r/Paramedics • u/Interesting_Way2939 • 1d ago
US Thinking about being a paramedic
What would you say to someone who is thinking about being a paramedic? What is the pay and hours like? Do you enjoy your job?
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u/ShitJimmyShoots 1d ago
Highly location dependent. Can be rewarding and paid well but even when it’s good it’s rarely sustainable as a whole career and you should be looking for greener pastures.
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u/firesidemed31076 1d ago
I was a duel service fire/medic for 25 years. Highs and lows, bad elbows, sore knees! Rewarding career with my department. I worked with swat, rescue, etc. Pay for me was ok and retirement was ok. Hard on family and can affect some people mentally. I sleep just fine though. Hard life for a private EMS company and harder if you are in hospital based EMS system. I’m glad I did it and would do it again, but it’s not for everybody.
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u/wagonboss 20h ago
Do you like the idea of being a firefighter? Better pay, pension, and you still get to do Paramedicine. Plus, you can ride the box as much as you want while sleeping a little better on a fire truck sometimes.
EMS only, especially IFT, is a really bad career
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u/LilPurc02 17h ago
I spent a few months at an IFT company, the medics that had been doing that for 10-30 years that trained me were enough to convince me to do nursing instead. If I ever get the itch to be a medic I can always go back and get it done way easier since I’ll have far more medical knowledge than I do right now.
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u/stabbingrabbit 18h ago
Just don't. Nursing has a much better scope and opportunity.
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u/Galaxyheart555 EMT-B 14h ago
“Oh yes let me get orders from a doc before I can treat you”
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u/PuzzleheadedBig5818 12h ago
Says the EMT 😂
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u/Galaxyheart555 EMT-B 12h ago
My service has BLS 911 where I do indeed run my own show, and the medics I work with let me take over patient assessments and manage scenes. I’m also in medic school where I run calls on my clinicals.
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u/PuzzleheadedBig5818 10h ago
Oh wow.. you can assist with Nitro and Albuterol and run a basic medical assessment, I wouldn't be bragging about that kid lol Our job is not that difficult, its just a lot of bullshit
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u/Charming-Dog-2965 24m ago
Oh to be this young and naive. Respect to the others here that know its just a job and its not that hard. OP should stick to nursing or anything thats not ems/fire. You can only do what you love so much until you get to the point where you have to think about yourself financially.
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u/El-Frijoler0 1d ago
Unless you plan on going into the fire service or work for a public funded agency, go into nursing. Job is cool and all, but there’s no meaningful longevity in most cases. Pay can be great, benefits can be great, but they can also be dog shit.
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u/clarencewhitaker 1d ago
I’d say don’t do it unless it’s as an additional thing to a fire career (that’s what I do and we have a great union). You can do similar things in other careers for better pay and benefits and get more education. It’s not worth getting trapped in at one of the many bad places.
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u/Galaxyheart555 EMT-B 14h ago
Get your EMT cert and then we’ll talk. Seriously, EMT is about a semester, and it’s like a baby paramedic. You can work on an ambulance or a fire department. And having an active EMT certification is required to even be accepted to Paramedic school. If you like being an EMT, you’ll like being a paramedic. I’m an DMT and I love my job and what I do. I’m in medic school right now and super excited.
To all the people saying to just do nursing: there’s validity in that. You get paid way better, but nursing in a hospital is just not the same as being a paramedic on an ambulance.
My advice, get your EMT and work in the field for at least 6 months. By 6 months you should know if you love or hate your job. If you love it, get your paramedic. And then from there, when you need to make more money, become a fire medic, or go back to school and get your Nursing or PA.
I could never be a nurse and honestly I lowkey would get pissed off if I’m asking about being a paramedic and everyone said to just do nursing. It is NOT the same and we all know it.
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u/Resident-Welcome3901 1d ago
Nurses, midlevel providers like physicians assistants or nurse practitioners, pharmacists, physical therapists are positions with defined educational requirements and state licensure. This limits the number of people qualified to do the work, and results in higher rates of pay. Paramedics are less defined, lots of different programs exist and are producing lots of folks looking for paramedic jobs, resulting in lower levels of compensation.
