What career if not EMS?

[Dustdevil]

I got into EMS with my college's Rescue Squad. I graduated with a BS in Meteorology and a license to work on merchant ships, but I decided to go into EMS full time after college. I did that for 3 and a half years, until I realized that salaries were not that good. So, I fell back on my hobby, computers.

That's two hobbies you have fallen back on so far.

What's next?

[FredG]

That's two hobbies you have fallen back on so far.

What's next?

LOL

Considering that I've been making money at my 2nd hobby for about 10 years, it's no longer just a hobby, it's a career.

The only thing I see doing over the near future is working on expanding my business and hopefully making enough money to allow me to leave my full time job.

[NJMedic35]

If I ever decided to do something other than Paramedicine, it would be to finish my degree in Marine Biology and go work with Flipper in the Bahamas...no more snow, no more ice, no more stinkin cold mornings. Just me, Flipper, and a Red Stripe on the beach

[CC64]

After becoming a medic? I'm hoping to go into emergency management.

Before I was introduced to EMS, I was going to be a vet.

[NYC-EMS]

Forensic pathology

[p3medic]

I'd probably be a stripper. More respect, better pay, tips, free beer and a different "date" every night...

[dougd]

I have another career as a computer networking geek. Apparently I don't like money, because here I am investing time and money in a field where I'm virtually guaranteed not to make any. Honestly, this is something I've always had an interest in, dating back to when I was in high school and volunteering for the Red Cross. I've found a place in life where I had the time and desire to make it happen. I'm planning on just going the Vollie route for now.

[Dustdevil]

I have another career as a computer networking geek. Apparently I don't like money, because here I am investing time and money in a field where I'm virtually guaranteed not to make any. Honestly, this is something I've always had an interest in, dating back to when I was in high school and volunteering for the Red Cross. I've found a place in life where I had the time and desire to make it happen. I'm planning on just going the Vollie route for now.

Ya know why there are so many well paying jobs for network geeks?

Because nobody volunteers to do it for free.

Ya know why there are so few well paying jobs for Paramedics?

Think about it.

[AnthonyM83]

Yeah, one job gives you freedom and variance/excitement (not to be confused with thrills) and the other gives you a chair and computer screen and nerd status

[FredG]

Ya know why there are so many well paying jobs for network geeks?

Because nobody volunteers to do it for free.

Ya know why there are so few well paying jobs for Paramedics?

Think about it.

Volunteerism may affect salaries in some areas. However, in many rural settings, there is no other option. When you have a community that averages 300 calls (or less) per year, it is hard to justify paying several full time salaries to cover it and when coverage areas are measured in 40+ square miles, response times from a paid service, not based in the community, would be just as high or higher than the current volunteer service. The ultimate side effect of going fully paid would be a drastic increase in taxes in rural areas.

As far as other effects on salaries, from what I have seen, the biggest downward pressure on salaries is lack of competition. When I lived in NYC, the paid services had to compete for qualified EMTs and medics. This helped to increase their salaries. The hospital based services seemed to offer a higher salary in hopes of getting better qualified and experienced staff.

Where I live now, in upstate rural NY, the ALS fly car provider in my county starts out at $10/hr for paramedics. Their nearest paid ALS EMS competitor is over 50 miles away, so they don't need to increase their salaries. Not to mention, there are very few ALS spots, with more ALS providers than available slots. Going in the other direction, headed towards Lake Ontario, where there is a higher population and an increase in the number of paid services, salaries do increase.