I know it sucks man but we essentially have 2 options.
1. We start collectively boycotting this job for the abysmal pay we get until they raise our wages
2. We rough it out until we finish nursing/medical/medic/PA/whatever school after which we can get a normal paying job.
Most of us have decided #2 which is the reason EMT wages will be what they are.
Plenty of people in the medical industry are unionized my friend. Bosses will always try to keep you from collective action. Don't let them win by default by not even trying in the first place.
I'm in a strong union myself. I'm also aware that something can be called a "union" but not have it's members best interest in mind.
Are any of these union members making double what their peers earn with amazing benefits?
They now make a prevailing wage that applies to all fast food workers, which is the same thing non union public works laborers and construction workers enjoy under Davis-Bacon. My wife is a UBC member. The point is not to create a different division within labor (union vs non- union) but to improve labor conditions for all workers.
You're right, it's not to create a division within labor. It's entirely about earning a fair wage and working conditions. I see what the non union side earns in many industries, and it's half or less. Without a union keeping things fair, companies will pay as little as possible.
My original point was not at all anti-union. There is more incentive to suppress strong unions in the medical industry compared to all other businesses.
Fast food workers in California are not Union. It's a progressive liberal government that determined fast food workers should make at least $20 per hour. It's F'ng ridiculous. Why are they special? People like OP are much more deserving of a $20 minimum wage. There are many where I work that have more knowledge and responsibility than a taxi taco bell worker that make less than $20 an hour. Indicative of this state and the liberal government.
Not sure what that nonsensical response was supposed to mean. It's all very simple and has been since the beginning of time. Start out with a low skill, low paying job. Decide you want/need more. Learn more, work more, move up. If not, move on. Minimum wage jobs are beginner jobs. They are not supposed to be life sustaining careers.
Are you a nurse? Why? Even if you want to do something altruistic, I can guarantee pay factored in.
Progressive libtards. Not every job or person is meant to be well paid.
Work harder.
Fast food workers here engaged in collective action for years to get this change my man. The bill that got them the raise was developed by labor orgs over 3 years before it was even in committee in the leg here. If you want a better wage, you have to collectively bargain for it.
Yes, I know how the wage hike came into effect. They are not Union workers.
Please explain to me why fast food workers deserve a higher minimum wage than anyone else in California?
I personally believe most should make more money. I just don't agree that fast food workers are more special than anyone else
I don't need a better wage. My wage is just fine.
It is, but it’s also what makes the wages for #2 so high (at least doctors and PAs). People like to envy and point out how insanely high doctor wages are, but the path to get there is over a decade of incredible struggle. It’s not like it’s easy once you get there either.
it's a question of who came first, the chicken or the egg? I know a lot of the young population doesn't want to be an EMT for a long time, but is it because they truly don't want to, or does the pay just make it financially unfeasible?
The unusual option is wait until another IFT company comes in your area and offers way more than the other agencies. The other agencies them raise their wages to match the new private company.
Or stop paying fucking retards so much money. Those jobs are for kids. If you’re an adult and work fast food, you’re a fucking loser. No debate. Stop raising minimum wage for losers. But yes, an EMS worker should make more, I agree. Allocating this bullshit pay raise for idiots is the problem. Pay the skilled.
Downvote me, you’re a fucking loser
Wrong. Fast food is not in anyway an easy job either. You might not need any qualifications but the value you bring is still under paid in fast food. A Starbucks pays workers 16$ an hour but at the same time they also get 100-200 customers in a single hour. As a matter of fact, the value you bring as a fast food worker is still more than you are actually getting paid.
Curious what high school student is able to work during the mornings and afternoons throughout the week. I guess McDonald’s should be closed until 4 pm and just open at 4pm until midnight. You are so miserable 😂😂 And they make that much in California because it’s a livable wage. No one will work at McDonald’s in California for anything less than $15. It’s literally pointless. But you are probably the first one to bitch when you see a sign “Closed. No workers” 😂
I don’t work fast food, so I have no bias here. I just find it disrespectful to say certain jobs are for kids. Every career has its difficult aspects. Fast food workers deal with their own kind of bs.
“ I’m not in this profession for the money ”
So long as this sentiment exists… gonna get boned.
They pay it because people are willing to work for it. It’s a shitty answer, but here we are
It’s only the old dudes who have this mentality. They’ll disappear someday. Probably…idk with some of these dudes sheer will maybe they’ll live forever.
Nah, they pay it because SHITTY EMTs are willing to work for it. And no, that's no reflection on the OP, but wages are low because the lowest common denominators drag us down, both companies and providers. Refuse to work for those lowest common denominators and it will be more difficult for them to stay in business.
There are companies out there that pay well, and good jobs in the EMS market. You just gotta look for them.
No shame in being in a certain profession for money. Lets be real here. Who wants to work in a stressful abusive enviroment for free? But EMS is definitely not a money maker job with only a few exceptions. EMS sadly at this point and time is only a stepping tone to get to something better.
Years ago when I was thinking about becoming a cop I was taking to a coworker who was retired police and I brought up the topic of which department in the area had the best pay. He said if I was only in it for the money find I different job. I told him that I wasn’t in it for the money and that I didn’t expect to get rich as a cop but I also don’t want to do a job like that and be so broke I’m digging in the couch cushions looking for lose change to buy a pack of ramen.
They make about $30k more per year than medics where I work. Might not make you rich but its a much better investment than EMS financially.
Although I will admit, I feel like they deal with more dangerous and uncomfortable things than we do.
You can get rich as a LEO. Baltimore City paid a 16 member unit in charge of protecting 3 city leaders 3 million annually LMAO which included 4000 hours of overtime.
I mean I make 25$hr as a medic in Louisiana right now, but I really don’t think it’s enough for what we deal with. I wish we had the kind of union nurses have been able to craft over their existence but we’re just not there yet.
“We’re just not there yet” yep. Because this profession is full of idiots who’d rather sit on their asses and piss and moan about McDonald’s, nurses, and every other way we’ve been slighted, instead of actually DOING something about it. But that’s take actual work, so yeah. EMS will never get there.
Cost of living. NY costs of living are insane and as such, you have to pay better to afford living. In Louisiana, I have a 3 bedroom house for 1,200 a month. (My dad moved here and I wanted to be close to him otherwise I’d be back in Arizona still). Trust me though, the state sucks. I wish I lived elsewhere where the pay was better.
I mean I hit 72hrs a week, so that OT is awesome. But I shouldn’t have to work 72hrs a week to make what I make, and even then it doesn’t feel like it’s enough for all the trauma we deal with, the baggage we take on, and the damage the job does to the brain and body long term. While “I didn’t get in this for the money” is true for me, I do expect to at least earn a living wage while doing what I do, and that’s apparently just too much to ask. I say I wouldn’t trade this job, and I mean I honestly love it. It’s the first job I’ve ever really loved, but if it’s that or stumbling upon something that can actually allow me to take care of my family and have a fucking savings, that’s an easy choice.
I bet they offer “free counseling” too, and it’s only 2 sessions where the doctor acts like they wanna work with you until session 3
Where I live it feels like yours and my pay is minimum wage, you get way more OT than I get too, but the worst thing I have to deal with is humidity.
Both healthcare and food service employees are absolutely boned by our society and it’s pathetic that one ambulance trip makes more money than a weeks pay. You really want to pay the person prepping food and saving lives minimum pay? That should make more than lawyers and politicians
Ha. Hahahaha. Yep. They offer 3 sessions. But they DO care when it’s a pediatric, but that’s it. As if adult deaths and trauma leave no traumatic impact.
The humidity where I’m at is at 90% today and it’s killing me ☠️😭
Totally agree with your last statement too. Football players shouldn’t make more money than EMS, make it make sense.
I’m 36, I live alone, I have a mortgage, I have cats but no kids. Starting pay where I work is my state’s minimum wage, $15/hr. I make just over $16 because of cost of living pay raises, but I could pretty much work anywhere else and make the same or more than I do as an EMT. I just put myself through paramedic school, soon to be done with the program, and looking at $20/hr starting pay. It really isn’t worth it. It’s easy to morally say “I don’t do it for the money” but I have bills to pay. We should at least be able to live comfortably considering what we do. This job shouldn’t be a paycheck-to-paycheck life.
