should ambulance paramedics get paid more?
476549
yes them and nurses, police and doctors \n\nthese people are there just to look after us \n\nIt blows me away that some one that kicks a ball or swings a bat or makes a move gets so much but people that save lives dont \n\nreally if famous people were not there would our lives be any less ---- try saying that about the others
419773
At hospitals, private ambulance services & fire/rescue departments. It depends, it can feel rewarding but be mentally draining too. It can get annoying: a lot of times you feel like a glorified taxi service for people that didn't really need you but used you for attention or whatever personal reason they had. Still, when you do get the important call it feels great.\n\nPay is also just ok. You do better if you work critical care transports. Some can make up to $30 an hour. Most jobs tend to be in the $10-$20 an hour range. It helps to get hired at many agencies if you can qualify to be a firefighter too. Both jobs together pay better than either separately.
1141644
dude i dont mind helpin but u have paid a lot of money for that ting, so y not pay a bit more so they can do it proprtly, give them a £$20.00 more and tell them to take it up stairs... \n\naint i right?
1133969
Yes, it is exploiting another country's resources.  The question then is whether it is an unfair exploitation.  After all, we are talking about ambulances and people in emergency situations.  If we can save a life by allowing this, I'm for it.
1157743
I think that's a great idea.  Sure, it'd mean a bit more in taxes, but First Aid and CPR are worth the money, and basic living skills may even save money in the long run by helping out people who aren't well-off stay off welfare and medicaid.
973884
Paramedic classes vary from one to two years, even if you have a bachelor's. Since  you already have a degree, you don't need the two year course (that results in an associate's degree). The one year "certificate" course will do just fine. My paramedic training took about one year, including the EMT-Basic prerequisite class, but exclusive of the three month internship. At the school I went to, classes were full time (M-F 6pm to 11pm) for two months, and part time (W-F 6pm to 11pm + one Saturday a month) for the rest of school. We were also required to do clinical rotations (16 hours a week throughout school) and then, of course, there's the internship at the end (riding along as third crew member on an ambulance for three months). Expect it to take about a year and a half, including the prerequisite class and the internship. \n\nThe job market is good; there's always someone hiring. The pay leaves much to be desired, unless you can get on with a fire department as a firefighter/paramedic. From what I've seen, the industry average is from 10-20 an hour, depending on where you work. Private ambulance services pay less (AMR, Rural/Metro), and the fire departments pay the most (of course, you have to be a firefighter to get those jobs). Hospital based or municipality based services pay somewhere in between. \n\nGood points: You get to drive fast, and save lives! It's a blast, really. The other day, I got to intubate a person who's heart had stopped beating, perform CPR, start an IV line, and give medications in the hopes of restarting his heart. How cool is that? Unfortunately, most days are pretty mundane. Nursing home transfers, people calling 911 for a cut toe (no kidding) and that kind of stuff makes up most of the average day. \n\nOther good points: The schedule, which can either suck or be wonderful, depending on your point of view. I work one 24 hour shift, and then I get 48 hours off. I love it; it gives me a two day weekend every third day, but some people just can't get used to being woken up at all hours of the night for emergency calls. If you can't, you can usually find services that offer 8 hour or 12 hour shifts, too.\n \nBad points: There's really no future in this job. Once you get to be a paramedic, you can either move up into management, or teach paramedicine, but that's about it. There's other jobs that you can get with your paramedic qualifications (blood bank technician, medical assistant, ER technician, flight paramedic) but they really don't pay much more, if they pay more at all. Out of the 20 or so paramedics I know, at least 5 are pursuing other education, such as nurse, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, etc. It's a wonderful job, but the backbreaking work can get to you after awhile, and most paramedics move on to other areas of  medicine. The average paramedic works in the field for 7 years before they move on. The burnout rate is pretty high, and it's just a lot of stress to put up with day in, and day out. \n\nThat brings me to the other bad point: Backbreaking work. Patients are heavy, and the stretcher itself weighs about 100 lbs. Usually it's just you and your partner, too. If the patient is exceptionally heavy (over 300 lbs) you can call another ambulance for lift assistance, but otherwise, you're on your own. In the service I work with, we are fortunate enough to have the fire department come out on every emergency call, so the lifting divided among all of us. Most services aren't that lucky. I know many paramedics who had to leave the field due to debilitating back injuries. You can minimize the risk by staying in shape and learning proper lifting technique, but the risk is still very much there.\n\nOne other bad point, which I aready sort of covered: The stress. It gets to you after awhile. I've had nightmares of intubations I was unable to get, of patients I could not save. You learn to deal with
532501
I am a former soldier.  And yes they should be paid way more.  Not only is the military a very dangerous job but they are only paid by civilian standards of an 8 hour work day,, but they have to be soldiers 24 hours a day 7 days a week!  During war-time like now, they can't call in sick or say they are too tired to fight anymore..its keep going or die,,
480020
Yes, because the salary is raising.
