EMS... Earning Minimum Salary

I’ll say this, EMS doesn’t make enough. Period.

EMTs: Nothing Medics: Next to nothing

Sounds about right, I started 7 years ago in my town at the private ambulance service making $8.15 an hour as a EMT (wage cut for me coming from a department store at $9.75 an hour). It wasn’t till I went to a bigger company nearly 3 years ago that I was actually paid $10 and up. I’m a paramedic now and make over $16. In my opinion, pay should not be the only thing to look for, check for the benefits, the private agency I worked for always took short-cuts to not have to give employees insurance or any benefits for that matter. It wasn’t till I switched to another company that I was given dental/vision and health coverage. As he said in the video, EMS is a great profession (I actually do like my job even with the bad days, they don’t last forever ya know) it just comes down to finding the right place that fits you and what you are striving for in your career. Sorry for the long post, just wanted to contribute as another professional in EMS.

Your professionalism is always enjoyable and appreciated. Thank you for your time in making these types of videos.

I've been in EMS for 15 years and, in my experience, this video is pretty spot on. Not gonna get rich, but my family is comfortable and I feel like there are some intangible benefits to this profession as well. I wouldn't want to make $80K in a desk job I hate.

Just wanted to say thank you so much for your videos. They’ve helped me so much and I love what you do. I appreciate the time you put into your videos!

Hey, I just want to say thank you for posting these videos. I’m looking into EMS/EMT to one day be firefighter/EMT and the videos you post help tremendously on understanding the fundamentals that you go through when in this field. I also like that you explain everything in a way that’s easy to understand and not just use medical terms that the average person doesn’t know. Thank you. 🙏

I want to do this job, have wanted to do it for the past 3 years but never really knew where to start, live in NYC and I'm 19 with my HS diploma but I also don't know how to drive, I found this channel and i'm getting a better idea. Thank you Prepmedic, you truly are a blessing.

Reading these comments I feel extremely blessed as an EMT I make 15 an hr in Texas. I just passed my last paramedic test and looking forward to my 5 $ raise

underpaid but, l don’t have to sit in a hospital for 36 hours a week. I get to make my own treatment choices without a doctor over my shoulder.

NC Paramedic here, as an EMT I was making $10 / hr at an Interfacility transport company, with an EMS system as an EMT I started at $12.50. When I made the move to the Paramedic level I left the transport company and started at over $17/hr with one EMS system fulltime, my part time system starts new medics off at $16.50 ish / hour. My fulltime service we work a 24 hour shift based firehouse schedule and my annual pre-tax salary sits somewhere around $50,000, at just over a year in with a couple extra shifts per month I can breach the $60,000 mark. I say all of this to point out that it's tough to get a handle on what we're actually making as a community, because the numbers get skewed with overtime, etc.

Currently becoming an emt and your videos are very helpful, thanks ! :)

Sam, awesome job...and I agree, this is an awesome profession and I am glad to see you and some others working to spread that news. I too often am highly disappointed when I see less than 5 year folks horribly negative about this job. My first reaction is why are you doing it? Anyway, neither here nor there. The other VERY important life lesson I have learned about pay is that it isn't about what you make as much as it is about what you spend. I have seen folks very happy and content on very low salaries and others very upset and working multiple jobs in some of the highest paid positions in the country...and it all boils down to how much they are spending and on what. Keep up the great work...someone sent me this link and I plan on watching more in the coming weeks.

24 hour shifts do help with our relatively poor hourly rates. I love getting 48 hours in two days with some sleep pay thrown in. Of course, it sucks when you don't get that sleep, but. . . I prefer it to shift work. But it isn't ideal.

Love how you break down every darn thing in your videos!

Hi Sam, first off, great video & a new subscriber. You are so right about shopping around. I am returning to the field after a long absence. I'm looking forward to learning all the new technology and techniques.

$15.80 an hour in New York is literally MINIMUM WAGE. You get paid the same as a McDonald's Employee. Like what the heck is this state smoking?

