Requiring Post-High School education? (Associates Degrees / Bachelor Degrees / Etc)

[mycrofft]

US Census Bureau, 2000

Earnings increase with educational level.
Adults ages 25 to 64 who worked at any time during the study period earned an average of $34,700 per year. Average earnings ranged from $18,900 for high school dropouts to $25,900 for high school graduates, $45,400 for college graduates, and $99,300 for workers with professional degrees (M.D., J.D., D.D.S., or D.V.M.). As shown in Figure 1, with the exception of workers with professional degrees who have the highest average earnings, each successively higher education level is associated with an increase in earnings.

http://www.census.gov/prod/2002pubs/p23-210.pdf

 

[MedicBrew]

For what it's worth, the new NREMT levels don't really change that much. Medics are still medics, basics are still basics, and I85s are now AEMTs. I99s were just undertrained medics and really needed to be done away with regardless.

I should have said, change titles. It's my understanding that the I 85's will stay the same and simply fade away through attrition. I 99's either have to retake the test for the AEMT level or slid back to the EMT level.

I was an I 85, and felt that for the most part was simply a "Trauma Medic" more than anything. No disrespect to any I 85's, but thats how I felt when I was there. I was mis-used in order to have an ALS unit on the streets.

The only real change for the Paramedics is they bumped up our re-cert requirements from 72 hrs to 84 hrs to include EMSC / special needs children, Hazmat awareness (hazwoper will not work any longer), and Oklahoma's new trauma triage system.

No real improvements.

 

[JPINFV]

Earnings increase with educational level.
Adults ages 25 to 64 who worked at any time during the study period earned an average of $34,700 per year. Average earnings ranged from $18,900 for high school dropouts to $25,900 for high school graduates, $45,400 for college graduates, and $99,300 for workers with professional degrees (M.D., J.D., D.D.S., or D.V.M.). As shown in Figure 1, with the exception of workers with professional degrees who have the highest average earnings, each successively higher education level is associated with an increase in earnings.

http://www.census.gov/prod/2002pubs/p23-210.pdf

 

[mycrofft]

HAHA good one!!

Correlation suggests likelihood.
I suppose anyone can luck into a small private IFT run by a demented billionaire who hires EFR's and pays them with precious stones and dancing girls (or guys).
Anything is possible, but likelihood narrows it down somewhat.

(Care to draw to that inside straight against my maybe two pairs?)

 

[JPINFV]

Education in and of itself doesn't increase wages. Heck, my father makes just north of $100k/year now in a position where he should have a masters in engineering. He started with a specialty certification (airframe and power plant rating) and in the 1990's started working towards an associates degree until he finally stopped caring since it wouldn't do him any good (he's against getting a degree just to say he has a degree). Now, granted, his experience, practical know how, and ability to appropriately play office politics along with being able to produce results makes him a complete outlier. Similarly, aerospace engineering is in no way comparable to EMS when it comes to reimbursement.

However...

Increasing education increases the barrier to entry which results in decreased supply. Since employees are less replaceable, wages increase as they demand more and can't be replaced.

Similarly, if increasing education can be used to justify an increase in scope of practice along the lines of treat and release and the like, then that use can be leveraged to increase usefulness, and subsequent reimbursement. Thus the issue of degree vs no degree isn't nearly as important as how degree programs, in theory, change the education delivery as well as the validation of education it provides.

 

[mycrofft]

Luck favors the prepared.
Most people do not work in their field of preparation if they attend a regular college or university (versus a specialized School or a trade school).
Correlate. Discuss. Get a latte. Draw or fold.