King County Medic One

[Level1pedstech]

Does anyone have any information on king county medic one in Washington. I checked out the web site but had a few more questions about the program. Thank you in advance for any information.

 

[Flight-LP]

why not call them and ask for more information?

 

[Level1pedstech]

That sounds like the right approach but I am not looking for my information from an admin point of view. I would much rather talk to someone with first hand knowledge of the program, a current employee would be nice, but anyone with information from a providers point of view would be great. Thank you for the reply.

 

[PotatoMedic]

From all the medics that I have talked to they love it and would not want to work anywhere else. You could call the fire departments and ask to talk to the medics or call the the public relations officer of the departments and ask how you can talk to a medic. (or go there and ask if you can talk to them). The only way you will work in King County as a medic and not test/work for a fire department is by testing for King County Medic One. They provide the coverage for the south king county area and are independent of the fire department. (though I believe they use the same stations). The rest of the county is covered by fire based medic services. All go through the same medic school and all follow the same protocols. I have been told the testing process is as hard if not harder to get in then some fire departments but that could just be them blowing their own horn.

They are testing now so if you want to apply go to this website. https://www.publicsafetytesting.com/ Just follow the links and you will find king county medic one.

Hope I helped. If you have any questions I can bounce them off one of the medics teaching my emt class (or some at the fire department when I see them).

 

[BossyCow]

What's your question?

 

[Level1pedstech]

FireWA1

Thank you for the information.

Bossy Cow

I received an e-mail from my training officer showing that king county medic one is testing. I'm not used to asking questions about agencies that are in open recruitment.On some sites its not appreciated if you give out testing information. On these sites people pay a small monthly fee for testing notification and giving up information is bad for their bottom line.
With that said here is my dilemma. King county medic one uses public safety testing for their written and EMT test, I have tested with them before and its a fairly basic test. The problem is I received the e-mail a little late in the game and am left with only one test date that I can work into my schedule. My questions are how many do they take from their list each year,are there allot of VERY well qualified applicants applying or is it your usual FF/EMT test scenario with everybody and their dog looking for a job. I know the requirements to test are more than most open tests. I guess i'm trying to see if the loss of a days pay and a 400 mile drive is worth the effort or should I wait till the next test cycle so I can test here in my area. I was on the notification list for king county but somehow did not get the testing information that's why i'm so far behind in the process.Sorry to go on so long but I wanted to fully explain my situation. Thank you in advance for any help.

 

[PotatoMedic]

I don't know how many people are being hired off this list and I am not sure if they test each year. You might want to email them an ask. The rest is really up to you. Do you want to try this year or go for next year? Good luck!

 

[Level1pedstech]

They do hold a test on a yearly basis,how many actually move on to the training program of each recruitment is anybody's guess. I'M not in a real big hurry at this point,to be honest any fire/EMS job would mean a big cut in pay and benefits. I do plan on going to medic school in the future and the program medic one offers sounds like a great program when you compare it to some of the medic mills churning out freshly minted medics some of whom are only looking to get a foot on the station floor. I am highly against people going medic, thinking it will help them land a fire job. I have seen to many poorly motivated medics in both the field and ER setting. I did not mean to go off topic but its a big issue in my book. Become a medic because you want to be a medic end of discussion.

 

[BossyCow]

I guess i'm trying to see if the loss of a days pay and a 400 mile drive is worth the effort or should I wait till the next test cycle so I can test here in my area. I was on the notification list for king county but somehow did not get the testing information that's why i'm so far behind in the process.Sorry to go on so long but I wanted to fully explain my situation. Thank you in advance for any help.

How badly do you want to work there and how good are your skills? Its a competitive market. How well do you handle competition? I mean if they are only hiring one.. do you want to be that one, and are you good enough to deserve it?

To shy away from a competitive job posting says more about your skills and your confidence in them than any resume. I understand your reluctance to travel and invest in what may be a miss, but what if you win? What if you are that unique combination of skills, training and personal charm that they are looking for?

 

[NomadicMedic]

The word is, KCM1 is hiring 4 new medics to enter the training program.

Test for it... what have you got to lose?

