Health Careers and Pensions

Before starting a career, it’s important to think about the future – Is there room for advancement in this career? What are my retirement plan options?  Will I have a pension?  These are all important questions that you’ll want to ask yourself before you decide to devote yourself to any career. 

If you’re interested in a career as an Emergency Medical Technician or Paramedic, here is some information on the career and what you may expect:

Job Outlook

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of 2012, there were 239,100 EMT/Paramedic jobs.  Between the years 2012 and 2022, the job outlook for EMTs and Paramedics is expected to grow 23% which is must faster than average.

Career Options

AS an EMT or Paramedic, you should work in a public or private sector.  You may decide to work for a private hospital, in which your duties would be concentrated on picking up patients from their homes and giving them care when transporting them to the hospital.  As an EMT, you could also work for a town or city, side-by-side with police and firefighters. Competition tends to be higher in local government departments, as salaries and benefits tend to be better.  To have more options, it is recommended that you have as much training and educations as possible.

Pension

Having a pension is not the only way to retire.  For some, relying on a pension for retirement is great, but you’re putting your retirement in the hands of your employer, which isn’t always the safest idea.  It’s also possible that as an EMT, you may not be offered a pension plan. You may want to think about is a pension plan versus a 401k plan – make sure you do your research before you say yes to the job.