How much can an EMT-B make?

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I'm not sure if an EMT-B makes much, I actually doubt it but will I be able to support myself as an EMT-B and go to school at the same time?

Originally Posted by jiggz16

I'm not sure if an EMT-B makes much, I actually doubt it but will I be able to support myself as an EMT-B and go to school at the same time?

For the most part, unfortunately, EMT-B's do not make much $$$. You ask if you'll be able to support yourself. Depends I guess. Do you live at home with your parents or do you own/rent your own place? If you live at home rent-free, then yes it would be much easier to support yourself and go to school at the same time. However, if you are good at balancing your budget, avoid buying unnecessary things, etc., then I also think you could do it on your own. It will be tough, but anything is possible if you put your mind to it and want it badly enough. You might also consider getting a part-time job on the side as a waiter or something for those times when cash is low. Then you could work that job only when you REALLY needed to. Either way good luck to you!!!

Thanks for the feeback.

Originally Posted by jiggz16

I'm not sure if an EMT-B makes much, I actually doubt it but will I be able to support myself as an EMT-B and go to school at the same time?

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos101.htm#earnings

it depends were u work. For an ambulance crew in richmond, VA start at $7.73, but if ya work at a hospital it's $9.20

pretty low compared to surrounding area wages tho

$7-$10/hr in Texas on the ambulance

in nj on a service like atlantic health where it is primarily transport you make 12 an hour...

Wow... I am suprised that EMT-B doesnt make more the that where you guys are.. I test for my B this saturday the 21st.. But I have been looking for work (hope i dont jinks myself) anyhow.. if you work for a private or a hospital here in Massachusetts, they mostly pay anywhere from 10 to 11.50/h if you work for a big company like AMR they start about 9/h , but there is always a ton of overtime,, soooo with the time and a half, you could be able to support yourself as long as your rent isnt 1100 a month.
Lisa

Yeah, and sitting in a dirty, old ambulance for 16 hours a day is worth it...

Originally Posted by LMalay

Wow... I am suprised that EMT-B doesnt make more the that where you guys are.. I test for my B this saturday the 21st.. But I have been looking for work (hope i dont jinks myself) anyhow.. if you work for a private or a hospital here in Massachusetts, they mostly pay anywhere from 10 to 11.50/h if you work for a big company like AMR they start about 9/h , but there is always a ton of overtime,, soooo with the time and a half, you could be able to support yourself as long as your rent isnt 1100 a month.
Lisa

I worked for AMR.

The rule for EMS:

911 calls only: not much money
Tranfers/Nursing Home calls: money, money, money

If you work for a service that does transfers, you will make more money, or if you work in a particular service that allows you to choose to do transfers or 911, you can make more money by doing transfers. (This is true for AMR).

I'm trying to get a job on the UCLA campus EMS and I'll be honest, the EMTs there make less than the lifeguards, the kids who run the yogurt shop, and just about everyother on campus vocation you can think of.

It's ridiculous.

I mean, half the drunken frat boy population would be doomed without us. And I think their well being is worth more than the measley $7.XX/hr they pay.

Any idea of how much EMT-P's make?

Originally Posted by jiggz16

Any idea of how much EMT-P's make?

a shade over what EMT makes? no jk- they make about twice as much, maybe 150% would be a better ball park.

I just got a job as ER tech and it's going to pay me 10.50. I'm NREMT-B. I guess it's a good step in the right direction to be National Registry.

Originally Posted by OSUdoc08

$7-$10/hr in Texas on the ambulance

Yikes, only $7-10/hour? Man, that is so underpaid for what EMTs have to do. The EMT-Bs in my area start off at $16/hour, and that usually just about doubles after you have your EMT-P.

I finally made it to $8/hr....it's really sad

raDiOnut

Originally Posted by leviathan

Yikes, only $7-10/hour? Man, that is so underpaid for what EMTs have to do. The EMT-Bs in my area start off at $16/hour, and that usually just about doubles after you have your EMT-P.

Medics make $10-15 per hour with less than 5 years experience in Texas, on average.

It looks like you are trying to say that EMT-P's make over $30 an hour, which is more than RN's, which would unusual if true. (Unless you are in an area with a high cost of living.)

