EMT-B calling himself a 'Medic' in Indiana

[DFIB]

When I signed up for the forum I used the handle "DocHarris." This was a nickname I got years ago from friends when I was a lifeguard and considering a career in health care. Over and over again I had to clear up my background in chat and elsewhere. If this were a movie or hobby forum, who cares, but in a professional setting (or pseudo-professional setting like here) representing oneself accurately is more important. As a result I changed my screen name awhile back.

I don't really care is someone goes to a party and says they're a medic, or a doctor, or an astronaut. I do get a perverse, intense joy out of poking these people when presented with them, but that's neither here nor there.

Wolfman is a much cooler name!

[ERDoc]

I don't think there was a problem with you calling yourself Doc Harris. You were not trying to pass yourself off as a doctor, it was just a nickname. It would have been different if you used that screen name and then under your info you tried to say that you were a doctor.

[Kiwiology]

It would have been different if ...you tried to say that you were a doctor.

Wait, so you mean I can't use the title of Mega Awesome Consultant Retrievalologist Superstar on my business card or at the bar?

It never did work anyway but still ...

[ERDoc]

Nope, women know that doctors are lame. They want stock brokers and hedge fund managers nowadays, lol.

[MarkD]

I'm an EMT in Indiana and we commonly use the Medic term. In fact we have the word "medic" on our shirts. The company I work for handles 911 calls in many of the surrounding cities with ALS rigs (one paramedic and an EMT-. So the EMT-Basic's that work for the company I'm with are not just transport EMT's, they actually handle 911 calls along side a paramedic.

Hope this helps.

[Just Plain Ruff]

I'm an EMT in Indiana and we commonly use the Medic term. In fact we have the word "medic" on our shirts. The company I work for handles 911 calls in many of the surrounding cities with ALS rigs (one paramedic and an EMT- . So the EMT-Basic's that work for the company I'm with are not just transport EMT's, they actually handle 911 calls along side a paramedic.

Hope this helps.

So your company puts Medic on your shirts even if you aren't a medic? hmmmmmmmm

[ERDoc]

Medic is a generic term used by the public/layperson who don't understand the differences. For someone in EMS to use it, they are trying to represent themselves as something they are not. It's very similar to someone in the healthcare setting calling themselves 'doctor' just because they have a doctorate level degree so that they are seen as being a physician.

[island emt]

I'm an EMT in Indiana and we commonly use the Medic term. In fact we have the word "medic" on our shirts. The company I work for handles 911 calls in many of the surrounding cities with ALS rigs (one paramedic and an EMT- . So the EMT-Basic's that work for the company I'm with are not just transport EMT's, they actually handle 911 calls along side a paramedic.

Hope this helps.

Just because you are not solely doing renal roundup , does not make you a medic on a 911 call. Just because your shirt falsely ID's you as one does not make you one.

Your company is trying to make the TV viewing public believe they are staffed by Licensed Paramedics.

If you are called to a scene and a fellow member of EMS looks for help and see's :MEDIC" on your shirt they might be falsely led to think You are a Paramedic until you tell them your only a Basic EMT.

[Just Plain Ruff]

And the lay public will falsely believe that you are a paramedic even if your shirt just says "medic"

But it's the new year and I think we have bigger fish to fry, the poor sap who quit in anger after getting suspended by breaking the rules has made it to my local news station facebook feed and is now getting sympathy in my ex-town.

[triemal04]

It's very similar to someone in the healthcare setting calling themselves 'doctor' just because they have a doctorate level degree so that they are seen as being a physician.

Whaaaaat? Who would do such a terrible dastardly thing like that?