Texas Job Hunt Commences!

RocketMedic

RocketMedic

Californian, Lost in Texas
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With a year and a half left before ETS, I'm looking for a full time job to start in January 2013. For now, what do y'all have to say about Guardian EMS?

I'm looking to work 911 in Texas as a paramedic, but I can move as needed.
 
Hi! Been lurking around the forum for awhile. Came upon your thread and thought I'd give my two cents considering I work for Guardian EMS in the DFW area.

I Work in the DFW area. Guardian only does IFT service in DFW with an exception of Mesquite they are on standby for 911. I can't speak for other stations in Texas. But, I can chime in on dfw.

Guardian's turnaround is pretty high. (in DFW) They tend to hire the lowest common denominator when it comes to medics and EMT's. The good ones they do hire. They usually leave within 3 months. Because they get tired of dealing with the crap the other employees lay on them. They run 8, 12, and 26 hour shifts. But 98% of the time you'll be working 3 hours longer then your scheduled time to get off. Primarily because the new crew either quit or didn't show up. They just recently changed the schedule to where there is no end time on your shift. Because they don't know...

When you work all that overtime. (I did $500 in overtime this last week) They'll come to you and yell at you because you worked too much overtime..

The vice president at the carrollton station sees all employees as expendable. So expect to be yelled at for just about anything. My first day out in the unit I told dispatch to standby while i was getting information. It happened to be the CEO on the other end of the mic...He got pissed that i told him to stand by. Was called into the vice presidents office and got YELLED at and threatened to fire me for it....

Starting pay for EMT's is 12 dollars an hour. Paramedics get 22 an hour. If your on an IFT 8 hour truck. expect to work 6 days a week, not 8 but around 10 to 12 hours a day. If you need time off for personal or educational reasons. Well You are SOL...I was told to find another job when i asked for time off for further education reasons....

The only word that comes to mind regarding Guardian is, "Slave Driver"

But, at the end of the day. I know I'm moving to Oklahoma City to further my career as an EMT. So I've accepted Guardians B.S knowing its not forever...
 
That sounds demoralizing to say the least. Medicwest Las Vegas had amazingly great leadership, hoping to go back to similar quality. Guardian DFW doesn't sound like it.
 
When I first got my medic, I was offered a job by Guardian DFW, but turned it down due to many of the concerns noted.
 
I've heard the same about Gaurdian toward Bastrop also. I'll plug Acadian as a decent place if you don't mind moving. Not sure what our current openings are.


Sent from my electronic overbearing life controller
 
I can certainly move. El Paso is not very friendly to us gingers.
 
Linuss said:
When I first got my medic, I was offered a job by Guardian DFW, but turned it down due to many of the concerns noted.
Click to expand...

I was hired on the spot, Was in a unit 3 day later. Most people will say. Wow!! i should go there...They are lowering their standards because they can't keep people in trucks while getting new clients. So they just want bodies in the trucks. I see it as. The easier it is to get onto a company. The crappier they are...

90% of the EMT's come in half dressed. Their hygiene is questionable (most look like they just woke up in a road cone after a night of partying).

They probably can't get onto companies like Medic One, Medstar or Lone Star in DFW because the way they look and act..So Guardian takes them knowing nobody else will take them...

If I wasn't moving to Oklahoma City, I'd be talking to Medstar in a second...
 
I have a friend who works for Guarden EMS in DFW area and he is a little frustrated with them and there ways of doing things. I have an interview set for them but unsure of what to do because I am having a really hard time finding a EMT job since I am fresh out of school. I really want a EMT job but I don't want to just settle for something. Plus the drive to Dallas vs the pay is another thing I am having to look at.
 
without having any real knowledge of any Texas companies, many/most places are looking to hire people with at least a year of experience.

not only that, but almost every job will tell you they would rather hire someone who is employed instead of someone who isn't. that's the the way hiring mangers are.

if the company sucks that much, that you can either accept the job, and work it until you get something better, or work it until you have the necessary experience level to no longer be considered "brand new."

or turn down the offer, or quit after a week, and hope a better company picks you up in what appears to be a market that favor the employer, not the employee.
 
I'm active-duty Army as a medic and I work part-time with Culberson County EMS.
What do y'all know about Champion?

Also, what is Guardian's Abilene operation like?
Finally what is Lone Star?
 
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Rocketmedic said:
I'm active-duty Army as a medic and I work part-time with Culberson County EMS.
What do y'all know about Champion?

Also, what is Guardian's Abilene operation like?
Finally what is Lone Star?
Click to expand...

Lone star is a company out of Garland Texas. I swear they used to have a website but can't find it anymore. I talked to a Lone Star EMT one day. He started as a Wheelchair driver with them. He has no complaints.