Not to be a dick but the question for you at this point should be what am I doing wrong? I’m assuming you’ve been in EMS a while, you see the prospects and pay yet decided to continue into medic so by mid-30’s I mean, was there a plan? Cause if not…. 🤷♂️ your could move to a higher paying system like Austin Travis County or a few in PNW, go Flight or hurry up and transition into an AS-to-BS program for something like health science and look at educator, infection control jobs or grad school. I realized the game is BS a long time ago but we still have to play it, you know?
If you’re starting a comment with “not to be a dick” it’s probably advisable to stop your thought there. You don’t know anything about me, anything about my past, or anything about the jobs in my area. I’m not moving across the country for this job. I’m not selling my house that I bought 10 years ago with a fantastic interest rate and when the market was much more of a buyers market than it currently is. Selling my house and moving now would be the worst financial decision possible, so it’s laughable that is even your suggestion. I am not doing anything wrong, but the more I read in your comment the more I think that statement was a projection of what you think of yourself, not the internet stranger whose time you wasted.
I know that reply literally made no sense but I got better things than argue or take life advice from people in worse situations than me. Funny enough I was in her same shoes but refused the victim mentality and considered all those opportunities to better my pay and recently started flying to get a pay bump and way better schedule. People on reddit don’t wanna hear that and turn turn into excuse generators and reject any type of accountability based on the downvotes lol I wish them all luck their gonna need it in life
“Go flight” cracks me up when flight pay isn’t all that great either. I bring home the same annually as my husband who works flight. I work more hours but not by the huge stretch that would make sense. Starting pay for medics in my agency just increased to $18/hr. My husband started flight three years ago at $22/hr. He’s a little higher now, but it’s not anything we are getting rich off of. Not to mention overtime is rarely available.
I feel this. I spent like $1500 tuition, all that time, practice, etc, to see offers of $21/hr (it’s Boston so higher pay across the board cause ridiculously high rent). We had to learn about so many hazards and so many first hand stories of life changing injuries from job hazards.
Yes, I still prefer this job (theoretically, haven’t paid the $150 to wait 3-4 weeks for state license yet). But it’s hard to see all the $25/hour jobs answering phones at the clinic instead. Almost no chance of car wrecks on the job, electrocution, violent patients, etc, and a/c there.
I was under the impression WA requires you have taken your emt course in WA to work there— might explain the lack of hires. People who were educated where can’t just apply and move they’d have to start from square one
I don't think that's true, I was a transfer from California.
Only agency that strictly in house in King County EMS, anyone wants to work as paramedic in King County must go through their own program at UW even if you had paramedic elsewhere.
It is true that transfer process is more complicated than average, you would need an endorsement letter from an EMS agency as part of your application package, together with NREMT.
And this is the problem. No one sees it as a professional job. So they get away with shit wages and treating you like you’re an idiot. Ems has to do a better job of professionalizing the art, and we need the respect of what we do. It’s a low down dirty shame for the pay.
Move somewhere else. Here in the midwest, EMTs make 45k a year, medics make 90k, and the cost of living is dirt cheap. I live in a brand new 2 bed 1 bath apartment for only 700/mo. Life is good away from the big cities.
$25 an hour? Oh man, I remember being in this position when I was your age. I was making $12 an hour and Dunkin Donuts employees were making $12.50. That all changed when we unionized and got EMTs and medics some decent pay. 18 an hour is what medics used to make where I lived at the time.
It definitely sucks. The way I look at it though is would you rather say “I make $20 a hr to flip burgers.” Or “I make $18 a hr saving lives.” In the end yes the pay sucks but i always say do “i have a roof under my head and food on my table?” Yes I do. Therefore I have no right to complain. This is my way of thinking and i understand it doesn’t play out like that for others. Although I also consider the factor that if for some reason I do end up struggling then with the way the EMS schedule flows I have time to work a part time job. When i first started the field I was working two full time jobs and going to school. If you aren’t happy change something. I hope you find what your looking for:)
While everyone deserves a living wage and I have 0 issue with McDonald’s workers making enough to not need assistance, degreed work deserves higher pay as well.
Honestly we all societally need a raise because most of us don’t match cost of living.
EMT is generally just the start of a journey towards much greater things, vs in fast food, you typically have to switch career fields entirely to progress.
Not pooping on either (I’ve done both), but hopefully this perspective helps.
I worked in fast food. Fuck that shit. I was getting paid 7 dollars and some and I hated people.
Now I get paid more, I work less (i sit on my ass a lot), and the people I work with are chill most of the time.
I wouldn't even go back to fast food if I got paid more now.
sounds like you’re working for falck lol. when I started at care I was at $13.25. went to be a medic in a neighboring county, 23.91. it doesn’t get a whole lot better, so get as much experience as you can and ask all the questions you want. 7/10 the medics are cool and will teach you a lot of shit, maybe some hands on stuff if they trust you enough
I actually work at In N Out currently and am licensed as a EMT in LA county, I have yet to be employed, in any capacity as an EMT, but I’m super excited to start applying and quit this burger flipping gig. I’m a cook so I get paid pretty well I think my rate was 24.75 last time I checked but we get raises pretty often.
I’ll tell you first hand that despite having a decent hourly rate, it’s demoralizing for me to work in an environment where the deciding factor for advancement is how well you can pucker your lips against the gluteal of the person above you.
I’ve been here for 5 years delivering picture perfect burgers that entire time, and in that time I’ve been lapped in promotions by idiots who think “wavelength” is a big word, simply because they asked for it. Same people end up running around the kitchen like a headless chicken during a rush asking to be rescued.
If you are someone who is concerned at all about the impact and meaning of your work, then getting paid 6-7$ more per hour won’t give you that satisfaction or make you forget that you are working at the Chum Bucket.
Personally I found being on a rig, even in just a student EMT capacity, good for the soul and fulfilling. I’m excited at the prospect of integrating myself in a system whose function is to save lives, rather than burgers and fries. It’s a shame we won’t be getting paid more for it and I’m sorry for those who literally can’t afford to be sentimental and romantic about it, you’re all heros.
You have to work really smart if you wanna make a livable wage in LA county EMS. Idk how your shifts are but we had 8hr shifts and a full time works 40hrs per week. Exceeding that will give you 3/2 times the wage, and anytime you put in more than 4hrs+8hrs in a single shift will get you double your wage. If you work a double you’ll be paid double. I’ve had coworkers abuse the overtime policies and get paid bank. Yes our pay sucked in LA and OC, and it’s really sad that we’re considered DOT instead of health care.
Because it’s LACo. I’d wager 90% of the kids on Falck(Care) or McCormick rigs are there because they want FD jobs. No shame, I did it too before getting to ride big red. But that does leave a large employment pool and far less motivation to increase pay.
Unfortunately this is a field where you have to move where the money is if you plan to make a career out of it. There are plenty of great services that pay well you just have to find them.
I'm 19, and I just finished my EMT course in Los Angeles, taking my NREMT tomorrow. I am moving up north for better working conditions, pay and scope of practice.
If you're sticking in the area, IFT will pay much more.
I did my ride alongs with firstmed and they were alright, medtrans probably pays the best, I think they're starting at 20-21 bucks an hour.
If you're a student, West Coast Ambulance has a weekend position that seems pretty cool. It's like 27 bucks an hour but only on weekends? I don't remember the hours but yeah, those are the main options for making money in LA county without experience.
But this is all IFT, I hear falck is great and has both IFT and 911 but don't know how much they pay.
I wish you luck my friend, I am absolutely honored to have trained and learned here in LA but working here seems like hell. Peace!
Oh also Los Angeles Valley College has a 300 dollar program that is amazing. The instructor, Dr Cowen, is also just legendary in this field. So if you haven't figured out a program, that's the best!
If McDonalds can pay people $25 an hour to flip a burger, your agency can pay $25 an hour to flip grandma onto a stretcher.
Due to thee shitty pay, we are losing decent EMTs and Paramedics, and it is showing with the field reports and patient care coming into the ED.
