Paramedic/EMT or Dual Paramedic

[Kiwiology]

I remembered in 2006; I responded to a home w/ an elderly male who was having an MI. I'd BLS'ed n ALS'ed him; waiting for the Amb but there were Volunteer FD who hadd arrived and they were gr8t. They'd assisted w/ V/S and O2 tanks but foremost hands. When the Amb came; the pt decided to go into VT arrest and I unsync'ed cardioverted him twice; he stablized and was alert n txpt'ed him 30mins away to the nearest hosp.

Can we please stop this obsession with the hillariously absurd notion (which seems to exist only in America) of dividing patients into "BLS" or "ALS"

Thanks!

[spenac]

Okay...I'm lost. Isn't a paramedic = ALS? If so, how can you have ALS experience in order to attend a school to become a paramedic?

No sarcasm here...

He's Canadian so all levels are Paramedic. Sounds like he's at the entry level which still has much more education than the USA emt.

[fakingpatience]

Okay...I'm lost. Isn't a paramedic = ALS? If so, how can you have ALS experience in order to attend a school to become a paramedic?

No sarcasm here...

I don't know about Alberta EMT, but I am a basic working on an ALS ambulance. I get ALS experience watching my medic partner on ALS calls, and assisting them with ALS skills (putting the pt on the monitor, setting up the line...).

I have worked as a basic on an EMT/ medic ambulance, and also as a third rider on dual medic or medic/ EMT ambulances (company used both, depending on staffing). In my experience (and this is from the outside looking in, as I am not the medic), the true difference is how well the partners work together, regardless of their levels. BLS saves ALS is bull, IMO, a good partner saves their partner. I noticed my partner putting limb leads on the pt's fake legs and pointed it out to him that this was why the monitor wasn't getting a good reading. This had nothing to do with my being a basic, but being comfortable enough w/ my partner and our routine to tell him. Personally, I think that when I become a medic, I would like to have a medic partner, just to make sure I don't make any stupid mistakes. However, I have coworkers who think that a new medic needs to be "thrown into the fire" and having a dual medic truck will only hinder them. In the long run though, I would rather work with a partner I trust, regardless of their skill level.

[Alex Woo]

Kiwimedic needs to be renamed kiwiemergencymedicaltechnician

If we're seperating BLS and ALS...

Then it can be kiwimedic...

[Richard B the EMT]

Easy, Alex. Kiwimedic is in New Zealand, therefore, his local protocols and scopes of practice, indeerd, the titles he runs under are different than what you and I run under, here in New York City and State.

[Kiwiology]

Indeed they are; we have Paramedics and Intensive Care Paramedics .... while we do have EMTs they are mainly volunteers and are somewhere between your EMT-B and EMT-I whereas our Paramedics are somewhere between your EMT-I and EMT-P, our Intensive Care Paramedics are somewhere between your EMT P and a CCP.

And what are protocols lol we have "guidelines"

[tcripp]

And what are protocols lol we have "guidelines"

In some areas, we also have guidelines instead of protocols...and I like the guidelines better.

[Alex Woo]

Your rite.... I'm talking bout ppl not titles; that's what makes EMS good or bad....

Happy New Year you all.....

[rock_shoes]

He's Canadian so all levels are Paramedic. Sounds like he's at the entry level which still has much more education than the USA emt.

Correct (mostly, as Alberta uses the title "Paramedic" exclusively in reference to ALS). An Alberta EMT-A is equivalent to Primary Care Paramedic or PCP to use the nationally accepted titles. In general education to the PCP level in Canada involves 1-2 years of university level education (some provinces compress 2 semesters of material/credits into a single semester as in British Columbia). The PCP SOP typically falls somewhere within the EMT-I realm. A Canadian provider functioning at the Advanced Care Paramedic (ACP) level will have completed 3 years of education in out of hospital care with a SOP similar to that of a US EMT-P.

As to the topic at hand. I prefer paired units myself. I have worked on both in a ILS capacity & in my own personal experience found it to be best practice for patient care.

If a patient requires basic care that falls within a lower level providers SOP does it really make sense to tie up an ALS resource in most cases?

If a patient requires higher level care would it not be in that patient's best interest to have two ALS providers working on them as required?