BC Ambulance Service

BCEHS is only too happy to hire women as part-time employees in rural stations where the pay is low, and staff is hard to attract. If by some miracle a female employee makes it to full-time status(after 6-7 years of poverty, and no life) she will have to move to Vancouver, where the physical demands of the job will, likely as not, result in a career-ending injury. The BCEHS has been warned by their own ergonomic advisers that half of the women who start their paramedic careers while in their early twenties will have left the service by the time their cohort reaches their forties, due to injuries and the physical demands of the job. So much for your pension! The pre-employment physical testing is a joke; it does not nearly replicate the actual demands of the job. If the testing did reflect the actual demands of the job, only a minute portion of female applicants would pass(I certainly wouldn't have !). When you only pay $2.50 per hour, you can't afford to be  too choosy! The BCEHS injures the equivalent of every single paramedic, every seven years(averaging 550 time loss injuries per year, 3700 paramedics in the service, but women are 30% more likely to be injured or disabled) No private company could, or  should, tolerate this kind of injury rate, but BCEHS seems to be immune to the persuasive powers of WorksafeBC. The effect of this Darwinian culling of employees, based solely on physical durability, has lead to the almost exclusive promotion of men to advanced training opportunities, as well as supervisory and managerial positions, which further denies women the ability to move out of the more physically demanding roles. BCEHS, listen to your own ergonomic advisers, who are telling you that your injury rate is unsustainable, and that the job is so inherently dangerous to workers that is should be completely re-designed!

I am a hard-working, cheerful and cooperative temporary employee, and 3 months into the job the manager came to me and said I was well thought of and liked, fit in well and they were going to offer me to stay on in another role once the 6-month term contract was complete. 2 months later, the manager started acting very differently toward me but I could get no feedback, no matter how politely insistent. Then another month later I was called in and asked if I had breached confidentiality of one of the medical directors, to which I replied no. They sent me home (just a week or two before 6 month date came due) for a week's pay while they "looked into the situation". They shouted at me in the meeting room until I began crying, which I have never done at work. Although I said I had not committed any indiscretion, the answer did not seem to matter. The week before I had moved the Director of Operations office single-handedly, with the use of one dolly. Later I heard that he laughed, because he "hated" me. What a humiliating way to treat and end the contract of a pleasant and hard-working employee. If they had been honest with me, I would have had another contract lined up by end of February. It should be noted that BCAS was just being taken over by Provincial Health Services Authority, and they did not like the idea of the female boss who was starting and referred to her as "just another middle-aged nursing manager". Not so professional.

Friendly work environment, with onsite recurrent training but terrible pay with lottery only career advancement options. At the time I worked there, BC entered workers into a draw annually for just 6 workers province wide to receive the chance to receive advanced lifesaving training regardless of time served, skill level or suitability. The training was located in the lower mainland sixteen hours away from this location so required a move for a minimum of six months. Very difficult for personnel with family to achieve this even if they happened to eventually get drawn. Without that advanced training there was no ability to move forward as a full time career, so had to remain in casual employ indefinitely.  There were 2 required work positions. One was at the station,  which received minimum wage. The other option was on call where 1 coun 10 minutes drive of the station so could not have another job or live away from that area.  And the pay was $2.00 an hour for that privilege. All casual employees had to sign up for both types of shifts.

This job stifles creativity and growth. You are forced to either commute or move out in the middle of nowhere. This is one of the most stressful jobs in the world yet I find myself more stressed about Whether or not I will get paid over what I see people going through. The company does not care about you as an employee. You get paid $2 per hour on most shifts and are only paid if you see a patient which is rare in the small community you are forced to start in. It takes YEARS to get to a point where you can actually survive off your income let alone prosper financially. You are a number to them, and everything is based on your seniority, some managers are great and my co workers are like family but I would not suggest working here if it was the last job on earth.

Employer is demanding and relies on the employee submitting a grievance rather than dealing with any issues,
The employer will fight you on every front and most of the improvement in working conditions have been by order of WorkSafe
The union is unable to deal effectively with the employer and the salary has continuously fallen farther and farther behind other emergency services
The employer takes advantage of new hires by requiring them to work part-time and commute to far away station to work for a stipend of less than $3 per hour while waiting for a call. Off times it costs an employee more to commute than they'll make while on call

Worked for 6.5 years as a part time PCP 
(Full time is a different story- I’m only speaking on my experience as a part timer) 
Start in rural areas so must have second job to pay your bills
Wages - awful, not paid by the hour, paid “pager pay”= less than minimum wage
Management inconsistent and unsupportive
Generally negative workplace culture 
Work life balance as a part timer is non existent as wages are inconsistent you need to work as much as possible to ensure ends meet 
Not a lot of chance for front line employee feedback

Do your research before you take a job here.
Keep in mind that you're working in an emergency unit, and be aware that we are currently experiencing not one, but two epidemics, and think about what that might be like on a day to day basis.

If you think you can handle it, what you'll find at BCAS are supportive team leads who've suffered through toxic management and want to change things. You'll find teammates who are remarkably empathetic and staff who'll bend over backwards to support you. Great work-life balance; I don't know any other companies who give 6 days after a work block. Benefits are also very good

Do your research when considering working here. The training program is disorganized, does not cater to different learning styles or requirements. They do not care if you need help. The work environment is very negative and management does nothing to fix that. It is so toxic, you will wish you never left your previous job. You get 3x20 minute breaks in 12 hrs. It's no wonder everyone is miserable, unhealthy and smokers. Be prepared to be watched like a fish bowl and if you question anything you will be fired. It's not worth leaving another career for. 

Usually a 12 hour, shift,  paid $11.oo hour to wait at provincial ambulance station, for any emergency calls, from Dispatcher.
  It is a good place to learn, with many continuing education courses  available to maintain your EMT Licence.   management is good and very helpful.  Hardest part of Job, is Dealing with mass casualty situations, death, and dying patients.
The most Enjoyable Part of the job, is helping people when they are in need of emergency help.

The employer is never concerned about their employees, their well-being or mental health.  They will push you until you break, moral is poor, it is an US vs THEM between ALS and BLS as well as Full time and Part time.  

You better love the work - and not be looking for advancement.  Patients always make it worth while, patience is essential for the repeat patients but they are ill, no matter how you look at it but your partner's attitude may differ and this can be difficult.

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