Pros
I don't work there anymore.
Cons
Most people think it is a good way to become a paramedic. It is a HORRIBLE way to learn anything. Experience driving an ambulance? Not anymore. Now you get experience driving Sprinter vans. Experience in patient care? Nope. You either drive, or sit in the back playing Sudoku on your phone. All you will learn is how to lift a stretcher, 30 times per day. Crap pay. $12-13/hour. Crap hours. 12 hour shifts, that can be extended when a patient is delayed, or dispatch wants to slam you with calls. "Company" employees can be on 12 hour UNPAID on call. I was on call from 7AM to 7PM. I was up at 5AM to be ready. At 10:30PM, they call me up and say I have to be at the base (an hour and a half away from my house) at 5AM. I told them I couldn't do that. They gave me a hard time about it. 5 hours sleep, to work 12 + hours driving? Broker employees are at the mercy of a broker (a small business owner who hates employees, and complains to all employees about how much they cost him/her). Zero benefits. Company policy is to not lift over 250lbs without a lift assist. Nurses will routinely lie about patient weight. Dispatch and brokers will try to pressure you into lifting more than 250lbs just to get the call done. If you DO lift 250 or more, and hurt yourself. The company washes their hands of you. "You shouldn't have done the lift" EVEN THOUGH THEY PRESSURED YOU TO DO IT. Dirty trucks. Equipment not cleaned properly. Dispatch pressures crews to ditch patients at appointments which are marked as "wait and returns", so the crew can do a cash call. The hospital has a contract, so their patients can wait. If you call with a credit card, or, cash, you are at the head of the line. No concern for patient or crew safety RE: carrying personal belongings. Routinely expected to carry suit cases, furniture, bags etc, AND, keep both hands on the stretcher for patient safety. All of this crap can become deadly if in a sudden stop, or collision. They have rules and policies in place to protect the employee. These go out the window, daily for them to make a buck. It jeopardizes patient and crew safety.