title: Compensation of Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)-Basics and Paramedics.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this paper is to identify factors associated with compensation for Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)-Basics and Paramedics and assess whether these associations have changed over the period 1999-2008.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data obtained from the Longitudinal EMT Attributes and Demographic Study (LEADS) surveys, a mail survey of a random, stratified sample of nationally certified EMT-Basics and Paramedics, were analyzed. For the 1999-2003 period, analyses included all respondents providing Emergency Medical Services (EMS). With the addition of a survey in 2004 about volunteers, it was possible to exclude volunteers from these analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Over 60% of EMT-Basics reported being either compensated or noncompensated volunteers in the 2004-2008 period. This was substantially and significantly greater than the proportion of EMT-Paramedic volunteers (<25%). The EMT-Paramedics earned significantly more than EMT-Basics, with differentials of $11,000-$18,000 over the course of the study. The major source of earnings disparity was type of organization: respondents employed by fire-based EMS agencies reported significantly higher earnings than other respondents, at both the EMT-Basic and EMT-Paramedic levels. Males also earned significantly more than females, with annual earnings differentials ranging from $7,000 to $15,000.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There are a number of factors associated with compensation disparities within the EMS profession. These include type of service (ie, fire-based vs. other types of agencies) and gender. The reasons for these disparities warrant further investigation. Studnek JR . Compensation of Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)-Basics and Paramedics. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2016;31(Suppl. 1):s87-s95.
authors.affiliation: Mecklenburg EMS Agency,Charlotte,North Carolina,USA.
authors.forename: Jonathan R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Studnek
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D004634:Emergency Medical Technicians / Q000145:classification / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012456:Salaries and Fringe Benefits / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D000078329:Workforce
keywords:  CI confidence interval;  EMS Emergency Medical Services;  EMT Emergency Medical Technician;  LEADS Longitudinal EMT Attributes and Demographic Study; Emergency Medical Services; compensation; paramedic; prehospital