Clinician Schedule:

• Technical Levels
  24 hour shifts: Modified Berkeley Schedule -  1 day on, 1 day off, for 3 working shifts; then 4 days off
   
• Supervisory Levels
  Operations Battalion Chiefs - same as 24 hour shift schedule
  Chief Officers work a traditional 40 hour per week schedule.

Benefits

• Medical/Rx insurance plans with competitive premiums
• Vacation: 6.75 hours accrued per pay period (24 pay periods) for 24-hour personnel, beginning the first full pay period following date of hire. Accruals increase starting at 4 years of employment.
• Sick Leave: 6.5days hours accrued per pay period (24 pay periods) for 24-hour personnel, beginning the first full pay period following date of hire.
• Paid Holidays: All personnel receive 10 official fixed holidays and 2-3 additional personal holidays annually. Holidays worked are compensated at double time. For field operations, holidays not worked are compensated with 12 hours regular pay per holiday.
• Many additional benefit leave types available including Caregiver, Parental, Civic, Military, and more.
• Sick disability pay is paid by the county
• Uniforms: Provided by the department initially and annual replacement allowance thereafter.
• Life Insurance
• Retirement: For uniformed personnel, Kansas Police and Fire Retirement System and for non-uniformed personnel Kansas Public Employees Retirement System with additional contributions to 457 Plan matched by County up to 4.0%.
• Student Loan Advising
• Education Reimbursement

Training

The department provides all recertification hours required by the State and National Registry.

The pre-employment evaluation consists of the following:

Panel Interview - Candidates will be asked general questions about prior education, work history, work ethic, and attitudes about EMS. There may also be a clinical panel that is more focused on EMS knowledge.

Clinical Interview

Offers

The Chief or designee will make employment offers to those candidates successful in the assessment process.

Post-Offer Testing

Successful completion of post-offer testing is required.

Drug screening

Physical Ability Assessment-designed to ensure paramedics have the physical ability necessary to perform essential physical functions of the job. Candidates will have an opportunity to meet with MED-ACT Assessment Reviewers prior to the administration of the assessment to learn the course layout and practice the job tasks. Assessment includes but not limited to:

• Obtain and carry equipment
• Walk up and down stairs with the equipment
• Unassisted patient drag (approx. 165 pound mannequin move approx. 10 feet)
• Compression and CPR Simulation
• Lift and carry patient on spine board up and down stairs
• Cot utilization
• Loading of the cot
• Timed C-Spine stabilization simulation

Each ambulance is led by an officer. The officer provides medical leadership and guidance for all personnel who are part of the on-scene EMS team. The team confers with each other about decisions to be made, but the officer has the final accountability and bears primary responsibility for any actions taken by the EMS crew.

Most ambulances are led by an EMS Lieutenant, responsible for supervising the EMS team. Lieutenants also serve as preceptors for paramedic students as needed. Each shift has three EMS Captains who are responsible for training newly hired clinicians and are qualified to work as replacements for EMS Battalion Chiefs as needed. Captains supervise additional clinicians that they may not work with on a daily basis.

The shift is then led by two EMS Battalion Chiefs who are assigned to lead the North and South Battalions across all three shifts. Three Education Captains inside the Education Division support the shifts and coordinate training for each shift.

Becoming an EMT or Paramedic can be a rewarding career as you are responsible for providing care to the sick and injured. 

Requirements may vary from state to state, but generally, the eligibility requirements for most EMS programs are as follows:

• 18 years of age
• A high school graduate, or have a GED
• Have a valid driver's license

As you progress through your training and obtain your EMT license, you may want to move on to paramedic school. To be eligible to apply for a paramedic program you may have to take anatomy, physiology or an anatomy/physiology class. (Not all programs require this prerequisite as it may be "built-in" to the paramedic program curriculum).

After finding a paramedic program that is right for you, the next step is to apply for admission. Some paramedic programs may have an interview process, as programs can be highly competitive for admissions.

EMS programs in Kansas are listed below:

• Johnson County Community College
• Hutchinson Community College
• Kansas City Kansas Community College
• Barton Community College
• Coffeyville Community College
• Cowley College
• Garden City Community College

Learn about Greater Kansas City Area programs.

Learn about programs throughout the U.S. (search programs by state).