Realize that EMS is not a degreed field---you would expect someone with a bachelor's or even a master's to make much more. I have a bachelor's degree, so I recieved the high end ($15/hour) with less experience, but in order to get paid more I had to agree to do more "transfers" and less 911.

The highest paid area in Texas, that I know of, is Austin, which starts paramedics at $40,000.

You have to keep in mind that in New England, medics are paid double, but so is every other job. This is because everything else is doubled-----cost of food, houses, cars, etc. Cost of living is something to keep in mind.

Cost of living is relatively low in Texas.

**It is well known that EMS (along with other public safety----police, fire) is a low pay career. This is because of the lack of college degrees required for such jobs. Sure, some jobs ask for them, but they are no more than an associate's degree at a community college, and that too is rare.

"Yikes, only $7-10/hour? Man, that is so underpaid for what EMTs have to do. The EMT-Bs in my area start off at $16/hour, and that usually just about doubles after you have your EMT-P."

32/HR Canadian is what, about $20/hr in the USA ?
20/hr is still a pretty glorious salary for a job you can get with emt-b, 6 mo on the job + a 1 yr course. with some overtime that's over 50k/yr. not bad for a community college degree......

Originally Posted by OSUdoc08

It looks like you are trying to say that EMT-P's make over $30 an hour, which is more than RN's, which would unusual if true. (Unless you are in an area with a high cost of living.)

In Canada the RN is a one or two year program (can't quite remember) and they make about $25/hour. There is a full four-year bachleors program (BSn, Bachelors of Science in Nursing) which I believe goes for about $32/hour here, which is about on par with the paramedics. However, I do know one paramedic who made salary of about $90,000 last year in Toronto, which is quite a bit more than $32/hour by wage.

**It is well known that EMS (along with other public safety----police, fire) is a low pay career. This is because of the lack of college degrees required for such jobs. Sure, some jobs ask for them, but they are no more than an associate's degree at a community college, and that too is rare.

I believe in some provinces in Canada they require a bachelors degree to work as a paramedic, so that would stand to reason given the salaries.

Originally Posted by emedpa

"Yikes, only $7-10/hour? Man, that is so underpaid for what EMTs have to do. The EMT-Bs in my area start off at $16/hour, and that usually just about doubles after you have your EMT-P."

32/HR Canadian is what, about $20/hr in the USA ?
20/hr is still a pretty glorious salary for a job you can get with emt-b, 6 mo on the job + a 1 yr course. with some overtime that's over 50k/yr. not bad for a community college degree......

$32/hour is about $26/hour in American currency, I believe.

Originally Posted by OSUdoc08

Medics make $10-15 per hour with less than 5 years experience in Texas, on average.

It looks like you are trying to say that EMT-P's make over $30 an hour, which is more than RN's, which would unusual if true. (Unless you are in an area with a high cost of living.)

Realize that EMS is not a degreed field---you would expect someone with a bachelor's or even a master's to make much more. I have a bachelor's degree, so I recieved the high end ($15/hour) with less experience, but in order to get paid more I had to agree to do more "transfers" and less 911.

The highest paid area in Texas, that I know of, is Austin, which starts paramedics at $40,000.

You have to keep in mind that in New England, medics are paid double, but so is every other job. This is because everything else is doubled-----cost of food, houses, cars, etc. Cost of living is something to keep in mind.

Cost of living is relatively low in Texas.

**It is well known that EMS (along with other public safety----police, fire) is a low pay career. This is because of the lack of college degrees required for such jobs. Sure, some jobs ask for them, but they are no more than an associate's degree at a community college, and that too is rare.

I'm about to get my BS in biology as well as my EMT-B. Should I expect to make the high-end salary regardless of calls, or do I still need to do more transport stuff(rather than 911)?

Originally Posted by beatla19

I'm about to get my BS in biology as well as my EMT-B. Should I expect to make the high-end salary regardless of calls, or do I still need to do more transport stuff(rather than 911)?

Transport stuff. You don't just get paid more because you have a bachelor's (in most places.)

In the ED where I work, I got an increase right away upon being hired, because of my BA.

