Age Limit For Medics

[JakeEMTP]

I don't think there should be a minimum age limit for paramedics. HOWEVER, I think there should be a minimum number of years worked as an EMT-B/I. There is a paramedic program around here, I can't remember which one, that requires 2 years active experience with an EMS agency with documented (and verifiable) 1500 hours per year of work. I think that minimum requirements should be set, but not necessarily minumum ages. I have a 24 year old partner who is as immature as they come. She's a good Basic, but her immaturity has led me to request a new partner. Just my $0.02.

Doc

Good idea Doc. The medic program I am currently enrolled in is a 20 mth, 2 night a week pt time course. It is still 1196 hrs, just p/t thus allowing my classmates and myself to acquire the amount of time you are suggesting, while keeping up with our BLS skills ie: assessment, baseline vitals etc. So far so good, It is a new concept for this area and hopefully it will work out.

I think the premise is to graduate new medics with some experience in EMS when all is said and done.

All for now, I need to study! :study: :coffee:

[Dustdevil]

I think the premise is to graduate new medics with some experience in EMS when all is said and done.

It's a good premise, but a bad approach. Medics and EMT's should be getting sufficient experience BEFORE they graduate, not waiting until they are a primary provider to get their $hit together. 150 hours to be an EMT? Ha! They should be getting twice that amount of time just in field practice, not even counting classroom.

It is not the job of employers -- especially transfer services -- to educate EMT's and paramedics. It is their job to employ them. The education system needs to get their act together and start producing adequately prepared graduates. Until then, it is laughably hypocritical for them to not want to admit somebody for a lack of experience.

[JakeEMTP]

I thought that's what I said, hence the 2 nights a week while working EMS the other times. Therfore by the time we are finished, we will have almost 2 yrs experience in EMS not counting what we have already, 300 hrs in clinicals in the 911 system, plus 200 in hospital rotations. Not to shabby IMHO. :wink:

[Dustdevil]

Yeah, I wasn't disagreeing with you at all. Just with the theory of making people go find "experience" that they should have gotten IN school, not after it.

[JakeEMTP]

No problem Dust. :wink: After I posted that, I thought perhaps I didn't word it correctly. Since the majority of the students work full time, it is hard to go to school full time as well. By allowing us to work in EMS whilst attending school concurrently, we are gaining the experience hopefully that will prepare us for when we finish and enter the field of Paramedicine.

I will keep you posted as to how it's going.

Back to the books. lol :coffee2: :homework: :read2:

[Nate]

I don't think there should be a minimum age limit for paramedics. HOWEVER, I think there should be a minimum number of years worked as an EMT-B/I. There is a paramedic program around here, I can't remember which one, that requires 2 years active experience with an EMS agency with documented (and verifiable) 1500 hours per year of work. I think that minimum requirements should be set, but not necessarily minumum ages. I have a 24 year old partner who is as immature as they come. She's a good Basic, but her immaturity has led me to request a new partner. Just my $0.02.

Doc

Is she cute?

[Punisher]

Yes. The legal age of consent plus two years. Age of consent because I want the option to take advantage of my partner should the feeling hit us. And plus two years because that is the minimum amount of time they should have spent in school to become a medic.

I agree....this is the single best response ever..... way to go Dusty.

[Punisher]

Personally I think EMT's should be a minimum of 19 (18 + 1 year of school- yes I think EMT-B should be a much longer program than it is now). For medics, it should be a BS program after two years of full time work as an EMT. Mandatory psych evaluation and multiple references from people who know and have worked with the student candidate should be collected and assessed.

[sfrme]

Ok, just gonna throw by 2 cents into the mess here. It's in a story about myself form, but it's the best way I can figure out to get my point across.

I am an 18 y/o that completed EMT-B while still in high school (required to be 17 for Iowa law at beginning of program). Prior to the EMT-B, I was a part of an Explorer (junior paramedic) program for 4 yrs. at an ALS ambulance service that runs approx 10,000 calls/year. After Basic school I joined a BLS ambulance service and ran with them for approx 6 months prior to starting medic school, which I am currently in.

Now back to the age thing: After completion of my basic class, and a couple months with the BLS service, I went back to the ALS service that I had been riding with and applied for a part-time EMT-B position. I got an interview, but upon completion of the interview, I did not get the job due to my age. My inside sources informed me that age was the only reason I did not get the job. So, I did a little research and found out that the insurance requirement was 18 y/o, which I was. A couple months later, the same person told me that the expanded answer to the age question was that the Hiring Committee was too concerned about the image of the drunk, smoking, immature teenager (again, the ONLY reason). I felt a little discriminated against after I found that out.

Like someone said earlier, there is no way to plaster one image on a certain age group, each person is different.

Now I finish my medic class in July and will only be 19 when I am finished. Will I get the same result/answer again if I apply there?

Sorry for a little bit of venting, let the replies come.

Also, another 2 cents (I'm gonna go broke if I continue): I don't think that all of the field intership time, basic experience, etc. can prepare a new medic for the very first time they have to make all the decisions. And if the person with the new medic doesn't like being with people with inexperience, then they shouldn't be in an FTO (or equal) position.

Wow, I better get off of here.

[Nate]

Now I finish my medic class in July and will only be 19 when I am finished. Will I get the same result/answer again if I apply there?

I would not be surprised if you do get the same answer.