Ambulance Driver, an evil term?

[Ace844]

I can't tell you when I'm working how many times a day I hear from people "Oh honey, the ambulance drivers are here." or "The ambulance people are here." I just let it slide....the patch on my shoulder says New York State Emergency Medical Technician as does the card I carry in my wallet. I could care less what people think we do....also you'd be surprised how many of the rich yuppies in my town think we are a paid FD..even though it clearly says "Volunteer" right on the front of the firehouse.

Just my thoughts on the subject.

Meri

This is part of the reason we as a group recieve the pay, recognition, and poor benefits which we do!! Also, if you note in my post I said,

" usually try to give others the benefit of the doubt..Then educate them, but from people who know better it is alot harder to tolerate...."

[Dustdevil]

But here in Ontario at least... even that person driving the ambulance is a Paramedic, not just a driver. Anyone with the right license can be an ambulance driver, but it takes at least two challenging years of school to become a Paramedic.

That's the crux of the problem, right there. Here, an EMT is anywhere from 14 days to three months of part-time night school to learn nothing but advanced first aid. And then they want to put on patches and badges, a stethoscope around their neck, puff out their chest and proclaim themselves to suddenly be a healthcare professional. I ain't buying it. The medical and nursing profession ain't buying it. And the public ain't buying it either.

[Guest]

pro·fes·sion·al

1. a.Of, relating to, engaged in, or suitable for a profession: lawyers, doctors, and other professional people.

b. Conforming to the standards of a profession: professional behavior.

2. Engaging in a given activity as a source of livelihood or as a career: a professional writer.

Performed by persons receiving pay: professional football.

3. Having or showing great skill; expert: a professional repair job.

NOUN:

1. A person following a profession, especially a learned profession.

2. One who earns a living in a given or implied occupation: hired a professional to decorate the house.

3. A skilled practitioner; an expert.

This is from http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dicti...ry/professional

so by definition EMT-B's are considered professional. As are CNA's and CMA's. they are entry level positions into the prehospital and nursing professions.

I agree with you though. But if you look at those that are giving the profession a bad name you will see that they are the young ones. As i hve posted else where on here the quality of the student has greatly decreased. They do not want to work for what they think that they want and expect you to hand them the patchs and call them professionals when it is over with.

We need to quit bowing to the laziness and demand that the work be done and skills are mastered, not the skills check sheets for the testing processes. That has become the standard of education from grade school up, teach to the standardized test that is given. and that is what all education has degenerated to. teach to the test, not teaching for knowledge.

Professionalism needs to start in education before it can be expected in any "professional " field.

[mediccjh]

Usually if I get called an AMBULANCE DRIVER, I will educate the person who called me it, based on their attitude.

Good attitude:

"Sir/Ma'am, we are not AMBULANCE DRIVERS. We bring the ER to you now, and are able to provide lifesaving skills. It's not the '70s anymore."

Bad attitude:

"Do you call a cop a police car driver? (Waits for the NO) Do you call a firefighter a firetruck driver? (Waits for the NO)

Then why [the F--K, if the person is really pissing me off], are you calling me an AMBULANCE DRIVER?!?!?!?!!!"

[BEorP]

When people call you and ambulance driver, I honestly dont think they say it in a demeaning way, I think it is because they dont know there is an official title that goes along with it.

It's not just an "official title," it is a completely different thing... it's driving a truck compared to performing prehospital medicine.

I'm not saying that I find it insulting that many in the public don't know that in Ontario there are no abmulance drivers, but I do think that a Paramedic deserves to be called a Paramedic.

[Guest DELETED]

DELETED

[Dustdevil]

And just for the record...some of our medics have been around since we WERE just ambulance drivers...those guys, and the ones who only passed cuz they're book smart, but can't lift or take a set of vitals to save their lives...do they deserve to be called paramedics?

Hmmm... that's a different take. In my experience coming up from the funeral home ambulance days of the early 1970's, damn few of those guys I worked with made the transition to EMS. Once FR or EMT was officially required, the educational process washed most of them out. They didn't have book smarts. They didn't have any smarts at all! Certainly not enough to become a paramedic.

A few of them did make it though. One of them was a young rookie named Bryan Bledsoe. You know him as Dr. B.E. Bledsoe, the guy who wrote your paramedic textbook.

[Ace844]

Hmmm... that's a different take. In my experience coming up from the funeral home ambulance days of the early 1970's, damn few of those guys I worked with made the transition to EMS. Once FR or EMT was officially required, the educational process washed most of them out. They didn't have book smarts. They didn't have any smarts at all! Certainly not enough to become a paramedic.

A few of them did make it though. One of them was a young rookie named Bryan Bledsoe. You know him as Dr. B.E. Bledsoe, the guy who wrote your paramedic textbook.

Paramedic book????? What's that, I never even had to buy one!!!

out here,

Ace844

[BEorP]

And just for the record...some of our medics have been around since we WERE just ambulance drivers...those guys, and the ones who only passed cuz they're book smart, but can't lift or take a set of vitals to save their lives...do they deserve to be called paramedics?

I don't know what college would pass someone who can't lift or do vitals

[Ace844]

I don't know what college would pass someone who can't lift or do vitals

In some places in the US there is no shortage of those.....