emergency medical technician

Maricopa Ambulance

Here in AZ, my personal opinion is that there are great opportunities for EMTs that want 911 experience. That's because of the... very unique 911 contracts Maricopa Ambulance is awarded. Lots of dual BLS trucks for IF.
Paramedics don't seem to stick around long, so they always need them.
At the time of this review, I can count on one hand the number of times I've been held over- dispatch does a pretty good job of getting you back to quarters on time.
The paramedic supervisors directly above folks in the field have my biggest applause- at least the two I've worked under. Anything I've ever needed, forgotten, been confused about or just needed some guidance on, they've been great at being there- always a phone call away and happy to help. I was struggling with a vent patient, so my sup sent another ALS unit to be extra hands, and then personally met me at the receiving hospital to debrief and check on me-no scolding, no reprimanding, it was all educational, constructive and personal. As an employee and *fairly* new paramedic, I couldn't ask for better oversight. Upper management have done some less than awesome things- like change my schedule with a few days notice due to "operational need", but to their credit (again, here in AZ), on nights where we have been short-staffed, they have personally jumped in trucks to run calls, including the supervisors just beneath them. 
I could go on about equipment- this, or trucks- that, but you'll get that anywhere you go, and honestly, the equipment isn't in terrible shape. If something isn't working, the sups can usually fix it, find another one and if that doesn't work, then you're just without that piece of equipment and you don't get calls requiring it (Interfacility). Shift bids are every 2 months (at this time), so if you don't like your spot, at least you're not there for very long. In general, the company seems to have a good reputation around the valley and they're growing (possibly too fast) and I know I could be in much worse working conditions.

Overall this place is the same, if not worse than the other employer options for private EMS in the Phoenix area. The take over of Scottsdale 911 has been a mess and was poorly planned and executed. They hardly have the infrastructure in place to sustain 1 city, let alone multiple cities, yet they are trying hard to get wherever else they can. Vehicle maintenance and basic needs (Cleaning supply, paper towels, vehicle cleaning supplies) has been a constant issue for them to keep in stock. They have started telling EMTs "there is no budget for those things" 

They offer benefits health, vision, dental but the options are very poor and somewhat expensive. They do have a 401k options, but match a whopping  0%. Basic Life insurance provided by the company is $15k... in other words, not even enough to pay off most of their employees auto loans if they were to die. There is also no training department, or continuing education provided. They put a brand new EMT through short 1 day or less "orientation" and a hand full of shifts on an ambulance with a crew chosen at random and them send them out on their own. Career development and employee retention is a very low priority for them at the moment. 

There is a union and they has been a mess since the start. They seems to be forever grasping for the trust and support of its members. But thankfully Arizona is a right to work state and you do not need to join, should you choose. 

This is just another corporate EMS provider that does little to help you further your career and treats you as a dime a dozen employee, they have proven they are on the hunt for profit only. 

The current culture here is very toxic, even childish at times, it is unfortunate that EMS has become this in Arizona. Continue to do the best you can for your patient.

Working as an EMT here has taught me that I'd rather be unemployed then either go back to working for them. 

They could've changed private EMS here in the valley but like the other private EMS providers here there are no good. 

Management is unsupportive and downright malicious at times if you're working 911. While most of the co-workers there are good people there are a handful of them that should not be working in the medical field in general. They will bring you down and throw you under the bus. I would not trust them with my dog and they are the last person you should trust when you need someone to back you. 

The union is "good" and useless. They fight the most useless battles and fight to keep employees that deserve to be fired. But ignore important stuff that should be changed like how Scottsdale 911 posting work. 

Benefits are lack luster and somewhat expensive. They offer a 401k but match you 0%. 
They struggle to keep in stock vital supplies like gurney wipes or N95s. So, you have that to look for to. Bright side is that there's practically a limitless amount of overtime for you to pick up should you so choose. 

I had the misfortune of not having my uniform ordered for me until 3 weeks into my employment. Although they do offer a decent amount: 5 shirts, 5 pants, 1 hat, 1 sweater, 1 rain coat, belt, and a pair of boots. 

Pay for an EMT-B is the best in the valley for private EMS starting at $15.00 and increases based on years of experience. Pretty much the only positive I have for this company. 

