How To Become An Emergency Medical Service Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is an emergency medical service manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Forrest Kuiper

An emergency medical service manager directs health workers to provide urgent care to people with severe illnesses and injuries before they go to the hospital for proper treatment. The manager supervises the operation of an emergency medical service. Though this is the primary assignment, the manager also needs to develop and manage the EMS annual budget by monitoring expenditures, funds and identifying grant sources.

This manager inspects vehicles used for emergency purposes and ensures they comply with rules and regulations applicable to emergency services. As if that's not enough, they monitor workers, resolve problems, and document grievances and disciplinary actions. A typical emergency medical service manager earns an average of $99,734 per year.

Anyone who wants to work in this role has to secure at least a degree in medicine-related courses. But most times, a master's degree is requested. Experience in work-related occupations is required for easy employment. Communication skills, analytical skills, interpersonal skills, problem-solving skills are essential to succeed in the field.

What general advice would you give to an emergency medical service manager?

Forrest Kuiper

Fire Chief, University of Alaska Fairbanks

Work hard and listen to those already in the field. This is an incredible profession, take care of your mind and body and it will be a long and successful career.

ScoreEmergency Medical Service ManagerUS Average

Salary

6.4

Avg. Salary $81,386

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.1

Growth rate 28%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.72%

Asian 7.98%

Black or African American 10.97%

Hispanic or Latino 14.35%

Unknown 4.26%

White 61.71%

Gender

female 65.50%

male 34.50%

Age - 47

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 47

Stress level

7.1

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.8

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.9

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an emergency medical service manager

Explore emergency medical service manager education requirements

Most common emergency medical service manager degrees

Bachelor's

52.9 %

Associate

17.2 %

Master's

15.4 %

Start to develop specific emergency medical service manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Patient Care	19.69%
Medical Services	7.02%
Performance Improvement	6.65%
Critical Care	5.85%
Regulatory Agencies	4.04%

Complete relevant emergency medical service manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New emergency medical service managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an emergency medical service manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real emergency medical service manager resumes.

Research emergency medical service manager duties and responsibilities

Manage the oversight of residents, fellows and students in ally health professions rotating through the facility.
Coordinate and participate with the installation teams to help troubleshoot problems and resolve customer concerns while managing service and commissioning engineers.
Provide oversight and resolve employee and departmental issues including staffing, resource allocation, and performance standards.
Develop and implement staff share program within perioperative services, coordinate with site managers to maintain adequate staffing for each location.

Apply for emergency medical service manager jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an emergency medical service manager job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams