Do EMTs have the right to correct a paramedic?

[paramedicmike]

You know this is the same B.S. I hear from LPN versus RN's........seriously folks, if you don't like being on the bottom of the pole then do something about it !.. Like, almost every other Paramedic did.. GO TO SCHOOL!.. Then guess what, you won't be on the bottom... you will be in the middle.. there will ALWAYS be someone over you !

Waa.. waa.. !.. Such egos..! Yes it is a team approach.. sorry the higher level is the captain of the ship.. want to be the captain, want more respect, do more procedures... tired of being "just the driver" ?.. then you know what to do about it .. Go to school!

Do you really want to get in pissing contest on how many F**k ups I have seen basics commit ?.. You know, nobody wins especially the patient & the system.

Now, if we are really soooooo concern about our patent's & really sooooo concerned about EMS systems, why don't we ask ourselves ... After 40+ years, why is there still even a Basic level ?.. Sorry, the "everybody starts somewhere" B.S. won't fly! Physicians don't start out as a CMA then P.A.'s then M.D.'s ... RN's don't start out as CNA, then LPN then RN so why in the heck do we ?.. Please.. save me the "oh, my poor community speech".. they have a nursing home, clinic, hospital... then they have a RN.. able to afford that didn't they? Yes, there is remote areas that will never have anything... & no I am not discussing volunteer issues either.

EMS has settled to provide the lowest care possible to U.S. citizens, & it doesn't matter on financial, political, or staffing issues. We are to blame.. we allow 50+ acronyms of EMT's to be placed.. all saying the same thing ; almost, based upon, similar, near -like, to the Paramedic level. We that are in EMS are to blame for hundreds of people daily NOT GETTING THE BEST CARE POSSIBLE , sorry BLS is not the best!. Short and simple... Again why is this still occuring ? We have the schools to teach it, we have the employers to hire them, we have the need of the patients to use them.. so again I ask: Why are we allowing lower level of care to continue ?...

Hmm wonder what it could be ?

R/r 911

Can I get an "AMEN" in support of Brother Rid, here? Come on! I know you got it in you! Let me hear! Say it loud! Be proud of your beliefs!

AMEN Brother Rid! AMEN AMEN AMEN!!!!

Seriously, folks. If people spent half the energy into furthering their education and getting themselves out from the bottom of the dog-pile as they do complaining there'd be a helluva lot more people satisfied in their position.

I'm also puzzled by all these advanced level providers, specifically paramedics, who say they would like to arrive and have all sorts of advanced procedures done on the patient. If you want all this stuff done by the time you get there, then why should you be called? Starting a line and pushing drugs is your job. Advanced airway maintenance is your job. Pharmacological intervention is your job. If you want it done prior to your arrival then you're not needed and you should go find another job.

If I'm called, it's my job to do all these procedures (they're not skills...there's a difference).

But I suppose that's another thread in itself.

-be safe.

[RegularEMT]

I'll slowly further my education, when I feel ready to do so. I'm not sure I can provide ALS care yet. Until then, I can just read read read read anything I can get my hands on.

[nsmedic393]

This is why there is a percived gap in the ems system. To tell people about the "Low position on the totem pole" that they occupy only belittles them.

remember the public when in their time of need dont care if the attending officer is a basic or advanced person...they are injured,hurt and wanting assistance....any assistance at the time.

If an ambulance rolls up they are glad, they dont worry that it is a BLS or ALS unit...it's a bloody ambulance and thats what they want......

The high and mighty position that some paramedics place on thems selves only reinforces the paragod syndrome. Here in Australia we have another name for these types.....DICKHEADS...

So by your reasoning we could send over an ambulance with my dog driving and my two year old nephew attending and people should be happy because an ambulance arrived in their time of need?

Just because most of the general public isn't smart enough to tell the difference between an ALS provider and a BLS provider does not mean that we aren't. I know that an ALS truck will benifit the patient more than a BLS truck if for nothing else than for the fact that the average BLS truck only has 500hrs of schooling between everyone on board.

