Emergency room jobs for paramedics

[gwrenn]

Does anyone know of anywhere they hire paramedics to work in the emergency departments?

If so where and is the pay comparable to street work?

[EMS Solutions]

Awhile back NY Preb. Hosp allowed medics to work triage as overtime only and they had to take a course thru the hospital.

When Maimonides Hospital in Bklyn NY had a nursing strike, they let Medics work in the ER for overtime as well.

I don't know of anyplace in NY or NJ that allows medics to work in a medic capacity. They will hire medics as patient care techs but the salary is usually lower.

[gwrenn]

thanks for the info!

[akflightmedic]

There are many hospitals that do this.

I did it for years, both full time and part time.

I worked at a Level I trauma center where our actual job title was "trauma room medics" which seperated us from the ER medics. We were part of the trauma team and responded when there was an incoming patient along with 20 other departments and members. Our role was to assist moving the patien, strip all clothing, hook up all monitoring equipment, and establish 2 large bore IVS (if not already done or only half done) and get a full set of labs to include type and screen. This all was to happen in a very fast, professional pace and they utilized the medic to do it. After that was completed, depending on the doc, we could intubate.

I also worked in the ER at this facility. We were assigned to a nurse and we would assist her/him in anyway possible. IVs, labs, foleys, escorting patients, and doing intial meds on CPs or working codes. We also were responsible for our own charting of procedures.It was a team effort and yes, EVERYONE changed sheets or empited urinals/bedpans.

At another hospital, I worked in the PCU and ICU. They used us to ease the nursing shortage. Again we were assigned to a RN and we split the patients based on acuity. We had full authority to manage our own patient and do all documentation as long as the nurse co signed our charts at the end of shift. The doctors were on board witht his plan as well and we would call them for orders or updates if necessary. We took and gave shift change reports. Working in the PCU was a valuable learning tool. I learned way more about charting (which is 90 percent of a floor nurses job) than I ever cared to, but since nursing is my next step, I dived right in and didnt give any grief. It is a very unique experience providing total care and having the same patient for several nights in a row, sometimes a few weeks!

As far as the pay, I can not complain. Sure, I will always want more, but at the trauma center I made about 12K less per year than working on the streets. On the flip side, I had way better insurance, very inexpensive insurance, better benefits in every aspect, plus I only worked 36 hours a week which gave me lots of time for other endeavors. You have to consider the entire package, not just the hourly rate...too many people make this mistake.

In the PCU, I made a nice hourly rate, more than the LPNs (which we had very few of anyways, as they were of no use in this particular department), and again I enjoyed a normal weekly schedule with plenty of time off.

You just have to decide how much benefits and time off mean to you and where are you going with your career. If you can get inside a hospital and maintain an open mind, it will be one of the greatest learning experiences you will ever recieve. If you focus on the negative, as many medics do, the job will suck. It is all about your attitude and how you represent medics in the hospital that will make it enjoyable.

[RescuePro33]

Hey thanks for the info, i got hired as a ER tech while im in medic school

[takin_heat]

Not sure where your looking, but most of the hospitals in Pittsburgh hire medics. The pay is above the average of what field medics make.

[CaneMedic]

Same here near Atlanta. EMT & Medic's are hired as Tech's, doing 12leads, INT's, foley's, etc. Pretty much everything except for the actual pushing of drugs. JCAHO freak's out about that!

Now if you code in the parking lot, then a medic can push drugs. That is OK. Make sense ha!

Pay isn't great, anywhere from $12-$18/hr depending on the hospital. Good luck!

[gwrenn]

thanks for all the responses.

[captainstandup]

JCAHO doesnt freak out about anything except what the GD nursing associations and boards tell them to freak out about. They have kept the national "nursing shortage" going for ten years through terrorizing any discipline that encroached onto their turf.

[Ridryder 911]

You are right, JCAHO does not have a problem, they consider Paramedics as strictly technicians the same as an LPN in ER or critical care area. EMTALA only allows RN's to perform triage for MSE, and usually most areas only allow RN's to perform initial assessment.

Unfortunately, due to vast differences in educational levels provided by EMS education and training, it is hard to invest in Paramedics in the ER. When I was an ER manager, I attempted to employ Paramedics to be used to assist and use their license within their scope of training. Unfortunately, I have seen many ER's get burned and stop using Paramedics due to hiring Paramedics that lacked education, or attempted to perform skills outside their scope in the ER, the most response I heard of was due to poor professionalism.

It is a shame, but usually the worst enemy is definitely not nursing associations, boards, JCAHO, but ourselves. Think about it, in comparison how many Paramedics do you know of could actually be able to function at an ER level?

R/r 911