancy high end neighborhoods next to Orlando. School system is excellent. I rent a small 1334 foot house with a yard (on a very busy street, granted), 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, nothing updated at all - but it's only $1000 a month. I'm literally one block away from million dollar homes, which helps keep the local school system decent and the crime in this area is very low. Then again, CNA's make about $9-$12 an hour, and I think new nurses - and I mean RNs - start out at about $20 an hour and earning much more than $30 an hour would be challenging in this area, from what I am told. My mother is a very experienced CNA earning $10 an hour.

So does getting ALS significantly increase your chances of getting a job? Obviously it pays better, but is the employment picture better?

Edited October 29, 2009 by Floridastudent

[Dustdevil]

It's not just the rent that is higher. EVERYTHING is higher. Remember, there are no state taxes in Floridia. NY state taxes eat up a significant portion of your wages. The per-hour figure is extremely misleading, because by the time you balance the differences, you're actually making less than you would in Floridia.