Career or Volunteer or Private Transport

[EMT001]

I work for as a paid employee for a 911 responding service during the summer. During the winter, I am a full-time undergraduate student...

[Richard B the EMT]

As I see it, if you earn your money primarily through Ambulance/EMS (employment agency notwithstanding) you are a career person, If you do Ambulance/EMS with absolutely no expectation of pay, you're a volunteer.

However, if you earn your money primarily through EMS, but get paid a very low scale of payment, you must be my partner! (LOL)

[Payso]

As I see it, if you earn your money primarily through Ambulance/EMS (employment agency notwithstanding) you are a career person, If you do Ambulance/EMS with absolutely no expectation of pay, you're a volunteer.

However, if you earn your money primarily through EMS, but get paid a very low scale of payment, you must be my partner! (LOL)

Richard, I have some general questions but since you're located in Belle Harbor and I live in Rockaway Beach maybe you can chime in. I've been having a growing curiosity about taking on a career as an EMT. I've gotten a chance to read about the stories about stress, adrenaline, even the health risks involved by reading various posts but I haven't read much, if anything, about the job market. More specifically, How's the job market in our area, queens, and the rest of New York City? Does experience as a volunteer help? Where should I go to sign up for volunteer service? Do you know a reputable EMT-B training provider in our area?

[GhostRaider]

What...?...people get paid for this...! :shock:

[buddha]

I worked for many years as a volunteer, and as an EMT Instructor. A local volunteer agency elected to try a new concept for meeting the community EMS needs, and I became their first full time ALS tech. I saw this as an opportunity to have the best of both worlds - making a career out of EMS and staying close to my volunteer roots. The project has worked well and grown steadily, albeit with some rough spots along the way. Today, many agencies are moving in this direction. Incidentally, I still volunteer in my own community as both a medic and a firefighter.

[emtnerd]

I'm still in training. Right now I'm waiting for my practicum to start, so in that way I guess you can say I"m a volunteer (or voluntold). I would actually like to become a RN when I grow up and volunteer with EMS. Have my cake and eat it too.

[nwoparamedics]

Hmm... started out as a volunteer/part-timer back in the late '80's when that was allowed here, then after college went to f/t and have been doing this as a career ever since.... :roll:

[param]

Career. Worked for the municipal service and now working for a private company doing primary response.

[craig]

No such thing as volo officers here in NSW

there is a St John here but they can not transport or respond in emergency, they can attend sporting events, carnivals fairs and shows.

the EMS service is govt run and are the only one under legislation to attend emergency calls, we also do transports and inter-hospital retrieval / transports.

the service is slightly large, the second largest in the world.

we have over 750 ambulances not including the special response units, administration vehicles, motor bikes, snow area vehicles (hagglunds, skidoos etc) and the air wing (9 helicopters and 6 fixed wing)

of this there are around 450 ambulances on road each day, and this doesn't include the specialist vehicles etc.

the service has 3000 ambulance officers all employed, however we also have first responders that are in small rural communities, where the service sup[plies the vehicle, training and gear and uniforms to members of the community to respond in until the ambulance arrives, these first responders do not transport in anyway.

stay safe