Seattle, WA...King County Medic One Paramedics

[vcfd35s]

I have heard that the King County Medic One EMS system is top notch, with a great scope and excellent training. I am currently an EMT working in CA, but would like to work in the Medic One system. Are you employed as a pirvate medic or are you a Fire/Medic with Seattle Fire? Also, what are some quality paramedic programs to go through up in the Seattle area? I am not a fan of the southern california EMS system and would like to start my medic career in WA. If anyone knows of a good medic program please let me know so I can further my research. Thank you in advance for the responses.

[scott33]

I have heard that the King County Medic One EMS system is top notch, with a great scope and excellent training. I am currently an EMT working in CA, but would like to work in the Medic One system. Are you employed as a pirvate medic or are you a Fire/Medic with Seattle Fire? Also, what are some quality paramedic programs to go through up in the Seattle area? I am not a fan of the southern california EMS system and would like to start my medic career in WA. If anyone knows of a good medic program please let me know so I can further my research. Thank you in advance for the responses

Yeah, Interesting and progressive service and quite a change from SoCal.

However....

"King County Medic One does NOT operate a Paramedic Training Program. The University of Washington is the sole training provider for all Paramedics in King County."

Your choices are limited to one University. Their initial training is around the 3,000 hour mark

Good luck. Not enough (any?) Medic One bods on these forums.

http://www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/ems/MedicOne.aspx

[vcfd35s]

Yeah, Interesting and progressive service and quite a change from SoCal.

However....

"King County Medic One does NOT operate a Paramedic Training Program. The University of Washington is the sole training provider for all Paramedics in King County."

Your choices are limited to one University. Their initial training is around the 3,000 hour mark

Good luck. Not enough (any?) Medic One bods on these forums.

http://www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/ems/MedicOne.aspx

From what I was reading, you attend the University of WA after you get hired with Medic One....which would mean that you would have already been a medic. With that in mind, I was looking for info on what OTHER college to attend that has a reputable paramedic program.

[chaser]

I have heard that the King County Medic One EMS system is top notch, with a great scope and excellent training...

PM me if you want, I can give you some names.

[mrsbull]

Tacoma had a great paramedic program thru Pierce Comm College. I went thru there for my EMT but I have heard lots of good things about them as far as the paramedic program goes. Tacoma Comm College is good too so I have heard. Tacoma is about 45 min to an hr from each other.

Sorry I am not much help with Seattle. I have been there lol. I just moved from Tacoma in April so I know that area. Yelm Fd is also looking for vollys. I got an e mail a few mos ago and was asked to volly there. Unfortunately I moved before I got the message.

Good Luck!!

[CBEMT]

From what I was reading, you attend the University of WA after you get hired with Medic One....which would mean that you would have already been a medic.

Incorrect, as far as my information goes. At least in terms of Seattle Fire, you are not a medic prior to going through their program. In other words,SFD does not hire paramedics, they are selected from within to go to the UW at Harborview program. I suppose, theoretically, you COULD be a medic if moving in from somewhere else, but would not be operating as such until completing their program.

I'm not to sure of how it works for, say, the non-fire EMS agencies that cover the rest of King County in terms of which comes first- hiring or school, but I do know that you wouldn't be working as a paramedic in King County until you complete the Harborview program. No other agencies (ie privates) are allowed to operate paramedics in King County.

[vcfd35s]

So with my understanding, you have to be a firefighter with SFD before going through there medic progam.

Outside of King Co, does anyone know who runs the 911 that staffs ALS...AMR perhaps? Thanks for the help guys, im looking to move up there from CA and trying to find the area that offers a good ems system with good 911 companies.

[croaker260]

All of these agencies answer to the single authority of the medic one system. Up until recently that has been the Iron Hand of Dr. Mike Copass. His influence is still quite substantial. For decades King County has subscribed to the idea of a "high Acuity" EMS system. They run a very low amount of paramedic units (medic units) , but those units only go on critical calls. Add to that the INTENSE training (initial and ongoing) that is phsyician led from the UW school of medicine out of Harborview Hospital...and you have a small core of Highly Trained, highly experience medics unlike most anywhere n the nation.