As far as the pay disparity goes, eventually find a part time job as a tech in the hospital, or a scribe. It breaks up the monotony and you get to work in air conditioning.
But can they really afford it though? My agency has been in the red by mid year on wages for years. lol They can’t afford to pay us at the current rate, forget raises.
I worked fast food out of high school, and got into EMS to grab some money and experience during college after a deployment to Iraq.
Sure, the hourly pay rate is shit. But I mean, you get some decent chunks of downtime. I’m getting paid to nap, sleep, eat, game, do homework, and work out during my work hours. This is coming from rural EMS in Oklahoma though, where I’m getting paid $18/hr and most fast food spots here get paid $11/hr.
At the pizza place? Bro, I LIVED and dreaded every second of my 8 hour shift.
At least in EMS, I get a little more respect, a little more downtime, and a little more pay as a result.
This is asked all the time. Let the downvotes rain over me. You know its true.
1. Because people will do it for free.
2. Lack of a national union. Or unions at all for that matter.
3. Your 4 hr 2 nights a week schooling means nothing since you get a certificate and not a license.
4. I hate saying this but the lack of actual medical knowledge is what holds EMT’s back. Short of lifting / carrying, placing a splint or bandage and cpr what else does an emt do? This is really limited based on local as not all are the same.
5. The NREMT is a waste and serves little to no purpose. It’s not a real national curriculum as they accept almost any school certificate and make you pay to take a written and physical skills test.
18 on 24’s versus 25 on 6 hour shifts is wildly different. not saying its not little money for what we do but dont be spiteful that someone else makes decent money. end of the day you’ll make more than them with your hours. yes you make a difference but every job that you described in the post provides a service, don’t start your too mad my man
This is what I was thinking. As long as you live in a state that pays OT (here it starts after 40 hours a week), you're going to make more than at fast food places. I haven't worked an EMS schedule that gave me less than 48 hours per week. I took an hourly pay cut going from retail to EMT but almost doubled my annual income. Retail would cut my hours back but I would still have to go in 5 days per week. I'm on a 48/96 now and can pick up a single 24hr OT shift and make $575.
Came here to say this: The dollar per hour is not a direct comparison unless you're comparing the same schedule. Unfortunately, EMS and some fire will tend to have a lower starting rate as there is typically built-in overtime at time-and-a-half.
working at a fast food is demoraliZing for a lot of people, don't work at fast foood they say. it will fuck up your body and perhaps mind with the quality of coworkers you have, which will inherently be mean to you becasue they dont give a f. theyh're ready to leave that day! i quit! f this job. i can get another one tomorrow. YOU SHOULD see some of the pieces of work that work at these places, stealing like crazy stealing all the time being in management.
My hands hurt and wrists are screwed up from waiting tables at cracker barrel. tghey have no tray jacks.. no rest for 40lb of hot food,
it gets hot as hell in summer time like 120 all day and have to wet hat down to stay alive.
I worked food too long. it's all i know but the people there were always the worst probably compared to employerr who pays@!!!!!!! pays!!!! Minimum wage sucks bad.
good thing about fast food is high turnover, you'll be senior by a year in a lot of places.
The problem is - you can take a 2 week course(10 hour days) and a couple ride-along days, study for a week a day get your EMT-B for $1500-ish out of pocket…. Yes, i said it, it takes 3 weeks of training for EMT taking an intense crash-course. The rest is OJT.
Prior to going into EMS, I worked over 20 years in network engineering and peaked at $120k one year. But the work has no soul and no meaning- EMS, to some, has great meaning and fulfillment.
That is the cross for you to die on. If you want to make a lot of money, do something else - fiber-optic technicians make good pay. Do that
3 weeks to get EMT sounds nuts, my course was a year. I can't imagine how stressed you'd be going into the state exams with only 3 weeks of time to prepare.
Careful they'll downvote you for acknowledging that EMT is an uneducated job and a cert can be acquired in a matter of weeks. Of course the pay is low, it's entry level work. Just like McDonald's.
For anyone wondering why this is happening:
[https://www.kcra.com/article/timeline-new-california-fast-food-minimum-wage-law-ndas-panera-controversy/60359780#:\~:text=April%201%2C%202024%20%2D%20%2420%20minimum,other%20big%20brands%20in%202023](https://www.kcra.com/article/timeline-new-california-fast-food-minimum-wage-law-ndas-panera-controversy/60359780#:~:text=April%201%2C%202024%20%2D%20%2420%20minimum,other%20big%20brands%20in%202023)
exactly why i left. my former company paid $16.50/hour and then made some pretty massive cuts to the company provided insurance all to make sure there was at least one lucas on every truck and then some extra (even though all of our fd around here carry them also)
i hate to complain about something that saves lives and i get budget cuts but, i was paying $100+ co pays way more often than i was ever using the lucas.
The county ems in my county, is 20$hr, three 24 shifts, one on/one off, and after the 72 you get 4 days off. But the kicker, is after the first 40hrs is done that week, the remaining 32 hours is only half of your pay (Indiana) due to some dumb legislation, but apparently something was passed or is circulating through the state house to change that but we will see.
Also, your expenses will go up, as will theres. Then in 5 years they will demand another raise and the story continues. I vote different, but in a blue state it won't do much.
I live in a red state. I don't think the color of the state matter. Our job literally begs for money to give to people to "represent" us. Things still havent changed and this state has been red forever. It's that people will do EMT (any variation) for free. If they would stop trying to feel fulfilled things would change.
So go start working fast food. Nothing is gonna change if you’re willing to work for less. You’re proving they don’t need to pay you. Too many people are ‘not in it for the money’
Yep - a Primary Care Paramedic in Alberta makes $28.42 - $35.87 per hour, is unionized, and there are tons of jobs available if you're willing to work rural/remote/Northern.
And if you love alt-right governments that are actively trying to f\*ck over the public healthcare system, Alberta's the place for you!
Formalized education and unions in Ontario have our PCPs are making $45+ and ACPs $50+. Pension, benefits and I had nearly 3 months of vacation last year. It is not worse here my dude.
Sure, it sucks, but also you need to keep in mind that being an EMT is an entry-level job that doesn’t require more than a few weeks of training. Any Tom, Dick, or Sally can take a two-week high school level class. But, there’s career progression, portability, and shift differentials in EMS. Those aren’t a thing in fast food.
Yeah because there’s absolutely no way to move up from fry cook. Ever. You can’t possibly become a manager, general manager, regional manager, or even open your own franchise someday (yes. I know people who’ve done just that). It’s just not possible.
But hooray shift diff!! 😂😂😂🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
So go work at McDonald’s then. No one’s forcing you to be an EMT.
I got tired of the shit pay and left too.
Good for the McDonald’s workers! They were smart enough to figure out how to get more money. Maybe someday EMS will figure it out too. I doubt it, but hey, I could also find the Loch Ness monster in my bathtub. Anything’s possible I guess.
But you will not stay an EMT. You will go on to be a paramedic, or Firefighter, or Fire/paramedic, or a nurse—where you will make far more than $20.
This is the first step, not the destination.
Preaching to the choir. I'm a medic, I was at $18/hr 'til about 2 months ago. It's not meant to be a career in California, just a stepping stone. With that said, if you're willing to put in the hours, you can clear $100k working about 84 hours/week at $18, not worth it, but it's possible.
LA County, a company called McCormick Ambulance, it's great experience for EMTs but not medics, we just got unionized so I went up to $22.52/hr, but I was at $18 prior to the union contract. These are 24 hour shifts though. Where are you at?
Central Valley, we do 12s out here, we also have a night differential, however that’s only on Fridays-Sundays, all we could manage to get on the last negotiation, hopefully will be every day after the next one
Oh damn, yeah they have other companies out here that start at $35-40/hr for medics, but it's doing IFT's. If you go inland more, you can do 911 as primary medic, but they start at about $28/hr depending and they're in shit-hole areas with long commutes to and from work. I love being in LA County, we're the primary medic until the fire department shows up then we're just support and transport for them, it's just the pay that sucks, I have to work at least 72 hrs a week to survive here, and the area is busy as hell, it's not a sustainable to work here long term.
