Oilfield EMR/EMT season work schedule?

[hippocratical]

Hey Gang,

So I'm researching oilfield work (Alberta) and was wondering if EMR/EMT jobs are available year-round or only at certain points?

Am I right in thinking that winter time is the peak as you need frozen ground to move the huge machinery? Does this mean that there's no summer work?

I'm super green (taking EMR soon) but have found this site fantastic! Thanks all.

 

[Trauma Junkie]

I have worked in the oilfields in Wyoming. Major injuries can happen year round. We don't have specific EMS jobs in our oilfields though as we are only about 45 minutes from a regular ALS provider

 

[wandering_idiot]

Oilfield jobs are year round. you can try oilcareers dot com to start off with. Additionally, there's a yahoo group that has remote medics. Try searching on there to find them. Use 'Remote Medic' and they should be in the list.

 

[hippocratical]

Thanks for the info. From what I've gathered, at least for the Canadian oil sands, is that it's year round aside from he spring ice break-up.

 

[InsidiousStealth]

Since you're in the same city as me i'll give you some advice on what I know.

Firstly they are year round and the work is definitely there if that's what you're interested in though

However don't get the impression that it is just some grand luxury that you just get to sit around and get paid to do calls when they come. Its sort of like that but its sort of not.

It's only like that if you get a shack. otherwise you're stuck in their ambulance for 12-15 hours a day.

Also i'd strongly suggest on going with a company you know well and researched well. I had a really bad experience with one company that will remain nameless that poorly prepared me for the situation and the company that i was to provide standby medical services for put a lot of pressure on me in the middle of nowhere in Alberta to correct their mistakes and made me feel very uncomfortable so I walked off the jobsite and will probably never do an industrial job again. Unless I know I get a shack cause it was that bad of an experience for me. In short I wasn't prepared to go by maps in the middle of nowhere with poorly marked [or non marked signs for some areas], and we got lost on the way to the jobsite which believe me is pretty scary when you're in the middle of nowhere in the winter in -25 or more with nothing but a truck and you drive an hour into the middle of a foresty bushy area. I wasn't provided with a pegboard for tracking where the crews were [which is also part of your job], A burn kit, and a couple other things including an oil light that was on in my truck that my boss said to not worry about and that we'll fill it when i get back even though i was supposed to stay out there for a week with 2-3 hours of driving every day. All that was basically all on my shoulder ON TOP of being responsible for people who got hurt. I had huge anxiety about it and said screw it

Also be prepared to drive on really bad roads for which can be a long period of time every day, I was driving through snow drifts that were probably 3-4 feet high and I couldnt have imagined doing that for an hour and a half at night. and that when :censored::censored::censored::censored: hits the fan YOU are responsible for dealing with it. Someone said prior that they shouldn't have EMR's do the job cause they have no practicum experience and after doing a full EMT practicum I tend to agree, there's a lot to learn and know on this job and a lot of people get blinded by prospects of easy money and forget that you're there to help people

Hope this helps don't let this discourage you if this is what you want to do but just know that it bears more responsibility then you think it does. Lots of good people do well at it and like doing it

 

[hippocratical]

InsidiousStealth - Your post does point out the potential Shenanigans of working "out there"! Good to hear, although I hope to deal with most weather based things as I'm fairly kitted out for such locations (I'm currently a climbing instructor and work at MEC!). Sitting in a MTC all day does sound sucky but I'll at least give it a try - my main concern there would be getting fat!

I'm certainly planning to hit my EMT as soon a possible, but unless the magic money fairy visits me then I'll need some industrial $$$ to get me there.

 

[InsidiousStealth]

InsidiousStealth - Your post does point out the potential Shenanigans of working "out there"! Good to hear, although I hope to deal with most weather based things as I'm fairly kitted out for such locations (I'm currently a climbing instructor and work at MEC!). Sitting in a MTC all day does sound sucky but I'll at least give it a try - my main concern there would be getting fat!

I'm certainly planning to hit my EMT as soon a possible, but unless the magic money fairy visits me then I'll need some industrial $$$ to get me there.

I wish you luck with your decision and hope it works out for you and hope you can get on with a good company. Just be mindful of what I said though and keep up on your skills/knowledge base while you're out there.

It may have sounded grim but I just wanted to make that post to help you out and others reading this thread.

 

[nomofica]

Yes, the work is there year round. As an EMR, don't expect to do too much (this is situation specific; you may get to do a lot - but remember your scope of practice).

 

[McGoo]

I worked in northern BC as an oil medic: Worst. Job. Ever.

I did my OFA-3, then an Alberta EMR bridging course, and headed up there knowing only that the money was good. I received very little training in what to do on the site, what anyone else was doing, and what was expected of me. The guys I was working with treated me like excrement, the consultant considered my job an absoloute waste of time, and I hated it. I was following a snubbing rig around from lease to lease, and while there was a shack provisioned for me to use on the site, the consultant wouldn't let me use it as he considered it 'his' territory. Long days of astounding boredom, with no respite in any form.

I lasted two months and quit, but then I hadn't planned on being up there long. Some people seem to enjoy the work, but I simply cannot grasp how you can put up with that much abuse for that long.

 

[bcemr]

If anyone has any links to sites or companies currently hiring that would be great. I've found some on the ACP site but having a recommendation from people on a site like this is never a bad thing.

Thanks!