U.S. faces shortage of EMTs after nearly one-third of them quit in 2021
Nearly every industry has dealt with staffing shortages since the start of the pandemic, but few occupations can mean the difference between life and death like that of an EMT. But for many, low wages are forcing EMTs out of their jobs.
Deniece Farnsworth told CBS News that after seven years she’s not sure how much longer she can afford to keep doing her job as an EMT. Her current pay is $18 an hour.
“To pay the bills, we have to work as much as we can,” she said.
Farnsworth actually makes slightly more than the national median average for EMTs which is $17.05 per hour. That translates into $35,470 per year. The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists it as one of the lowest-paying jobs in health care. Low pay was the primary reason roughly one-third of all EMTs quit in 2021.
The industry is having a hard time replacing them.
A 2022 American Ambulance Association study of employee turnover found that 39% of part-time EMT and 55% of part-time paramedic positions went unfilled because of a lack of qualified candidates.
“It’s an absolute crisis. We have continual paramedics hitting the exit doors and leaving the field,” said American Ambulance Association president Shawn Baird.
He added that Medicaid’s reimbursement for non-emergency transports, like moving a patient between hospitals or taking someone to dialysis, keeps wages low.
“It can mean the difference of having an ambulance or not having an ambulance,” Baird said.
AMR, the nation’s largest private ambulance provider, announced it’s ending non-emergency transport in Los Angeles County. The company cites low Medicaid reimbursement as a major reason for a $3.5 million budget deficit in that market alone.
Amwest Ambulance Director of Operations Brian Napoli said that to keep from losing EMTs like Farnsworth, the company is moving to give employees a raise. But they can’t afford it long-term, he told CBS News, that if Medicaid reimbursements don’t increase, Amwest may also have to stop non-emergency services.
Napoli said it costs the company more than $250 for an average non-emergency transport call. However, their Medicaid reimbursement is just $107.
California recently passed a law that could require a $22-an-hour minimum wage for fast food workers. However, there is no mandated pay for EMTs.
“California recently passed a law that could require a $22-an-hour minimum wage for fast food workers. However, there is no mandated pay for EMTs.”
Nice to see they have their priorities straight.
Well … it’s all about paying the BIPOCs more than the White folks … and I’ll venture that there are far more BIPOCs in fast food than among EMTs …
Every day, countless people rely on EMTs. You just may find yourself, in your old age most likely, without the help you need because there simply aren’t enough EMTs to go around.
and in a few years there won’t be enough electricity to operate the EV ambulances.
I have already accepted I am a mortal being and will not be around forever. The goal is not to die, but not to die prematurely. But what is a premature death? 70? 80? 90? 100?
If you are a male and make it to 80 you have beat the statistical average. That average will be dropping significantly with the hundreds of millions who took the covid shots. When in your 80s every healthy day is good as friends of mine were great one day and not so good the next. It is the time when your body is winding down no matter what the hell anyone says. Enjoy, the old eat drink and be merry applies.
I think living into your 80’s will be pretty optimistic in the days moving forward. Look at the USSR mortality rate after their country collapsed in the early 90’s. The mortality rate for males dropped into the low 50’s. No work and no hope will do that to a man.
Old friend of the family was forced into nursing home by the greedy kids at 88 years old. She had always lived in the same house and very much enjoyed gardening. She kept on saying that she wanted to go home, but the children insisted that she cannot live by herself any more due to old age.
Unbeknownst to her, they emptied the house and put it on the market for sale. At that time, she was in relative good health for an 88 year old, was walking, eating and mentally totally with it. Just fell a few times and needed help getting dressed and showered.
After a while, she lost hope to ever return to her home. Stopped eating much, was dead within 3 months.
The priest at the funeral said that she had simply decided to go and join her deceased husband.
House was sold 3 days before her death.
Hopelessness kills. Greed, too.