Anybody know anything about Paramedics Plus? They are the Parant company of EMSA in Oklahoma City. They own Ambulance companies in East Texas, Colorado and Florida. They are the biggest Ambulance company in Texas. Guardian is second to them.

Medic One Response in Dallas is also worth looking into. They got really nice units and I went to lunch with an EMT crew one day. They like it and don't run like Guardian does...
 
okiemedic said:
Lone star is a company out of Garland Texas. I swear they used to have a website but can't find it anymore. I talked to a Lone Star EMT one day. He started as a Wheelchair driver with them. He has no complaints.

Anybody know anything about Paramedics Plus? They are the Parant company of EMSA in Oklahoma City. They own Ambulance companies in East Texas, Colorado and Florida. They are the biggest Ambulance company in Texas. Guardian is second to them.

Medic One Response in Dallas is also worth looking into. They got really nice units and I went to lunch with an EMT crew one day. They like it and don't run like Guardian does...
Click to expand...

Actually, East Texas Medical Center is the parent company of Paramedic Plus. Paramedic Plus does not operate an EMS system in Texas, ETMC does, and yes they are the largest ambulance service in the State of Texas. Guardian is not the second largest, Acadian is with around 100 units. There are several folks on here that work with both entities and could probably shed some light on these agencies.

Medic One Response is a decent firm. I've worked with Jim Reeves in the past, he knows what he's doing and has some sound experience few will obtain. They are still relatively new in the metroplex and as many know, that market is an unstable one that is diluted with the recent uprising of a multitude of companies. They have a few issues that concern me (probably trivial to most), and they have a lot of hype when it comes to their website. They are another IFT company playing the game in a competitive market. Time will tell where their performance and reputation goes.

As I have voiced several times before, I would decline pursuing Guardian for anything more than an emergent paycheck secondary to unemployment. Actually, I'd probably be better off just taking unemployment! They have had a multitude of financial and legal issues over the last decade and their reputation isn't one to be proud of in some circles.

Rocket - I've said before, if you're looking to expand your career into the air medical side, Omniflight / Air Methods has several openings in El Paso and surrounding areas. The El Paso base I know for a fact is 6 Medics short. I really think you should give it a shot.

Outside of that, don't waste time on seeking the first small time operation that will take you. Look for the quality within a system. There are many of them in Texas. You just have to find them at the right time and get to know some good people who can help you along the way, i.e. ME! lol
 
My chain of command isn't super-thrilled with me on an aeromedical team. It's a bit harder to get back in the event of a recall then it is from Van Horn. My 1SG seems to think that aeromedical teams are deathtraps as well after the last crash on Dona Ana.

As soon as that ETS goes through though...

The way I see it, I've got 1.5 years left to find a great job. No pressure at all.
 
Champion EMS

I did my rideouts with Champion out of its Henderson station, which covers almost all of Rusk county and does both 911 and IFT. The people I got to work with were all pretty awesome and they have a great management team and very advanced protocols. I'm pretty sure it's now Champion Incorporated, but I know that you'd rather work for a station that was originally by Trinity Mother Frances and not Good Shepherd because of some "intelligence and training issues."

Just a side note, I'm looking for my first ems job with Texas Vital Care, Cooke County EMS and TCSC in Gainesville.
 
Rocketmedic, I may know one or two things about Champion. PM me with what you want to know.
 
Lone Star also run around my area up in Sherman Tx and I know some people who work with them and they say its a pretty good company. MedicOne is one place I am really trying to get on with cause I have heard a lot of good things about them.
 
Texas Vital Care get a lot of applications. I am waiting one a call back for an interview hopefully soon. and I have also Applied for Cook County too. I have applications out everywhere just not having any luck with getting called back.
 
I turned my application for tvc in todau in Bells. I have to go up to Cooke County tomorrow to pick up an application since I just now have really started my North Texas job hunt.
 
Anybody from the Dallas area know anything about Metroplex Transit? I looked them up yesterday online. They run wheelchair vans with EMT's and Paramedics. They say they don't hire "Just" drivers....

I think all Ambulance companies should run at least ECA's in wheelchair vans. The class isn't that long and gives you the basic knowledge if something bad goes wrong. Last week we had 4 patients have problems in our wheelchair vans. Guardian hires people off the street with no medical knowledge at all to drive their wheelchair vans.

Guardian is a lawsuit waiting to happen. We also had a wheelchair vans ramp collapse. They bought this 2000 ford E250 rust bucket from Chicago. The ramp is all rusted out...

You can also check out a company called Rescue Squad...One of their units looks like a roadside assistance truck.... :rofl: its a sprinter with magnetic amber beacons on top...
 
I have my app at TVC waiting on a call back too. I have mine in at Lonestar also even though they are not hiring. North Texas is a hard place to find a good EMS job.
 
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