An ambulance is NOT a bus...

[Blue Goose]

Etymology and definitions of "ambulance" from the Oxford English Dictionary (1988 Revision):

Just some food for thought.

[mrmeaner]

I only know of one way to change the term used for an ambulance: have the term used in a popular emergency based show.

Third Watch was referenced earier and gives a prime example. I had never heard that term until that show came on the air. A couple years ago, a guy in Tripoli, Wisconsin (you'll need Google to find it) used the term over the radio. His only connection to New York EMS was his worship of that show. Of course, the next morning his Chief had a few new messages requesting tickets to ride on their new "bus."

While I would never accuse this guy of being a medical professional, regardless of his training, he picked up on the term just like any other viewer. Hell, watch ER so you can see how to defibrillate asystole. Then watch House to find out about all the diseases that aren't Lupis.

[Just Plain Ruff]

I have a new reality show MER 911 (mobile emergency room)

[spenac]

I have a new reality show MER 911 (mobile emergency room)

We should run with it. Make it a murder mystery show on top of medical. Include a soap opera feel and vote people off of it each week and we would have the entire country trained within a very short time.

911 whats your emergency

I need a Mobile ER to 1234 ABCD Lane my wife is having a baby.

[mrmeaner]

Only if Shatner hosts it.

[firedoc5]

The general public would need us to spell out really everything. Except maybe Mobile ER (Emergency Room). This would be something the public would understand as something medical rather than just transportation. Just almost everyone has been to the ER or watched ER, so they would expect us to provide medical care if we were called Mobile ER. Just another thought.

I thought that the words "Intensive Care Unit' along with "Mobile" would differentiate more and carry more weight an importance than just "Ambulance". But maybe not the entire world, but especially in the US, Canada, Australia, UK,etc. But what do I know?

[fallout]

I've never been a fan of the phrase MICU for the standard paramedic-staffed ambulance.

Generally, in an intensive care unit, critical care or intensive care medicine is practiced. In the ambulance, we do not practice critical care medicine. It could be said it is appropriate to put MICU on the side of ambulances that do genuine critical care transfers. But, sticking on the side of the standard emergency ambulance does not make sense to me. We are in effect, stealing another discipline's terminology. Even more heinous is that terminology does not describe out function accurately.

In the ambulance, we are most closely affiliated with emergency medicine. We rapidly assess nature of complaints and determine severity, then treat accordingly and the mean time, get them to an emergency department. So, we aren't a MICU. We aren't an emergency department. We lack the resources for definitive diagnosis that an emergency department has. The term ambulance has some connotations that aren't exactly flattering to EMS. So, ambulance is no longer a good term to describe our vehicles.

I have not come up with a good term for what to put on our vehicles. I have considered medical emergency response, but is is somewhat wordy, though accurate. In fact, everything I can think of is a mouthful.

Any other ideas our there?

[spenac]

I've never been a fan of the phrase MICU for the standard paramedic-staffed ambulance.

Generally, in an intensive care unit, critical care or intensive care medicine is practiced. In the ambulance, we do not practice critical care medicine. It could be said it is appropriate to put MICU on the side of ambulances that do genuine critical care transfers. But, sticking on the side of the standard emergency ambulance does not make sense to me. We are in effect, stealing another discipline's terminology. Even more heinous is that terminology does not describe out function accurately.

In the ambulance, we are most closely affiliated with emergency medicine. We rapidly assess nature of complaints and determine severity, then treat accordingly and the mean time, get them to an emergency department. So, we aren't a MICU. We aren't an emergency department. We lack the resources for definitive diagnosis that an emergency department has. The term ambulance has some connotations that aren't exactly flattering to EMS. So, ambulance is no longer a good term to describe our vehicles.

I have not come up with a good term for what to put on our vehicles. I have considered medical emergency response, but is is somewhat wordy, though accurate. In fact, everything I can think of is a mouthful.

Any other ideas our there?

Good points but prefer Mobile ER (Emergency Room). In the USA everybody thinks medical when the hear ER. By adding ER they will think of it as a moving medical facility. Thus they will start thinking medical professional rather than taxi driver when they see us.

[akroeze]

Other professions may take exception to MER. We would basically be saying we are just like (and just as good as) a place that is filled with Nurses and highly educated and specialized Physicians. Is that really something we can claim?

[EMS49393]

Good points but prefer Mobile ER (Emergency Room). In the USA everybody thinks medical when the hear ER. By adding ER they will think of it as a moving medical facility. Thus they will start thinking medical professional rather than taxi driver when they see us.

In my city, everybody thinks "free clinic" when they hear ER.