I am currently fighting family who want to do this. Utterly sad. They don’t care, “Put her in a home” She is, Her own. “She needs forced feeding” I do my best all day everyday. “She can be healthier” No, she really can’t. Life’s grocery list of health issue’s has been a battle. We Fight it, Food and Physio, but time is going to win no matter what. She still walks and talks and limiting the downward slope is the best one can do. “I’d just feed her the fattest food with extra gravy put some weight on her”. She doesn’t have a gall bladder. Do you know what Dumping syndrome is? On and on it goes. Reasoning with Retards. But they just want the money… Or someone to torture.
To thine own self be true. You have my heartfelt sympathies.
I’m living through the flip side of that story right now, and I can tell you that I’m not that quick to judge. Unless you’re on the receiving end of that type of situation, you don’t really know what “right” looks like. But MY 89 YO child is still at home…for as long as I can manage it.
When you are younger, illness or injury is aggravating, but you always assume you’ll get better. After a certain age, that assumption becomes less certain. In my case, the thought that follows every physical or mental change is “Now What?”
Why not try to exercise, eat healthy, don’t put poison in your body and do your best to not get into an accident? Then, let the chips fall where they may. For some, that means dying of a brain tumor at age 40, but at least you did what you could.
I decided to come up with 1 or 2 words that will be my motto for 2023, to guide me in what I will do. It took me a couple of weeks, but I have decided on “fast and refocus”. Fast as in: do without.
Eat less, consume less, surf the internet less, refocus on what is important to me.
I will also do a no-buy-year in 2023 and only buy food and absolute essentials (i.e. toothpaste). No buying clothes, aluminum foil, gifts, toys, no takeout food, etc). In the month of January, I will not even buy food.
Not sure if my husband will love it for the money savings or hate it for no Jersey Mike’s sandwiches or Buffalo Wild Wings.
Certainly can’t blame your husband for liking Jersey Mike’s. Best subs in my area.
On a long enough time line, I’m convinced that all of us would commit suicide at some point. These cocoons weren’t meant for the long haul.
Didn’t you know? No one gets out alive…not even Lord Jesus.
Hot EMT. $35,000/year
Same Hot EMT on Onlyfans. $35,000/week
Uh,do you have a picture of “hot emt”,asking for a friend.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FkoUR6IakAAK360?format=jpg&name=900×900
Wow, She’s hot, Good Find!
EMT is short for Eeccchh, Male Tranny?
Xir future will be a happy one; an endless round of parties and street rallies!
this problem is easy to fix. you raise wages to properly staff your business. and fuck you if you are depending on tax dollars to operate your business.
Just like how all the mom and pop shops are going out of business to McD’s and Taco Bell?
It has always been
What we value as a society is obvious and self destructive
B’ball players….millions
Emt’s,nurses???…….
But the value of our currency is shit!!
Until that is fixed… It’s all academic….
The lowest paying jobs in healthcare are CNAs (Certified Nursing Assistants). These are the folks that do pretty much EVERYTHING regarding care at assisted living facilities, memory care facilities, and pretty much anything that doesn’t rise to the need for “skilled nursing.” They make $12+ an hour. They make sure the shit is cleaned off your mother or father, that they get a shower, that they eat their food, that they don’t fall, that their laundry gets done, and so, so much more. Fair enough, they have about 12 weeks of training and most were likely high school graduates with NO prospects other than unemployment, but still. Meanwhile, the folks that run these places make millions and charge you $3-9000 a month for the care these underpaid folks provide. Thankfully my mom passed away from Alzheimer’s well before this Covid/lies bullshit started, but they had problems getting good folks then. I can only imagine how horrible it must be now….especially when unemployment, welfare, etc. likely pay even more.
Same for laboratory technicians. Paid less than Aldi shelf stockers (with College degree plus 2 years training and 25 years work experience) while labs made billions with unnecessary and fraudulent Covid tests.
I was once involved in training medical lab techs, at a major regional hospital. The Program Director would often urge his underlings (e.g. me) to be on the look-out for smart, dedicated high school kids who would be good additions to our training program.
