Teenage EMTs - YouTube Video

[WestSideBorderPatrol]

Just throwing this out there:

I know that seeing some of the sights that I have seen while in EMS have reinforced my personal decision not to drink alcohol or do any drugs. Seeing how badly people can mess themselves up b/c of alcohol and drugs has lead me away from that kinda stuff. *shrug*

[ninjaemtff]

So, for the past couple days I've been thinking a lot about this topic. So much that I went back and read through all nine pages of posts. I guess you could say that I am starting to have a change of heart, I'm not sure if it's because of rereading everything or because I just read the topic about us coming together to make changes. But anyways, I've realized that the past few posts I have had tunnel vision, I wasn't really paying attention to what most of you were saying. The impression I was getting was that you did not want teens in EMS at all. I have reread everything and for the most part I was wrong. I realize now that what most of you were saying is don't let them be on their own, and well you're all correct. I think that if they want to be in EMS thats a great idea, but I do realize that they should have restrictions and should not be left alone to run the show. I will also admit that there are things that teens shouldn't see whether they have the training or not. I know that I have seen a lot that I shouldn't have seen and have had a lot of calls that I shouldn't have been on, especially not alone. I would also like to say that I do believe that the education is the most important factor, and that the curriculum taught should be changed and increased. I'm not saying get rid of the basic, but make it more extensive, your right its the patients that we need to be concerned about. I guess to finish this reply of mine I will just say I think teens being in EMS is still a good idea, but there does need to be experienced adults. I think that if we would push teens completely out of EMS, that our profession would suffer greatly. So there ya go, go ahead and pick at it, and prove me wrong. Have a wonderful day.

[Dustdevil]

What about the issue of having experience problem solving, helping people deal with mature life events (family losing a person, wife crying to you with blood test results b/c husband intentionally gave her HIV, dynamics of a domestic situation). That's not even touching the issue of having the kids grow up normal so they can assimilate in the professional and social world normally which betters EMS workers' image.

Notice I said they were welcome on my ambulance. I did not say I trusted them to run the show on their own. :wink: But that goes right back to my point, which is that nobody has my trust or respect until they earn it. And I am willing to give anybody of any age that opportunity to earn it, so long as they have made a serious educational commitment to the profession first.

[Dustdevil]

So, for the past couple days I've been thinking a lot about this topic. So much that I went back and read through all nine pages of posts. I guess you could say that I am starting to have a change of heart, I'm not sure if it's because of rereading everything or because I just read the topic about us coming together to make changes. But anyways, I've realized that the past few posts I have had tunnel vision, I wasn't really paying attention to what most of you were saying.

Regardless of what conclusions you come to, you earn my respect by simply considering all the information objectively and remaining open to change. There is nobody here who had more teenaged tunnel vision going on than I did. We've all seen the "proof" of that. :oops:

The impression I was getting was that you did not want teens in EMS at all. I have reread everything and for the most part I was wrong. I realize now that what most of you were saying is don't let them be on their own, and well you're all correct. I think that if they want to be in EMS thats a great idea, but I do realize that they should have restrictions and should not be left alone to run the show.

Absolutely! I want them to have every opportunity I had, if not more. I just want those opportunities to be productive for both them and the people they serve. If the situation is of dubious value to them, their patients, or my profession, then I will stand firmly against it. But, like you, I am wide open to positive change.

I'm not saying get rid of the basic, but make it more extensive, your right its the patients that we need to be concerned about.

Oooh! You are SO close! Now, take that last big step for me. Tell us exactly how you would make it more extensive. What would you change, and by how much?

I guess to finish this reply of mine I will just say I think teens being in EMS is still a good idea, but there does need to be experienced adults.

I suppose this depends upon what exactly you mean by "being in EMS." Do you mean as participants in the profession, or as interested parties exploring a future career, and helping out where possible? Those are two very, very different situations. And a major problem is, you need two adults for every teen on an ambulance. If you have two adults for every ambulance, then why do you need teens to run your service in the first place?

I think that if we would push teens completely out of EMS, that our profession would suffer greatly. So there ya go, go ahead and pick at it, and prove me wrong.

Before I attempt to do that, we still need you to define what you mean by "being in EMS." Are you saying that our profession would suffer by eliminating non-professionals? How so? I'm not sure I follow the logic on that one. Our profession suffers by lowering standards, not by raising them. While I don't agree with them being there, I do agree that the kids we are specifically talking about here are indeed "in EMS." But they are very definitely not members of a profession. At one point, it seemed like you were saying that you no longer supported minimally trained high school students being EMS providers. Now it sounds like you are saying you do. Which is it?

[AnthonyM83]

I think that if we would push teens completely out of EMS' date=' that our profession would suffer greatly. So there ya go, go ahead and pick at it, and prove me wrong.[/quote']

I'll also start off saying I appreciate you taking the time to really consider this. There have been many things from message boards I've spent off-time considering...even if it's just the internet, the people behind the words are people from the real world with experience from the real world.

The only issue I see is that there aren't really that many kids in EMS to the profession to suffer greatly. I suppose in some ways to some degree it would suffer, because I'm sure those kids are providing higher level medical care than a huge number of EMTs out there.

[ninjaemtff]

Ok, for the extensiveness, I'm still thinking on that one, I know that it needs to be more extensive I'm just not sure how. I know that I like to be more than basically a certified band-aid applicator. But I will get back to you on that one.

As for them being in EMS, I would have to say the explorer program, or as we call it in my county "juniors."

The reason I say it would hurt our profession is because if we push them away whenever they are young, whats to say that they will stay interested until the age of "professionalism" I mean I'm pretty sure at one point or another every kid has wanted to be a fire fighter or be in EMS, but as they grow up they lose site of that dream, there are the few who stick with it though. But how long will they be willing to stay with their dream if we push them away?

[AnthonyM83]

The reason I say it would hurt our profession is because if we push them away whenever they are young, whats to say that they will stay interested until the age of "professionalism" I mean I'm pretty sure at one point or another every kid has wanted to be a fire fighter or be in EMS, but as they grow up they lose site of that dream, there are the few who stick with it though. But how long will they be willing to stay with their dream if we push them away?

But would it hurt it more than it would help it?

The long process to become a doctor or even a nurse decreases the numbers and prevents some dreams from being fulfilled, but the process ensures those in the field really want to be in it AND increases quality of care for the patient.

Remember, it's about the patient and about our country's quality prehospital medical care (and raising adults with non-traumatic childhoods), not just about getting to do your dream job at 16. Hardly anyone gets to do their dream job at 16! Some work 20 years to get it! It wouldn't be that cool in the end if it were that easy to get and everyone was doing it...

[ninjaemtff]

I'm not saying we should just hand it over to them, they should have to work for it, and they do need the training. What I am trying to say is that if they lose their desire to do this, they may never get it back, and we will eventually run out of people to do the job. Also if they start when they are younger (with restrictions) at least they will have hands on experience, I mean what better education is there than actually doing it?

[Dustdevil]

Remember, it's about the patient and about our country's quality prehospital medical care (and raising adults with non-traumatic childhoods), not just about getting to do your dream job at 16. Hardly anyone gets to do their dream job at 16! Some work 20 years to get it! It wouldn't be that cool in the end if it were that easy to get and everyone was doing it...

Priceless! It sometimes seems as if nobody in EMS has ever taken an organisational psychology course, because this is the most simple and basic concept of cohesion there is! If more organisations -- and our profession as a whole -- recognised it, professional growth would spread like wildfire.

[ninjaemtff]

Am I just digging myself into a hole that I'm not going to be able to get out of?