Weather you work at macdonalds, in a business, in an office or out of your car, whan you start out you are the low person on the totem pole. Nobody walks in equal in skill or experience regardless of their level and people that think otherwise are just plain wrong.

[Asysin2leads]

Okay, okay, okay, okay, I'm pretty much liquored up and pissed off about the subject (feeling better though, can't you tell?) so lemme tell ya how it is:

EMT's save paramedics. I think we need to add a FAQ on this, as Jeez louise it gets tiresome. Not only that, but somebody thought they were oh so clever and posted it AFTER someone else had already written down the lame-o of all time one liners. I mean, there are people, in this profession, who actually see that T-shirt, and go NEATO!!! That's AWESOME!!!

No wonder we're in so much trouble. I swear to God if I ever see someone with a bumper sticker, T-shirt, what have you with that stupid crap, I'm going to stuff an ammonia inhalant up their ass and glue it shut with D50. Yeah, yeah, you heard me.

You know, while were on the subject, I remember this one sweet 75 year old lady, used to volunteer her time down at the local library teaching kids to read in her off time. Provded a real public service, got no compensation in return. How come she never wore a t-shirt that said something like LITERACY/ILLITERACY: I AM THE DIFFERENCE or asked to have a siren for her car, or something like that? How come she could just be humble and proud that she helped somebody and lived out her life? How come garbage collectors don't go to conventions and show off their new trucks? How come physician's assistants and nurses and all the support staff at the ER do NOT run around saying "Doctor's save lives, nurses and physician's assistants save doctors", which, in all honesty is a LOT closer to the truth? How come they can just do their job and SHUT THE HELL UP ABOUT IT? Huh? What? Tell me! I want to know! Are you so devoid of meaning in your lives that you need validation because you friggin helped out with an IV?

And ANOTHER THING! Okay, so let me get this straight. You are with a paramedic, he gives an amp of D50 to a person showing signs of hypoglycemia. They are pale cool and diaphoretic, and the paramedic just sat there blankly scratching his chin until in came the wonderous medic saving EMT (with a cape, no less, and awesome entrance music) and said WAIT! PERHAPS WE SHOULD ATTACH THE MONITOR! and lo and behold, the patient WAS bradycardic! And all was well in the kingdom? I mean, the medic really did not think to start cardiac monitoring on a patient like that. Hmmmm, you know, I don't know EMS systems around the country, but if that ever happeend to me, I would be fired, decertified, and have my ass kicked not perhaps in that particular order. IF that really happened, that medic better have been drunk, or stoned, or really really tired, or something, seriously. So, in conclusion, to paraphrase something my good friend, thespian, and musically talented genius William Shatner once said on Saturday Night Live, GET A LIFE, WILL YOU PEOPLE? FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, ITS JUST EMS!!!

Come get some.

[nsmedic393]

=D>

[craig]

So by your reasoning we could send over an ambulance with my dog driving and my two year old nephew attending and people should be happy because an ambulance arrived in their time of need?

Just because most of the general public isn't smart enough to tell the difference between an ALS provider and a BLS provider does not mean that we aren't. I know that an ALS truck will benifit the patient more than a BLS truck if for nothing else than for the fact that the average BLS truck only has 500hrs of schooling between everyone on board.

Weather you work at macdonalds, in a business, in an office or out of your car, whan you start out you are the low person on the totem pole. Nobody walks in equal in skill or experience regardless of their level and people that think otherwise are just plain wrong.

Like i said the public only care if it is the ambulance that turns up, not who is on it.

We are lucky here in Australia that our EMS services are much better than yours over the pacific.

I never said that everyone should enter as equals. far from it.