To put it in comparison, today a medic is lucky in most systems to get 12-24 field tubes a year. In many "high availability" systems (like many of the fire based systems in California and Florida)are lucky to do a couple a year. Some places get even less than that. A few years ago a friend of mine got over 50 tubes in the field. So when I say they are a tiered response, high acuity system, they take it to the extreme. The whole system is built around this concept.

There are no ALS engines in the county. If you are working as a medic, you are WORKING AS A MEDIC. And unlike most fire based systems, working as a medic is a PROMOTION and an HONOR in that system. Whether you are working for SFD or KCM1, turnover is low, pay/benies/retirement is very good.

The other main difference is the emphasis put on the BLScomponent (i.e. the BLS engine first response). My understanding is that these guys are fully bought into the "high Acuity" concept, but also understand that they are the safety net. They also are trained and empowered and over seen by the medic one system. f they get on scene of a "ALS" call that isnt, then they are empowered and even expected to cancel the medic unit and request BLS transport (either an "aid car" -FD BLS transport ambulance or private BLS). On the flip side if they get to a BLS call, and its ALS, they are expected to request the Medic One response. This ensures the ALS rigs are teir for those who need tem, and arnt wasted on toe pain.

As far as being a paramedic in the system. it doesn’t matter if you are a 15 year paramedic or a 1 year EMT, you all take the UW paramedic program. This program too is different. It approaches 3000 hours, double what 99% of most program in the US are. It is 99% taught by Doctors.

If you dont go through that program, you don’t practice as paramedic in King County. Period. You can work on a BLS ambulance if you want. Or go into one of the neighboring counties.

Hope this helps.

[n7lxi]

Croaker is absolutely right with his take on King County Paramedics.

Since I live in Seattle, I can provide a little more info on this system.

As Croaker mentioned, Fire is the first tier in any aid response in King County, Seattle or otherwise. A medic unit is dispatched automatically to any call that presents as an ALS indicator to the dispatcher. If the BLS fire crew arrives on scene and decides that medics are not warranted, they are "code greened", that is canceled while en route. A dangerous idea? Well, that depends if you believe every patient deserves an ALS evaluation.

In addition, ALL of the ALS in King County, with the exception of King County Medic One (Serving South King) is staffed by firefighter/medics. It is true that there are no ALS engines in King County, but almost all of the medic units are fire units. And there is talk of KCM1 being folded into a fire department with the potential formation of a new Regional Fire Authority. This RFA would include most of the communities served by KCM1.

If you are hired as a Seattle Firefighter with the hope and intent of working as a medic in Seattle, there is a 3 year waiting period before you can apply to the medic program.

Several of the medics that are working for KCM1 originally took the medic class I'm currently enrolled in. (Tacoma Community College) After completing the program and subsequent hiring by KCM1, they were required to take an additional year of intense medic school at Harborview. So, even if you've been a medic for 10 years, you're still going to Harborview for another year. However, two friends that completed that program tell me it was an AWESOME education and anything else pales by comparison.

Contrary to popular belief, KCM1 does train paramedics and you don't have to be a firefighter. You must have 3 years of EMT-B experience and pass the testing and oral boards. If you make the cut, you're hired, they pay you a stipend through school and you go to work in year. They recruit once a year, the job info is here.

Outside of King County there are numerous opportunities to work as a medic, most are fire based, but the usual suspects (AMR, Rural/Metro and their ilk) all hire medics.

And yes, as soon as school is finished, I'm moving. FAR away from King County.

[AnthonyM83]

I think I'm missing something in the setup.

MedicOne units (which are part of FD?) run mostly critical calls?

So, who runs the ALS calls on the "less critical" calls? Separate FD ALS ambulances?

How long is their medic program?

And if you ARE a medic, you said it's just an additional year of training to work there.

Is that additional year for a medic who went to school anywhere? Or do they have a list of "approved" programs that they deem strong enough where they only give you the additional year (instead of making you take their entire program)?

In other words, I heard one school say they were one of the few that MedicOne made special exceptions for. I don't know the exception was only making them train a year. Or if the one year training ins the standard, and thus medics coming out of certain schools would have less than a year training?