If you could change one thing about EMS what would it be?

[HERBIE1]

We don't have it either but I think that is a luxury she wishes could happen. I like the idea myself.

It sure makes sense to me to have 2 medics in the back-especially on a critical patient. There are times I wish I had 4 hands to get everything done enroute-especially if we have a short transport time.

As with anything these days- $$$ is the issue.

[AlmostJesus]

Thats the advantage of our service, though we rural BLS only and we have a low call volume, the owner lets 4-5 people go on a call, which is a tremendous help. It helps improve the level of care and allows experience, the only thing is, when the owner doesnt take the call, its hard to establish a leader in those situations. you can never have enough hands on things like car accidents.

[Steve Whitehead]

The only reason fire has reluctantly taken EMS into the fold is because it is a revenue generator and adds to their budget.

I disagree. This is a generalization that looks past the fact that private EMS systems can be just as problematic as fire based EMS systems.

My change would be that we would all come to work with an appreciation for how great of a job EMS really is. (and stop the whinning)

Did it need to be something practical?

Edited April 1, 2009 by Steve Whitehead

[WolfmanHarris]

I disagree. This is a generalization that looks past the fact that private EMS systems can be just as problematic as fire based EMS systems.

My change would be that we would all come to work with an appreciation for how great of a job EMS really is. (and stop the whinning)

Did it need to be something practical?

Complacency and sticking ones head in the sand in the face of the many issues that face EMS and leave us in a somewhat precarious position as a profession is of no help. I don't think anyone is saying they hate their job. Were that the case I doubt they'd be online posting on a forum such as this.

EMS (especially in the USA) is fractured, with far too many stakeholders, with their own agendas (not all of which are actually geared towards EMS) pulling it in various directions. You're correct, Fire is not alone in creating problems for EMS, but it is one of these stakeholders and significant for its overarching goal of promoting and maintaining the fire service. This fracturing more than anything else is what holds back education, wages and the establishment of EMS as a separate specialized field.

What you call whining, I'm sure others would call advocacy.

[HerbertMixon]

Not sure if this has been discussed as a topic of its own I couldnt find it if it has but I would like to know the following:

What is the one thing you would change about EMS?

How would you go about making those changes?

!

if I could change one thing about EMS, to refuse the idiots EMS care who calls for scratches, hang nails, and other non-emergency bull----. I know companys do not want to be sued or whatever, but other people need our ambulances for REAL emergencies. I have been in EMS for 15 years and more and more each day, we are called for bull. The citizens need to be educated on what EMS is about, we are not Primary Care Centers.

[Dustdevil]

The citizens need to be educated on what EMS is about, we are not Primary Care Centers.

Citizens my arse. It should start with the cops, who constantly call us for BS and to "check them out" when they know it's nothing more than a drunk with a hangnail. If we can't count on them to know better, then you can forget ever educating the public to know better. And that is really the point: the public cannot be educated. It just will never work. The best we can hope for is to work in a progressive, well educated, and well managed system where paramedic initiated refusals are policy.

[Camulos]

Not sure if this has been discussed as a topic of its own I couldnt find it if it has but I would like to know the following:

What is the one thing you would change about EMS?

How would you go about making those changes?

!

1) Evidence based research

2) Post it on emtcity.com and hope the EMS ppl run with it.

Stay safe,

Camulos

[2wheelinemt]

Thats all well and good to think that you can or want is a better word to get the volunteers out of the service of ems.

but they are the back bone of ems and many communities has relied on volunteers. They take the same classes as the paid and go through the same training as paid. This is crap the way that people talk about the volunteers. Yes more work and less complaining would be the order of the day. Not all volunteers are siren hungry lazy emts.

But if there was one thing to change about the ems I feel that we need to be more professional whether we are paid or volunteer. How we carry ourselves and talk and treat patients is so very important in any level of training. I don't care if you have a master if you mistreat patients all our hard work to change the view of ems will go out the window. So lets keep those sleeves rolled up and keep working to a better more professional people caring ems.

[WolfmanHarris]

Thats all well and good to think that you can or want is a better word to get the volunteers out of the service of ems.

but they are the back bone of ems and many communities has relied on volunteers. They take the same classes as the paid and go through the same training as paid.

You say backbone, I say appendix. The fact that they take the same training is part of why education is lagging so much. How can you justify a 2 year or more education when the volunteers are doing it for free and couldn't possibly go to school for that long? But we've been down this road more than a few times.

[Diazepam618]

Complacency and sticking ones head in the sand in the face of the many issues that face EMS and leave us in a somewhat precarious position as a profession is of no help. I don't think anyone is saying they hate their job. Were that the case I doubt they'd be online posting on a forum such as this.

EMS (especially in the USA) is fractured, with far too many stakeholders, with their own agendas (not all of which are actually geared towards EMS) pulling it in various directions. You're correct, Fire is not alone in creating problems for EMS, but it is one of these stakeholders and significant for its overarching goal of promoting and maintaining the fire service. This fracturing more than anything else is what holds back education, wages and the establishment of EMS as a separate specialized field.

What you call whining, I'm sure others would call advocacy.

What are you talking about This Fracture?, wages are more than desirable in a fire based system.