Yeah, if it's ALS, per contract fire medics are the ALS providers for the county, so even though we're medics we cannot transport ALS without the fire medics, they hate it and we hate it too, but it is what it is, basically we're BLS medics that get to do little ALS things here and there when there's an opportunity, also the culture out here is that there's ONE medic in charge, so whatever that one medic says is what goes and we wait for orders from them regardless of how many medics are on scene.
That does not sound like a great time, if you ever consider a change give central California a look, I can send over our pay scales if you’d like to take a look
https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2024/data-on-display/education-pays.htm
By that, you could expect median pay for paramedics to be about $25-$26. And [it is](https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes292043.htm).
However, by the same chart, median EMT pay should be about $22-$24. But [it's only $19](https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes292042.htm). Maybe because most people don't do it very long?
It sucks. But I like to look at it this way:
Most of those good paying other jobs they are going to work you 39.5 hours a week, just enough to have you do a lot of work, but not enough for health insurance. To the point where you still have to pick up a second job. Those making $25 an hour in those jobs are management, and unless you already have experience working those jobs and/or in management of that industry then you’re looking at years down the road of making that money.
I’d rather work my two days a week, have decent health insurance and go home, if I decide to work another day that week I get time and a half.
Source: I worked from 15 to 27 in service industries. Regularly working two jobs so I could afford basics plus savings in case something breaks.
Its way more simple than you think. Everybody has the need to eat. Food is in demand. Only a fraction of the people have had a real 911 emergency, and don't feel like they need it.
Why am I paying for something I don't use? People are stupid and short sighted.
And there is firefighter jobs that you don’t need ur medic in my area that pay 85-95k a year starting. It’s not the job, it’s who you work for, and where you live. Don’t look at this vs that, it will never make sense
The fact that EMS was excluded from the "$25/hr healthcare worker" law (which includes hospital gift shop workers/etc) that Newsom signed is an atrocity and I have no idea how nobody is bringing this up to the media. :/ Even though the bill is paused, it still sucks.
also strange that northern california agencies are paying more.
> I’m about to graduate high school Tuesday next week. I’ll be licensed in LA County as an EMT by late June.
gotta say it. high five for that. i understand that the last few years have been pretty hard on a lot of students here, so congrats for sticking with it.
in my area, they’re starting to realize this. it’s a rural town but survival flight just took over our ems. the medics are bringing home almost 100k a year, and the AEMT’s are bringing home almost 70k a year. it’s a stepping stone here.
before this company, the medics were bringing home only 40-50k a year, and the AEMT’s were bringing home only about 20-30k a year.
Not that this helps your current situation, but from a long-term perspective you’ll have more stability. Retail is racing quickly to deploy automation. You just don’t need that many humans. Overall that’s fucked.
The answer no one is talking about is unionization. EMTs need to organize so they can collectively demand a living wage, there is strength in nymbers. One person walking out or demanding this gets nowhere, the whole department or a statewide strike - that's how you get somewhere.
That’s the thing, fast food pays more but gives no hours, I was working at McDonald’s when the pay raise happened, I went from 80+ hours a check to -30 and I was a manager.
It's 100% where you live. I promise you although you probably won't make more at this stage, the fast-food workers in Florida don't make that kind of money, so you might not feel as bad in such a career. I assume this goes for most places outside of CA, DC, and other highly liberal states.
The medical INDUSTRY will pay as much as is necessary to keep things barely functional, and as little as possible. It is for profit. Patient safety is a talking point, or response to a law suit. The answer to most questions e.g. "Why did politician..." "Why is management..." "What can't we..." is money.
The impact you have to improve a life in inversely proportional to pay (broadly speaking and with exceptions) because poverty is (by most metrics and studies) a psychological and physiological risk factor. Therefor, for a service to exist that addresses the terminal outcome of a lapse in either area, it must squeeze blood from a stone. A billionaire doesn't call EMS during a medical crisis, the doctor comes to them. A billionaire doesn't call EMS during a mental health crisis, they buy Twitter.
I absolutely feel you. I'm a patient attendant in the ED for 5150 holds. I make $17.50 an hour and see some shit. I have a friend who makes $23 an hour before tips at Baskin Robbins...
Did you all overlook he's a high school kid? First job and already entitled to a higher salary?
Suck it up! A year from now you'll be in a better place with more in life while the rest still flips fucking hamburgers!
Your experience and expectations are not on equal footing !
Most people don’t look at these issues realistically. Is what you do more important and require more skill and training than a fast food worker. Absolutely. But that is not how wages are decided. Fast food workers (for example) help generate revenue, public service workers like EMTs are an expense. They help make money, you cost money. Simple as that.
I was thinking the same thing today, but at the end of the day mcdonalds isn't really the same kind of stepping stone that could lead to a potentially lucrative career the same way a job as an EMT would. The way I see it is EMT is a right of passage toward something you could potentially make 2x or more what a mcdonalds employee would make.
You may be interested in the following resources:
> * [EMS Fitness & Healthy Eating](https://www.reddit.com/r/ems/comments/5u9jpk/ems_fitness/) by /u/TheRandomGuy94 - A guide to getting fit and eating healthy for EMS providers.
View more resources in our [Comprehensive Guide](/r/NewToEMS/wiki/index).
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/NewToEMS) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Why don’t you look into the army national guard and be a medic? You’ll get to continue your civilian career, free credentials/certification provided by the army, you’ll make money, they pay for college so you can advance your career, and you’ll have real world experience.
I know it sucks man but we essentially have 2 options. 1. We start collectively boycotting this job for the abysmal pay we get until they raise our wages 2. We rough it out until we finish nursing/medical/medic/PA/whatever school after which we can get a normal paying job. Most of us have decided #2 which is the reason EMT wages will be what they are.
3. Unionize. Fast food workers got $20/hour by collective action. You can too.
Watch how quickly the medical industry squashes all possibility of a union.
Plenty of people in the medical industry are unionized my friend. Bosses will always try to keep you from collective action. Don't let them win by default by not even trying in the first place.
I'm in a strong union myself. I'm also aware that something can be called a "union" but not have it's members best interest in mind. Are any of these union members making double what their peers earn with amazing benefits?
They now make a prevailing wage that applies to all fast food workers, which is the same thing non union public works laborers and construction workers enjoy under Davis-Bacon. My wife is a UBC member. The point is not to create a different division within labor (union vs non- union) but to improve labor conditions for all workers.
You're right, it's not to create a division within labor. It's entirely about earning a fair wage and working conditions. I see what the non union side earns in many industries, and it's half or less. Without a union keeping things fair, companies will pay as little as possible.
I agree, hence my original suggestion. Collective bargaining is the way forward for all workers.
My original point was not at all anti-union. There is more incentive to suppress strong unions in the medical industry compared to all other businesses.
That's bunk tbh. The incentive to suppress unions is profit motive, which exists in every industry.
Fast food workers in California are not Union. It's a progressive liberal government that determined fast food workers should make at least $20 per hour. It's F'ng ridiculous. Why are they special? People like OP are much more deserving of a $20 minimum wage. There are many where I work that have more knowledge and responsibility than a taxi taco bell worker that make less than $20 an hour. Indicative of this state and the liberal government.
Ah. The classic argument that "I don't make a living wage, so neither should you!" CEOs love you.
Not sure what that nonsensical response was supposed to mean. It's all very simple and has been since the beginning of time. Start out with a low skill, low paying job. Decide you want/need more. Learn more, work more, move up. If not, move on. Minimum wage jobs are beginner jobs. They are not supposed to be life sustaining careers. Are you a nurse? Why? Even if you want to do something altruistic, I can guarantee pay factored in. Progressive libtards. Not every job or person is meant to be well paid. Work harder.
Shit-post noted and discarded.
Fast food workers here engaged in collective action for years to get this change my man. The bill that got them the raise was developed by labor orgs over 3 years before it was even in committee in the leg here. If you want a better wage, you have to collectively bargain for it.
Yes, I know how the wage hike came into effect. They are not Union workers. Please explain to me why fast food workers deserve a higher minimum wage than anyone else in California? I personally believe most should make more money. I just don't agree that fast food workers are more special than anyone else I don't need a better wage. My wage is just fine.
All people deserve the wage they are willing to join with others to fight for. Fast food workers are workers just like you and me.
