Why do people become EMT's when the pay is so low?

Fedorgasm

Fedorgasm

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Just saw a thing that said EMT's still make 15 bucks an hour.

I'm sure it varies by region but the bottom line is that they are paid shit.

I don't understand why anyone would take this job for that kind of pay.

It seems stressful as hell because you literally are dealing with life and death situations. You see the worst of humanity. Not to mention it's probably disgusting with bodily fluids always being sprayed about.

Not only that, but you have to pay for training and a cert I think too. Which is crazy that someone with any kind of certificate would get paid less than a fast food worker.

I get that some people like the feeling of helping others but there has to be a limit. Nurses and doctors like helping people too but you can bet they wouldn't be doing it if they didn't get paid enough.
 
boingyman said:
Because it will help you qualify to become a firefighter
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Pretty much this. I'd say a big majority of them do it b/c of these 3 things in order of most likley to least likely.
1. They didn't make it as a firefighter or hope that it will help them become a firefighter
2. They don't really know what else to do for work and figure it's a steady income and unlikely to get laid off.
3. They actually enjoy helping people and/or enjoy the excitement and adrenaline rush of it.
 
boingyman said:
Because it will help you qualify to become a firefighter
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Agreed. In my state the firefighters who are paramedics (which is like 6x the schooling as EMT) are the ones that actually respond to 911 calls and life and death situations

The EMTs do the equivalent of grunt work which is why the pay is so low. They literally do the equivalent of "oh this lady at a nursing home doesn't feel well but is 100% stable, can you basically Uber her 2 miles to the hospital". Your not even certified to adminster drugs or IVs, of course the pay is going to be lower (your like the equavlent of a nurses aide)
 
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Fedorgasm said:
Just saw a thing that said EMT's still make 15 bucks an hour.

I'm sure it varies by region but the bottom line is that they are paid shit.

I don't understand why anyone would take this job for that kind of pay.
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I don't know what country your in but in the USA EMT training can be done in like 2-3 months and is incredibly basic (getting a license to do Nails or Massage is like 2-3x more hours than getting an EMT certifications).

Any posting for $15 an hour is going to be the most basic certification. Your basically a glorified uber driver or your basically an assistant because your not even certified to administer drugs or IVs (you'd basically be an aide to a nurse or Paramedic)

Fedorgasm said:
It seems stressful as hell because you literally are dealing with life and death situations. You see the worst of humanity. Not to mention it's probably disgusting with bodily fluids always being sprayed about.
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Your confusing Paramedic with EMT. Paramedic is what your describing in this quote. Huge difference ($15 an hour EMT is like doing basic splints and medical transport to stable patients, Paramedic is life and death situations and are actually trained in advanced life support)
 
I would think people often get into that line of work because they want a job where they feel like they're making a difference/helping people as opposed to just slaving their lives away for a paycheck. The older i've got, the more i've realized that kind of stuff matters at the end of the day.

Not that i'd ever want to be an EMT, sounds intense
 
560ti said:
Your confusing Paramedic with EMT. Paramedic is what your describing in this quote. Huge difference ($15 an hour EMT is like doing basic splints and medical transport to stable patients, Paramedic is life and death situations and are actually trained in advanced life support)
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Do paramedics ride in ambulances then? For some reason in my head I thought ambulances had EMTs inside and paramedics drive these:

28292229442_4a3d6792a8_b.jpg


But if someone is on life support in an ambulance I guess the paramedic jumps in and rides to the hospital in the ambulance with the grunts?
 
I know why. They have "perks" that I cannot say here. It's a closely guarded secret in their circle.
 
There are a lot of super important jobs with high training threshholds that pay absolute shit.

Try teaching at a public school, k-12.
 
Mike said:
Yeah EMTs make more than $15 an hour. Out here the fuckin chick fil a pays more than that.
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There are quite a few states where they make less. It's sad.
 
They enjoy helping people. This why I dont get why people argue that we cant have socialized and private services like healthcare dont exist because all the good healthcare professionals will just go to private. I know so many great teachers who choose to go to public education because they care more about making a difference than pay. Same goes for people in healthcare
 
shunyata said:
There are quite a few states where they make less. It's sad.
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Yeah I'm assuming the lower pay is for more rural areas. Living in or around even a mid sized city, housing is so goddamn expensive employers basically have to pay more. I live in Nevada and work near Reno.

I'm just the 3 1/2 years I've been here the average rent for an apartment Hass gone from $800 to $900 to $1200 to $1500. It's insane.
 
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