How Much Do EMTs Make an Hour?
According to "The List: 100 Ways to Shake Up Your Life", 2008, becoming an emergency medical technician (EMT) is one of best paths to personal and career satisfaction. Emergency medical technicians deliver urgent medical services to victims of highway accidents, slips and falls, and heart attacks. They provide hands-on, lifesaving care when and where victims need it most. EMTs earn an attractive hourly wage and often earn annual cash bonuses.
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Identification
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According to the U.S. Government's Bureau of Labor Statistics, emergency medical technicians earn median compensation of $14.42 per hour. The range of compensation is wide: some EMTs earn less than $9.61 per hour while the most highly-paid earn more than $24.00 an hour.
According to "Career Opportunities in Health Care", 2007, EMTs routinely work more than 40-hour weeks. An EMT doesn't know how long he will work to attend to the needs of emergency victims. EMTs frequently earn over-time for this reason.
Considerations
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"Careers In Emergency Room/Trauma Center", 2007, states that where the EMT works affects her earnings. For example, hospitals may pay EMTs more than a fire department. Hospitals may also pay less than a private ambulance service.
Industries with perceived higher physical risks hire EMTs. EMTs in mining operations receive higher compensation, around $26.00 per hour. Waste treatment facilities, engineering project sites, and state governments pay EMT employees about $24.00 hourly. EMTs working for iron and steel fabrication sites earn less than $22.00 an hour.
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Geography
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Where EMTs work also affects how much they are paid. According to PayScale.com, EMTs working in New Orleans, Louisiana earn the highest hourly rates, up to about $22.00 per hour, followed by Houston, Texas (up to $20.00 an hour), Cleveland, Ohio (up to $18.00 an hour), Miami, Florida (up to $20.00 an hour). EMTs earn shift differential wages, overtime, and bonuses. Reported annual bonuses average about $1,000 annually, according to PayScale.com.
Expert Insight
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More experience translates to higher compensation. PayScale.com reports that newly-trained EMTs earn less than $11.54 to around $13.00 an hour. In four years or less, EMTs earn up to $19.25 per hour. At less than nine years, they earn more than $21.00. In 19 years or less, they earn more than $27.00 hourly. With 20 or more years' experience, they receive compensation of up to approximately $29.00 per hour.
Extra Benefits
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According to "Health Care, Medicine, and Science", 2008, EMTs often supplement their incomes by teaching cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and EMT education classes at community colleges and technical schools.
Potential
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U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 9 percent increase in EMT positions from 2008 to 2018. "Princeton Review's Guide to College Majors 2010 Edition", predicts a bright future for most EMTs. The need for more EMTs reflects the needs of an aging population. EMTs with advanced and continuing education receive the strongest employer interest. While competition for fire department and police department EMTs remains fierce, some applicants identify high-paying private sector jobs first.
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References
- "The List: 100 Ways to Shake Up Your Life"; Gail Belsky; 2008: According To
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: EMTs
- Institute for Career Research: "Careers in Emergency Room/Trauma Center"; 2007; Page 15
- "Health Care, Medicine and Science"; Deborah Porterfield; 2008; Page 3; According To
- Princeton Review: "Princeton Review's Guide To College Majors 2010 Ed."; 2010; Page 331
Resources
- "The Top 100: The Fastest Growing Careers for the 21st Century"; Mary Susan Ryan-Flynn; 2008
- "The Everything Guide to Government Jobs:" James Mannion; 2007
- Ferguson: "150 Great Tech Prep Careers"; 2008: Page 209
- "Career Opportunities In Law Enforcement, Security and Protective Services"; Susan Echaore-McDavid; 2005: Page 106
- Ferguson: "Safety and Security"; 2007: Page 60
- U.S. Institute of Medicine: "Emergency Care For Children; Growing Pains"; 2007
- Photo Credit Siri Stafford/Lifesize/Getty Images