Originally Posted by Febrifuge

In the ED where I work, I got an increase right away upon being hired, because of my BA.

That may be that case for a hospital based service, because many hospitals have different salary schedules depending on educational levels (BA, MS, etc). However, I have to think that in the VAST majority of EMS systems, a degree is not going to make one bit of difference in your salary if you hired on as an EMT-B.

I can see degrees for paramedics starting to make a difference with the increasing trend toward making paramedic programs degree granting. Some places may start giving a higher salary to a medic with an associates than a medic who goes through a certificate program.

I have worked for three different systems. Having a masters degree has not made one bit of difference in my salary as an EMT. I currently make a whopping $7.75/hr as an EMT-I.

I have worked for three different systems. Having a masters degree has not made one bit of difference in my salary as an EMT. I currently make a whopping $7.75/hr as an EMT-I.[/QUOTE]


Do you guys have any idea what the ambulance services like rural/metro or American charges for service for BLS, ALS and/or nursing home transport/transfer?

I started at 13/hr as an EMT-B doing 911 calls in New Jersey

Yikes!! I'm a soon-to-be-student of the EMS world...

Just wanted to toss my two cents in... right now I'm working at an Adult Boutique and I make $8.25.....
.....maybe I should rethink this whole EMT thing

Nah!! I'm new to the boards, joined it to find some medical info (I do have a bit of a med background ), and just found the EMS forum... this is great since it has been my life's dream for longer than I can remember.

I make $9/hour as an EMT-I in Westwood, Los Angeles. A few weeks ago, I was making $12/hr. as a computer tech.
Small price to pay for doing something I love.

I make 10 an hour...and I'm an EMT-I!!!

That's in texas, however.

Originally Posted by Keberson

I make 10 an hour...and I'm an EMT-I!!!

That's in texas, however.

Travis County EMS in Austin pays very well---double what I made in Waco.

our EMS service is hospital based so we get paid much better than those services that surround us. An EMT-P with a few years services here makes 15/17/hr. the county next door they make 8-9/hr. Basics here 10/hr. next door 6/hr. Pay in public service is not comensurate with the required duty, but Hey, that's public service for ya. don't do it for the money

Wow! I am so amazed at how little everyone says they make on here! I am an EMT - B and I make over 18$ an hour. I have only been a basic for two years.

Looking at pay by hour isn't a great way to sort it out, since places that run 12 hour shift have 16 hours of overtime built in every month. I think it's better to ask about yearly salary. I used to make $22,000 a year working about 2 extra shifts a month.

Also keep in mind what "working" means. At some places you sit around the station for 8 out of 10 hours and do homework. If you think of it that way pretty sweet gig to be able to catch up on your stuff and run a call here and there.

The problem with putting yourself through school as an EMT is usually to work enough hours to make decent money you risk cutting into school time or extra-cirricular time. It's hard to find a schedule where you can go to class from 10-4 and then work. (Some people go to class during the day and work at night, but unless you run one call a night you are burning the candle at both ends. Those people are miserable, don't do it)

I took classes at community college while still an EMT-B. I worked one 48 hour shift a week and had 5 days off, and made decent money with overtime. It was a sweet gig. When I went to paramedic school I quit work because I was worried about burn out if I went to EMS related school and than had to work shifts as an EMT as well.

Now I work part time as a medic and while no where comparable to fire and police salary, I get by comfortably while finishing my B.S. and still have money to have a life.

Like other posters said it really depends on your location and job availability where you are at. It is near impossible to find an EMT job where I live now because the local schools pump out hundreds of EMTs every semester and there are probably fewer than 10 open positions a year at the 911 services.

average starting wage for an emt-b in chicago is $9.10

When I was actively working in EMS, as a side job thankfully, medics made $7.83 / hour and basics made $5.65. That was with one private agency which had the county's 911 response contract and did interfacility transports.

At another private agency I made $10/hour as a medic and worked two 72 hour straight shifts each month. For sacraficing six days a month $1440 was a good check considering only about 15% of that time was spent doing anything ambulance related. I was the only part-time guy, and I didn't have benefits since I got those from my full-time gig. I ended up taking home more than anyone else there including the owner, lol. Their business didn't stay afloat for long I might add. This agency had a small area of 911 coverage and interfacility transports - although few.