I worked along side several former Paramedics. They all got burnt out in the US. Felt bad for them in that regard but all in all were great guys and they really helped out abroad.

Work as EMT safety standby for construction, mining, or industrial company. You'll get $25 an hour on many major players.

I was a Fire Medic for the cruise line for the Coast Guard in 2015 in Hawai’i for NCL Pride of America. Always a Fire Medic, long after the duty is done.

I totally agree I got my EMTB then my EMTA with the ACLS, PALS, and PHTLS and wanted to finish strong and get my paramedic, and realized that nursing would be better pay so I started nursing school last year, and throughout clinicals I havent liked the ER as much and the MED/SURG seems to be better for me in my opinion.

$22.50 as a medic with seven years. $33.25 as a new grad RN this year... This is why we leave.

Keep up the good work; your videos are very informative and interesting!

Nice to hear that Paramedics in the US are just as underpaid as they are in Austria

This is a very accurate video. Ill also add that getting on Fire departments are extremely competitive. A lot of people i know work for the private for profit companies are just there because they were rejected multiple times for fire.

Awesome video! I asked you to do a video about this, and I love the information.

First, Nice video! Keep up the great work!

What a great quality and informative video. Well done.

IMO it's better to have a higher paying job in a higher cost of living area. While you're basically keeping the same percentage of your income, the actual amount of money that equates to is generally higher. This means being able to save a higher amount of money or being able to better afford items that are universally priced across the US. After retirement though I would definitely recommend moving to a lower cost of living area to better stretch your retirement money.

This is a really great break down, thank you! 👏

*INCOME ESTIMATING:* *40 hour minimum work week, round up the hourly rate to the nearest dollar, multiply by 2 & then add three zeros on the end to get the annual income. Example:* *$19.35 hourly ($20)* *$20 x 2 = $40 add 000= $40,000*

Tri Med ambulance LLC in south Seattle area is awesome. Just had my first day with them today as a brand new EMT and starting pay is 15.50. Work environment is awesome and the owners care.

I agree this line of work has paid me well. Live in the Northeast. Was a FF/Paramedic for a long time then left to go in to management. I now make over 100k a year. A lot of our medics make well over 120k a year working a 60 hour shift on decent 911 truck.

Love your videos , so professional and they help me out a lot

You also need to factor in working in this career over the age of 40 or so. It's a very physical job where much of your day is spent moving dead weight around. It's also dangerous. I've been thrown around in the back of an ambulance before and luckily never got hurt.

Starting and Maximum Base salaries FDNY for 2017 EMT $34,282 and $51,600 Paramedic $50,061 and $63,929 In NY an EMT course is around a 200 hr class and Paramedic most programs are 1 year in length give or take. Most people do not get a 2 year Associated Degree in Paramedicine.

Wow! I remember my second EMS job, a private for profit service, in 1994. $4.25/hr. (EMT) That was in Key West, Florida. We worked 48 on 48 off. First shift had 8hrs overtime. Next shift was all overtime. Our coverage area was only about 8 sq. miles and the hospital was less than 5 minutes from anywhere. Times have changed.

My town has 15 medics that start at $70,000 each. They are a very unique model that are actually police dispatched instead of fire dispatched. They work out of the police station in the town center instead of firehouses.

Alberta Canada, Advanced Care Paramedics start at $33/hr and with 9 yrs+ seniority makes $44/hr plus $8.25 weekend and evening shift differential. The service is operated by the provincial government. Very few private operators here.

As an EMT in NYC I can confirm that here in the City we do make about $15/hr for basic which is about 35K a year and about $20/hr a year which is about 45K a year. But the cost of living is incredibly high here where you can live a decent life with a medic salary but you cannot live well on an EMT salary unless you work for city or a major hospital where they pay significantly better

Let’s talk about pay for EMS. As a 4 decade Paramedic who is now in charge at a Level 1 trauma center and keeps up their Medic...you folks don’t make what you deserve. City/Town owned EMS can do well but Private companies and Hospital based...NO WAY! Period! However WE are partly to blame by letting the companies get away with it and are our own worst enemy. We need to make all programs degreed and you folks need to unionized and stand as one. No more sleeping in back of trucks in stations because there are no decently equipped stations. Thanks for all you do folks!