Every KC medic I've spoken to loves it and wouldn't want to work anywhere else.

 

[Luno]

Unless you're very well placed, I doubt that you're making more money. Medic One is not your run of the mill FD/EMS job, and does pay significantly better. They are highly competitive, and I would recommend that you google King County Medic One, if you do decide to apply and review exactly why there are so many applicants. You have a better chance of getting hired by Seattle Fire Department than KC Medic One. Best of luck...

 

[Level1pedstech]

Bossy Cow

You make some great points. Because I do already have a good job outside of EMS I don't get as excited over taking tests and sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for the call. I have over the last ten years followed a plan that has built my skills and knowledge to the point I now feel ready for medic school. From first responder to EMT-B to EMT-IV and other areas of pre hospital emergency medicine. I tech in a level one children's emergency room not for the 17.00 per hour pay but for the wealth of knowledge and experience I have gained working along side the best in the field. I told myself from the start that I would take each step of the ladder only moving on when I felt the time was right. I have taken a few tests in the past but don't do real well, EMT being the exception, for that reason I will pass on medic one and wait until I can go through one of the programs offered locally. I do appreciate the advice.

Luno

I do not work full time in a FF/EMT job, I do tech on call in the peds ER but the pay is modest. I am a teamster truck driver for one of the grocery outfits here in the northwest. When I speak of pay and benefits I look at the whole package pay,retirement,health and welfare, and vacation time. All said and done I'm just over 100,000.00 per year. King county might pay better but I don't think it would be much more. Plus I have tons of seniority which means I have a pretty easy schedule. It makes it tough to even consider leaving, I always figured EMS would be a second full time career since I will be relatively young when I retire. I am impressed with the king county program and anyone accepted in should be very grateful. I do appreciate the information.

 

[emtbill]

So what's the big deal with the King County and Seattle Medic One? Will going through this hiring process get you a full time job while you're going through the training process? Shouldn't the glory be placed on University of Washington / Harborview Medical Center as they are the ones training the medics? What's with all the glory placed on the medic one providers when all the medics graduate from the same program?

 

[PotatoMedic]

When I (someone who lives in King County) say King County Medic One I am talking about all the medics in King County, not just south King County Medic One (the agency that the OP is considering applying to).

Side note... there are 5 medic one programs in king county. But they all in the end (from what I understand) report to the head man of the Medic program in King County.

 

[triemal04]

So what's the big deal with the King County and Seattle Medic One? Will going through this hiring process get you a full time job while you're going through the training process? Shouldn't the glory be placed on University of Washington / Harborview Medical Center as they are the ones training the medics? What's with all the glory placed on the medic one providers when all the medics graduate from the same program?

Because, if you haven't noticed, (and haven't apparently) there is more to making a good EMS system than just a good school for the initial education. King County Medic One (the SYSTEM, not the SERVICE) is one of the only, if not the only place in the US that has integrated all parts of EMS into the system; from the intial education at Harborview (which the system is involved with) to continued ed, ambulance staffing, protocls, QA/QI, research, etc etc. The way it's set up is one of the better models that other agencies should base themselves off of.

And yes, you do have a full-time job that you get paid for while going through Harborview; it's called going to Harborview. The only potential paramedics that Harborview accepts have allready been hired by KCM1 the service, or the various fire departments in King County that run the ambulances.

 

[Level1pedstech]

Another benefit with the program is already having your clinicals and internship covered. This may not be a problem for all but I do know of medics scrambling around at the last minute looking for somewhere to intern. I like the "bundled" aspect of the program and since I work at the only other level one trauma facility in the pacific northwest I can tell you there is a big plus to doing your clinicals in a level one setting. Just the networking alone is worth its weight in gold. With trauma transfers coming in from outlying areas I have had the chance to meet and talk to crews from many different agencies from rural volunteer to big city full timers its been a great tool for gathering information and contacts for later on down the road. I would like to see this model used more, I'm sure we could all benefit from such a program.

 

[41 Duck]

As a former PT of King County Medic One, I can say nothing but good things about them. They treated/transported me for a hand bisection back in '02. Yeah, it was a real laff riot!


Later!

--Coop