"You're too smart for EMS"

[fakingpatience]

Wow, so many great answers! Sorry it's taken me so long to reply. Paramedicmike, I love this response!

"Wow! Thank you for the compliment. Right now, I'm planning to explore my options in EMS and see where life takes me. You never know what's around the corner."

I have trouble coming up with eloquent, polite responses like that, now if I can just memorize this one!

Now as far as some of the other points go. Many of you have mentioned moving on to nursing. Personally, I dont' consider nursing a step "up" educationally, more of a step "over" (not considering higher level degrees like MSN or NP). True there is information that they learn that we in EMS do not, however the opposite is also true, we learn/ go more in-depth on topics that are not applicable to the nursing field in general. That said, I am not trying to demean nursing in any way, I am sure nursing student/ nurses have heard the same sentiment "why don't you go on from just being a nurse"

You are too smart for EMS. After a little thought, I'm calling BS on this statement. Let's think about this for a second. Unless our OP is a genius the idea implies that only the EMS profession only deserves dumb people or somehow mentally disadvantaged individuals. Some are considered "too smart" because they can remember the things we read in a book and find a practical application for me. Are they too smart because they can eloquently express a treatment idea?

DFIB, I agree, I do not think that I am too smart to be in EMS. As someone else mentioned, I think a lot of it comes down to motivation. I am in paramedic school because I truly enjoy EMS, and will research more in depth in topics when it is something I enjoy. I also happen to have a fairly good memory for protocols and algorithms, which, while I know will not necessarily make me a better street medic, helps me do well in classes. A good number of my classmates (read- firefighers) are taking their medic simply because their department got a grant, and their chiefs encouraged them to go. Some of them have said flat out "I hate EMS" or "I don't need to know this, the paramedic ambulance will be on scene a few minutes after I get there anyway" I think it is easier to "look good" when being compared to people who simply do the minimum, just to get the certification, but don't care about the knowledge itself.

[island emt]

Defib: You are correct, there are some really wicked smart, wicked educated, & really intelligent folks in EMS.

However our profession is looked down upon by many "healthcare professionals" that feel we are nothing more than ambulance drivers or first aiders.

I know quite a few of my peers who have gone on to other healthcare occupations for many reasons, things like better pay, better benefits, better schedules, better retirement benefits, and the biggest of all Greater recognition as a professional healthcare provider.

Occupations such as RN or radiology technician, or nuclear medicine tech, or respiratory tech all hold a greater status than being a lowly Paramedic.

[paramedicmike]

Wow, so many great answers! Sorry it's taken me so long to reply. Paramedicmike, I love this response!

I have trouble coming up with eloquent, polite responses like that, now if I can just memorize this one!

You're welcome to it. Use it as often as you'd like.

Now as far as some of the other points go. Many of you have mentioned moving on to nursing. Personally, I dont' consider nursing a step "up" educationally, more of a step "over" (not considering higher level degrees like MSN or NP). True there is information that they learn that we in EMS do not, however the opposite is also true, we learn/ go more in-depth on topics that are not applicable to the nursing field in general. That said, I am not trying to demean nursing in any way, I am sure nursing student/ nurses have heard the same sentiment "why don't you go on from just being a nurse"

I think if you ever reach the point that you decide you want to do more you'll find PA or MD/DO a better transition from the paramedic point of view than RN.

In the end it's up to you and how you want to do things. If it works for you it's not wrong.

[DFIB]

DFIB, I agree, I do not think that I am too smart to be in EMS. As someone else mentioned, I think a lot of it comes down to motivation. I am in paramedic school because I truly enjoy EMS, and will research more in depth in topics when it is something I enjoy. I also happen to have a fairly good memory for protocols and algorithms, which, while I know will not necessarily make me a better street medic, helps me do well in classes. A good number of my classmates (read- firefighers) are taking their medic simply because their department got a grant, and their chiefs encouraged them to go. Some of them have said flat out "I hate EMS" or "I don't need to know this, the paramedic ambulance will be on scene a few minutes after I get there anyway" I think it is easier to "look good" when being compared to people who simply do the minimum, just to get the certification, but don't care about the knowledge itself.

I think you are spot on. When I did my clinicals it was easy to stand out. The other guys that were there all but got wrote up for being lazy and unmotivated. I saw one get chewed out for being sloppy and heard the nurses talking about another saying "Where is X? That guy is going to be the worst medic in the world!" In that environment I didn't have to be a bright and shining light to stand out.

Defib: You are correct, there are some really wicked smart, wicked educated, & really intelligent folks in EMS.

However our profession is looked down upon by many "healthcare professionals" that feel we are nothing more than ambulance drivers or first aiders.

I know quite a few of my peers who have gone on to other healthcare occupations for many reasons, things like better pay, better benefits, better schedules, better retirement benefits, and the biggest of all Greater recognition as a professional healthcare provider.

Occupations such as RN or radiology technician, or nuclear medicine tech, or respiratory tech all hold a greater status than being a lowly Paramedic.

