Age .. is it really THAT important?

[firedoc5]

Are there states out there actually giving certs out to kids younger than 18?? I know in NY you need to be 18 to sit for the state test, 16 if your going for CFR. And CFRs can't do an ambulance run.

In IL it's 18 to be certified, but you could be at least 17 1/2 to take the class and test. That's what I did. I made my first actual call the day before my 18th birthday. The state allowed me the one day so our coordinator could have a full schedule. She was tight with the area director so she was able to pull the strings. So literally I was the youngest in the state at one time. It was fun.

Did my first code nine days later.

[xselerate]

I've been an EMT for three years now ..

I've run over 1500 calls ... and thats just working as an EMT ...

I might be young, I'm 19 ..

this is what i'm confused about. how does one become an emt at 16??? there is something to be said for age vs maturity.

[firedoc5]

this is what i'm confused about. how does one become an emt at 16??? there is something to be said for age vs maturity.

You said "working as an EMT", but were you Certified as an EMT at 16?

Not questioning you, but just wondering.

[Arctickat]

this is what i'm confused about. how does one become an emt at 16??? there is something to be said for age vs maturity.

The State of Maryland minimum age is 16. I was certified when I was 17, the youngest ever in Sask. Shortly after that they mandated 18 y/o and a complete grade 12 education. I have no idea why they did that though.

[Richard B the EMT]

Ask this person if, like Pallas Athena, he sprang, fully grown and armored, from the mind of Zeus. He probably didn't.

Then remind him that HE was the young newjack sometime in the past, when ol' Richard B the EMT's ambulance was still pulled by a triceratops. Ask him if he was treated with the "Don't go in the water until you know how to swim" attitude, and tell him not to do that to you, or anyone.

Also, if he feels you don't know what you are doing, to help educate you on what he feels you need to know, as in "Stop cursing the darkness, and light that damn candle, already!"

[spenac]

. Don't even joke about the lasix; that would be a criminal case of assault right there....

Wendy

CO EMT-B

And if has some unknown medical problems could kill him.

[Don1977]

In PA you can be an EMT at 16.

Obviously this guy is a real winner and by him doing this he sounds like a complete ass, he needs to grow up some. Maybe a harrasment charge would shape him up.

I still cant figure out why waiting longer for medic class is worse then going in right of way...but I dont want to beat a dead horse AGAIN...

Good luck with him Kiwi! hes a sounds like a winner,, he actually sounds like someone from here...

[Dustdevil]

I still cant figure out why waiting longer for medic class is worse then going in right of way...but I dont want to beat a dead horse AGAIN...

What part don't you understand? It's not something that was just tossed out there with no explanation.

[smax]

I think age has very little to do with how well your an EMT/medic. As long as you know your shit, age shouldn't matter. So your partner has more experience, so what... If your passion is EMS then your going to put the time into learning, bettering yourself. There are great experienced EMS and great not-so-experienced EMS, just as there are crappy experienced EMS and crappy not-so-experienced EMS. So I would say review the calls that you tech and your partner techs- is there anything you should have done? or he should have done? If so then work on it, if not then next time your partner bitchs at you remind him that you know the same shit he does and can do it just as well (if not better). You may not have seen everything, but neither has he- so as long as your treatments are good, what difference does all his experience make?

[Dustdevil]

This isn't about experience. This is about age. There are plenty of 21 year olds out there with a lot more experience than 40 year old rookies. A lot of people come late in life to this game. Consequently, age itself is not an overwhelming advantage.

However, it would be silly to say that age has no advantage. Age has a very clear advantage, in that the most important skill in EMS is communications. And the longer you have lived, the more likely you are to have developed your communications skills. You have to be able to relate to people and their circumstances. If you've never been there, that's hard to do. And under 30 years of age, you simply do not have the life experience to relate to a great number of your patients. That certainly does not make you incapable of treating them competently. But technical competence alone does not make you a great practitioner.

Given the choice of a partner with life experience and one without -- and all other factors being equal -- I will naturally lean towards the one with. No doubt about that. So yes, it does make a difference. That's why younger providers cannot get cocky and think their shiny new patch makes them equal to everyone else with the same patch. You have to try harder, but you can be as good a provider -- or even better -- than everyone else.