Your Homework Assignment For The Day:

You can’t put a dollar value on a person’s worth.

We might start by gaining a clear definition of who we as a profession are and what we do. There doesn’t seem to be a clear cohesive answer—and how the public perceives us (and values us) won’t change until there is. On one end we have colleagues who are “ambulance drivers” and nothing more: They pick up sick people and transport them to the ER. On the other end, you have knowledgeable, self-motivated clinicians who bring the ER to the patient. I’d say most of those are in the 25%.

What do we in EMS really do? What should the public see us as?

In my opinion you have the %’s wrong 75% are paid too little and 25% are paid too much. All to often here in TX it seems EMS is running off the good ones because they are paid too little.

 Haven’t had that, Sigivald. Tell me what browser you’re using, and I’ll have the IT guys check into it.

I say we all just continue to strive to be our best. Lead by example. If the 25% keep on keeping on, work diligently and hard, their partners will begin to see them. Sure it may be hard, but isn’t it better to restore a smile to a crying child’s face while they are in your care, than to wait until the ER? In the services I am involved with, the ones who are amazing show it, the ones who aren’t sit behind in the wayside, and I have seen both at work. Just keep being amazing, and soon the world will see.

 mobile version here as well AD, FF and IE.

 Same here, the main page is normal but the post is the mobile version.

I don’t know any medics that get paid to much, but I have spent a career in the other side. The problem starts with public perception when I tell people how much a street medic makes they are all withour exception totally amazed becuase they think we get paid on a scale with nurses etc.

I know a lot of people in the fire and ems community. Haven’t run into any of the 75%.

In my limited and humble opinion, I’m can not agree with the statement.  This is probably because I work with a small county community where those who became “burn-outs” were summarily “put out to pasture” while the others (younger, less jaded) were moved up in the hierarchy.  Many of my colleagues who burned-out went to work in small community health offices and/or joined their local volunteer fire departments (if they weren’t already members).  Many of us are members and use our talents accordingly.  None of us have ever been paid what we are worth, but we do the job regardless.  We don’t do it for the money.  We save lives because we give a damn.  It’d be nice to have financial recompense (recognition) for our talents and education (it ain’t cheap!), but we save lives because we CAN. 

I’ve been getting too, not just here but several og the other Fire/EMS blogs. Windows 7, IE 9. I get it on home page, individual posts look fine.

I think you should apply that same argument to EMS administrators. The good-ole-boy system of promotion is what has held back EMS for so long, in my humble opinion. We now have a chief that is pro-active, education based and not afraid to make his old buddies step up to the plate or step aside. Its amazing how our service has changed in 18 months. Hopefully in the new budget year we will see it rewarded. But politics is another battle.

we as a community wont be receiving the moeny we deserve for about another 20-30 years…based on the fact that if you look at FD PD and nursing. Those carrers have been around for soooo long that they have become such a staple in society they have gained the rec needed to get to the pay scale they are at. The Ems community has been around since 1972, i figure the job is still too young but alose a union would probally help out as well…just a thought

lemme say one more thing so i can my peace about this. (prob going to have spelling errors..heads up)
listen i know its a job unlike any other and we do so much that others could not fathom. YES people get burrned out all the time. ITS PART OF THE JOB.. deal with it. All of the young people who come in here and say things about the older guys about who are burned out…get this kid…you couldnt hold that guys jock when it hits the fan keep your mouth shut and learn. I may be young (late 20′s but ive been doing this for about 10 years now..im burned like the next guy.The other people who say but we save lives. your right we do…but go home and tell your kids you cant pay rent or you cant pay for food or you cant pay for bare essentials but hell you save a life…yeah that will put fodd in there stomach….get a clue and fast we are so under paid as a industry is stupid… WE ALL DESERVE MORE MONEY from the n00bs to the “burned out” everyone needs to stop seeling themsevles short….

