djmedic

I am contemplating relocating to Florida. Possibly the Kissimmee/St. Cloud area. I know that Florida does not have reciprocity with any other state. But any information about EMS or EMS companies in that area would be of great help.

Thank You

Experience is not gained when you have a 10 minute BLS run to the ER.

Actually it is. Experience is gained from every call. from the holy crap call to the BS taxi ride...

every little thing helps...

No, I don't but I do have inside information, as it were... Ik will send you a PM.

WM

ok

hello everyone

i need some help

i was at the docs in philly and a nurse who was a philly cop wanted to know if she wanted to be a philly emt did she have to be a fire fighter too? i told her i had no clue but look into it for her. im from nj (hold the laughs) so i have no clue how philly works but i thought id get some help here.

shes a nurse in a docs office was a philly cop now wants to be an emt. so if anyone can help me help her thank you!!!

everyone have a great weekend (not before you help me of course hahha)

be careful and enjoy!

2wheelie

phili fire handles ems for the city...

if anyone else handles 911 for Philli I would interested in knowing whom as well

I'm not going to comment on NJ as i have very limited experience. You may, however, consider Delaware and the following people:

http://nccde.org/ems/home/webpage1.asp

You couldn't wish to meet a better bunch of people and they are also not fire-based. The distance may be a little far to commute, depending on your location, but southern NJ is a stone's throw away.

WM

do you work there?

per google maps it is only a 2hr drive from where my wife is looking

No matter how good you and the people you work with are, an atmosphere like that will break your spirit quickly. The NJ medics I have known here on this forum all burned out or just plain hated it. But at least burnout assures that a job opens up ever now and then. You just gotta remember that you aren't likely to last any longer than the guy you replaced did.

If I start already burnt out, will that help............

UGH....

and the wife wants to stay within 1 hour of the great adventure area because that is where the family lives...so in that location anything outside the state of NJ would be one hell of a commute...

No, you don't know this. Why don't you know this? Because it doesn't happen in NJ. You call a doc in a box who, chances are, you may never see no matter how many times you bring a patient into that hospital. They won't care if you have a clue or not.

You will call the doc on *every* patient with whom you come into contact. They will not care what you have to say. They will half heartedly listen to your mindless report then they will give you orders of what to do regardless of what you think is appropriate.

It doesn't matter what you know about overzealous volly squads in NY. They can't hold a candle to the ridiculousness that is NJ. Volly squads in NJ run NJEMS. The reason that NJEMS is the dysfunctional, and, at times, dangerous mess that it is can be traced directly back to volly EMS in NJ.

You'd have better chances of winning the lottery and getting struck by lightning on the same day than you would being able to change anything about NJEMS or any one system in particular. The system is broken beyond repair. The vollies will not allow change. The state has no power, or will, or money to stand up to them. Change has been attempted by people far better than you or I. And it has failed and failed miserably.

The joke for a long time was that something would have to happen to a VIP for NJEMS to change. Well, the governor was almost killed when his State Trooper driver wrecked the vehicle in which he (the gov) was riding. There was a lot of fallout from that accident. Despite the fallout, nothing has changed. So bad things happening to even VIPs can't change anything.

I don't mean to burst your bubble. But you seriously have no idea just what you're getting yourself into. You're sitting there thinking, "It can't be *that* bad." And you're partially right. It's not that bad. It's so much worse than what you're thinking.

Your wife wants to move to NJ. I get it. Your trying to keep a positive attitude is admirable. But you really, honestly have no clue what kind of mess you're getting into.

If you insist on moving down there, I must caution you (aside from what's already been said). Another responder to this thread mentioned MONOC. YOU DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, WANT TO WORK FOR MONOC!!! The joke is that you can't spell MONOC without "O NO". There is a reason for this and unfortunately it's not a joke.

And like I said earlier. Pennsylvania's just a quick hop on the AC Expressway.

-be safe

wow...I take it you work or have worked in NJ...which company? ok let it out, I know you want to...what is so bad about MONOC?

I looked into Phili and it seems that a new hire medic at Phili fire start at a set amount regardless of experience and they don't pay all that well, either...

I am trying to keep a positive outlook on working in NJ and you are really scaring me. You were correct that I am thinking 'well, I know it is bad, but I can handle it'.

I am not truly being left with many options...

We've got this great forum where people from all over the world discuss EMS and we tend to learn from them. Heck I'm not in the same country and I know NJ EMS is broken. Main points that come to mind are that NJ is a volunteer dominated system where just about every rural "First Aid Squad" has an Ambulance and some undertrained, over adrenalined firsr aiders playing at pre-hospital medicine. ALS is few and far betweeen.

Oh yeah...that I know...I also the protocols are very limiting...

I am in a progressive (well, it feels progressive after working in Buffalo, NY) system. the only thing I need to call med-control for is RSI. It is a VERY nice feeling know I can treat my patients appropriately with out having to argue with an ER doc. But I also know that starting out in NJ will be mother may I but as time goes on and the ER docs realize I actually have a clue then it won't so bad at that point.

I know about the volly squads and their over zealousness. I understand how that works coz in the suburbs of Buffalo they all have ambulances so I have dealt that mentality before...it gets really tough biting your tongue at times...lol

I will admit, I would also like to try to improve the system there...or at least help to try...I am not a 1 man show by any means...lol...

Ah, okay. Well, he's right about that. It's among the worst places for EMS in the country, and many would argue that it is the worst. Underfunded. Overregulated. Very few jobs. Even fewer employers. Not a single accredited school in the entire state. Shall I continue?