All people deserve a wage that is commensurate with their skills, responsibility, and work ethic.
Nah. We get what we are willing to fight for. Labor is entitled to all it creates.
Negative
California is the state of billionaires. They’ll water plants with Gatorade down there.
Ofc ofc. I get you. #2 is what I’m going with but it’s just so exploitative
It is, but it’s also what makes the wages for #2 so high (at least doctors and PAs). People like to envy and point out how insanely high doctor wages are, but the path to get there is over a decade of incredible struggle. It’s not like it’s easy once you get there either.
Even then, those high wages are significantly less than they were ten or twenty years ago let alone in the 80s
Because we allow ourselves to be exploited because 2 is easier than option 1, sadly.
Yup, I’m about to start my first nursing job next week
4. Move someplace where the pay is better and you're valued more.
Europe?
Option 2 is exactly why they pay EMS low wages. These companies know that for most of their employees EMS is not their long term goal.
it's a question of who came first, the chicken or the egg? I know a lot of the young population doesn't want to be an EMT for a long time, but is it because they truly don't want to, or does the pay just make it financially unfeasible?
#3 unionize
The unusual option is wait until another IFT company comes in your area and offers way more than the other agencies. The other agencies them raise their wages to match the new private company.
Or stop paying fucking retards so much money. Those jobs are for kids. If you’re an adult and work fast food, you’re a fucking loser. No debate. Stop raising minimum wage for losers. But yes, an EMS worker should make more, I agree. Allocating this bullshit pay raise for idiots is the problem. Pay the skilled. Downvote me, you’re a fucking loser
Wrong. Fast food is not in anyway an easy job either. You might not need any qualifications but the value you bring is still under paid in fast food. A Starbucks pays workers 16$ an hour but at the same time they also get 100-200 customers in a single hour. As a matter of fact, the value you bring as a fast food worker is still more than you are actually getting paid.
Sure
Curious what high school student is able to work during the mornings and afternoons throughout the week. I guess McDonald’s should be closed until 4 pm and just open at 4pm until midnight. You are so miserable 😂😂 And they make that much in California because it’s a livable wage. No one will work at McDonald’s in California for anything less than $15. It’s literally pointless. But you are probably the first one to bitch when you see a sign “Closed. No workers” 😂
Sure
I don’t work fast food, so I have no bias here. I just find it disrespectful to say certain jobs are for kids. Every career has its difficult aspects. Fast food workers deal with their own kind of bs.
I dig this energy
“ I’m not in this profession for the money ” So long as this sentiment exists… gonna get boned. They pay it because people are willing to work for it. It’s a shitty answer, but here we are
It’s only the old dudes who have this mentality. They’ll disappear someday. Probably…idk with some of these dudes sheer will maybe they’ll live forever.
Reckon they’ll be your worst patients in 10 years and maybe wages will be a couple bucks higher…
[удалено]
But isn’t OP upset we’re underpaid? Lots of old dudes aren’t, for some reason.
My bad, I misunderstood what mentality you were referring to.
No worries. 👍 I thought I missed something lol.
Nah, they pay it because SHITTY EMTs are willing to work for it. And no, that's no reflection on the OP, but wages are low because the lowest common denominators drag us down, both companies and providers. Refuse to work for those lowest common denominators and it will be more difficult for them to stay in business. There are companies out there that pay well, and good jobs in the EMS market. You just gotta look for them.
No shame in being in a certain profession for money. Lets be real here. Who wants to work in a stressful abusive enviroment for free? But EMS is definitely not a money maker job with only a few exceptions. EMS sadly at this point and time is only a stepping tone to get to something better.
Years ago when I was thinking about becoming a cop I was taking to a coworker who was retired police and I brought up the topic of which department in the area had the best pay. He said if I was only in it for the money find I different job. I told him that I wasn’t in it for the money and that I didn’t expect to get rich as a cop but I also don’t want to do a job like that and be so broke I’m digging in the couch cushions looking for lose change to buy a pack of ramen.
They make about $30k more per year than medics where I work. Might not make you rich but its a much better investment than EMS financially. Although I will admit, I feel like they deal with more dangerous and uncomfortable things than we do.
You can get rich as a LEO. Baltimore City paid a 16 member unit in charge of protecting 3 city leaders 3 million annually LMAO which included 4000 hours of overtime.
I mean I make 25$hr as a medic in Louisiana right now, but I really don’t think it’s enough for what we deal with. I wish we had the kind of union nurses have been able to craft over their existence but we’re just not there yet.
25 an hour is an insult. If that’s how my local agencies are paying then I’m not going paramedic.
“We’re just not there yet” yep. Because this profession is full of idiots who’d rather sit on their asses and piss and moan about McDonald’s, nurses, and every other way we’ve been slighted, instead of actually DOING something about it. But that’s take actual work, so yeah. EMS will never get there.
bro what u can be making 40 as a new medic in ny why is it so low there
Cost of living. NY costs of living are insane and as such, you have to pay better to afford living. In Louisiana, I have a 3 bedroom house for 1,200 a month. (My dad moved here and I wanted to be close to him otherwise I’d be back in Arizona still). Trust me though, the state sucks. I wish I lived elsewhere where the pay was better.
I can sorta understand basics being low paid but when you've made a 1.5-2 yr commitment with medic school that definitely isn't right.
Damn straight
I make $30/h throwing boxes at a distribution center. You absolutely don’t make enough. And OP is getting it dry
I mean I hit 72hrs a week, so that OT is awesome. But I shouldn’t have to work 72hrs a week to make what I make, and even then it doesn’t feel like it’s enough for all the trauma we deal with, the baggage we take on, and the damage the job does to the brain and body long term. While “I didn’t get in this for the money” is true for me, I do expect to at least earn a living wage while doing what I do, and that’s apparently just too much to ask. I say I wouldn’t trade this job, and I mean I honestly love it. It’s the first job I’ve ever really loved, but if it’s that or stumbling upon something that can actually allow me to take care of my family and have a fucking savings, that’s an easy choice.
I bet they offer “free counseling” too, and it’s only 2 sessions where the doctor acts like they wanna work with you until session 3 Where I live it feels like yours and my pay is minimum wage, you get way more OT than I get too, but the worst thing I have to deal with is humidity. Both healthcare and food service employees are absolutely boned by our society and it’s pathetic that one ambulance trip makes more money than a weeks pay. You really want to pay the person prepping food and saving lives minimum pay? That should make more than lawyers and politicians
Ha. Hahahaha. Yep. They offer 3 sessions. But they DO care when it’s a pediatric, but that’s it. As if adult deaths and trauma leave no traumatic impact. The humidity where I’m at is at 90% today and it’s killing me ☠️😭 Totally agree with your last statement too. Football players shouldn’t make more money than EMS, make it make sense.
I'd venture a guess that the cost of living in Louisiana is a little lower than Los Angeles.
I’m 36, I live alone, I have a mortgage, I have cats but no kids. Starting pay where I work is my state’s minimum wage, $15/hr. I make just over $16 because of cost of living pay raises, but I could pretty much work anywhere else and make the same or more than I do as an EMT. I just put myself through paramedic school, soon to be done with the program, and looking at $20/hr starting pay. It really isn’t worth it. It’s easy to morally say “I don’t do it for the money” but I have bills to pay. We should at least be able to live comfortably considering what we do. This job shouldn’t be a paycheck-to-paycheck life.
I'm a medic, and I make 90k a year with no OT. There are jobs out there, but it's not as an EMT.
Not to be a dick but the question for you at this point should be what am I doing wrong? I’m assuming you’ve been in EMS a while, you see the prospects and pay yet decided to continue into medic so by mid-30’s I mean, was there a plan? Cause if not…. 🤷♂️ your could move to a higher paying system like Austin Travis County or a few in PNW, go Flight or hurry up and transition into an AS-to-BS program for something like health science and look at educator, infection control jobs or grad school. I realized the game is BS a long time ago but we still have to play it, you know?