I'm an Army Medic (ten years as an EMT-B, now National Guard), I taught PHTLS, EMT-refresher and CPR for the State Surgeon, I'm a veteran of the Iraq war, but I'm stuck deciding whether or not I want to become an EMT-P or an RN. I have yet to find any definitive salary rate to compare the two and was hoping for some advice from this thread. Although majority of the posts seem to have been in 2004, I thought maybe you guys would know what type of jobs and salary ranges to expect in EMS vs. nursing in So Cal. Being that I really only have Military experience and nothing civilian to compare it to, and everyone I know has been retired for a while from either profession, I'm somewhat at a fork in the road.
Thanks for the help!
Amber

Pittsburgh Region:

EMT-B at private EMS service with 911 response: 9-12/hr
EMT-B at municipal EMS with 911 response: 10-12/hr
EMT-B at private transfer service with contracts at care facilities (25% emergencies roughly): 12-14/hr

I used to work full time for a private EMS service about 35 mins south of Pittsburgh. We ran 911 calls and other emergencies for care facilities as well as numerous transfers. We were one of the busiest services in the country. I made 8.99 as an EMT-B with not even an opportunity to obtain benefits. As a medic for the company, I made 14.10 an hour with benefits covered at no cost to me. But I had no set schedule, no regular work hours, and worked my ass off to make ends meet.

Now, I work there part time and have a full time medic gig at a well known, large transfer based company. I make 20 an hr and am on a set schedule. I pay for my benefits but not a lot. Don't run a ton of emergencies but I get some pretty cool ones when I do. Worth the move.

All depends on what you are looking for. Good luck.

DU

Originally Posted by Amberger101

I'm an Army Medic (ten years as an EMT-B, now National Guard), I taught PHTLS, EMT-refresher and CPR for the State Surgeon, I'm a veteran of the Iraq war, but I'm stuck deciding whether or not I want to become an EMT-P or an RN. I have yet to find any definitive salary rate to compare the two and was hoping for some advice from this thread. Although majority of the posts seem to have been in 2004, I thought maybe you guys would know what type of jobs and salary ranges to expect in EMS vs. nursing in So Cal. Being that I really only have Military experience and nothing civilian to compare it to, and everyone I know has been retired for a while from either profession, I'm somewhat at a fork in the road.
Thanks for the help!
Amber

Amber, you absolutely need to go for the RN. Pick the medic up later in your free time. You'll have lot more flexibility in your career with the RN credential, plus you'll earn more money. Medics never make what RNs make it doesn't seem.

Alternatively, another option would be to pursue the paramedic courses, get certified, and see if you've got an EMT-P to RN transition course in your state. In such a program the paramedic coursework substitutes for the first year of nursing school.

If I had it to do all over again, as I've said before, I would've picked up the RN credential and a BSN instead of my BS in useless studies to go along with my paramedic certification. By now I'd probably be in advanced practice or be working as a PA if I'd done that. Ah hindsight...

When I got into the EMS field I took a 5$/hr pay cut, but my salary increased about 12,000 a year without working too much over time. I typically work a 48 two weeks and a 72 one week, so without working more than 3 days a week I pick up 48 hours of OT a month. Even on shift I have time to study (I am in one of those online EMT-P to RN ASD programs) I have plenty of time with my wife and daughter. Most importantly I love what I do, if it is what you really want to do it is the greatest job there is. I have seen a list of lies EMTs/Paramedics tell, most of them are funny stuff but the last one is always "I'm in it for the money." Its the truth if you are in it for the money it will suck otherwise you will feel great about yourself, I love telling people I'm a medic more than I ever told people when I was a teacher.

Originally Posted by LMalay

Wow... I am suprised that EMT-B doesnt make more the that where you guys are.. I test for my B this saturday the 21st.. But I have been looking for work (hope i dont jinks myself) anyhow.. if you work for a private or a hospital here in Massachusetts, they mostly pay anywhere from 10 to 11.50/h if you work for a big company like AMR they start about 9/h , but there is always a ton of overtime,, soooo with the time and a half, you could be able to support yourself as long as your rent isnt 1100 a month.
Lisa

In MA the going rate at most decent size private ambulance companies for an EMT-B is from $13-$14 an hour starting. If you get on Boston EMS you can make mid $20s starting. As a medic at a private ambulance service I was making mid $20s.

