Why are Paramedics paid so little?

[crashh]

Why, with the advanced skill level, are paramedics paid so little?

[PoeticInjustice]

Because we're a dime a dozen. However, there are some extremely well paying companies out there. You just have to work to get them.

[ffemt8978]

Variety of reasons.

Skill sets are not hard to teach, education and knowledge is lacking, market saturation, Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement rates, FD's, vollies, and the list goes on. Pick your poison for the week and it will be a correct answer.

[JPINFV]

Originally Posted by crashh

Why, with the advanced skill level, are paramedics paid so little?

Because the barrier to entry is so low that Tyrion Lannister can use it for pull-ups.

Because of the SUPPLY vs demand issue.

Because Medicare views EMS as a medical taxi service and EMS is fragmented to the point that no one can stand up and say, "No, we're better than taxi drivers."

Because there's a sizable portion of EMS providers who are happy being medical taxi drivers, because being a medical professional is hard.

[crashh]

I just finished my EMT (actually waiting on the results - it's been 4 weeks!). I know i passed, just waiting for confirmation.

Anyway, I am planning to go to nursing school. Which will actually be a 3 year program, since I need some pre-requisites...so, pre-nursing into nursing.

Well, my company has just offered me, after some interest by myself, to pay for me to go to paramedic school. This program is a 1 year school. I would sign a contract to stay with my company for 3 years after completion of the course. In that time I plan to do the pre-nursing>nursing.

I'm not thinking about doing the paramedic for the money ( we are a volunteer dept), but i feel the field trauma experience will be good for me. My ultimate goal is to do travel nursing and eventually do national/international aide, so i thought the paramedic would help.

any thoughts?

[crashh]

Originally Posted by JPINFV

Because the barrier to entry is so low that Tyrion Lannister can use it for pull-ups.

[Christopher]

Who said Paramedics were paid so little?

Pay is commensurate with education, experience, and responsibility.

If it takes 1500 hours to become a Paramedic (this includes EMT-B time) the barrier to entry is pretty low. Expect low pay for vocational positions. As an example of how low the barrier to entry is for a Paramedic, in North Carolina many folks going to school to become a hair dresser (I may have just called them the EMS equivalent of an "Ambulance Driver", apologies in advance) have longer educational requirements!

While we may know we have a large responsibility, as a profession we've not accepted that. This is most evident in that people still believe protocols are The Word of God for the People of God. Standing orders are merely a vehicle to shift responsibility onto medical directors. It also shows we're still technicians rather than clinicians.

My view is that paramedics are currently being paid slightly under their market value, but that this is consistent with almost all vocational positions in the US. Wages for these types of jobs has lagged, and I doubt we'll see anything different to come. Even as a software engineer for a Fortune 5 company, in our group we've not seen our wages track with those in "softer" positions such as management, HR, or finance/sourcing. Welcome to the world of being an Individual Contributor.

A reasonable starting wage for a certified paramedic should be 2-3 times the minimum wage multiplied by a cost-of-living adjustment for the given area. This represents the relative difficulty in obtaining a certification as a paramedic and the responsibility on the employee. (Interestingly enough the current mean wages in the US are around 2x the minimum wage.)

A reasonable starting wage for a licensed paramedic, with an AS or BS and an additional 1-2 years of paramedic school, should be 4-5 times the minimum wage multiplied by a cost-of-living adjustment for the given area. This represents the relative difficulty in obtaining the post-secondary education and the additional responsibilities associated with licensure.

Considering the potential harm we're able to cause as providers it is pretty crazy how little education we're given. Complaints about getting paid less are not terribly well founded.

Given that hair dressers and HVAC technicians (4,000 hours of experience prior to licensure*) spend more time in school and apprenticeship than your average Paramedic, your question should be: "Why are Paramedics** so poorly educated?"

*I think the only program in the US that comes close to this is Seattle Medic One's paramedic program.
**I'm included in this group.

[NYMedic828]

Originally Posted by crashh

I just finished my EMT (actually waiting on the results - it's been 4 weeks!). I know i passed, just waiting for confirmation.

Anyway, I am planning to go to nursing school. Which will actually be a 3 year program, since I need some pre-requisites...so, pre-nursing into nursing.

Well, my company has just offered me, after some interest by myself, to pay for me to go to paramedic school. This program is a 1 year school. I would sign a contract to stay with my company for 3 years after completion of the course. In that time I plan to do the pre-nursing>nursing.

I'm not thinking about doing the paramedic for the money ( we are a volunteer dept), but i feel the field trauma experience will be good for me. My ultimate goal is to do travel nursing and eventually do national/international aide, so i thought the paramedic would help.

any thoughts?

They want you to be a medic to make THEM money. Work as an EMT, go to nursing school. Secure a better future for yourself.

If you are just finishing EMT, you probably haven't been with the company long enough to know you wanna work there for 4 more years.

[sir.shocksalot]

Originally Posted by Christopher

Who said Paramedics were paid so little?

Pay is commensurate with education, experience, and responsibility.

Bravo! Every time I hear a paramedic complain about their wage (or EMT for that matter) I have a good laugh.

Originally Posted by Christopher

If it takes 1500 hours to become a Paramedic (this includes EMT-B time) the barrier to entry is pretty low.

This is the problem, anyone, and I mean ANYONE can do my job. When all it takes to become a paramedic is an EMT card (aka. First-Aid for firefighters) and 4-6 months of your time, then employers are going to have serious reservations about paying you reasonable wages.

Many in EMS like to point fingers at nurses and say "Hey, I do all the same stuff they do, I should get paid as much!". If that is they case then it should be a simple task to get through nursing school... except that it isn't, most nursing programs require a year of A+P, chem, pathophys, basic english composition. Each class is one more filter so that only those with the drive to do well make it. In many places (there are always exceptions) there is absolutely no filter before paramedic school other than your EMT card.

Originally Posted by Christopher

Given that hair dressers and HVAC technicians (4,000 hours of experience prior to licensure*) spend more time in school and apprenticeship than your average Paramedic, your question should be: "Why are Paramedics** so poorly educated?"

I totally agree! I am not sure what it is that makes most EMS providers feel they are entitled to a higher wage simply because we have large responsibilities (relatively). Almost every worker on this planet thinks they deserve a higher wage, but few are willing to work hard to earn it.

If the minimum for Paramedic certification was an AAS you would see and increase in wages as the number of people able to obtain an AAS would decrease the supply of Paramedics. This will never happen so long as EMS agencies are happy with the status quo and EMS providers remain too lazy to change it.

If paramedics weren't allowed to leave EMS I'm sure this career would be much better. As it stands the best paramedics we have go to nursing school or PA school or leave health care entirely, which leaves EMS in a sad state of talent-deprivation.

[Tigger]

Originally Posted by sir.shocksalot

Many in EMS like to point fingers at nurses and say "Hey, I do all the same stuff they do, I should get paid as much!". If that is they case then it should be a simple task to get through nursing school... except that it isn't, most nursing programs require a year of A+P, chem, pathophys, basic english composition. Each class is one more filter so that only those with the drive to do well make it. In many places (there are always exceptions) there is absolutely no filter before paramedic school other than your EMT card.

And now cue the "I work on the streets, I don't need to take all of those college classes!" So few in EMS seem to understand that the point of taking these classes is to have a solid basis for trying to understand the human body. With this knowledge you can treat so many more patients efficiently and correctly. Just because you can practice as a paramedic without that knowledge does not mean you should, what happens when a patient fall between two pages of the protocol book?