If you’re starting a comment with “not to be a dick” it’s probably advisable to stop your thought there. You don’t know anything about me, anything about my past, or anything about the jobs in my area. I’m not moving across the country for this job. I’m not selling my house that I bought 10 years ago with a fantastic interest rate and when the market was much more of a buyers market than it currently is. Selling my house and moving now would be the worst financial decision possible, so it’s laughable that is even your suggestion. I am not doing anything wrong, but the more I read in your comment the more I think that statement was a projection of what you think of yourself, not the internet stranger whose time you wasted.
Get your money up or move 🤷♂️ have a good one
That’s not how union jobs work sweetheart.
What do you mean that’s not how union jobs work? Are you a union worker?
I know that reply literally made no sense but I got better things than argue or take life advice from people in worse situations than me. Funny enough I was in her same shoes but refused the victim mentality and considered all those opportunities to better my pay and recently started flying to get a pay bump and way better schedule. People on reddit don’t wanna hear that and turn turn into excuse generators and reject any type of accountability based on the downvotes lol I wish them all luck their gonna need it in life
“Go flight” cracks me up when flight pay isn’t all that great either. I bring home the same annually as my husband who works flight. I work more hours but not by the huge stretch that would make sense. Starting pay for medics in my agency just increased to $18/hr. My husband started flight three years ago at $22/hr. He’s a little higher now, but it’s not anything we are getting rich off of. Not to mention overtime is rarely available.
I feel this. I spent like $1500 tuition, all that time, practice, etc, to see offers of $21/hr (it’s Boston so higher pay across the board cause ridiculously high rent). We had to learn about so many hazards and so many first hand stories of life changing injuries from job hazards. Yes, I still prefer this job (theoretically, haven’t paid the $150 to wait 3-4 weeks for state license yet). But it’s hard to see all the $25/hour jobs answering phones at the clinic instead. Almost no chance of car wrecks on the job, electrocution, violent patients, etc, and a/c there.
That’s bullshit. $26/hr starting for EMT in NJ
I'm an AEMT with 10 years of experience and make $17/hr. It...sucks.
Quit holy fuck
That's the plan, I've already started applying elsewhere.
unionize ✊
We're working on it! My state is extremely-anti labor, but we're not giving up.
What are you moving toward?
WA as well, and we still can't get enough new hire.
I was under the impression WA requires you have taken your emt course in WA to work there— might explain the lack of hires. People who were educated where can’t just apply and move they’d have to start from square one
I don't think that's true, I was a transfer from California. Only agency that strictly in house in King County EMS, anyone wants to work as paramedic in King County must go through their own program at UW even if you had paramedic elsewhere. It is true that transfer process is more complicated than average, you would need an endorsement letter from an EMS agency as part of your application package, together with NREMT.
And this is the problem. No one sees it as a professional job. So they get away with shit wages and treating you like you’re an idiot. Ems has to do a better job of professionalizing the art, and we need the respect of what we do. It’s a low down dirty shame for the pay.
think emt as a profession needs publicity and a massive union + strikes
Would people die if we strike?
you might have to figure something out in times that have less activity
Move somewhere else. Here in the midwest, EMTs make 45k a year, medics make 90k, and the cost of living is dirt cheap. I live in a brand new 2 bed 1 bath apartment for only 700/mo. Life is good away from the big cities.
$25 an hour? Oh man, I remember being in this position when I was your age. I was making $12 an hour and Dunkin Donuts employees were making $12.50. That all changed when we unionized and got EMTs and medics some decent pay. 18 an hour is what medics used to make where I lived at the time.
It definitely sucks. The way I look at it though is would you rather say “I make $20 a hr to flip burgers.” Or “I make $18 a hr saving lives.” In the end yes the pay sucks but i always say do “i have a roof under my head and food on my table?” Yes I do. Therefore I have no right to complain. This is my way of thinking and i understand it doesn’t play out like that for others. Although I also consider the factor that if for some reason I do end up struggling then with the way the EMS schedule flows I have time to work a part time job. When i first started the field I was working two full time jobs and going to school. If you aren’t happy change something. I hope you find what your looking for:)
While everyone deserves a living wage and I have 0 issue with McDonald’s workers making enough to not need assistance, degreed work deserves higher pay as well. Honestly we all societally need a raise because most of us don’t match cost of living.
EMT is generally just the start of a journey towards much greater things, vs in fast food, you typically have to switch career fields entirely to progress. Not pooping on either (I’ve done both), but hopefully this perspective helps.
I worked in fast food. Fuck that shit. I was getting paid 7 dollars and some and I hated people. Now I get paid more, I work less (i sit on my ass a lot), and the people I work with are chill most of the time. I wouldn't even go back to fast food if I got paid more now.
sounds like you’re working for falck lol. when I started at care I was at $13.25. went to be a medic in a neighboring county, 23.91. it doesn’t get a whole lot better, so get as much experience as you can and ask all the questions you want. 7/10 the medics are cool and will teach you a lot of shit, maybe some hands on stuff if they trust you enough
I was a care bear too. 8.15 an hour, went to AMR as a medic, 13.95 an hour, AMR SD offered me 10.48 an hour as a medic.
I actually work at In N Out currently and am licensed as a EMT in LA county, I have yet to be employed, in any capacity as an EMT, but I’m super excited to start applying and quit this burger flipping gig. I’m a cook so I get paid pretty well I think my rate was 24.75 last time I checked but we get raises pretty often. I’ll tell you first hand that despite having a decent hourly rate, it’s demoralizing for me to work in an environment where the deciding factor for advancement is how well you can pucker your lips against the gluteal of the person above you. I’ve been here for 5 years delivering picture perfect burgers that entire time, and in that time I’ve been lapped in promotions by idiots who think “wavelength” is a big word, simply because they asked for it. Same people end up running around the kitchen like a headless chicken during a rush asking to be rescued. If you are someone who is concerned at all about the impact and meaning of your work, then getting paid 6-7$ more per hour won’t give you that satisfaction or make you forget that you are working at the Chum Bucket. Personally I found being on a rig, even in just a student EMT capacity, good for the soul and fulfilling. I’m excited at the prospect of integrating myself in a system whose function is to save lives, rather than burgers and fries. It’s a shame we won’t be getting paid more for it and I’m sorry for those who literally can’t afford to be sentimental and romantic about it, you’re all heros.
You have to work really smart if you wanna make a livable wage in LA county EMS. Idk how your shifts are but we had 8hr shifts and a full time works 40hrs per week. Exceeding that will give you 3/2 times the wage, and anytime you put in more than 4hrs+8hrs in a single shift will get you double your wage. If you work a double you’ll be paid double. I’ve had coworkers abuse the overtime policies and get paid bank. Yes our pay sucked in LA and OC, and it’s really sad that we’re considered DOT instead of health care.
Because it’s LACo. I’d wager 90% of the kids on Falck(Care) or McCormick rigs are there because they want FD jobs. No shame, I did it too before getting to ride big red. But that does leave a large employment pool and far less motivation to increase pay.
Places exist where basics can make a living. Idk ab cali though
Basic in Cali can max out at about 95k a year on our current pay scale where I work, not including overtime/holiday pay.
Basics starting at $25 per hr in CA, medics about $80k/yr.
I wish I was getting $25/hr as a basic in LA. We start at like $17-18.
Switch to AMR!!!
Unfortunately this is a field where you have to move where the money is if you plan to make a career out of it. There are plenty of great services that pay well you just have to find them.
I'm 19, and I just finished my EMT course in Los Angeles, taking my NREMT tomorrow. I am moving up north for better working conditions, pay and scope of practice. If you're sticking in the area, IFT will pay much more. I did my ride alongs with firstmed and they were alright, medtrans probably pays the best, I think they're starting at 20-21 bucks an hour. If you're a student, West Coast Ambulance has a weekend position that seems pretty cool. It's like 27 bucks an hour but only on weekends? I don't remember the hours but yeah, those are the main options for making money in LA county without experience. But this is all IFT, I hear falck is great and has both IFT and 911 but don't know how much they pay. I wish you luck my friend, I am absolutely honored to have trained and learned here in LA but working here seems like hell. Peace!
Oh also Los Angeles Valley College has a 300 dollar program that is amazing. The instructor, Dr Cowen, is also just legendary in this field. So if you haven't figured out a program, that's the best!