It's a complete tragedy to see EMTs _(who routinely save lives)_ making even less than most security guards with little if any real training or education beyond high school. As an EMT in college, it was NOT possible to survive on what I was being paid so, I quit my job to easily become a security guard making several dollars an hour MORE❗😲

First year AEMT $11.56 an hour and $38k yearly with OT and holidays. Our medics start at $15.08 and $50k yearly with OT and holidays. In Middle Tennessee.

In FL, most EMTs and Paramedics are employed by city and county fire departments, and they are Firefighters, and work 24 on/48 off. Larger cities start Firefighter EMTs at about $50K and Firefighter EMTs at about $55K. Lots of OT. Benefits are excellent and include a defined benefit pension after 25 years of service. Salaries for Lts., Batallion Chiefs, & Assistant Chiefs are over $100K. Pension can exceed $100K.

Funny how things evolve. In 1990 working 56hr week I started at $6/hr as new medic. 8 years later same 56hr week I was making $11.24/hr . After nursing school in 2000 I started at 18.75/hr as RN without shift differential and weekend differential. After 19yrs in nursing (there is no pay bump per the union from year 13 till 20 except for contract bumps. I make well over $44 an hour with shift diff, charge nurse pay, and working nights gets you an extra 40hrs of PTO per year. Working 12hrs 0.9FTE every 3rd Weekend!

Great video! I'm a student paramedic in West Midlands Ambulance Service in NHS England. Here EMTs make about £22k-28k (~$27k-$35k) before tax and overtime and Paramedics make about £26k-36k ($32k-£44k) in my part of the NHS. Private sector jobs can earn about 10-20% higher or even more if you are willing to do contract based work. Obviously I think taxes are in the UK then the US so it's interesting to see and I imagine salary's work out probably the same. (Also just wanted to add, EMTs here in the UK can perform intermediate life support, training is about 15 weeks + driving so I suspect EMT is a slightly higher level here in the UK) Some paramedics here in the UK work towards what's called ECP (emergency care practitioner) where you can work in hospitals or doctors surgeries, you basically work as a paramedic with some extra skills such as minor surgical procedures, prescribing medication and ordering x-rays and testing bloods. From there you can become an ACP (advanced Care practitioner) where the salary and clinical skill is similar to that of a junior doctor. Very interesting! Feel free to ask any questions if anyone wants to know about the NHS, ambulance service or what it's like working as a student paramedic here in the UK!

Hey Prepmedic, I have a question for you, Can you do a video on how different the EMS world is now vs. when you started?

I make 15 per hour as an EMT-B in virginia. Super interesting hearing what others make in other parts of the country

This video was so helpful thank you so much

Really good advice to shop around for an employer.

I worked for Thompson valley as an emt! Good company.

This was a very helpful video. I am currently preparing for Paramedic school, and am trying to find out more about salary in this career field.

Depends on what you put in. In my area EMT’s make $14-18 an hour. 40 hours? 600 a week range. 24 on 48 off 7 day cycles? 1200 a week range. 7 day FEMA deployment? 4k-5k a week. All based on what you do with your license.

Great video, public service is not for everyone, just like military. We choose to serve our fellow man. Stay safe fellow brothers and sisters.

in MN, starting for EMT’s is $10.50. 2 years in- i make $15 now. starting medic pay in MN is about $23/hr.

A firefighter-paramedic in southern california can make upwards of $300,000 a year with overtime. Thats definitely not every department, but it shows the possibility. Yes, the cost of living in Southern California is very high, but with $200-$300K you will be sitting extremely comfortable, even here. On the other side of this, most of southern california is serviced by private ambulances. These ambulances EMT or Paramedics make almost always $15-18 an hour. in Southern California be ready to live with your mom if you want to be a career EMT or Paramedic.

