What do you get paid?

[GulDukat]

Again I ask, how do your employers afford to pay you guys so much money?

$136,000.00 a year? Where you the only Medic in the area or were you one of five or so that covered?

I am just stunned at the amount of money that is being made here, not that I think EMS people don't deserve every penny they make but honest to God I don't know how the people who pay you can afford this.

Is there a secret that I'm missing?

[vs-eh?]

Is there a secret that I'm missing?

Yes.

Move to Canada. We generally get paid significantly more regardless of paramedic level. Now there is the cost of living arguement, and believe me I am in probably the most expensive place to live in Canada, but it all averages out.

In Ontario for example I believe there in a legal MINIMUM paramedics must be paid for an hourly wage. I think it is ~$25 an hour. So $25 an hour and living in a more rural/outside of a major center = neck full of bling bling.

[PRPGfirerescuetech]

Again I ask, how do your employers afford to pay you guys so much money?

$136,000.00 a year? Where you the only Medic in the area or were you one of five or so that covered?

I am just stunned at the amount of money that is being made here, not that I think EMS people don't deserve every penny they make but honest to God I don't know how the people who pay you can afford this.

Is there a secret that I'm missing?

You can make money in this business, but you all are right, its all in what you pay into it. A 36 hour week in EMS wont pay the bills. Maybe someday (if you sign up with my staffing service,...mwahahaha...kidding).

For some, EMS is life...if thats the case, it can work. I made 81k in 2005 in EMS money....as a basic.

...and VS....canada too cold...brrrrrr

[FarNorthMedic]

Now keep in mind 136K isn't a whole lot when I payed out $45,000 in tax. Cost of food is extreme here with a 4L bag of milk costing arounf $15. Fly-in only so to get out with our only providing airline is just over $1000 without a seatsale ticket. I fly out 2-3 time per year only. I live to work I can't get away from work. I'm on my day off now but I already had to deal with work issues once today as I'm acting supervisor for the time being.

Sleep deprived constantly. As posted above, if you break it down to the hours spent dealing with work and taking from having a normal life it would equate well below reasonable

We have full staff now with 4 full-timers and one part-time, but even so I still don't have a whole lot of time to myself.

[buddha]

I hope you at least have some women up there, FarNorth...

[emtpdiver]

The Paramedics in our area get paid different rates depending on the situation, rural vs city. Rural gets paid anywhere $7.50 - $10 per hour...SUX..Our Basics get pain $5.25 - $7.00. The city para's get $9.50 - $15.00 p/h. Rural works 24 on 48 off, the city 3 12 hr shifts a week...Let's just say we do it for the fun of it not the pay....Last year my average hours per payperiod (2 weeks) 170 hrs. I made 25k...Welcome to Eastern Oklahoma and Western Arkansas!!!!!!!

[island emt]

before everyone starts packing their bags to move north of the border . Remember that the Canadian dollar exchange rate is around 35 % less than yank so a $ 1.oo Canadian is = to 1.35 yank. they also have a much higher GST and the cost of just about everything is a fair bit higher than here in the states. Not knocking it cause we love to spend time in the maritimes , our dollars go a lot farther.

[vs-eh?]

before everyone starts packing their bags to move north of the border . Remember that the Canadian dollar exchange rate is around 35 % less than yank so a $ 1.oo Canadian is = to 1.35 yank. they also have a much higher GST and the cost of just about everything is a fair bit higher than here in the states. Not knocking it cause we love to spend time in the maritimes , our dollars go a lot farther.

Ummm, I dunno where you are getting the 35% thing from.

http://www.xe.com/ucc/

About 13% according to my math. Unless you are including fees for exchange in the bank??? I dunno...

Exchange, taxes, etc...aside, I would wager getting paid $11 US or getting paid $25 CAN, the Canadian salary will take you further. Especially when you consider (again, from an Ontario perspective) that most jobs give excellent medical, retirement, drug, etc plans and are full time.

Heh, and PRPG...You live in the NE USA. I guarantee I live in a near identical climate to you year round, and I would wager most of the major Canadian cities (which generally are close to the US border) have comparable climates to there northern US counterparts.

[mysticlakecasinoemt]

Wow... I"m jealous too... Maybe I need to move....

Avg. $12.75 per hour.... working in EMS Education and Safety Education.

EMTs make nothing in Minnesota USA unless tied with some other "title", EMT/FF, EMT/POST,

EMT/Security Officer, etc..

I make in a private casino,... 12.64 base as a security grunt, add 1.00 an hour for graveshift differential and then add another .50 cents for being an NREMT-B. My employer also gives two weeks vacation a year first year. I'm up to four weeks vacation after three years. This is a reservation run business on native american land just south of a large metro area.

But, if you look at it from the numbers perspective,.. it costs me $2000 dollars a year to upkeep in service CEU hours for National Registry if you add in conventions, conferences, travel costs, food, hotel rooms you gotta do to get the credits.

With the fifty cents an hour more for being EMT Basic, I make $1000 a year doing that. So,.. I make minus $1000 dollars as an EMT added on my particular job description.

Bottom line, it's cheap in Minnesota. Don't come here unless you love doing it for cost.

[Krysteen]

My service pays salary:

23,000/yr-basic

25,000/yr-intermediate

30,000/yr-paramedic

+ full benefits

We only due on call hours, free to do whatever we want, just respond to the page.........so I guess I cant complain........course our cost of living is much lower here........