If McDonalds can pay people $25 an hour to flip a burger, your agency can pay $25 an hour to flip grandma onto a stretcher. Due to thee shitty pay, we are losing decent EMTs and Paramedics, and it is showing with the field reports and patient care coming into the ED. As far as the pay disparity goes, eventually find a part time job as a tech in the hospital, or a scribe. It breaks up the monotony and you get to work in air conditioning.
But can they really afford it though? My agency has been in the red by mid year on wages for years. lol They can’t afford to pay us at the current rate, forget raises.
I worked fast food out of high school, and got into EMS to grab some money and experience during college after a deployment to Iraq. Sure, the hourly pay rate is shit. But I mean, you get some decent chunks of downtime. I’m getting paid to nap, sleep, eat, game, do homework, and work out during my work hours. This is coming from rural EMS in Oklahoma though, where I’m getting paid $18/hr and most fast food spots here get paid $11/hr. At the pizza place? Bro, I LIVED and dreaded every second of my 8 hour shift. At least in EMS, I get a little more respect, a little more downtime, and a little more pay as a result.
This is asked all the time. Let the downvotes rain over me. You know its true. 1. Because people will do it for free. 2. Lack of a national union. Or unions at all for that matter. 3. Your 4 hr 2 nights a week schooling means nothing since you get a certificate and not a license. 4. I hate saying this but the lack of actual medical knowledge is what holds EMT’s back. Short of lifting / carrying, placing a splint or bandage and cpr what else does an emt do? This is really limited based on local as not all are the same. 5. The NREMT is a waste and serves little to no purpose. It’s not a real national curriculum as they accept almost any school certificate and make you pay to take a written and physical skills test.
18 on 24’s versus 25 on 6 hour shifts is wildly different. not saying its not little money for what we do but dont be spiteful that someone else makes decent money. end of the day you’ll make more than them with your hours. yes you make a difference but every job that you described in the post provides a service, don’t start your too mad my man
This is what I was thinking. As long as you live in a state that pays OT (here it starts after 40 hours a week), you're going to make more than at fast food places. I haven't worked an EMS schedule that gave me less than 48 hours per week. I took an hourly pay cut going from retail to EMT but almost doubled my annual income. Retail would cut my hours back but I would still have to go in 5 days per week. I'm on a 48/96 now and can pick up a single 24hr OT shift and make $575.
Came here to say this: The dollar per hour is not a direct comparison unless you're comparing the same schedule. Unfortunately, EMS and some fire will tend to have a lower starting rate as there is typically built-in overtime at time-and-a-half.
working at a fast food is demoraliZing for a lot of people, don't work at fast foood they say. it will fuck up your body and perhaps mind with the quality of coworkers you have, which will inherently be mean to you becasue they dont give a f. theyh're ready to leave that day! i quit! f this job. i can get another one tomorrow. YOU SHOULD see some of the pieces of work that work at these places, stealing like crazy stealing all the time being in management. My hands hurt and wrists are screwed up from waiting tables at cracker barrel. tghey have no tray jacks.. no rest for 40lb of hot food, it gets hot as hell in summer time like 120 all day and have to wet hat down to stay alive. I worked food too long. it's all i know but the people there were always the worst probably compared to employerr who pays@!!!!!!! pays!!!! Minimum wage sucks bad. good thing about fast food is high turnover, you'll be senior by a year in a lot of places.
Because this world is economically backwards af, especially in the social services/education industry
The problem is - you can take a 2 week course(10 hour days) and a couple ride-along days, study for a week a day get your EMT-B for $1500-ish out of pocket…. Yes, i said it, it takes 3 weeks of training for EMT taking an intense crash-course. The rest is OJT. Prior to going into EMS, I worked over 20 years in network engineering and peaked at $120k one year. But the work has no soul and no meaning- EMS, to some, has great meaning and fulfillment. That is the cross for you to die on. If you want to make a lot of money, do something else - fiber-optic technicians make good pay. Do that
3 weeks to get EMT sounds nuts, my course was a year. I can't imagine how stressed you'd be going into the state exams with only 3 weeks of time to prepare.
Careful they'll downvote you for acknowledging that EMT is an uneducated job and a cert can be acquired in a matter of weeks. Of course the pay is low, it's entry level work. Just like McDonald's.
Was going to go this route, but its like 3k here (CA). Going to slog it out for 4 months through the CC for $385
Maybe if we all did it for the money, this problem would exist less. If you wanna help people goto the soup kitchen, otherwise this is a job
For anyone wondering why this is happening: [https://www.kcra.com/article/timeline-new-california-fast-food-minimum-wage-law-ndas-panera-controversy/60359780#:\~:text=April%201%2C%202024%20%2D%20%2420%20minimum,other%20big%20brands%20in%202023](https://www.kcra.com/article/timeline-new-california-fast-food-minimum-wage-law-ndas-panera-controversy/60359780#:~:text=April%201%2C%202024%20%2D%20%2420%20minimum,other%20big%20brands%20in%202023)
We still have people doing this for free as a hobby and we expect pay to increase? No chance.
exactly why i left. my former company paid $16.50/hour and then made some pretty massive cuts to the company provided insurance all to make sure there was at least one lucas on every truck and then some extra (even though all of our fd around here carry them also) i hate to complain about something that saves lives and i get budget cuts but, i was paying $100+ co pays way more often than i was ever using the lucas.
The county ems in my county, is 20$hr, three 24 shifts, one on/one off, and after the 72 you get 4 days off. But the kicker, is after the first 40hrs is done that week, the remaining 32 hours is only half of your pay (Indiana) due to some dumb legislation, but apparently something was passed or is circulating through the state house to change that but we will see.
Also, your expenses will go up, as will theres. Then in 5 years they will demand another raise and the story continues. I vote different, but in a blue state it won't do much.
I live in a red state. I don't think the color of the state matter. Our job literally begs for money to give to people to "represent" us. Things still havent changed and this state has been red forever. It's that people will do EMT (any variation) for free. If they would stop trying to feel fulfilled things would change.
You should be in a profession for money. Don’t accept a joke of a parade simply because you want to do a job.
So go start working fast food. Nothing is gonna change if you’re willing to work for less. You’re proving they don’t need to pay you. Too many people are ‘not in it for the money’
Move to Canada.
Yep - a Primary Care Paramedic in Alberta makes $28.42 - $35.87 per hour, is unionized, and there are tons of jobs available if you're willing to work rural/remote/Northern. And if you love alt-right governments that are actively trying to f\*ck over the public healthcare system, Alberta's the place for you!
lol it’s worse there 💀
The pay is way better here. I’m lovin it. PCP/ACP wages are pretty good, tons of overtime. I have no complaints
Formalized education and unions in Ontario have our PCPs are making $45+ and ACPs $50+. Pension, benefits and I had nearly 3 months of vacation last year. It is not worse here my dude.
Sure, it sucks, but also you need to keep in mind that being an EMT is an entry-level job that doesn’t require more than a few weeks of training. Any Tom, Dick, or Sally can take a two-week high school level class. But, there’s career progression, portability, and shift differentials in EMS. Those aren’t a thing in fast food.
Yeah because there’s absolutely no way to move up from fry cook. Ever. You can’t possibly become a manager, general manager, regional manager, or even open your own franchise someday (yes. I know people who’ve done just that). It’s just not possible. But hooray shift diff!! 😂😂😂🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
Everywhere dont even offer shift diff.
When people keep signing up to work for that pay, they'll keep paying it.
So go work at McDonald’s then. No one’s forcing you to be an EMT. I got tired of the shit pay and left too. Good for the McDonald’s workers! They were smart enough to figure out how to get more money. Maybe someday EMS will figure it out too. I doubt it, but hey, I could also find the Loch Ness monster in my bathtub. Anything’s possible I guess.
But you will not stay an EMT. You will go on to be a paramedic, or Firefighter, or Fire/paramedic, or a nurse—where you will make far more than $20. This is the first step, not the destination.
I heard Hours aren’t sparing at fast food restaurants. Working in ems you can get all the hours you want or don’t want. Might be a good trade.
