Re: EMS Pay

[Guest guest]

What is it that would make any employer " compete " for qualified personnel?

We aren't mandated for anywhere in the United States. There is no law that

requires a city or county to hire and maintain paramedic level staff.

If you increase the education requirements for paramedics, creating a

shortage of personnel in that level, employers will resort to reducing the

level of care they provide rather than competing for paramedics with higher

wages.

I would love to believe that the city and county fathers would compete to

keep the highest possible level of care available for their citizens, but I

don't. In my experience, PR of providing paramedic level care will only go

so far, and is pressed to that level by physicians rather than citizens. As

far as the average Joe goes, we are ALL paramedics.

What will happen to the level of care available in the small communities and

towns that rely on strictly on volunteer providers? Do you think the

communities will offer to send medics to school to acquire an education that

will make them more marketable for larger cities?

Don't get me wrong, I'm a strong supporter of education. BUT, I believe

we're putting the cart before the horse. We need strong legislation

mandating paramedic level care for certain size populations. To obtain that

legislation, we must speak with one voice, through a strong and unified

association. I, like many others, have postponed joining one because of my

disagreement with certain opinions voiced by current leaders and a " wait and

see " attitude to see if what they said would happen. I now feel that is the

wrong attitude. If I want change, I must work to effect change.

Tom

twright@...

[texasems-L] Re: EMS Pay

If this is a repeat - sorry - I am having trouble sending

emails to this list server at times - probably to y'alls

benefit...

Education is definitely a way to improve yourself and it

is essential to asking for more pay... but there are some

simple economics that apply to the picture that only seem

to pop up in a couple of emails...

Maybe we need to add Econ 101 to the objectives...

The basic concept here is:

The law of supply and demand.

The basic concept is -

If you have more supply than demand - the pay is lower

If you have more demand than supply - the pay is higher.

I don't know if this is still the case - but years ago,

American Medical schools kept a close eye on the need for

physicians in the " Market " and kept the " Supply " low in

order to maintain a strong " Demand " . Lots of industries

can show (including Nursing, MD's, etc) that when there

was an abundance of skilled / educated workers available-

the wages dropped. How many PHD level people have you seen

mowing lawns or flippin burgers - I have seen many a co-

worker with 8-10 years of college working at minimum wages-

because the " Market " dropped out from under them.

A comment in an earlier email - sorry for no credits -

I have a heavy delete button finger... made the statement that

if we increase the requirements for Paramedics - then fewer

would make it and the pay might go up. This is true if the

demand is seen for those remaining. When Fire Departments,

Commercial EMS services, and those paying the bills have to

compete for quality people - (If they really want quality

people) then- you will see wages go up. If a medic with

the minimum 400 hours will be willing to work for $8/hour

and there are enough to fill the positions - you will never

see a pay raise.... Hard for an employer to justify that.

So you either make your value desirable (the education part)

or reduce the supply - or increase the market... then wages

will go up.

Sorry for being long winded - and brining another non-related

science into the picture (another one of those durn classes

you shouldn't have to take - although I really enjoyed my

3 semester of economics that I took and forgot most of. Helped

me understand why So many of my compadre's and my self have had

to endure the many reduction cycles in our real jobs)

WHCEMS

---------- Original Message ----------------------------------

>

>Same way you get to Carnegie Hall, practice, baby, practice.

>

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