Guest guest Posted December 5, 2004 Report Share Posted December 5, 2004 Ok. I will acknowledge the point about teachers. However, to make that a valid argument, put everything out there. I am not going to mention the safety issue because, though teachers don't work accidents in the elements they do walk into the school not knowing what they will face that day (Lord knows I wouldn't want to be a teacher knowing kids can sneak guns to school) but lets look at that. I live in the Houston area. Teachers start (on average) around 36k/yr with raises every year. I make (about) 37k/yr with no extra shifts. I work 48 hours a week, I have no benefits, no paid vacation, and it is a crapshoot whether I will be working holidays. Teachers get full benefits, retirement, and they get 2 WEEKS PAID VACATION for Christmas, ONE WEEK PAID VACATION for Spring Break, 2 MONTHS PAID VACATION for summer break. They work 8 hr days, get most holidays off (I think there are a couple of holidays that there is actually school--but all the major ones they get off). Teachers, like EMS, fire and Ploice, are underpaid. But just with the comparison here, if it wasn't for the fact that I don't have the patience to deal with the students I would get the BS degree and work that job over EMS anyday. Re: New proposed levels You have a valid point, but I offer this rebuttal. I make more working as a paramedic than my wife does as a 2nd grade teacher. For the uninitiated, teachers are required to have a bachelor degree to even get in the door, unlike our profession. Also, consider the librian with a master's degree (as mentioned by someone in a previous post). What do you think his/her payscale is in comparison to ours? In conclusion, an increase in education does not necessarily correlate with increased pay. However, I agree 100% with the other gentleman who also in a previous post mentioned that his education has enabled him to better serve his patients. Isn't that what we're all in it for? Regards, Alfonso R. Ochoa > > > I as many of you are wondering where in the world the money is going > to come from to pay for the four year educated paramedics. I am a > paramedic student at this time and even though i know that i am not > yet a paramedic i feel that the EMS leaders have put the horse > before the cart. They better figure out how they are going to pay > for these changes ,before they make the changes. If they jump the > gun by implementing these changes before they find the money they > are going to find themselves with no medics. Dont get me wrong i am > fully in favor of education and hate to work with medics that > display a lack oh knowledge in their chosen profession, but in order > to attract four year degreed paramedics their will have to be > salries at the levels on R.N. salaries where they should already be. > > > Ben Thacker NREMT-I > Paramedic student Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 5, 2004 Report Share Posted December 5, 2004 Again, very good points. My wife indeed does enjoy more benefits than I do. However, I'm the one that has to fork over more money at the end of the month for bills. :-( -aro > > > > > > I as many of you are wondering where in the world the money is going > > to come from to pay for the four year educated paramedics. I am a > > paramedic student at this time and even though i know that i am not > > yet a paramedic i feel that the EMS leaders have put the horse > > before the cart. They better figure out how they are going to pay > > for these changes ,before they make the changes. If they jump the > > gun by implementing these changes before they find the money they > > are going to find themselves with no medics. Dont get me wrong i am > > fully in favor of education and hate to work with medics that > > display a lack oh knowledge in their chosen profession, but in order > > to attract four year degreed paramedics their will have to be > > salries at the levels on R.N. salaries where they should already be. > > > > > > Ben Thacker NREMT-I > > Paramedic student > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 5, 2004 Report Share Posted December 5, 2004 I agree with Mr. Ochoa, Please note, I am a salaried full time Instructor. My starting salary is $38.000.00 per year. No O.T. at all. I took this job for one reason,we are part of The National University System. And tuition and books and lab fees are FREE to faculity and staff.Masters Degree to come. Now,lets look at what I left to get the above mentioned bennies.I was Operations Manager of a large Ambulance Service on an hourly basis at 16.75 per hour.In California,any thing after 8 hours is time and 1/2 and everything after 12 hours is double time. (Please check it.The statute is listed as AB 60)And I was working 12 to 14 hours a day. So it was commom for me to make 1400.00 a week. > > Sounds like the Librarian position is salaried, unlike the paramedic > position. So, the paramedic knows how much he gets per hour and even > enjoys 1.5 * base pay for working overtime, while the librarian must > put in overtime for the same rate. > > It is not my intention to nit-pick, but rather encourage people to > think outside the box, as things aren't always as they seem. > > -Alfonso R. Ochoa > > > > > > > > > > > I as many of you are wondering where in the world the money is going > > > to come from to pay for the four year educated paramedics. I am a > > > paramedic student at this time and even though i know that i am not > > > yet a paramedic i feel that the EMS leaders have put the horse before > > > the cart. They better figure out how they are going to pay for these > > > changes ,before they make the changes. If they jump the gun by > > > implementing these changes before they find the money they are going > > > to find themselves with no medics. Dont get me wrong i am fully in > > > favor of education and hate to work with medics that display a > lack oh > > > knowledge in their chosen profession, but in order to attract four > > > year degreed paramedics their will have to be salries at the > levels on > > > R.N. salaries where they should already be. > > > > > > > > > Ben Thacker NREMT-I > > > Paramedic student > > > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 6, 2004 Report Share Posted December 6, 2004 We not only have the horses before the cart, we must drive those horses as fast as we can just to pull the cart along at a snail's pace. Unification is the only answer. If we don't all work together we will all surly be burried in the furrow left behind by those faster moving horses bentemt2003 wrote: I as many of you are wondering where in the world the money is going to come from to pay for the four year educated paramedics. I am a paramedic student at this time and even though i know that i am not yet a paramedic i feel that the EMS leaders have put the horse before the cart. They better figure out how they are going to pay for these changes ,before they make the changes. If they jump the gun by implementing these changes before they find the money they are going to find themselves with no medics. Dont get me wrong i am fully in favor of education and hate to work with medics that display a lack oh knowledge in their chosen profession, but in order to attract four year degreed paramedics their will have to be salries at the levels on R.N. salaries where they should already be. Ben Thacker NREMT-I Paramedic student Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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