r/Paramedics • u/Patient-Radio-1626 • 1d ago
what do you regret.?
Is it worth the $30/hr, if you had the opportunity to do something else, would you take it , what would you have done (like be a lawyer). i can't decide between this and being a lawyer. I love both things a lot. I wanna hear someone else's perspective.
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u/evernevergreen 1d ago
medic and lawyer
you’re choosing 2 careers with long hours and severe burnout lol
lawyer might get replaced somewhat by AI, so going the EMS/healthcare route might be better
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u/Primary_Top543 1d ago
Why are there so many lawyers who are medics who are medics who want to be lawyers? Ambulance chasers or people that just can't pass the bar?
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u/youy23 1d ago
I think many medics are nerds that like reading to some extent.
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u/Primary_Top543 1d ago
True it's weird if maybe we paid more. We'd actually keep the ones that are really smart and figure it out.
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u/Strict-Canary-4175 1d ago
I make more than that, but I would definitely choose this. One of the biggest things I love about this job is that when I’m not there, no work builds up. If you’re a lawyer and you go on vacation, or during the weekend, or during the holidays…. You still have stuff to do. There’s stuff waiting for you. When I’m not there…..there’s someone else. It’s not me specific work.
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u/undertheenemyscrotum 1d ago
I make $120k a year for two years worth of schooling and get more full days off than I would doing anything else. I fear I may have drank the Kool aid too much
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u/Accomplished_Ad5747 18h ago
I read somewhere employability in nsw is low and hard for new graduates to find jobs, is this true?
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u/P0shJosh Paramedic 1d ago
Fire Medic is a valid career path. So many different departments, areas and cultures. You impact the local community about as much as anyone can, excellent benefits package for not having a degree (depending on the area) and a reasonable work life balance.
I make 68k a year and am due for a 10k raise. 24% of my salary goes into a 401k every year without me needing to contribute anything. Decent insurance. I work 2 days on run 1-5 legit calls a day with my buddies, then go back home for a 4 day weekend after every shift.
Being a lawyer is also a career path, but I can’t speak on it.
I’m smart enough to get my paramedic and pass the fire academy, but not smart enough to get a masters or something that will get me a better job. This is the most lucrative, balanced position for my skill set and area. (Salt Lake City area)
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u/SARstar367 1d ago
Lawyer here (and EMT for SAR) - There is a lot of versatility in being a lawyer but the student loan debt is very real. There are also a ton of people retiring and less getting in largely due to the student loan issue. Most lawyers don’t make as much as you think. Some of us make great money but I find that to be more of a rarity. I do well for myself but also do something most people hate. (lol). Work/life balance is really a mixed bag. You definitely take work stress home. AI is making some elements easier but you need to be good at AI to make that work for you (at least so far.) I highly, HIGHLY recommend trying to shadow folks and see what you may actually enjoy but can also make a living at doing. Feel free to DM.
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u/Wise_Screen_9462 1d ago
I would've went to Nursing school so I would be paid more for the same job (Flight)
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u/BettyboopRNMedic 1d ago
FYI supposedly Life Flight of Maine now pays medics and nurses the same!!
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u/redpandaos Medic Intern (US) 1d ago
They've had pay parity for nurses and medics for a couple years, yeah
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u/Wise_Screen_9462 1d ago
I saw that, I was looking at Maine before we recently decided to move to Wisconsin.
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u/TuxedoWrangler 8h ago
Wonder what their hourly rate is. As a paramedic in CT, paramedics are getting 40+ an hour straight pay.
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u/king_goodbar 1d ago
I’m a fire medic and love the fire side and nerd out on the medical side. If I would’ve known more about anesthesiology/CRNA when I went to college I most likely would’ve gone that route. I didn’t get an understanding of what anesthesiology was until I did OR clinicals half way through my medic program and found it way more interesting than any of my other clinicals. Now I am “in too deep” for a change of careers, in a good way. I work 9 days a month, make great money for my area, enjoy my job, and have a decent vacation accrual rate.
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u/bubbajack8 1d ago
It depends.
Some days I love being a Medic. Some days I want to finish flight school and never see an ambulance again.
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u/youy23 1d ago
You should have a backup plan. There’s a lot of medics that don’t have a backup plan but I can tell you there’s always a backup plan even if you don’t see it right now.
You may love doing EMS now but tack on 20 years and an injured back and a family that needs a roof over their head and picking up that overtime shift is going to really suck. It’s enough to make medics consider a more permanent backup plan.
I love EMS and don’t want to do anything else but I’m also young and able to do it. You can always do EMS on the side. I know a lawyer who also works as a full time firefighter.
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u/AlpineSK 1d ago
I regret not coming to my current service earlier. I came here when I was a 12 year medic. Full disclosure: I wouldnt have been ready to work in this system for a good five years or so into my career..
That said, I'm now making $52/hour with fantastic benefits and a ton of time off in a great system.
Three or four years sooner would have gotten me a better pension but at least I have one.