Id like to know where this 75% is. I live on LI and I make $12 an hour as an EMT. I only survive because of my GI benefits cause the low pay has forced me back to college since I need to be able to take care of my new family.  Yea I’ve meet techs who weren’t worth their salt and I’d never let help me, but that’s about 25% of them not 75%. I’ve done this for 10 years now, and I love (to an extend) being a tech but I can’t wait till i graduate and get the hell out of EMS. I’m sick of how we are treated, from the nurses in the nursing homes to the people we serve in the community. I have a feeling that Kelly isn’t really in ems or she’s one of those who have been in dispatch her entire career and doesn’t know what it’s like out on the street or she wouldn’t be saying that.

Kelly is a MAN. Kelly Grayson, NREMT-P, CCEMT-P, is a critical care paramedic in Louisiana. He has spent the past 18 years as a field paramedic, critical care transport paramedic, field supervisor and educator. He is a former president of the Louisiana EMS Instructor Society and board member of the LA Association of Nationally Registered EMTs.
He is a frequent EMS conference speaker and contributor to various EMS training texts, and is the author of the popular blog A Day In the Life of an Ambulance Driver. The paperback version of Kelly’s book is available at booksellers nationwide.

 Hmm, different parts of the country must have different conditions.

Most ambulance crews out here don’t have a TV or couch; when they’re not running calls, they’re sitting in their ambulance at a post.  Of two 911 ambulance companies in this area, 76% and 83% of their crews spend their entire 12-hour shift posted or on calls.

 Annoy cat must’ve been confused with the whole Kilted to Kick Cancer thing…

 Doubtful we’ll ever see what you think we deserve. The nursing “bubble” is fit to burst…they’ve up-waged themselves to a point where the industry can’t support them any longer.

Police and Fire? They’ve managed to slurp a great deal from the public teat over the last several decades. Now? Many areas you’re going to see wage freezes and staffing cuts.

Unions can help, or they can hinder. One thing to keep in mind is that in unionspeak “Fair” actually means “equal”. That means that the laziest, sloppiest, doing the bare minimum to-not-get-fired person will make the same as the hardest working, nicest most caring person.

That said, unionization can at least raise the floor up for those parts of the country where poor pay and conditions are the norm.

Kelly…I don’t have solid data, but I’d disagree. I think the breakdown goes more like this (at least in my neck of the woods where a paramedic can make a decent living wage):

10% are underpaid
20% are overpaid
70% are making pretty much what they deserve (yes, I think we have people…about this percentage in my department, that do get paid what they deserve).

Of course, the 20% that are overpaid also cause 80% of the trouble…for their partners and the organization. These I’d prefer to push away with the tip of my umbrella. Instead, I work on dotting ‘i’s and crossing ‘t’s. I try to coach those with a chance toward success…and the others I try to manage into oblivion.

I have been a Paramedic since 2005 an was an EMT for six years before that in all my experience I have worked for private an public (government) EMS agencies. I have learned several things…..1.) Often you are only as good as your last call. 2.) People will either remember you for doing your job an being nice or being an asshole an noy doing your job (though) their interpretation of what your job is might be wrong so bare that in mind 3.) We were all new at some point so you can either teach an make a difference or sit an bitch knowing nothing will change. 4.) Most managers are not worth their salt an got into their position for having a willingness to screw over the little guy. If you see someone is struggling an having problems gap in there knowledge or practice help them if they are willing to learn or fire them an move on but dont invest the raise you could give the 25% you have that are putting their all into a job……which I really hope that is not an accurate number 25% sounds pretty low generally its the 10% that make us all look bad.

 Perhaps it’s because I’m running in the right circles but I would take exception at your #4, “Most managers are not worth their salt an got into their position for having a willingness to screw over the little guy”. I’ve been in EMS for almost 30 years, and the last 6 in management. Being willing to “screw over the little guy” is not how I got into this position (nor did my bosses).

My job is to help insure that my staff have the tools they need to successfully complete the mission. Since I give them the tools and opportunity, I also have to hold them accountable for both their success or failure. Failure…well, retraining is the ideal thing; but for some people, the best thing for everyone is for them to move on.

No medical person: Emt, Doc, Nurse, Pa,Pn or police office is paid  what they are
worth.