Paramedic Program
School of Health Sciences
Klump Academic Center, Rm. 4 · (570) 329-4931
Career Opportunities
According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Outlook Handbook, employment opportunities for paramedics are growing rapidly with a projected increase of 27% or more through 2014. Currently many regions are experiencing a shortage of paramedics with an increased need to support the aging/population growth.
Most paramedics are hired by private service, fire department, municipal/governmental, or hospital-based ambulance companies. Opportunities to specialize as a paramedic includes tactical medicine with police departments, critical care inter-facility transport including aeromedical services, disaster management with technical rescue teams, primary healthcare within the federal prison system, and industrial medicine including oil rigs.
Advancement within the Emergency Medical Services profession includes administrative, governmental, public health, and education. Promotion often requires academic degree credentials.
Average Starting Salary: The national average starting salary for an EMT-Paramedic is $35,182 annually according to the 2006 salary and workplace survey conducted by the Journal of Emergency Medical Services. Nationally, starting salaries for supervisory positions exceed $50,000 annually with top salaries varying according to region.