Denver Health Paramedics

[MedicAsh]

Anyone know much about this company? What kind of hours? Is it a decent place to work? That kind of info. Thanks

[scubanurse]

Yup.... I know lots of Denver Paramedics. Very difficult to get on there if you're not from their system. They work 10's. Very nice system to work for.

- It's technically the Paramedic Division of Denver Health

- It's a urban system with a lot of trauma calls

- They pay the best for the area

- Again, good luck getting hired there, they like their own medics that they trained and unless you have a lot of education under your belt it will be a challenge

PM me if you want more or need specifics

Edited March 25, 2013 by Kate_826

[scubanurse]

I don't want to discourage you and I realize my post may have come across that way. I just know a lot of people who have applied and have not been hired. My other half works at Denver Health and used to work at Pridemark before they were bought out by Rural Metro a few years ago. I know they only have one position open right now. If Denver is somewhere you really want to work, I suggest coming out for a visit, set up a ride along at a few of the different services and go from there. Treat the ride-along as a job interview.

Another service in CO that is really fun to work for is Thompson Valley EMS. They have a really nice system set up up there and it isn't as competitive as DH. The big problem you will face in CO is that there is very little demand for Paramedics and EMT's. We are saturated with them because of the number of Paramedic programs out here. It's full of outdoorsy people who also tend to lean towards EMS for some reason. It's not an easy market out there for Paramedics and especially EMT's.

Let me know if you want some more info, or would like some help setting up a ride-along.

[Bieber]

How are Denver Health's protocols? What about the atmosphere of the service in general? Progressive, regressive, moderate, etc? I ask 'cause my brother's looking at them a little bit. How's the pay?

Thanks.

[scubanurse]

Protocols are fairly progressive and trusting. It's very urban with plenty of air services available so the protocols fit accordingly to the environment and demands. I haven't heard much complaint about them from people. The atmosphere is one of the best in the areas. Compared to the big companies (AMR & Rural Metro) and they have a decent working relationship with Denver Fire. DFD does not have EMS trained personelle on all units and they do not generally allow them to practice as paramedics if they do have that certification so the fire department are strictly support on EMS calls. I would call their system moderate to progressive, I will ask a few of them tonight what their opinion is though. Pay will be around $19-23/hr depending on experience. Their benefits are very nice though.

They run their own paramedic program and generally will hire out of that program, but they do take outsiders. DH as a whole likes to stay as a family though and will generally hire internal applicants over external, as with most places throughout EMS/healthcare.

[scubanurse]

OK more specifics on protocol:

No RSI, too short of transport times, but they are allowed to sedate after a successful intubation (oral or nasal).

They do hypothermia protocols for ROSC, don't transport w/o ROSC.

They are getting Ketamine for pain management soon also.

[croaker260]

Denver Health (formally Denver General) was one of the original "run and gun" places to work in the 70's , 80's, and 90's. The photo-jounalistic book "the knife and gun club" was on their system. Fairly well respected in EMS circles. Protocols are decent, but not what I would call leading edge. The paramedics there justify it based on transport times....it is what it is.

The call volume, operational tempo, and demands of the service are pretty high. Its an urban inner city system...

Denver Helath was in the news a few years ago for some not-so-ethical practices involving patient assaults by paramedics, and at least one case I heard of involving walking in an opioid OD to the ER with a nasal ETT still in place. This is on par with what i have heard through the grape vine on the "dark side" of the system.

Take that with a grain of salt too.

In the end, if you can get on, Denver (right or wrong..or both) does things the "Denver General" way...and damm the rest. You can give it a sdhot and if you dont like it, it still looks outstanding on your emplyment history as they are still very well respected.....

[Eydawn]

That story is in fact legit, about walking in the guy bagging himself. Oops! Haven't heard of anything that sketch in quite some time. It was several years ago. I know people who did in fact witness the act.

Denver Health is a good service. I know medics who work for them. If you're set on the Denver area, they're a better option than Rural Metro, AMR or Action Care... Northglenn Ambulance is good, smaller company, less in the toolbox as far as protocols go- some folks I know started working there and moved up to Denver Health once they had enough education and field experience.

If you're willing to go outside of Denver proper and head north, PVHS EMS (Poudre Valley Health System) is a great agency. Lots of growth right now due to taking over part of a response area from another agency (voted on by the residents of said response area.) Good protocols, good involved medical director, lots of evidence based practice, good hospitals in the area to transport to (I'm biased, but I work at one of them and I'm so, so lucky to work in such a good place, even with all the shakeups going on from massive mergers and healthcare reform.) Lots of resources due to the PVHS/University merger.

TVEMS (Thompson Valley EMS) is also excellent. Great medics, don't know much about their medical director but know a lot of folks who enjoy working there and have never had a problem interfacing with them either on the hospital floor end our out in the field on the SAR "let me give you my patient now" end...

Wendy

RN-ADN

CO EMT-B

[chbare]

Intubated patients walking around bagging themselves? I am not saying it could not happen, but I'd ask for evidence of such a thing occurring. The major ethical issue I am aware of than come out of Denver relates to what went down with the Polyheme study some years back.

[scubanurse]

http://www.westword.com/2008-11-13/news/a-denver-health-paramedic-fakes-his-license-and-his-boss-looks-the-other-way/full/

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_13784904

I can't find an article or anything on the intubated situation...Wendy?