Most EMT's in Central Florida start at the 8-10 an hour range.. DO your RN!

Seriously, don't get into EMS for the money! Anyways, I worked for two agencies while doing my undergrad (now that I've moved on to PhD, I don't have time) Here is what I made:

-$15.34 per hour working for a moderately busy (4-7 jobs/12 hr shift) police-based municipal BLS system. Since it was a smaller service, the employees were not unionized (although we had looked into unionizing with the state firefighter's union).
-$17.94 per hour (with a $2.00 per hour night differential) as a per diem EMT-B working for a busy (12-20 jobs per shift) state hospital-based urban BLS/ALS system. The per diem EMT-P's were somewhere around $30/hr if I'm not mistaken. The full-time EMTs and medics here were in a union that negotiated a decent collective bargaining agreement so I think the full-timer were somewhere around $23/hr with state benefits and pension.

My best advice is to stay in school and do your RN or MD or PhD or BS and do something non-EMS related if you are worried about making money.

I know the others have beaten this into the ground but you can expect to make below a liveing wage as an emt basic. most basics can hope to make 10.25-11.25 an hr. but bear in mind thats full time plus dam decent bennifits from most departments. also remember emts work on holidays and most ems agencies to get you to stay on new years and christmass will ushually pay you your wage plus time and a half. also over time is where you can make the most money consdiering most states require employers to pay time and a half. so if you arent allergeic to 24 hr days and sleeping at the station from time to time then yes you can make a liveing other then that i would sugest go for your paramedic as soon as your state''s department of helalth / DOT (whichever one EMT licences are given though) give you the go ahead ushually thats 50 patent contacts which on a good day as everyone knows is hard to obtain. then once your a medic 23-25 dollars an hr is more tollerable (bear in mind Im calculateing a liveing wage at city income at about 17.25 an hr!) hope that helps to clear confusion.

I got my EMT license a little over a year ago, through a summer program. I make 13/hr around 1200/month after taxes. The hospital I work for is in a rural area, which pays a little more than the national average. Also I am enrolled in 15 units, but am able to study sometimes on shift during the weekend. My weekdays are filled with classes, but it's nice only having to work one of two days a week and still have free time. I highly recommend an EMT job for full-time students.

Originally Posted by EMTCD

I got my EMT license a little over a year ago, through a summer program. I make 13/hr around 1200/month after taxes. it's nice only having to work one of two days a week and still have free time. I highly recommend an EMT job for full-time students.

I start my EMT-B program in March. A former classmate of mine shared that he made $12.50/hr working Saturday/Sunday only (each 12 hour shifts) with just his EMT-B. I never found out if he had prior experience.

Is it necessary to have prior medical experience or will just having my EMT-B allow me to get in as an ER Tech or something similar? I think I would greatly prefer working in a hospital than on the truck.

And, yeah, your situation sounds good it's what I'm working toward...!

I made $25 an hour as a part time EMT B working 12 hour day shifts. But it was in the San Francisco bay area which has a huge cost of living.

Sent from my SPH-D710 using SDN Mobile

When I was a basic, I made $17.50/hr, and as a paramedic I made $24.70/hr

Government service with great OT opportunity and a "disaster list" where you are on the calendar 2 times a month, and can get called in for mandatory OT, or if someone calls in sick. Sucks if your doing something, or want to plan something, but you can pull in some serious cash.

edit: Cost of living was really low. I rented a 3 bedroom house for $800 in a decent area.

in MA it seemed that basic pay was about 12-16/hr with medics at about 16-20. there were a few exceptions on either end. this level of pay is one reason I think we tend to have difficulty keeping quality people in the business......think about it.......in some cases we are taking people straight from high school, training them for 1 year, paying them $16/hr and expecting them to administer narcotics, intubate, stick needles into chest cavities, etc etc. its craziness when you really do think about it.