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King County Medic One employment

Overview

King County Medic One (KCM1) is a county-operated EMS system that is the sole provider of pre-hospital 911 Advanced Life Support (ALS) in south King County.

  • We operate 9 Medic Units (staffed with two Paramedics each) and one 24hr Shift Supervisor.
  • King County Medic One Paramedics provide only 911 emergency response ALS-level treatment and transport. BLS-level care is provided by fire agencies in the region. Inter-facility transports are typically handled by local ambulance companies.
  • Applicants for employment at KCM1 can be either EMTs or Paramedics. All KCM1 new hires must complete the University of Washington Paramedic Training Program – regardless of their past EMS experience or training. There is no cost to the individual for this training and trainees are paid competitively with full benefits and retirement during this time.

Hiring News

King County Medic One will be recruiting for our next hiring process in spring 2024

We plan to hire between 4 – 8 paramedic interns pending staffing changes in the spring of 2024. You may take the written tests via our partner, Public Safety Testing at any point up until the close of the application period on February 16, 2024. You need to take and pass the Firefighter Selection Tool (FST) AND EMT Written Exam from PST to be eligible.

In addition to the tests, you MUST apply directly with King County. This will be available during the application period January 2, 2024 – February 16, 2024. It is very important to understand, you MUST have scores recorded for both tests with Public Safety Testing AND apply with King County directly during the open application period. Without both, we cannot consider the applicant.


We are also hosting virtual employment Open Houses coming soon via Zoom


For additional information specific to hiring, you may email: KCM1Hiring@kingcounty.gov

Pre-testing requirements

Applicants must have a minimum of 3 years of experience (by the last day that written test scores will be accepted) as an EMT or Paramedic working in a pre-hospital EMS system. At least twelve consecutive months of that experience must be with one employer.

The successful candidate

King County Medic One strives to hire individuals who will excel in both the academic and field EMS settings. Successful candidates must demonstrate critical thinking skills, leadership, multi-tasking ability, integrity and compassion. Candidates should show exemplary teamwork and customer service skills. KCM1 puts the patient first and the successful candidate should show the ability to do this on every level.

The testing process

The testing process for King County Medic One starts by taking two written tests (Firefighter Selection Tool and EMT knowledge) delivered by Public Safety Testing within one year of the close of the application period. All questions about these written tests should be directed to Public Safety Testing. In addition to completing these tests, candidates MUST also apply with King County during the open application period (January 2, 2024 – February 16, 2024). You will not be considered as a candidate if you have not completed this application and have taken both tests by February 16, 2024.

The top-scoring candidates from the written phase of the testing process will be invited to the Skills Assessment phase of the testing process. This includes several interactive tasks, typically including a patient care component based on State of Washington Department of Health EMS BLS skills sheets.

The top-scoring candidates from the Skills Assessment phase of the testing process will advance to Physical Agility testing conducted at the Exercise Science Center in Fircrest, WA. Please direct questions about the physical agility test to them. Candidates are STRONGLY encouraged to reach out to understand this test and even go to the venue to practice. If a candidate currently holds a passed, valid (within one year) CPAT test, that will not need to complete the Exercise Science Center.

Finally, the most successful candidates will be invited to a structured oral board interview with the senior leadership elements of King County Medic One. The candidates selected will be given conditional offers of employment pending:

  • A psychological assessment
  • A medical exam
  • A criminal background check
  • Extensive work and reference check

We understand that some of our candidates do not live in this geographic area, and we will make every attempt to give ample notice for the date and time of the Skills Assessment portion of the testing process to allow for travel arrangements to be made. The remaining elements of testing happen at maximum within six days of the Skills Assessment thus it should not require multiple trips to complete testing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Our paramedic training program is physician-taught yet field centric lasting well in excess of 2,000 hours. Paramedic students are taught a concept or skill by day and will be able to put it to use that evening while on the busiest paramedic units in Seattle. It is not uncommon for paramedic students to have 40 – 50 adult and pediatric intubations by graduation. You don't just learn the skills and knowledge it takes to be a paramedic, you master it. We believe that this intensive training is a core component of our system's nation leading cardiac arrest resuscitation rates.

Training is approximately 11 months long. The cost of your training is paid for by the Medic One Foundation. During this time, employees have full benefits – medical, dental, vision, and contribution to a state pension plan (LEOFF 2). Employees are paid an hourly rate while in school that ends up grossing approximately $68,000.

Your schedule while in Paramedic Training is very demanding – on both you and your family. You may be away from home for 36 hours at a time (or more.) It is not uncommon to have class all day, ride on one of Seattle Fire Department's busiest Medic units that evening, and then be in class for the entirety of the following day. Candidates should have a strong mental and physical capacity.

The two tests are the Firefighter Selection Tool and an EMT written examination. The former is a civil service style exam and the latter is based on the current AAOS EMT-Basic curriculum. Questions about the written tests should be directed to Public Safety Testing.

Due to the large number of applicants we get and the need to test people in a very efficient manner, we are sorry to say that there are absolutely no options to reschedule this or any other portion of the testing process.

No, you must be currently certified as an EMS provider (EMT or Paramedic) by a State Agency or with the National Registry.

For the entirety of Paramedic Training and for the following year, you will be a probationary employee. Upon successfully completing UW Paramedic Training, you will complete our department-specific Orientation program that lasts for eight weeks. Immediately following Orientation, you will begin a 8-month Field Training Officer (FTO) program where you will be on a Medic unit with a senior partner receiving daily evaluations from your FTO and quality assurance review from our medical direction. Upon successful completion of the FTO period, you will complete the balance of probationary time on a Medic unit with a non-FTO partner.

Entry-level wage upon successful completion of UW Paramedic Training and certification as a WA State Paramedic is $39.52 / hr. on a 2,448-hour work-year. We work 24-hour shifts averaging 9 calls per shift. Our schedule is 24 hours ON, 24 hours OFF, 24 hours ON, and 5 days off with approximately 10 debit days per year for a total of 102 shifts per year.

KCM1 provides all training required for maintaining your Washington State paramedic licensure at no cost to you. Additionally, we have an annual educational incentive to help offset registration costs for EMS training (or college credit) above and beyond what we provide.

In order to be hired by King County Medic One, you must be eligible to work in the USA. Unfortunately, King County (as an employer) does not sponsor for work-related visas. You must also have a WA State Driver's License at the time of hire.

For answers to career- and testing-related questions not posted here, you can email KCM1Hiring@kingcounty.gov. Due to the large number of questions we receive, we will not able to answer each individually, especially if the question can be answered on this webpage.

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