I have never thought that much of radiology or nuclear medicine Techs. I worked with some a few years back and really didn't find any of them to be that impressive, Respiratory Therapist are a entirely different story in my book.

I guess I am well enough respected but It might be for different reasons. I am simply well respected in the community in general. Some of my fellow EMT's don't get the same courtesies but they don't put the effort in that I do.

Gaining the respect that EMS deserves is a team effort. It only takes one jerk to lower the bar for us all.

[island emt]

I was comparing other health professions that can be gained with a similar 2 year degree as Paramedicine.

I also have several friends who worked the streets as Paramedics to put themselves through PA or medical school.

One of the very best practitioners I know is now an Emergency medicine Doc who still comes out and works as an on call Paramedic. He worked his way through collage as a medic, and maintains his licence.

Nothing like introducing the crew to a pt and saying this is Dr. / Paramedic "smith."

[systemet]

Recently during clinicals, from doctors, and from lab instructors in school, I have been hearing "you're too smart for EMS", or "What do you plan to go on to?" How should I respond to these people? On one hand, it is an amazing compliment they are giving, but at the same time, why do I have to "go on" from EMS?

It's good that you're taking it as a compliment. That's probably how it's intended.

Who do you have to go on from EMS? Well, you don't, right? That's a choice you get to make yourself. But what some of these people may be suggesting is that after you've worked in EMS for 5 or 10 years, many of the calls and situations you get placed in will seem very familiar, and perhaps a little boring, and that you may wish for more of an intellectual challenge in your daily work. Being a paramedic is very exciting at the beginning, but can become much less exciting as time goes on.

Some people find an intellectual fulfillment through doing EMS management, QI, participating in research programs, teaching, or simply studying in their time off and learning something new, e.g. computer programming, or taking a correspondance degree in Anthropology.

What is worth thinking about is what you want to be doing in 10 or 20 years, and what steps you can take once you've finished paramedic school to make these things happen. I don't know how old you are, or what your background is, but a lot of these things are easier to achieve before you have big financial commitments like a house, children, or being a sole income provider for a family, etc. There's a point where age and financial factors start working against you for doing things like medical school, for example. Not to say that it isn't possible, just that something difficult becomes perhaps even more difficult.

I think what you need to work out (or perhaps you already have), is what being in EMS means to you, and what you need from it? If it's important for you to feel respected, or have a certain status in society, or achieve a certain income, then maybe being a lawyer or a physician, or working in the financial sector, are better fits. If being in EMS works for you because it's exciting and ever-changing, realise that in 10 years, it won't be as exciting, change may not be happening as fast as you like, and the unpredictability of a given work day may be as much an irritation as a positive.

On the other hand, if you like helping people, enjoy being in dynamic situations, have an interest in how scenes and calls flow and run properly, and feel like being a paramedic is a good, positive way to contribute to your community, and perhaps you enjoy mentoring and teaching new people, then maybe a more long-term paramedic career is a good fit? Can you go to work, accept that some days it may be a little boring, but accept it for what is as a way of meeting your financial needs?

I don't claim to have any answers here. I think this is a personal decision that you have to work out for yourself.

Why is it looked upon as though if you are smart (good at book learning) you cannot stay as "just" a paramedic? The only way for our field to advance is if people stay in it, and work to advance it internally, not just use EMS as a stepping stone to another career.

True, but change comes slowly, and many of the people who enter EMS like working on a much shorter time-line. Many of us lack the patience necessary to effect change over a long period of time. It's hard to adjust your perspective, and as a result, a lot of people become frustrated and give up. If you want to effect change you need to be tenacious and unrelenting.

[rock_shoes]

I'm surprised to hear that from somebody in Canada but each to their own I guess

Until such time as a legitimate “Paramedic Practitioner” role emerges in Canada, the only way for me to truly move forward from my current position is to look at attending medical school. As I’m sure you’re aware Kiwi nursing isn’t a step up in Canada; it’s a step sideways. Who better to help develop a “Paramedic Practitioner” program than a physician who originally came from a paramedic background? I’m not looking to leave paramedicine entirely, I’m looking to position myself such that I can maximise any positive influence I have.

Why is it looked upon as though if you are smart (good at book learning) you cannot stay as "just" a paramedic? The only way for our field to advance is if people stay in it, and work to advance it internally, not just use EMS as a stepping stone to another career.

As others have mentioned the whole “just a paramedic” attitude stems from a lack of understanding from other health professions. At least in the US, it also stems from wildly variable educational standards. Some programs are exceptional and on par with any UK, Canadian, or Kiwi program while others are an abomination. The average in hospital provider has no idea what type of program you came from and many assume you come from a “medic-mill” unless informed otherwise.

I’m a little different than most in viewing EMS from two perspectives. For many people it is an excellent endpoint and they will provide a multitude of patients with excellent care over the course of their career. For some people it will be a stepping stone along the way towards a career in medicine or some other health specialty. Neither of the two are wrong. Only you know which is best for you.