Anyone worked as an EMT/Paramedic in Atlanta?

[brodaiga]

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I am applying for positions, and wanted to get some feedback for the different services. I live alp/roswell.

I'm considering

Rural/Metro or Grady EMS

Let me know, thanks.

 

[periodista]

I volunteered at Grady ER for 1.5 years and Grady EMS seemed to be the best. I don't know about pay, hours, working conditions etc.

 

[emtp2MD]

Stay away from anything that is AMR or associated with them. I worked for them in Richmond, VA and it was the worst three months of my life. They told me what I wanted to hear to get me in the door and then changed everything. I was told I would be on three shifts a week and they had no problem with giving me Tues & Thurs off for school. They reduced my pay without telling me and then put me on 4am-4pm Friday-Monday. 4 days, 48 hours and it was not worth it. Plus the managment was the worst ever and changed three times since I was there. Never knew who was in charge, but they all had no problem barking orders and yelling at the understaffed medics.

 

[brodaiga]

that sounds like hell, anyone with any experience for grady or rural/metro?

P.S.

What kind of things should I look for when checking out the companies? How much should I expect to get?

(i'll be working partime cause of school)

 

[emtp2MD]

Look at what their total package is. If it is a Paramedic Model EMS system, then the Paramedics are always in the back and EMT's are always driving (that's how Richmond is). It gets very old having to be in the back for 14+ calls a shift. Uniforms can be a big issue. Make sure that they are provided for you. A hot topic in Richmond was they were going to start charging us to buy the pagers out of our pocket. Look at how the system is run. Will you have backup if you need it, or are you the lone medic with no help at all. Look at the condition of the ambulances, very hard to work well in poorly stocked or not well maintained units. You can also call the local labor board to see if anyone has made any complaints. Also check to see if the system uses system status managment (ie... they move you around to locations of probable calls as they are predicted by a computer that has years of run history in it). This can keep you moving most of your shift, when you could acctualy be in a station getting some rest. Hope this helps some.

RW