Just a question, when you attend hospital when sick or injured do you ask if the attending doctor is a medical student, a freshman resident, a staff resident or a specalist? especially if you are in pain, injured and bleeding? I think not, if some one is fixing you you dont care.

so a basic that has been a basic for years (they may not want to futher their study or cannot afford to) is less in their worth than a person that has just graduated from school as a medic?

eventhough the basic has been treating patients for years and the new medic is yet to fire in anger (on his own so to speak)

the analagy of the ambulance with you nephew and dog really is pretty silly though.....why send them at all.........maybe just park ambulances on the street corners that have high degree of MVA's.........use a little common sense and see that i was talking about TRAINED BASIC LEVEL OFFICERS.

yes there are pecking orders in any area, but along with this there are times that the more trained person is a paragod that only causes friction between levels. I have worked with very knowledgeable paramedics that have the compassion and pesonality of a rock. sure they knew what was wrong, what effects the injury had, what to do to fix it, but not the people skills to HELP the patient.

wether we get rid of all the basic levels and have everyone as a medic, we still start at the bottom (we have to start some where dont we) but do we need to put these people down for this. are we better for being in a para class that was completed last year compared to someone that was in a class that finished this year?

I know that a ALS truck will be able to do more clinically for the patient than the BLS truck, but like i said, if joe public in laying in the gutter bleeding to death, then all he cares about is that SOMENE attends him and fixes him. If the crew that arrives is a basic one then they, if they cannot carry out the procedures needed should call for ALS to attend. The ALS crew should not constantly remind them that they are not as good as a paramedic.

stay safe

[PRPGfirerescuetech]

Can I get an "AMEN" in support of Brother Rid, here? Come on! I know you got it in you! Let me hear! Say it loud! Be proud of your beliefs!

AMEN Brother Rid! AMEN AMEN AMEN!!!!

Seriously, folks. If people spent half the energy into furthering their education and getting themselves out from the bottom of the dog-pile as they do complaining there'd be a helluva lot more people satisfied in their position.

I'm also puzzled by all these advanced level providers, specifically paramedics, who say they would like to arrive and have all sorts of advanced procedures done on the patient. If you want all this stuff done by the time you get there, then why should you be called? Starting a line and pushing drugs is your job. Advanced airway maintenance is your job. Pharmacological intervention is your job. If you want it done prior to your arrival then you're not needed and you should go find another job.

If I'm called, it's my job to do all these procedures (they're not skills...there's a difference).

But I suppose that's another thread in itself.

-be safe.

Amen.

But, does furthering the education equal satasfaction? Not necessarily?

Otherwise, your RIGHT ON.

[Michael]

I remember this one sweet 75 year old lady, used to volunteer her time down at the local library teaching kids to read in her off time. Provded a real public service, got no compensation in return. How come she never wore a t-shirt that said something like LITERACY/ILLITERACY: I AM THE DIFFERENCE

Answer: None of her prospective clients could read it? Just a guess :wink:

[nypamedic43]

Here's my question, how did we go from questioning a medics decision, to BLS bashing? Basic skills are important, do you medics remember them??? A B C's??? Without them you have nothing, and all your monitoring, IV skills and drug pushing mean absolutely nothing if you don't have a viable patient. I am so relieved to know that 500+ hours of education that I have had, in order to be able to help someone in their time of need, can be so belittled and meaningless to the medics that I work with, or the medics from all over the world. It does my heart good to know that I, as a basic EMT, is lower than dirt to them, and am only good enough to drive them to the hospital. Thanks so much for that, and if this attitude is what comes with being a medic, you can keep it.

[7Fissy]

Here's my question, how did we go from questioning a medics decision, to BLS bashing? .

I've been reading this forum for a few years, and just now decided to register... Seems to be the popular thing to bash anyone for any reason. Ask a question, get bashed, flamed, or called an idiot.

As long as you’re not a volunteer (doubly bad if you're from New Jersey); a Basic EMT (god forbid a first responder); thin-skinned or highly self conscious; have poor grammar or spelling skills; or basically do not know less than the first person who replies... You'll be okay.

Used to be much worse! A few people left, started bashing on other forums; emtlife, trauma central, ems village, etc. Same crap, same people; just makes the place more interesting. Prolly the only reason I come back to read it a couple times a month. Almost like real life, except I don't think anyone on here has killed another user, yet..?