Quote:
Originally Posted by fotze
I think the big problem is (I have a friend who just started his Paramedic practicum) is that to be a an EMT/Paramedic in the city pays far less than if you wanted to go sit a seismic crew or drilling rig. There is very little stress out there and about double the pay. The city is having trouble attracting these guys, especially when most of the day you are spent trying to revive homeless drunk people who have shat and pissed themselves on the sidewalk.
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This is the main thing in my mind. I work with medics day in and day out and why would anyone want to work here if you can sit in a warehouse/oil rig/private site etc. making $45 an hour. The city is already running short on ambulances and is becoming a daily problem...you take away incentive for people to work here you are taking a huge gamble and in the end affecting the safety of Calgary citizens .
And if anyone thinks being a medic is a walk in the park I only wish you could see half the stuff they put up with. Yes, they wait in hospitals, and yes, sometimes they do just flex from hall to hall...but the job they do is physically, mentally, emotionally draining. I'm a strong supporter that everyone in emergency services is underpaid (possibly a slight biasedness
) but I don't think the public has a realistic view of what everyone goes through. I have nothing but respect for people to put themselves in this position.