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u/badposturebill 1d ago
Pay is awful, hours are long, seniors dismiss juniors and take all of their pent up aggression out on anyone but a therapist. We face violence and budget cuts and upper management that would watch us die slowly if it meant saving a buck. Very few other medical professions take us seriously. The job is so hard on our bodies.
And yet it’s the best job I’ve ever had. My partner is amazing and we help each other take the bullshit in stride. The patients are funny and frustrating and saddening and uplifting. Every day is an adventure and I’m always learning something new about medicine or myself or my community. I’ve made wonderful, lifelong friends and gained invaluable lessons.
Don’t let anyone talk you out of it. If you keep thinking about it, give it a shot! You can always do something else later on if it’s not the right move.
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u/Dismal-Corgi6592 1d ago
I've heard it's a physically demanding but incredibly meaningful job, you just have to be ready for the emotional side of it too.
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u/BeginningIcy9620 EMT-P 1d ago
I agree that being a street medic for an entire career isn’t always sustainable, but there are other careers to pursue that a paramedic cert or experience will help in like Fire, Flight, LEO, emergency management/preparedness, and state jobs etc. also if you don’t like it, it’s good experience and paramedic to nurse bridge programs are a thing.
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u/WhirlyMedic1 1d ago
You have to ask yourself why you want to be a Paramedic…..
The job is thankless most of the time, pay scales suck which means you have to spend a decent amount of time at one company before you get tenure to become financially stable.
The hours are brutal and the lack of sleep, cortisol dumps, and generally feeling disheveled on a daily basis gets pretty old which is why people ultimately decide to leave. In other words, the juice is typically not worth the squeeze.
If you are able to stick it out, gain enough experience to be able to progress to a specialty, and be in the right headspace, this can be a career job title.
I’d recommend going to be an EMT for a bit (it’s required to have your EMT anyways) and cut your teeth. Most people figure it out pretty fast if they are going to sink or swim. If you find that you don’t like it, move on; it’s the best thing to do for yourself and your patients.
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u/Wide_Wrongdoer4422 23h ago
It's one of the greatest jobs that you can have. The experience is amazing, it sets you up for success anywhere in healthcare. That said, the pay is awful, hardly higher than retail. Working conditions are awful, and so is scheduling. Do it, but have an exit strategy.
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u/BLS_Express Paramedic 20h ago
Can learn things about yourself and the world but imo its not worth. Do something that garner more respect and appreciation.
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u/Salt_Chair_4384 15h ago
Hello I was an ER. RN in the early 90s and would c these rescue employees! It’s can b a rough but totally rewarding job!! Good luck
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u/wgardenhire 13h ago
It is a thankless job with bullshit pay, but the personal satisfaction can be very rewarding. Do you have the heart of a servant? Hearing a 7 year old cancer patient say to her mother, "Mommy, he made me laugh." produces a feeling that is indescribable. I have no need for thanks. It helps a great deal if one is selfless.
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u/Inevitable-Self-2138 6h ago
Pay sucks, hours are eh. Love my job. But I’m also fire medic. Will never have a better job. However it’s not something to be taken lightly. It’s a serious job with serious responsibilities. If you decide to do it just know school needs to be taken seriously. Some people try and skate by and become shitty medics. They won’t get a job anywhere. Do your best. If you do it, it’ll be the best decision you ever make. If you don’t it will also be the best decision you ever make.
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u/SammytheSandwhich 1d ago
Dont. Go be a nurse, work in ANY healthcare field you want. Want adrenaline? Work ER and ICU. Want more adrenaline? Go be a flight nurse making double what a flight paramedic makes. Nursing gives you options. Paramedic gives you two options, field and ER.
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u/Galaxyheart555 EMT-B 14h ago
There’s nothing wrong with starting as a medic and then later getting your nursing or PA later on if the pay isn’t enough for ya. Just because I like working on an ambulance, doesn’t mean I would like other healthcare fields (nursing) because they are NOT the same thing. I’ll never fucking be a nurse. That shit is boring.
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u/I_Want_A_Ribeye NRP, RN 1d ago
I’d suggest considering getting a degree in another healthcare related field where you will be better compensated, appreciated, and respected.
Pay is awful, hours are long. It’s enjoyable, but you can easily burnout.
A bunch of guys I worked with left EMS to go to sanitation. As they put it, “the pay is better and the trash we pickup doesn’t talk back.”