Maricopa ambulance compares similarly to other private ambulance companies. Maricopa does not typically take care of their ambulances. Most of their fleet has minor mechanical issues that cause minor inconveniences. Some of their fleet has major mechanical issues (such as check engine lights) that they are slow to act on, impacting their employees, and the patients the serve. Managment has an "assume the worst" approach when it comes to interacting with you. Middle management (such as immediate supervisors) come across as "out to get you" while taking minimal accountability for themselves, or more pressing issues. Maricopa employees and management consistently neglect their crew stations, making most of them gross and hard to live in while on your shift. During my 2-year employment, there was very little support from either your peers or management regarding any critical calls you run. The warehouse where they store equipment is a disaster, making it almost impossible to find supplies or other things needed in an ambulance. They provide very little instructions for the charting software they use.

Truth be told, get ready for unsupportive managers and directors. Everything here is about money, even when it comes to providing the best care for patients. It’s always profit over patients. Also be prepared for some questionable decisions and practices being forced on you, and also when you ask for explanation be prepared to get left in the dark or told “because it’s what you get paid for” I started this job for experience and quickly found I love being an EMT and helping people. But also learned quickly that this is one of the worst companies I have ever worked for. They make it so hard to enjoy your work and even harder to come in with a good attitude. I truly hope that this can help someone if they are on the fence of applying to Maricopa Ambulance, or any Priority company for that matter. While there are some good people who work here, the company always try’s to shut them down and it just becomes hard to stay positive. 

They basically will “sell you” the position, state that they’re family oriented and want to provide a good “work/life” balance. NEOP was an absolute joke, it was basically just PowerPoints read by training managers, the only upside to that was it was paid! They’ll say that “They’ll work with you and your availability”, but schedule you shifts that you absolutely cannot work. I told them nights and weekends, but was scheduled day shifts, then was forced to resign due to THEIR miscommunications, over promising and under delivering. HR wouldn’t take responsibility for their actions resulting in my resignation 

Also, the HR manager stated “We here don’t go above and beyond for our employees”. Easy for someone to say when sitting in an air conditioned office and not putting their lives on the line. You also don’t learn ANYTHING on your precept shifts

Your better off working for AMR, which speaks volume

The managment, favoritism, and disrespect towards employees is NOT worth 15.00 an hour

Unless management needs you for something,  they will not answer their phone or return your call. They go through supervisors like toilet paper because of of the work load they put on them. Was there three years and never got my boots. I finally got the rest of my uniforms after being there 2 years. I asked to go part-time or I would have to leave and they said no and let me leave which doesn't make sense because of the desperate need for medics right now. They also play favorites and if I was the right person, I would be allowed to go part-time. I was a good employee who always did their job without complaining and never caused them problems. I was always there for them anytime they asked but not the other way around when I needed them. The pay was so so, but all the overtime and bonuses were great. Some Supervisors were great and others not so great. Management was terrible.

You get plenty of time off. However don’t expect much from this company. With COVID-19 running rampant the company won’t pay for your testing if you get sick. They also expect you to prove you actually got sick at work despite transporting so many positive cases. The fire department has multiple members out sick with the virus and they’re being taken care of. Their crews have all been tested and removed from their shifts. Our company won’t test us and even after transporting positive cases and running calls with fire department members who were sick with the virus on shift, we have been told that proving we got sick at work falls on us. 

The company has a tendency of piling two jobs onto one person and assigning you duties entirely unrelated to your job function. I went to HR about this, but there's only one rep in the entire company, so she deferred to my manager, who was upset with me for going to HR about needing to hire people who could do a lot of the stuff I was being asked to do.  

With the lack of documentation, team leads, directors, and Standard Operating Procedures, this kind of runaround isn't uncommon. The organization ends up being very "flat" because the budget doesn't permit the hiring of necessary personnel.  Also, management would ask me to remote into old desktops, which contained software licenses, as opposed to getting the software installed on our new computers.  It was honestly unbelievable.

Company is a total mess. They can not staff despite offering a $35K signing bonus! Reporting safety concerns will get you disciplined! Management turnover is extremely fast. No actual training at any level to help you succeed. Everyday you will be ordered to stop doing your assigned job tasks, be dedicated to cover other aspects of the company, and then subject to disciplinary action for not completing your original job tasks. Management disappears for days at time and only appears for negative reasons. One day you will be told that you are doing a great job and that that they want reward you. Then you will be terminated for thing that you were completely unaware were even going on. This is no isolated. In my experience with the company, these issues arose many times and with many different employees. 

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