Paramedic Salary
A quick response is essential in the event of an accident or medical crisis. For this reason, paramedics are a vital part of the medical community. A paramedic is responsible for treating patients while en route to a medical facility. Those in this field work hand in hand with fire fighters and police to assess the condition of a victim and determine if any pre-existing conditions are in play. Anyone wishing to work in this field must be able to deal with a variety of horrifying conditions as well as routine matters. If you feel you can handle helping those most in need until medical care can be provided, this may be the right career choice for you. The paramedic salary range is great and this needs to be taken into consideration also.
Paramedic Salary
The paramedic salary varies greatly. The median hourly wage was $14.10 as of May 2008. Those in the middle 50% earned somewhere between $11.13 and $18.28 an hour while the highest 10% of earners brought in more than $23.77 an hour. Approximately a quarter of those employed in this field belong to a union. If this sounds good to you, consider a career as a paramedic as your work will be greatly valued.
Paramedic Education and Training
In order to enter an emergency medical technician training program, a high school diploma is the minimum education required. A paramedic is the highest level of training offered in this type of program. Advanced medical skills will be taught along with physiology and anatomy. Many technical schools and community colleges offer an associate’s degree program and completion of the program takes one to two years in most cases. Once the coursework has been completed, the student will be ready to sit for the NREMT examination in order to become certified in this field. Continuing education will be required once this step has been completed.
Paramedic License
To work as a paramedic in any state, you must become licensed according to state regulations which do vary greatly. Most states along with the District of Columbia require the NREMT while others will offer this own exam for certification. In addition, most will require that the license be renewed every two or three years. Continuing education and refresher training courses are mandated in most states and your criminal history will likely be checked during the licensure process.
Job Growth Outlook For Paramedics
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, job growth for paramedics is expected to grow at around 9% which is about average for jobs in the United States. This growth is expected to occur between 2008 and 2018. Because of the increasing age of the baby boomer generation, more medical emergencies are expected to take place and therefore more and more jobs for paramedics are going to be needed. On top of that, because of the increasing overcrowding of hospitals more time is expected to be spent by each patient with paramedics and EMT workers. As ambulances get rerouted because of overcrowded hospitals, patients will have to spend more more time in ambulances and therefore more and more time with paramedics. Because of this, jobs for paramedics and EMTs will grow.
As with most jobs, those with the best training and the best licensing and certification will find themselves with the best job opportunities. Be sure to do some further research online in order to find out what’s the best approach to this career path in your specific state.
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