124785
Pay them better salaries.
378504
If you are in the United State, call your EMS Service (probably your Fire Department) and ask them about it.  I know when my daughter was taken to the hospital, we got a bill from them, but when I called and spoke to them, they explained they simply wanted to be reimbursed by the insurance companies, not by the taxpayers who were already paying them in taxes.  Any amount not paid by the insurance would be dismissed (and it was).  City agencies are trying to find any way to recoup operating costs.
309758
It takes dedication to put your life on the line for some one else. Can you put a value on that? Some folks think we are over paid. They think we sit around all day drinking coffee and eating do-nuts and other things. I have retired from law enforcement and have another job now, making twice the money I was. But I enjoyed what I did before because I felt I was helping my community and the children coming up.My kids had a hard time in school because there Dad was a cop. My wife deserved better because I was gone a lot. No police work is not worth what you are paid, but the satisfaction of doing some thing to help some body else is. Maybe we should ask the Question "What does a police officer do for our community and kids?"
1073942
So the hubby is in the way, huh?\n\n I was an EMT on a rig for 2 years on a 911 provider ambulance in So CAL., it was the best experience of my life. I saw many things that people would up and run from. But it served to make me a mature, ambitious, responsible individual capable of leading a team of EMT's or a corporate meeting.\n\nWhat you do;\n-Wait a lot, for calls and patients\n-physical stuff lifting, pulling, pushing, and so on.\n-assist paramedics\n-radio and computer communication\n-customer service\n-vitals, spiking bags, splinting, backbord and c-spine, setting up EKG's, CPR, moving patients, documenting, oxygen therapy\n\nThe pay sucks, you make your money on OT but it opened a lot of doors for me, currently I work per diem in a hospital as a tech, EHS coordinator. You can't pay to get that type of experience. \n\nEMT is definetly not a life career but it is a stepping stone to bigger and better things. \n \nThere is nothing more satisfying at the end of the day knowing that you saved or impacted somebodys life.
740534
If you are really a police officer then you make decent money (not great- but more than me) why wouldnt you be able to make your payments.  Also if you are really a cop you know what benifits & what kinds of help they offer you better than me or anyone else so why are you asking us.
1090542
Ambulance services operate under a medical director that is a physician. That director establishes what medications, what dose and under what circumstances they can be used. The paramedics using these orders are working under his or her medical license. There are no "laws" governing such things.
1132109
I thank them everyday, I work beside them as a partner and friend.  \nI only wish we (Paramedics) were more appreciated for the life saving job that we do on a daily bases, when people are injured and sick.  When they look up at us and say "Am I gonna die?"  It's us that have that lasting memory on our mind.  Just remember, not all ambulance services are ran out of they Fire Department.  Thanks for listening
94059
Yes. Doctors don't get paid enough to deal with that kind of request - try another profession!
843275
I am a paramedic and have to deal with Malpractice lawsuits from patients on a regular basis.  This is not due to a lack of patient care on my part, but more that the individual is looking to make a quick buck.  The health care system is here to help and I promise you that the medical professionals that work in the system are not making a fraction of what your insurance pays.  The small private clinics, like the one you went to, are a gray area.  You should talk with the Podiatrist and share your concerns with them and find out why he provided you with the care that they did.  If in the long run, you decide to sue, make sure the money your asking for is appropriate and dont pull that "mental anguish" crap.  Medical professionals are only human and cannot be expected to be perfect.