Teenage EMTs - YouTube Video

[dahlio]

Not many of you will like this but i take calls on a real ambulance to real 911 emergencys(well sometimes most are BS), but, im not the highest level provider there. I am only a rider BUT I do touch the patients and use all skills that I have been taught

Awesome, good, you're getting experience.

which usually means i do all the work that an EMT would do with the medic while he/she sits on their ass lol.

And stupid A$$ comments like that make you look immature, and not able to handle riding on an ambulance.

[hr:e620632d30]

No reason why students should be missing time out of school to be gaining this experience. Do emergency's only happen during school hours? I can't seem to find the quote of the kid who said something like: 16 year olds can be adults, as long as they are mature. Guess what, you are a kid until you start calling other people kids. My brother, who is 26 is still called a kid from time to time. Being a kid has little to do with age. Until someone comes to their senses, and realizes this is the real world, is when you are no longer kid.

I am a kid, and I'll leave it at that.

[Scaramedic]

You know, I take it back. Africa and the Middle East have plenty of opportunities for children and teenagers to volunteer in "peace keeping" fashions, and supply the AK-47's and RPG's to help these teens get in at the ground level in a new career.

Hell, until those bad ol' liberals bitched and moaned, children and teens were allowed to work in factories and mines. I say, lets get back to that! Do you know how much money we could save if we allowed teenagers to do adult work for free in all sorts of careers? We could finally kick the crap out of China on steel prices. Lets do it!

I'll take it a step further. Why the hell should dogs and cats free-load off all us stupid humans. You can't tell me in this modern age there isn't a job a dog or cat couldn't handle.

Meow

Yeah I'll take a Big Mac and fires.

beep, beep, beep, beep, beep. Meow, Meow.

Yeah I'll guess I'll take it in a meal, large sized.

beep, beep, beep, beep, beep. Meow

Diet Pepsi.

beep, beep, beep, beep, beep. Meow

Yep that'll be all.

beep, beep, beep, beep, beep. Meow, meow, meow.

Heres a five.

beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, ching. Meow.

You have a nice day too.

or..

Ok we got a structure fire,lets get the white stuff on the red stuff boys. You ready?

Wuff, Wuff, Wuff.

[Scaramedic]

I received my Paramedic when I was 16. I worked in an ER since I was 14.

R/r 911

Yeah but you were much more mature back then, you know living through WWI and the depression and all.

[Ridryder 911]

Ok we got a structure fire,lets get the white stuff on the red stuff boys. You ready?

Wuff, Wuff, Wuff.

Well appearantly its working, heck they have been promoted to driver!

[CC64]

For an Explorer post of that size, they would have been able to pick out which kids they wanted shown. The wackers, or potential wackers, would have been left on the cutting room floor, allowing the "best" or "most responsible" kids to be shown.

"Pre-med." I was pre-med in college. I was also pre-vet, a biochemistry major and then a biology major. I'm now studying to become a paramedic. Bit of a difference there, between MD/DO and NREMT-P, no?

But, as long as parents keep signing the permission slips, these kids will continue to get out of biology quizzes and band practice. /shrug.

Although thinking back, the lady that they were transporting was looking at the camera like "I never agreed to this..." rather funny.

[JPINFV]

We also have movie ratings to keep 16 y/o kids from seeing things that they can be exposed to in EMS.

That reminds me of the story about the star of the movie "Thirteen" wasn't able to buy tickets after it came out because it was rated R.

[AnthonyM83]

If you don't expose them to the whacker side and only to medical professional side (which is what they want to be when they grow up), you could actually have a purse breed of competent EMTS...more than a lot of communities.

I meant to write pure breed.

Everyone keeps talking about "life experiences" and how teenagers aren't mature enough to handle some of the things they may witness. While that is true in many cases, how do you get "life experiences" unless you get out there and see things?

You get life experience from your own life, dealing with regular growing up stuff, your schoolmates, you coworkers at a job with people around your age or who at least acknowledge your age and treat accordingly (not that they treat you as kids, but maybe they look out for you), relationships, etc. Then when you get exposed to worse stuff, you've ALREADY learned to cope.

I have an 18yro EMT friend and honestly, I've seen her slowly become more and more messed up from the stuff she sees. Not all areas might be that bad, but she sees bodies slung all over roadways all the time (more traumas than I get working in LA), she's dealt with more traumatic peds than I have, she's had to tell a good friend that her mom was dead, and she had to see one of her friend's lifeless body on a TC call. Honestly, it's Effed her up. I can notice it.

Wait till they get PTSD or a volunteer career ending back injury and ask them how much fun they are having.

PTSD is a valid one... I think they're more likely to get a career ending injury from playing sports, though. Most high schoolers are resilient. And you can still be a doctor with a bad back. There's a doctor at Stanford who I think is a parapelgic.

. It takes a special kind of person to be able to do this job.

Eh, not really . . . just someone who either likes or doesn't mind seeing screwed up stuff. When there's a bad TC, everyone wants to go. It's not like they're forcing themselves. When there's the occasional pediatric call that screws with you, it screws with you like it would a normal person...but then they move on and wear it as a badge of honor about what they had to see. Eh.

[AnthonyM83]

Unless you are working in the town of Pleasantville, there are dangers to the job. We have adults that don't understand the basics of infection control. Sixteen is an early age to get exposed to Hep C, TB and MRSA on a regular basis.

Are they mature enough to handle the dynamics of a domestic? Child abuse? Rape? Miscarriage? Console a family of a SIDS baby?

That's probably the best reply right there.

Are you mature enough to handle your friend's kid sister tangled under a tire? A wife and infant chopped up with a machete? Baby in the microwave? Pediatric drownings? The eyes of a wide-eyed 13mo old tracking you as you bag it hoping it lives, then goes into full arrest? Waiting in ambulance for PD while family of shooting victim cries against your window pleading to save their husband b/c they love them and don't want to lose them forever?

And WITHOUT getting screwed up and becoming cynical at an early age and integrating well with society (NON- EMS society)?

As far as my pre-med comment, I've found them to be more mature, have a true interest in patient care & medicine rather than L&S, and I've never seen one get fired for stupid screw-off decisions...they're usually the more professional. They've got more invested then just a fun gig. They also want to be the best, so study hard and are good listeners. I'm always happy when I get a premed ride-along...everyone has been a blast to have along. This was all leading up to my statement that they can be very competent in medical skills.

The problem of course is the early exposure and dealing with the non-medical skill aspects of the job...the ones not tested by NREMT.

[Just Plain Ruff]

What I want to know is how did these 16 year olds get insured to drive?

[WestSideBorderPatrol]

What I want to know is how did these 16 year olds get insured to drive?

I can't speak for the 16 year olds, but the service that I work for is self insured so they can have 18 year old drivers. Most systems you have to be 21.