I got hired recently at 21 I’m stoked
Preaching to the choir. I'm a medic, I was at $18/hr 'til about 2 months ago. It's not meant to be a career in California, just a stepping stone. With that said, if you're willing to put in the hours, you can clear $100k working about 84 hours/week at $18, not worth it, but it's possible.
Where in California bc our starting medic pay is just over $32/hr
LA County, a company called McCormick Ambulance, it's great experience for EMTs but not medics, we just got unionized so I went up to $22.52/hr, but I was at $18 prior to the union contract. These are 24 hour shifts though. Where are you at?
Central Valley, we do 12s out here, we also have a night differential, however that’s only on Fridays-Sundays, all we could manage to get on the last negotiation, hopefully will be every day after the next one
Oh damn, yeah they have other companies out here that start at $35-40/hr for medics, but it's doing IFT's. If you go inland more, you can do 911 as primary medic, but they start at about $28/hr depending and they're in shit-hole areas with long commutes to and from work. I love being in LA County, we're the primary medic until the fire department shows up then we're just support and transport for them, it's just the pay that sucks, I have to work at least 72 hrs a week to survive here, and the area is busy as hell, it's not a sustainable to work here long term.
You transport with the fire medic?
Yeah, if it's ALS, per contract fire medics are the ALS providers for the county, so even though we're medics we cannot transport ALS without the fire medics, they hate it and we hate it too, but it is what it is, basically we're BLS medics that get to do little ALS things here and there when there's an opportunity, also the culture out here is that there's ONE medic in charge, so whatever that one medic says is what goes and we wait for orders from them regardless of how many medics are on scene.
That does not sound like a great time, if you ever consider a change give central California a look, I can send over our pay scales if you’d like to take a look
I mean if they paid you any more they couldn't offer free ambulance rides for everyone... wait
https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2024/data-on-display/education-pays.htm By that, you could expect median pay for paramedics to be about $25-$26. And [it is](https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes292043.htm). However, by the same chart, median EMT pay should be about $22-$24. But [it's only $19](https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes292042.htm). Maybe because most people don't do it very long?
I was looking into EMS and was surprised to see they made so little tbh
It sucks. But I like to look at it this way: Most of those good paying other jobs they are going to work you 39.5 hours a week, just enough to have you do a lot of work, but not enough for health insurance. To the point where you still have to pick up a second job. Those making $25 an hour in those jobs are management, and unless you already have experience working those jobs and/or in management of that industry then you’re looking at years down the road of making that money. I’d rather work my two days a week, have decent health insurance and go home, if I decide to work another day that week I get time and a half. Source: I worked from 15 to 27 in service industries. Regularly working two jobs so I could afford basics plus savings in case something breaks.
Its way more simple than you think. Everybody has the need to eat. Food is in demand. Only a fraction of the people have had a real 911 emergency, and don't feel like they need it. Why am I paying for something I don't use? People are stupid and short sighted.
I made $12 at McDonald’s wtf 😭
lol, I quit a couple of weeks ago just because of this
And there is firefighter jobs that you don’t need ur medic in my area that pay 85-95k a year starting. It’s not the job, it’s who you work for, and where you live. Don’t look at this vs that, it will never make sense
Work at McDonalds and go be an RN. Karsh
I’m in LA County and I know spots that pay more that’s super low for the area. Are you working for AMR or Falck?
The fact that EMS was excluded from the "$25/hr healthcare worker" law (which includes hospital gift shop workers/etc) that Newsom signed is an atrocity and I have no idea how nobody is bringing this up to the media. :/ Even though the bill is paused, it still sucks. also strange that northern california agencies are paying more. > I’m about to graduate high school Tuesday next week. I’ll be licensed in LA County as an EMT by late June. gotta say it. high five for that. i understand that the last few years have been pretty hard on a lot of students here, so congrats for sticking with it.
Don’t worry in the long run you will have a better chance of getting a professional job which will pay decent
Are those jobs full time with benefits?
Start an EMT union and get paid what you deserve.
in my area, they’re starting to realize this. it’s a rural town but survival flight just took over our ems. the medics are bringing home almost 100k a year, and the AEMT’s are bringing home almost 70k a year. it’s a stepping stone here. before this company, the medics were bringing home only 40-50k a year, and the AEMT’s were bringing home only about 20-30k a year.
Not that this helps your current situation, but from a long-term perspective you’ll have more stability. Retail is racing quickly to deploy automation. You just don’t need that many humans. Overall that’s fucked.
The answer no one is talking about is unionization. EMTs need to organize so they can collectively demand a living wage, there is strength in nymbers. One person walking out or demanding this gets nowhere, the whole department or a statewide strike - that's how you get somewhere.
The emt will go a long way and pay off in the end. Flipping burgers isn't a skill....
Be part of the solution and quit
That’s the thing, fast food pays more but gives no hours, I was working at McDonald’s when the pay raise happened, I went from 80+ hours a check to -30 and I was a manager.
Go into the Army, get disability for the rest of your life, do this job for fun :)
You get paid? J/k Our crew is all volunteer
Unionize.
McDonald’s where I’m at pay $14 unless you’re a supervisor/manager position
Pick a fun existence for the fall of this civilization. It ain’t gonna get better. With todays media, the rich are too powerful to counter.
It's 100% where you live. I promise you although you probably won't make more at this stage, the fast-food workers in Florida don't make that kind of money, so you might not feel as bad in such a career. I assume this goes for most places outside of CA, DC, and other highly liberal states.
The medical INDUSTRY will pay as much as is necessary to keep things barely functional, and as little as possible. It is for profit. Patient safety is a talking point, or response to a law suit. The answer to most questions e.g. "Why did politician..." "Why is management..." "What can't we..." is money. The impact you have to improve a life in inversely proportional to pay (broadly speaking and with exceptions) because poverty is (by most metrics and studies) a psychological and physiological risk factor. Therefor, for a service to exist that addresses the terminal outcome of a lapse in either area, it must squeeze blood from a stone. A billionaire doesn't call EMS during a medical crisis, the doctor comes to them. A billionaire doesn't call EMS during a mental health crisis, they buy Twitter.
The pay is actually crazy. Where I live, firefighters who are emts make a little bit over $16 an hour. Let that sink in.
From what I’ve seen the average pay for an emt in California is $23. I suggest looking into different ems companies and or asking for a raise.
I absolutely feel you. I'm a patient attendant in the ED for 5150 holds. I make $17.50 an hour and see some shit. I have a friend who makes $23 an hour before tips at Baskin Robbins...
no mcds worker east of California makes anywhere close to 25.
Did you all overlook he's a high school kid? First job and already entitled to a higher salary? Suck it up! A year from now you'll be in a better place with more in life while the rest still flips fucking hamburgers! Your experience and expectations are not on equal footing !
Why not just quit an work at McDonald's? I know medics that have side jobs in fast-food. A check is a check. Comparing yours to theirs is not ok.
Most people don’t look at these issues realistically. Is what you do more important and require more skill and training than a fast food worker. Absolutely. But that is not how wages are decided. Fast food workers (for example) help generate revenue, public service workers like EMTs are an expense. They help make money, you cost money. Simple as that.
I was thinking the same thing today, but at the end of the day mcdonalds isn't really the same kind of stepping stone that could lead to a potentially lucrative career the same way a job as an EMT would. The way I see it is EMT is a right of passage toward something you could potentially make 2x or more what a mcdonalds employee would make.
Why wouldn’t they pay you 18/hr? You’re clearly willing to work for it
I'm sorry, is there an option to not get the 17 yr old EMT if I'm ever seriously hurt?
UNSUBSCRIBE
You may be interested in the following resources: > * [EMS Fitness & Healthy Eating](https://www.reddit.com/r/ems/comments/5u9jpk/ems_fitness/) by /u/TheRandomGuy94 - A guide to getting fit and eating healthy for EMS providers. View more resources in our [Comprehensive Guide](/r/NewToEMS/wiki/index). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/NewToEMS) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Go work at McDonald’s
Why don’t you look into the army national guard and be a medic? You’ll get to continue your civilian career, free credentials/certification provided by the army, you’ll make money, they pay for college so you can advance your career, and you’ll have real world experience.
I don’t know why I’m being downvoted for providing a viable option for this career path?