Jobs in Los Angeles, CA?

[sylus]

So I'm currently in an EMT-B class in Chicago, but planning to move to Los Angeles in late summer/fall. Can anyone give me an idea of how easy or hard it is to find a job as an EMT-B in LA? What about as an ER tech? Can anyone suggest how I might go about finding job opportunities in the first place?

Thanks for any help!

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[pseudoknot]

So I'm currently in an EMT-B class in Chicago, but planning to move to Los Angeles in late summer/fall. Can anyone give me an idea of how easy or hard it is to find a job as an EMT-B in LA?

It's extremely easy. There are tons of companies and most are always looking for people. Most companies do IFTs only; two big ones are Priority One and Bowers. If you want to do fire, look at WestMed/McCormick (runs with LA County Fire), AMR (also LACoFD, used to have the whole county contract but lost most of it), Schaefer (contracts with LACoFD and Pomona FD, mostly IFTs though), and Gerber (contracts with Torrance FD and Santa Monica FD). Schaefer is one of the oldest companies around; they still primarily do IFTs though, and I think their pay is a bit lower than some of the other IFT-only shops. If you work for Gerber in Torrance you'll do half IFTs and half fire calls, but in Santa Monica it's basically all fire; one good thing about Gerber is that you can start out doing fire calls immediately, while some other companies make you wait.

You'll hear complaints about the management of most ambulance companies. Don't believe too much of what the companies tell you. Other things to consider are whether you want to work 12 hour shifts or 24; some companies (Schaefer, McCormick) only run fire calls on 24 hr shifts (at least they say this but it's not always true) and make you wait a period of time before getting on those shifts.

What about as an ER tech?

This is more difficult although I've heard of some getting hired immediately out of EMT classes. In general you need to have some field experience (6-12 months) and connections (so if you go to a certain hospital all the time in your ambulance, it'll be easier to get a job there).

Can anyone suggest how I might go about finding job opportunities in the first place?

If you lok on the web all of the companies I mentioned have sites, and many let you apply online. Also if you go to the state and county EMS agency web pages, they have links for job postings.

Let me know if you have any more questions.

 

[sylus]

Dumb question but what's IFT?

Also, do you need additional training to do fire calls? I know here in Chicago they have the CFD which controls both the fire dept and ambulance servies, and they pretty much only hire paramedics and firemen, and apparently it takes quite a while to get accepted. Is LA anything like that or totally different?

I think I'll probably end up wanting to do 24 hour shifts since I'll be in school, seems like it might work better, though that depends I suppose.

Thanks for your help, I'm trying to get a feel of my opportunities so I'll know once I get licensed.

 

[greytmedic]

IFT=Inter-Facility Transport
Transporting from hospital to hospital, hospital to nursing home, nursing home to Dr's office, etc. These type of services are provided by companies like Supieror Ambulance, Daley's ambulance, etc. (although they do have 911 contracts in surronding 'burbs) in Chicago.

As for the type of shift you will want to work, I would stay away from 24 hr shifts if you are going to school. These type of shifts usually work 24 on, 48 off. This rotates the days you work every week, so from week to week the days you work will change. This will mean that you will miss classes if you can't get coverage. I am currently a full time paramedic and go to school full time because I work Thursday through Saturday nights and every other Sunday night on 12 hour shifts. I just try to sleep as much as possible and just go to school on Friday and every other Monday a little tired. That's why God invented Coffee.

 

[pseudoknot]

Also, do you need additional training to do fire calls? I know here in Chicago they have the CFD which controls both the fire dept and ambulance servies, and they pretty much only hire paramedics and firemen, and apparently it takes quite a while to get accepted. Is LA anything like that or totally different?

LA is very much like that, except that it's bigger and a bit more complicated. There are about ten million people in Los Angeles County, living in 88 cities as well as unincorporated areas. In all of these areas, at least that I'm aware of, fire departments handle the first-in response for 911 medical calls (and fire suppression, obviously). However, not all departments do their own transport. LA City FD, which handles the four million residents of the City of Los Angeles, has its own ambulances and transports its own patients, as do Pasadena, Burbank, Glendale, Beverly Hills, and others. On the other hand, the LA County Fire Dept., which handles all unincorporated areas and many cities (under contract), sends paramedic "squads" to medical calls for assessment and treatment only, and uses private ambulance services to transport their patients. They used to contract solely with AMR, but a couple years ago split the contract into five districts and AMR got only one. Some cities that have their own fire departments also don't transport; off the top of my head I know of Santa Monica, Torrance, and Pomona.

So, you can work for private companies that contract with FD for 911 transport, and then you can be involved in 911 calls, but you won't be handling the calls by yourself, and generally the medics will be responsible for all the assessment. Your role will be limited to BLS treatment, if that, and transport. You don't need to be a firefighter or have anything beyond EMT-B for this. On the other hand, yes, to be a firefighter, it takes years and you generally need to be a paramedic to have a shot at getting hired these days, especially if you're male.

I think I'll probably end up wanting to do 24 hour shifts since I'll be in school, seems like it might work better, though that depends I suppose.

As noted above, these shifts tend to wander through the week, although 24 on/48 off is not typical in LA. Most LA departments follow the LA City schedule, with three rotation shifts A, B, and C, each on/off three times, then off four days (see https://www.lafirecu.org/calendars/2007/2007-2008.jpg ).

Hope this helps.

 

[Unlimited415]

By running Fire, he means you'll be running (working) WITH FD aka you'll be answering 911 calls versus the inter-facility transports. You don't need any extra firefighting training, as you'll be doing just medical duties, really.

With the system in LA, as an EMT you're really just helping take VS and load. If you're good when you arrive first on-scene, you can do quick assessments and have a nice report for the FD when they arrive. Usually they dispatch an engine and a squad (like a pickup truck with two paramedic FFs) who will take charge of patient and ride with you to the hospital if it's ALS.

Care is another company not mentioned. I've heard the most good about Care and McCormick and probably cover the better areas (as in business and traumas).