Job Opportunities For Paramedics

This article is all about different job opportunities you have as a paramedic. I’ll go over the most exciting alternatives and see whats best for you.

Being a paramedic is hard work.

It’s rewarding. It’s life changing. But sometimes we all need a little change of pace. And more than a little change of pay.

For all that hard work we do, paramedics do not get paid they way they should.

That’s a rant for a different day. Today is all about different (and sometimes better paying) job opportunities you have as a paramedic.

And if you’re new here, hi, I’m Shay. I’m a firefighter paramedic and I’ve been working in pre-hospital EMS for over a decade now. I’ve also taught multiple EMT and Paramedic programs.

I love where I’m at. That doesn’t mean you aren’t looking for something else. There’s nothing wrong with that.

Thankfully there are other options out there. Here are my three favorites.

• Flight Paramedic
• Travel Paramedic
• Cruise Paramedic

Let’s break each of these down and see if any are a good fit for you.

Flight Paramedic

Flight paramedicine can be an awesome career jump.

I mean not for me. I think helicopters are flying metal death machines, but to each their own.

Flight medics have a lot of advantages over ground transport paramedics.

One being they earn more. Sometimes a lot more.

The average flight paramedic makes $32 an hour as their base pay. That doesn’t even cover bonus and shift differentials or overtime.

I’ve spoken to flight medics making $80 an hour for parts of this shift. This of course was their maxed out pay with all the extra shift incentives. And they only got it for a few hours of their shift.

But still $80 an hour is nothing to scoff at. I might even be willing to ride in a flying metal death trap for that much.

Flight has cooler patients

We don’t seem roaming packs of air ambulances rolling around all day.

They are dangerous and expensive. We save them for specific situations when time is truly of the essence.

Meaning they run fewer calls each day than most fire and ambulance companies.

And they only get the good stuff. They are grabbing trauma patients from the middle of nowhere. They do interfacilities with the sickest, most critical patients.

They aren’t picking up homeless bob from the corner three times a day.

There’s also a weight limit for their transports. There is only so much room in the helicopters. You get to miss out on taking anyone from “My 600 lbs Life.”

Downside of Flight Paramedics

A few things for the negatives here.

You will be working with a nurse. This means you won’t be the end all be all medical decision maker any more. You still do everything a paramedic can, you just work directly under a nurse now.

Also you have more certifications to get and keep up.

Flight has it’s own certification to be able to work in a helicopter. You also need to get your Critical Care Paramedic certification.

Neither are particularly hard, but you should be aware that they exist.

Travel Paramedics

By now you’ve heard of travel nurses. You’ve probably heard of how much money they make doing it to.

Turns out, there’s an option for medics too.

Places are always short staffed. Hospitals, private ambulance companies, and private venues hire out these positions on a contract basis.

The length of contracts can differ. Some are as short as a few weeks, others can last months.

Every one is a little different.

Travel Medic Pay

This might be the most lucrative option on our list today.

Travel paramedics can make up to $100,000 a year. That’s pretty wild for most medics.

Obviously, this depends on the contracts you sign. Where you end up going can largely determine how much you’re going to make.

You also have to be willing to put in the hours.

If you want more free time in your life, you can take a contract then not work for 3 months. Which sounds awesome. Just don’t expect to be rolling in cash at the end of the year.

That’s neither good nor bad. It gives you an extreme amount of flexibility to do what you want when you want.

Changing work environments

It says it in the name. You’ll be traveling a lot. You may find yourself on different sides of the country from month to month.

Awesome if you’re looking for adventure.

See the country. Make new connections, Make some cash. It could be a great time.

However, if you are tied to a family with kids, this might not be for you. If you think you’re away from home a lot with a 24 hour shift, now you’re gone for weeks. If not longer.

And you won’t typically have insurance. You are being hired as a qualified contractor. You get paid well because you also need to cover your own insurance and retirement savings.

These companies do none of that for you.

I still think this is a super exciting option. Especially if you’re young and don’t have a lot of things tying you down just yet.

If this sounds your speed check out a job board for travel medics HERE

CRUISE SHIP MEDICS

Wait, isn’t this the same as a travel medic?

They sound similar but there are pretty significant differences.

For one, you’re actually employed by the company. This means you get retirement and health insurance benefits.

Is kind of like you get the adventure benefits of a travel medic with the consistency of a traditional paramedic role.

The pay is less too.

Paramedics on cross tend to make about $26 an hour.

Not terrible. It’s what a private ambulance our for medic would make.

Other upsides though, pay often includes room and board on the ship. You never really “leave” work but you save a ton on housing.

Plus, you’re on a cruise!

You typically get discounts on travel within the company. And you get all the cool cruise amenities. You won’t enjoy them like a patron but is still a good time.

Keep an eye out for these spots.

They don’t come up often and are highly desirable. You’ll have some stiff competition to get hired here.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Getting your paramedic certification doesn’t have to pigeonhole you into any one job.

There are plenty of other job opportunities out there.

You can travel and see the world. You can work on some of the most exciting calls you can think of.

Plus these give you some great things to pad your resume.

And if you want more paramedic resources you can find them here.

Good luck out there!