should we do away with EMT certification

[VentMedic]

The more I kick the horse its still dead.......

Unfortunately too many people think this is a dead point and choose to ignore it or wish it would just go away and nobody would talk about it anymore. Leave the EMT-Bs alone and let the EMS education continue on its fragmented path is the attitude of many. Some fail to even see how their system may not be the best.

However, if just one EMT-B (or Paramedic) reads these posts, sees that more education is a good thing and goes back to school, then this thread is not a waste of time or a dead horse.

[JakeEMTP]

The more I kick the horse it's still dead.......

Fixed.

Yeah, this topic comes up fairly regularly here so there must be some merit to it. I have watched members attitudes change as time goes by. They first come here saying that EMT-B is the shyte. I hate to say it but, I was that way when I first joined EMTCity way back when. Then after being involved in these types of discussions, they begin to see that education is indeed lacking at their current certification level and some choose to progress or advance their education. Some don't of course and that's a shame.

So while this maybe redundant to you, newer members might not have had the chance to participate in this discussion and we should welcome their input.

[DwayneEMTP]

The more I kick the horse its still dead.......

348 posts as of this writing and not a single intelligent entry to date.

This is not a dead issue, or it wouldn't still be going. It is only dead to you because you're too ignorant to see the issues involved. And too ignorant to contribute, thus the textual diarrhea you continue to fling at us.

Think Don! Come up with something that you can share, something that you want to know, something that contributes, and then hopefully you will find that you don't have to continually sit in the back of the class making fart noises to get people to notice you.

I think you'll like being noticed for intelligence instead of ignorance if you'll just once give it a try.

Dwayne

[Cowboy7427]

As I read we all have different opinions on this issue and I agree it isn't a dead issue. The certification process and levels do need some work. I run EMS part-time with one system and Volunteer Fire with another on top a full-time job. Most here have valid points on the issues that we face. I'm sure sometime in the future the educational side will make the appropriate changes needed.

[Timmy]

I've been on here for around 2 years, in this time this exact topic has arose quiet frequently. Has anything changed? I would have no idea, but from what is said on here it doesn't appear so.

America holds its reputation as the wiz bang county yet some individuals refer EMS to that of a lesser service than some 3rd world countries.

I really having nothing to contribute to this issue that could help solve your problem. It is a very hard problem to resolve and something a lay paramedic could not solve single handedly. It appears your government doesn't really have much to do with EMS and this may be the issue?

Here in Australia our EMS and emergency system is government run and funded, each state has its own service, we don't have private emergency providers, the minimal entry level is three years of paramedic education, we do have volunteers but this does not effect the paid paramedics, our volunteers provide care in remote areas were it is not feesable to have a paid paramedic due to minimal workload. On the whole it appears to be doing ok, we do have a few hiccups now and then.

[Dustdevil]

I'm sure sometime in the future the educational side will make the appropriate changes needed.

A professional doesn't need to wait for the state to mandate further education before he decides it is the right thing to do.

[WendyT]

I vote that Dustdevil be Prez of the good ole USA and Akflight be his sidekick.

I over heard at one of our hospital's, 2 doc's saying that in a few yrs time, more and more doc's will be working ambulance because of the shortage in personnel.

[tamaith]

would the doctors get same pay? would that increase the price of the ambulance ride?

[Dustdevil]

Absolute nonsense. WAY before that happened, doctors would be forced to go practise primary care in under-served areas to fix their OWN shortage. I can't imagine anyone stupid enough to suggest worsening the doctor shortage to create more field medics, which nobody in government even thinks we need to begin with.

[WendyT]

If you look at it this way Dust, no matter the shortage where ever, I know 2 guys that were medics gave up the field to become cops, because we now have a gang problem in our city, they graduate soon.

As for the Doctors who knows what they were thinking, wasn't there a medic on here who was going to school to become a doctor. Anyway Medic's are almost like surgeons/doctors in the field.