Worried? Will Your City, County, Private, EMS Job Survive?

[crotchitymedic1986]

You dont have to be a rocket scientist to judge how clean your room was, how polite your nurses were, or how well your pain was managed. But the subjective patient judgements only make up a small portion of the grading, as stated most is based on outcomes and statistics of that facility (c-sec rate, nosocomial infection rate, door to needle time, etc......). I think you guys might be a little scared of being graded.

[Richard B the EMT]

I have a copy of a document indicating the FDNY, which recently closed 4 companies from 1800 to 0600 hours, might be making the closings full time. Also, they are talking of flopping EMS lieutenants back to the ambulances, with associated pay cuts from the supervisor's salaries.

If I can legally do so, I'll post the entire document on this string.

[spenac]

I have a copy of a document indicating the FDNY, which recently closed 4 companies from 1800 to 0600 hours, might be making the closings full time. Also, they are talking of flopping EMS lieutenants back to the ambulances, with associated pay cuts from the supervisor's salaries.

If I can legally do so, I'll post the entire document on this string.

I think more desk jobs are going to be dropped. Every recession the lower managers get demoted to fill open spots where the actual work is done.

[CharleeFoxtrot]

My company (private service) isn't at all worried nor am I. The bulk of the money making part of the biz is contracted transports with long term care facilities. The 3x weekly dialysis transport is our bread and butter. The emergency response part of the biz is subsidized by that division which makes it nice.

However, if I were employed by a muni then I'd be worried. Emergency services always seem to be first on the fiscal chopping block. Of course, it never occurs to the city fathers/mothers that firing the redundant staff around the office (the head of a dept has an undersupervisor who has an assistant and they all have a secretary, etc) is a better way to cut the fat.

[crotchitymedic1986]

charlee, dont be so sure your private gig is not in trouble. Ask your boss if they make payroll from a line of credit first, or revenues first ? Many private services rely on a line of credit, because their reimbursement doesnt always occur at payroll-friendly times (and isnt always what the amount they were counting on).

If your company relies on a line of credit, you could have big problems, regardless of profitabilty or call volume.

[CharleeFoxtrot]

charlee, dont be so sure your private gig is not in trouble. Ask your boss if they make payroll from a line of credit first, or revenues first ? Many private services rely on a line of credit, because their reimbursement doesnt always occur at payroll-friendly times (and isnt always what the amount they were counting on).

If your company relies on a line of credit, you could have big problems, regardless of profitabilty or call volume.

Not worried about that at all, the company is well capitalized. I head the union, and am privy to pretty much all of the financial doings of the company and the books are solid. In fact, I negotiated an off-contract raise of $.75/hr for medics and a company wide bonus of $200 (for the basics, dispatchers and wheelchair division drivers) this December in an effort by management to retain qualified people. They didn't have to do it, our contract is firm until 2010. They did it to keep good people, and to attract new ones. Operations employs 110 people, mostly full time so that was a hefty chunk of change.

Even if there is a pullback, we being union means there is a plan in place to salvage as many jobs as possible. Regardless, good paramedics are in such demand here that I wouldn't have an issue finding another position somewhere else. I turn down offers weekly :oops: from rival companies, even though I'm still awaiting formal licensure having passed all the reqs.

Here, EMT-Bs are a dime a dozen and those jobs might become scarcer. The paid position of MFR is all but dead due to CAAS standards. Those jobs I worry about in any sort of crash if the company has to contract in due to pressure. Also, overall here EMT-Bs make slightly less than your average WalMart greeter as it is. If those jobs become harder to get, I worry the prevailing wage will drop.