working as an EMT in NYC?

[twocats]

Hi,

Does anyone have experience working as an EMT in NYC? How easy is it to get a job once you are certified? And any clues as to pay? And of course, most importantly, is it possible to work as an EMT and go to school without being totally overwhelmed?

Thanks!

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[FiremedicMike]

My observations of NYC EMS are anecdotal at best, so just be aware of that before I start. I work in Ohio and not NYC, but I have friends who work there and I have also looked into it myself.

1. Pay is crap, I mean super crap. Especially as an EMT-Basic, you most likely will not be making enough to live on in NYC. If you end up working for FDNY/EMS, you will be mandated to live in one of the 5 boroughs.

2. Job market is public safety is tight everywhere. Your options for EMS there are FDNY/EMS or any of the hospitals that run their own EMS. I'm honestly not sure how this system works, who gets dispatched when a 911 call is made, so maybe someone else can speak up on that. I will tell you from countless stories that I've been told, FDNY/EMS guys are treated like garbage from the FDNY/Fire guys.

3. It's my perception that the run volume in NYC is quite high. I'm currently working full-time at a fire department that also has a high run volume (avg 18 runs per 24 hour shift, we all know by the law of averages that this means some days we run 10 and others we run 30). I mention my background because running in a high volume system is fun for about 2-3 years, after that it's just burnout.

4. I'm not sure if they run 24 hour shifts (24 hours on, 48 hours off), or 10/14 schedule (2-10 hour days, then 2-14 hour nights, then off 4 days) or simply 8-12 hour shifts for 36-40 hours per week. No matter what the schedule is, count on the following
a) Don't plan on studying at work. If you get the chance, then it's bonus, but don't ever leave things to the last minute and plan on getting them done between runs, it WON'T happen.
b) Scheduling in-class school always becomes a nightmare, especially with the first two shifts listed above.
c) The advantage is, down the road when your resident cohorts are exhausted post call, you'll have had years of experience of being up all night and not really understand what the problem is.

EMS is a good place to get your feet wet. You will see a lot of bull-crap patients, but you'll also see a lot of really sick people. You will be doing things that impact a person's long term outcome. It is backbreaking and mentally exhausting work, but every now and again it can be quite rewarding.

 

[CaptainObvious]

Any particular reason why you are limiting yourself to NYC? Although I've lived there, I've not worked EMS there. I can tell you that it can be a pretty hostile work environment. Those medics that I've worked with that have come from NYC EMS (maybe 6 or so over the years) have not been altogether pleasant to work with. I'm not saying this happens to all NYC medics, or that all NYC medics are like this, but this has been my experience. And I'm FROM NY! They (many of the ones I've worked with) seem to have developed a zero tolerance policy for BS calls, which are a staple to ANY EMS service, and were just generally intolerant when dealing with people. Maybe it's a product of the environment in which they worked, or maybe they learned to be this way from their burned out peers, but either way, I don't believe treating patients, family members, or co-workers disrespectfully is in any way acceptable.

That said, my service doesn't run the volume of NYC, but I can do between 8-15 EMS/Fire calls per 24 hr shift. And even on a slow day, it's hard to study with any kind of real focus. So I would say NYC EMS + Med School/Pre-med = bad idea.

FireMedicMike is right in that working for a Fire or EMS system will induce in you a chronically sleep deprived state. It's just something I've gotten used to and know how to deal with. Whether or not it will help me in my journey to become a physician is yet to be seen.

It's a demanding job in which you put up with a lot of crap, but if you can do it without becoming too jaded and remember why it is you started doing this work, it can be very rewarding. Especially in caring for those really sick people that may not have made it to see the docs without your help.

Open your viewfinder a little wider than NYC, without discounting it, and you may find an experience you can really enjoy and still have something to make your app stand out.

 

[HenriMatisse]

I can't speak of NYC, but i can speak of Boston if that will give you any help.

Starting pay is 13.00-13.50 for private companies. Apparently pay goes as low as minimum wage elsewhere. Getting a job with Boston EMS is impossible without at least a year experience, even with that it's a pipe dream. Boston EMS, like NYFD I'm assuming, pays much better and is looking for people who want a career in EMS, not people looking for transitional careers.

It's not too hard finding a job with a private company, but you will more likely than not end up at a transfer only company.

As far as working and school, murphy's law seems to take over whenever it's time for a test. For example today I've had 0 calls since 7AM, but the day before or the day of a test I'll be swamped and held over.

 

[XxAnonymousxX]

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