I've been a Paramedic for 20 years. Its a great vocation. Its not a job. You can make a living at it and I've had some great opportunities come my way as a result of my career. If your're thinking about doing it jump right in. at the very least you will learn a lot about yourself.

Virginia- Hospital Transport agency- NRP, CCP, FP-C certs. I make 24.00/hr. We work 12 hour shifts-- 3 days on, 1 day off, 3 days on, 7 days off. We have awesome insurance and benefits and get 8 hours of PTO every 2 weeks. I did 911 for 23 years and it has become basically transport too, except everyone of my patient's are sick. With OT I will make 75,000 this year. Our cost of living is low.

I am a licensed EMT B in Alabama in 2 depts as part time fill in on my normal job off days. 1 dept (10 total member 2 medics / 3 EMTs / 5 driver only) I get paid $30 a call volunteer. The other dept ( fill in when someone is sick) I make $8.75 a hour. I am currently in school for my paramedic. I been doing this for years it is my "hobby" I love doing it but it don't pay the bills. Not to mention in 3 fire depts. Only reason I don't do it for a living is the pay in my very rural area.

@prepmedic Maybe talk about transfer services and their roll in EMS?

My first Job in EMS was a private company, that was certainly successful enough to pay us well, but for the full time employees....Basics made 7.50/hr, working 168 hours every pay period, OT after 80 hours. But my next company, a smaller family owned and operated private company paid us basics $14/hr with 96 hours a pay period.

Thanks man great video

I was making 12.50$ as a EMT-FTO in CA.The pay didnt bother me too much but as another comment mentioned you do get burnt out especially running 12hr shifts or 24s dealing with non stop calls, sometimes seeing the same patient more than once (if you know what i mean)....sadly i left ems after a few years but the experience and education is life-long.

Appreciate this 🙏🏼 thank you

According to this video, North Carolina is making more than an EMT in California LA where we have a high call volume. I think the minimum is going to increase to $15 in a couple of months, but that is still insane. I do get OT and some nice benefits though.

I work for AMR since they have my county 911 contract (Knox County TN), EMT's start at $10, AEMT's start at $12, Medics start at $14 and Crit-Care Medics start at $16.

Military paramedic here: $76000 per year with 5 years in. Full pension after 20 years. Paid in full during all training.

If you love the job, 3rd service is the way to go. Fire based splashes the cash, but in most (not all) departments either the medicine comes second or you'll be paid less for not being a suppression dude. Get certified, get experience, and move to where the fun is. And always have an exit strategy, especially if your service doesn't have power stretchers.

Good topic, I'm an E.M.T. working in a Emergency room/ Trauma Center. So you can make decent money working for a hospital as well.

Come to Canada, we pay our medics a living wage, plus we got healthcare :D

Thank you so much, It was so useful.

EMT-B in the Northwest, I make 40k without OT. Private Ambulance, 12 hour shifts averaging 6 to 8 calls a day

Not enough. Remember “Burn-out” and/or PTSD await.

Sounds like a very under appreciated field. Aren't these guys first responders and on the front lines of saving lives in the field?

FYI amr in CT pays EMTs with no experience $18.18 to start

My dads medic in ny in a volunteer and its a side he runs from hos car and people run to the ambulance and pick it up the average response time for first unit to arive on scene is under 1 min my brother inlaw also does it but hes a EMT

Sounds like a Firefighter Paramedic is the best option if you want to work on both sides. I live in the only county in the country that limits firefighters abilities to respond to medical calls and it's very seldom when fires break out. We also have AMR and their response times suck because we only have 1 trauma center in the county that always has staffing issues. In 2006 the county sold the EMS Contract to AMR which caused 30+ firefighters to be laid off. The fire dept still responds to medical calls and the county ems agency is trying to the their hands as much as they can by trying to not allow them to respond to medical calls. AMR deters me from working in the county I live in.

