It is time to address a decades long concern that is 100% agreed upon within the pre-hospital medical community. Salaries/pay/compensation for EMT's, EMT-Advanced, and Paramedics are insultingly lacking and insufficient, compared to other civil services and medical counterparts; and have been, since it's inception.

According to Forbes, Paramedics - the highest level of EMS certification - earns a national average of $38,830 (Forbes, April 23, 2020 - Andrew DiPietro), which equates to just over $15 an hour, in a standard 48 hour work week; $10K+ less than the median of ALL professions considered.  A comparable Nursing counterpart (considering only clinical hours: 300-700 training hours for BSN nurses and 600-1200 training hours for Paramedics) makes a national average of almost DOUBLE that of a Paramedic at $71,730 (source- 2019 Bureau of Labor and Statistics), even though a Paramedic's Scope of Practice exceeds that of a Nurse. (I'm not denigrating nurses, just stating a fact.) 

General consensus grossly underestimates the extreme pressures all EMS professionals are expected to face, in 12+ hour shifts- with a shortage of supplies, shortages of personnel, shortages of support systems for the professional, and in widely varying austere and dangerous conditions. The level of responsibility EMS professionals hold, the amount of training/education an EMS professional must complete (and must continue to complete, in order to maintain their licenses), and workload that an EMS professional performs, all dictate and WARRANT a higher level of compensation that should be afforded to the entirety of the EMS community. 

It is almost a constant occurrence that EMS professionals work two or more EMS jobs (upwards of 72 hours a WEEK) to sustain themselves and their family. EMS personnel are exposed to severely traumatic events on a daily basis, and still expertly perform their jobs while literally acting as direct extensions of the hands of Medical Doctors and Physicians, Cardiologists, Respiratory Therapists, Nurses, Phlebotomists, etc. EMS professionals are one of the highest professions to have PTSD, and it is all too common to experience suicide within the community; a direct result from wholly toxic environments, being overworked, being underpaid, the aforementioned PTSD, and having no support system. 

It is time that we fight for appropriate compensation that adequately recognizes the training, responsibility, and workload that our Nation's EMS professionals selflessly manage, EVERY single day, in the greatest and darkest times of need, for the sick and injured. Please vie for us and answer our call, as we unwaveringly answer those that call for us. 

NREMT, National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians. Please use your platform, and revenue of tens of millions of dollars from EMT certification costs to represent and fight for the EMS people, and help us grow and better the profession.