Questions about Paramedics working in Emergency Rooms

[SLIDER in KY]

One of our local hospitals has now decided that they want to hire Paramedics to work in the ER. After talking for a while with the person that will be doing to hiring, he has asked me to check around and see what other hospitals are paying medics in the ER. Can anyone give me any input as to what other hospitals are paying medics? Thanks.

[lexmedic157]

I was making about 13.50/hr.

[SLIDER in KY]

One thing I forgot...If you don't mind, could you please also list the city and state as well. Thanks again.

[lexmedic157]

Central VA

[hotpig]

I make 15.35 plus 2.00 per hour night shift dif and an additional 2.00 per hour for week end dif.

Jerseyville, IL 62052(St Louis metro)

[DaleGribble]

$13.00 per hour but there's also weekend and night shift differential.

[pajohnohio]

Lake County, Ohio hospitals are paying about the same. I work as a Physician Assistant and have to make one comment. Unfortunately, the nursing staff treat the Paramedics like crap. Yes the paramedics can use most of their training while working the ER, their ACLS skills become CPR because most hospitals will not cover the Paramedic liability wise when their are nurses, PAs and Physicians there to defib, push meds etc....

It is not a glorious job working as a Paramedic in the ER.

I think I hear the Paramedic's names called out for "do this do that" stuff probably 2,000 times per shift.

Just my thoughts. Sorry.

[SLIDER in KY]

pajohnohio...I think I see your point. The hospital that I'm looking at is hiring medics because they just dismissed their LPN's. They said that the LPN's weren't that effective in the ER, so they were going to utilize Paramedics. I think that will only creat more animosity toward medics, but I may give it a try. Besides, it's only going to be a part-time thing for me.

[10 Ring Tao]

Medics in ERs in my area are really just glorified techs that do CPR, start lines, and put in foleys. So expect to be 3rd in the hierarchy.

Docs
Nurses/PAs
Medics/Techs

Pay (and allowed responsibilities) are between $13 and $16 depending on the hospital.

This is southeast michigan, not including detroit.

[Glkster19]

$17.63/hr plus a night differential which I think is around $2.00/hr. Where I work we have it pretty good, we can pretty much work as a RN, they actually let us work RN shifts if they're short staffed. Only real difference is they don't allow us to push certain IV meds. Used to be if we didn't carry it in our EMS drug box we couldn't push it, however, that has eased a bit plus it depends on who you're working with. Some RN's let some of us push anything we're comfortable pushing. As far as skills go, we can do whatever we're trained to do: defib, intubate, IV's, push drugs (as mentioned above), etc. I know it greatly improved my IV starting skills when I started in the ER, I went from around 70% to very close to 100%. This is southern central MI area.

[SLIDER in KY]

Thanks for all the info. Keep it coming. I have talked to the ER director at this particular hospital, and he says that they intend to let us do anything that the state allows medics to do on the street. Not too bad!!

[obxprnstar]

My wife worked in the ER for a bit as a medic @ about 17 bucks an hour. This was in Nags Head, NC.

[hotpig]

We are only doing a fraction of what we used to do. The Hospital changed Insurance companies two years ago and they stopped our med administrations and advanced airway procedures. Illinois passed some protection laws for the Cardio/Pulmonary jobs this year. Now we can not administer oxygen or do EKG's.

Right now we are just hanging out waiting on 911 calls, surfing the internet,doing vitals, starting locks,making beds and moving patients to the floor or other departments.

We have way to much time on our hands so there is a lot of petty bs going on. I'm glad that I just work a few shift each month and do not get involved in the drama.

[D25]

I talked with a guy I went to P-school with and he is making $17/hr. plus some shift differential compensation that I don't quite understand. His duties sound alot like what hotpig described-- IVs, vitals, and changing beds, plus being the designated chest compressions guy.

That just dosn't sound like fun to me.

[M1Garand]

Emergency Department Tech (paramedic or EMT) have variety of scope of practice depending on their training and hospital regulation. ED Tech is definitely a good deal for an EMT position. For a paramedic, the pay difference between field and hospital work may not be a big difference.

If I am a paramedic, I would seek work in the field as paramedics are "king" in the field. ED techs are respectable positions but are assistance to doc and nurses.

If you need the clinical experience, working in a busy ED for a few months may not be a bad thing.

[Glkster19]

Originally posted by M1Garand
If I am a paramedic, I would seek work in the field as paramedics are "king" in the field.


I don't know who you're talking to, but it ain't that glorious.:rofl:

[akulahawk]

Originally posted by Glkster19
I don't know who you're talking to, but it ain't that glorious.:rofl:

You are SOOOO right about that!

Out where I live, there are only 2 medical providers that I'd have to relinquish care to... or take any orders from. Flight RN's and Physicians. EVERYONE ELSE that isn't an on-duty EMT-P or MICN may function at the BLS level OR they can leave my scene. Off-Duty medics may provide ALS IF I allow them to. MICN's may provide ALS during a ride-a-long, but may NOT provide field direction. They are under my operational control in the field.