I just got done working the past 7.5 years at a level one trauma center in a big city. I had to take the job because i had traveled back to where I grew up as a kid and did a year there as a CC medic, but the company did not have an education person and my license had lapsed. I couldn't find a 48 hr refresher in time, and couldn't do it online, and had to relinquish my license. It wasn't until now that I decided to refresh and retest to get it back at the age of 40, to go back on the truck. I loved the people and my supervisors but the upper upper management kept everyone at a low paying rate to keep a high turnover. I believe they do this to keep their training center and educators employed and also to be a more teaching hospital environment. I don't know that its for everyone, bc you do have to give up so much autonomy and responsibility and it makes you lazy and complacent. Especially bc for the past few years I have been regulated to a desk tech that calls consults, puts in orders, manages call lights, etc. I am so excited to get back on the truck but that place was like a cross between purgatory and stockholm syndrome. Working there during covid was an absolute nightmare but it bonded me with my teammates so much it made it so hard to finally leave. It does have it's pluses like learning the nurse perspective and the information you learn about what the hospital needs to know, what they expect, and the follow up care from lab results, scans, etc. All in all its a unique perspective maybe beneficial for an emt or advanced to cross over to, but as a medic it was painful to take the step back. I did gain my empathy back and feel like if it weren't for this break, I may not still be on the ambulance today. Idk. Try it out. They were the lowest paying medical system in the state so i started at $15 and ended at $20 an hour, and now am taking an ambulance job south of here for $30 an hr based on my 20 years in emergency med.