Wow, here in Australia, Salarys are significantly higher! From what my friends tell me, the university courses are approximately 4 years in length, then a graduate year on the job. I believe the min wage is approx $70,000, however goes up significantly throughout the career! However cost of living here is much higher to

South Florida Miami - Palm Beach area pays EMT about 10-12 for hospital for private company and paramedics are 15-18hr . Unfortunately south Florida is extremely expensive compared to rest of Florida.

Broooooooooooooo! I thought you looked familiar! I used to work at Mary Greeley as a barista. I hope you're doing well out there.

As a volunteer responder I'm not in it for the money, but to paraphrase a TV advert in UK, Salary -$10/hr, Defib -$20K, the look on the relatives face as you walk in the door - priceless.

Paramedics get paid quite well in Australia, tho the cost of living is very high, especially in Sydney and Melbourne

Where I live in florida the county pays 43k starting for emt's. 54k starting for paramedics.

QLD Australia, we get roughly $38ph base rate for a bachelor level paramedic.

Thank you for your quality videos and useful contact. I really appreciate you making a video like this. I have a question (if you don't mind);what do you do, what qualifications do you have , since you have a *law enforcement, *SWAT, and *paramedic video. (Are you involved in all 3¿) Kind regards:) Abdullah

Yooo I’m happy, our agency just bumped entry level EMTs to 34k baseline. Paramedics make 38k baseline

Everyone just take into consideration the salary with the cost of living. I live in California, where the cost of living can be high. Private ambulance companies will pay everyone different, but for example, a 911 EMT for AMR will typically start around $18 dollars an hour and a paramedic will start around $30. If you want to make six figures as an emt or medic your best bet would be getting hired with the fire department, extremely competitive but that’s where the moneys at.

I live in Germany and being a paramedic would be my dream job. I really don't need much in my life - in terms of money - but the question if the money will be enough for a good living always bothered me a bit more than it should. I'm just scared of the future, since I obviously don't really know how much the world costs yet and I'm kind of afraid of having financial problems.

Here in spain, we don't have paramedics, we have the basic ambulances with two EMT (the EMT studies here is not 150 hours, its 2 years) and the advanced ambulances, with 1 EMT, 1 nurse and 1 doctor.

I used to work 911 in Albuquerque, NM they pay $13.20 plus diffs

How do you recommend negotiating your salary when the common line is, “this is the starting salary”. Besides straight up asking people who work there how much they get paid versus years of experience etc. which could be awkward when your trying to meet potential coworkers.

So in 2007 as an EMT in NYC for TransCare... I started @ $10/hr... I hustled and worked 80+hrs in order to make ends meet. I love my job though. Then in 2010 I became a medic and started @ $20/hr. I still hustle with 3 jobs to make ends meet especially with kids now. Cant afford to buy a house... but at least I do enjoy what I do... but we should be paid more and have better benefits

$25.00 is the starting precepting medic salary at most AMR locations in Connecticut. Most make around $30 after a few years of experience. Surprisingly AMR is one of the highest paid EMS agencies in the state. EMTs start at around $17.

Thank you for at least being kind to EMT. Some of the other video seem to be anti but everyone has to start somewhere.

This is a great video. I do believe that we in EMS need to be paid more. However, please tell me what other career can you spend a minimum amount of time in school and make 50+ K a year? You can't. What we in EMS need to remember is that we have only been in existence for 50 years. Even doctors used to be paid in chickens and a vegetables. All healthcare professionals need to make more money. The real issues is the health care system we just happen to be lowest on the pole as we are the newest to the group. We are valued by the medical community and our patients. We just need to work together to solve the compensation issues like other professions before us.

Trying to do something with my life / turn it around. Seriously considering EMS.

Once I got into law enforcement and found out what EMT'S and Para's get paid I was shocked...like really that low.

You need a raise!

Ehhh, no there are states with lower wages for emt and paramedics. Try AZ starting at $13.61 and that's on the higher end