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u/BrokenHalligan 1d ago
I’ve been in the fire/ems systems for 20 years- 18 in my current department and 2 in my prior. My biggest regret is not taking care of my body. Mentally I’m alright but I am able to compartmentalize my job/tasks at hand. Stressing however will take a toll on your body if you’re unable to deal with these things in a healthy way. Busier departments that pay you more you will be running hundreds or thousand/s runs a year. Do this your entire career climbing in and out of rigs, completing your training and continuing education etc and it will begin to take its toll. I’m 2 years away from retirement and hope to get some enjoyable years out of my retirement, we’ll see I guess. I was a paramedic for about 11 of these combined years and recently gave it up, heart wasn’t in it anymore and believe me if you’re heart and your heads not in it anymore, it’s time to give it up. The back up plan and training/schooling someone else brought up is a very valid point. Everyone’s backs, knees, shoulders, and somes minds, are all jacked up and this line of work doesn’t leave you much else to do when it’s over. Sure possibly nursing if you just haven’t got your full, and everyone’s got the emergency management degrees or possible FEMA route but that seems about standard with too many ladles in the pot. Good luck with whatever you decide, I know we could use a few more workers comp lawyers! 😂
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u/Krampus_Valet 20h ago
I'm a single role 911 medic and I wouldn't get out of bed for $30/hr. I have an MS and I'm considering a PhD program, all on my departments dime. Other folks have already hit the nail on the head: when I'm not at work, I don't give a fuck about work. I get paid to maintain all necessary certifications and licenses, I have 3 days off at a time, and I have a full pension waiting for me (or a higher value medical retirement if I get hurt). There's significantly less mobility in being a paramedic: a lot of folks don't have any other qualifications if they suddenly can't ride the ambulance anymore, and one does not simply transfer ones pension plan from place to place normally. My recommendation is either to do both, or to become a paramedic and immediately start working on a Plan B that doesn't involve heavy physical labor. I can use my bio MS to go work in a lab or in policy if I suddenly can't be a paramedic anymore.
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u/Ambitious_Evening497 1d ago
I’ve travelled the world and gotten paid for it. I would not change a thing.
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u/yourname92 1d ago
Be a firefighter over a medic. Being a medic messed me up. I was both at the same time but 90% medic 10% firefighter.
I can’t say anything about being a lawyer or attorney.
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u/reasonablyinfrequent Paramedic 20h ago
Para is an interesting job that will keep you on your toes, but I always recommend an exit plan. No one’s immune to becoming severely burnt out or one shotted by a job and never enjoying it again. Get what you can out of it while you can (especially further education/ courses/ tickets), but try and stay motivated to follow other avenues as they come up. Bad line of work to feel trapped in.
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u/A_whole_new_reddit 16h ago
Look into claims adjusting or risk management, particularly those that focus on emergency services. My job is litigated complex claims for patient handling. I investigate claims, go to mediations and trials, and work with attorneys on developing a litigation strategy. It’s about as close to legal work as you can get without going to school. I also make just shy of $100k without benefits but my total benefits package ends up being like $140kish.
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u/rads2riches 14h ago
I have a buddy who is lawyer. He has been downsized twice now. Smart guy and has top tier education and is now looking into healthcare. AI will wipe out lawyers. Lawyers read documentation and look for interpretations in those, AI will handle that soon with oversight of course. No shade to lawyers as great ones will be needed especially for interpersonal reasons but the mid to low tier lawyers are going to be screwed especially with the crazy student debt. The average US attorney salary is roughly $150. That’s not worth the high stress, bad hours….seems like a lifestyle not a career.
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u/skidy12 CCP 8h ago
I've carved a path for myself in which it doesn't make sense to go back to school now (Ems tech/ software). But I very much love medicine and the Medical field. I would've become a nurse and eventually worked as flight/ CCT Nurse. Then eventually become a CRNA if I knew what I know now when I was originally in college (I dropped out as an art major).
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u/largeforever 7h ago
I regret parts of EMS.
Speaking from the USA. I don’t regret the great partners or the experiences, but if you do this for a living you silo yourself professionally into a job that has a low earning potential. This becomes an exponentially bigger problem as you get older.
The job can be repetitive, and also dangerous, and not enough people touch on that. If and when you decide to leave, you gotta go back to school, or bust your ass changing fields if you don’t wanna do healthcare. It’s a huge pain in the ass to get a job doing something else. I did it.
I’m painting broad strokes and good EMS jobs exist, but it’s generally not the norm nationally.
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u/Goddess_of_Carnage 1d ago
FTR I’ve been paid far in excess of a regular nurse or a high-end medic for being a flight nurse.
I truly get that everyone has a different reality.
Perhaps it’s just my situation or not.
Making in excess of $50 per hour as a flight nurse.
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u/AG74683 1d ago
I can almost 100% guarantee you that EMS is less stressful than a lawyer.
At least in this job you control the situation more often than not. Ultimately a positive outcome as a lawyer is either up to a judge or a jury. You can lay out a perfect case and it doesn't matter.
I worked in government administration prior to switching careers and can say this job isn't nearly as stressful as that shit was.
Also the fact that practicing law is a super saturated field unless you get into some niche specialty like land use planning or patent/contract law. They are a dime a dozen and it's an incredibly cutthroat business. Better Call Saul wasn't far from the truth when it came down to dirty tactics.
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u/PowerShovel-on-PS1 1d ago
IANAL
From everything I’ve read about lawyers, it is not something you want to go into unless you KNOW you want to. Their job satisfaction is…. Very low.