I didn’t have the heart to tell the Director, much less the students, that about the last job a smart, dedicated young person should pursue was that of a medical technician. The job (at least as it was back in the 80’s) requires a significant degree of intelligence, plus the ability to solve problems, and handle stress and time-pressure without screwing up. The pay is, to be charitable, not good.
I haven’t been involved in training techs in years; there are still niches where high-quality people are required (e.g. blood-banking and transfusion service), but the current lab model seems to be one or two one super-techs supervise a large lab, which is staffed largely by button-pushing drones (a la Idiocracy).
I am a mechanical technician.there is very little I’m afraid to work on…
Nobody seems to be interested in my experience or pay me for it….
Unionize
They’ll pay some university putz 3 times a good techs pay. To come up with some extravagant super expensive haired brained idea that doesn’t work. To try to avoid paying a “blue” collar guy anything close to proper.
Do you have some shoe polish?
My local McDonald’s has posted they will pay a minimum of $18 an hour for overnight full time workers…I can’t understand why anyone would take the added responsibility and stress of being an EMT for similar pay.
It’s insane that someone with no skills what so ever makes more working at McDonalds.
Money for EMT pay has government hands all over it; not so much at MickeyD’s.
The low pay is Weird. My mother’s EMT ride to the hospital … 5 mile trip …. was almost $1,000.
SOMEONE is making a lot of money! Probably some fucken Loo.
The reimbursement depends upon the patient’s (the transported one) insurance. In general, Medicaid is the worst, that is the lowest payer.
The Ambulance Trade in the FUSA is a sub-racket of the larger medical racket.
My daughter-in-law was having emotional issues, including occasional suicidal thoughts; when she shared this information with her ‘counsellor’ during a regular counsellimg session, she was told that it was mandatory that she be transported by ambulance to an emergency facility for evaluation. Immediately.
The trip lasted about ten minutes and, of course, was billed at $1,500 or so. Both my son and I were about five minutes away while this ’emergency’ transportation was under way. Fortunately, my son was a cop at the time, and the taxpayers ultimately got stuck with the ambulance bill. Suckers!
Glock- OT but I think you are not the only curious mind when it comes to joos writing Christmas songs. Look at the article “Rudolph the hook-nosed reindeer” on HenryMakow today. Gets to the meat of your question.
Yes, I’ll check it out.
And yet an ambulance ride is 2500 per in my neck of the woods.
The mind boggles.
$800 hammers, $1700 toilet seats. Where DOES all that money go?
Helped Iron patches on ******** for a government procurement. Each patch was worth a few hours pay. Could do about 50 patches an hour. Sweet work when you can get it.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the last 63 years, it’s that there’s always some hungry, low self esteem mother fucker ready to take your job the second you don’t want it any more. The worse the job, the truer this is.
People who live humble lives don’t usually cry about 1st world problems. They’re too focused on The Word and gettin’ it done to complain much.
Money ain’t everything.
Soon it won’t be anything.
Start making the adjustment NOW.
My husband was on the board of a local (rural), volunteer ambulance/emt department for seven years. They saved a lot of people. It takes a certain personality to do this job. It was also an ongoing freak show – I could tell stories. There were enough sane persons that it worked. Then a stereotypical literal Californian woman came, got herself on the board (a mayor appointment), and that was it for my husband. Bye bye.
They had one of the first cases of some sort of hazmat disease (forget the real term) with a patient in late 2019 or very early 2020 (guess what). There’s this reporting system and it came back alert, isolate, kicked in special procedures for taking them to the hospital. The hospital was in shock and had to check it out then proceed. The emt’s and the police that attended had to quarantine. There was no plandemic yet. This is Very brief, unprofessional synopsis told to us a little while after things began in earnest. There’s more but I’m not going to be the one. Truly weird stuff.
1. Low pay
2. Hard work
3. Gov regulation/woke bs
I only accept two of these at a time.