Actually yes. please continue. Do you work in the state? Do you have 1st hand knowledge of this? If not, how did you learn of this?

you don't want to go to jersey, come out to Los Angeles and make some serious $$$$$$$.

I know... I have been told all about NJ EMS...but I have family there...

but out of curiosity, how much is serious money?

Is there a way I could get a copy of the NJ Paramedic protocols?

How are medics usually deployed? Are you 911 only? Transfers only? a mix (scheduled 911 & transfer days, you start 911 but if a transfer comes in they pull you from rotation, etc)?

Do you know what starting average pay is NJ?

Is there a union?

How are the benefits?

My wife seems interested in the Jackson, Egg Harbor and surrounding areas for us to live...any suggestions on companies to approach?

how busy is it? Is there a lot of violence? More trauma? More medical? or about equal?

I have worked in an urban setting for quite some time. I apologize for the ton of questions, but trying to as much info as I can before I plunge head first.

Thank you for your time in advance.

DJ

I'm not sure if this belongs under this category or not but here goes.

I am curious about the possibility of suing a patient or patient's estate when we get injured on their property do to ice or snow or obstructions. Or if we get injured having to lift these BIG patients.

Here is my quick scenario (I'm sure others have their own):

I was sent on a call for trauma code. The house has small wooden stairs leading into the 2nd floor. The patient slipped and fell on these steps, got him self into the entrance on the 2nd floor and collapsed. well, as I entered the premises, I too, slipped on those very icy stairs injuring my knee. I have since returned to full duty but being out on comp did not cover the bills. 60% of my pay falls very short.

Another scenario is you have lift a very large patient with just you and your partner and you end up with a career ending back injury.

Do we as providers have any legal way to collect these lost wages?

and how would HIPPA impact these actions?

I know that there are ethical and moral issues tacked on as well.

Thank you for your time and consideration of this question.

-DJ

And if anyone is curious, I did work the code, even though I was injured and by the time we got to the hospital we had pulses back, but not spontaneous respirations. He held out until the next day.

I too am a NY medic (until September)...I took the registry.

I know quite a few people who took the registry.

as someone said reciprocity is 1 very good reason. I have moved to NH which requires national registry...actually you need your registry to get your license in this state at any level

for the little extra work, effort and money, it is worth it...

I worked in Buffalo, NY for over 4 years before moving away...

The main rule is if the pt is CAOx3 then you take them where they wanna within distance limits...otherwise it is kidnapping

exceptions: critical non-CAO x3 calls are closest most appropriate facility (meaning trauma goes to the level trauma center bypassing as many hospitals as needed to get there. There is still a judgement that goes with this for closest facility for quick stabilization [for distance reasons])

We had a stroke center in Buffalo and if our Pt or family was requesting a different hospital we would strongly recommend the most appropriate but ultimately had to go where told.

For Psych: we had to locked Psych ER's in the city and pshych Pt's (ie. suicidal, halucinations, schizophrenics, etc.) would get a choice of either hospital with psych ER...

So sorry about that but if a particular hospital specializes in something (ie. Cardiac Center, Stroke Center, Level I trauma center, or Psych) they will tend to get more than they can handle or want...

Doc, be honest! The movie sucked. Books were great...movie didn't do it justice.

There was an older BBC version of the Hitchhiker's book made which was actually pretty good to the book, unlike the crappy hollywood version. The BBC version touches the beginning of "The Restuarant at the End of The Universe"

and the ultimate answer is 42...but you have the ultimate question wrong....

so where can someone find a good paycheck?

also separately where can someone find a progressive EMS system?

and thirdly does any place have both?

I was recently asking about NJ EMS as well...does anyone do EMS well?

who handles 911 EMS for the city of Philadelphia?

I sincerely hope you're seeing a trend in the responses you're getting. So far it looks like the best advice you've gotten is to live in NJ and work in NYC. Everyone else has said to forget NJ. We can't *all* be wrong.

I know...my dad lives in NJ and this scares me for him as well...I would like to think if he calls 911 he may actually live...

also since I am looking to relocate to NJ to be closer to him and the rest of my family I was looking to hopefully making my commuting life easier... the NYC-NJ rush hour traffic is disgusting and I would prefer not to have to leave my house 2 days before my shift just to get there on time. I grew up in NYC so I know about the disgusting traffic (1 reason I left) but I do have to admit I would LOVE to work for FDNY and help my beloved city...

so what about MONOC ambulance?

they are at least CAAS certified?

any thoughts?

Dude! What have people been trying to tell you over the course of this thread???? Did you think they were just posting to increase their post count?

uh...no

but no one really got into specifics much...they just pretty much said it sux...but the links to threads really explained why it is so bad.

I am calling my dad tomorrow and telling him to move

Here's some pertinent threads.

I never realized how messed up the EMS system is in NJ...UGH!!!!

Why are you moving there, just out of curiosity? FOR the job? Or moving there because of something else, so you need a job?

I have family there...I grew up in NYC...so I would be moving to be closer to my family and need a job and at this point this all I am qualified for...lol

I'll play devil's advocate....

Why does all that matter to the individual doing the work that he is the only medic in the region? Doesn't that mean that he has a better chance of getting a high volume of high acuity calls (which is what many want)?

this I do have to agree with...I have worked urban, suburban, and rural EMS and they all have their pluses and minuses...but having legit calls is always nice.

so how is NJ was backasswards?

It seems they were going good till about 1973.. then all of a sudden' date=' someone lost their calendar. They're still working on the transition to 1974, but with enough time.*[sup:7b107d5664']1[/sup:7b107d5664] I'm sure they'll accomplish it.

care to explain further what you are trying to say?