Scaramedic Posted April 24, 2006 Posted April 24, 2006 This is going to get me a lot of flames on this thread but, to be honest I don't care. I have been here about a month, and have enjoyed being a part of EMT city. I love chatting and I love posting smart ass comments or answering serious questions. This is the kind of site that is needed for EMS personnel. It is a place for new people coming up to get answers from experienced people and for everyone to have fun. Unfortunately this is not always the case. Please ponder the following questions.. The forums.... How many threads have gone from a simple question to an all out hate fest? How many threads have gone off topic and ended up in insults? How many threads have been locked for the above reasons? Why is there so much hate in the forums? The chat rooms... Why do we have people who will chat but hate posting because they get insulted? Why do we have people who post but will not chat because they also get insulted? And what about the site in general.... The main page states roughly 6900 registered users, how many actually visit this site anymore? Why don't they visit? How many were bothered by the items listed above and want nothing to do with this site anymore? Please think about those questions and post your responses. Go ahead and insult me if it makes you feel better, I can take it. After 14 yrs in EMS I doubt you will come up with anything I have not heard. My two cents...If this site is going to survive it is up to the members to try and be a little more civil. For a group of people who are supposed to compassionate I sure see a lot arrogance and hate. I have also have noticed a trend towards bashing anything EMS, from Basic's to Paramedic's to the entire system. This level of cynicism is to be expected of the seasoned vets, but some of you are are barely out of your teens. If you are that young and you already hate this biz that much, do us all a favor and quit. It's not going to get any better for you as you get older. If you have positive ways to change the problems then voice them I would love to hear them, but bitching has never fixed a thing. In closing, insulting people does not impress others it only lowers their opinions of you. Let the hate mail fly.... :cussing: Peace, Marty :thumbleft: And oh yeah, I'm not quitting this site, I love being a pain in the ass!!!
csr Posted April 24, 2006 Posted April 24, 2006 RE: chat rooms. I post in 8 or 9 forums and most have chat rooms for members. I never utilize them. OK, maybe once in a blue moon I'll pop in to the chat at Atheist Network when I know a couple buddies will be in there. Otherwise I don't bother with them. I just scan the titles of the threads in the forums, reply if I feel inclined and move on.
ladyfirefighter36 Posted April 24, 2006 Posted April 24, 2006 I have to say I agree with a lot of the things you have said. It seems like everything becomes a bash session. We should be able to express our opinions here without getting beat up for it. I have noticed, at least from the posts I have been reading lately, that there is a lot of bashing of everyone but medics, and paid personnel. I always thought this was a place where I could come and get support for being, whatever I was. Whether I am a basic, intermediate or paramedic, volunteer or paid, I just wanted someone to understand, show some compassion, and give insight. All of us in this field, should love what we are doing, regardless of our status. We should be able to get support without getting bashed or criticized. Just my 2 cents.
itku2er Posted April 24, 2006 Posted April 24, 2006 Marty I agree with alot of your points First I think it that people are so caught up in the me and my opionion that they have lost the sense of compassion and caring and they think it is better to belittle someone and bash them than to remember where they came from we all started somewhere and had to apply alot of blood sweat and tears to get where we are in life and EMS... I was upset about my thread getting locked....cause people took a simple question that applied to me and made it a bashing forum for the medics to bash EMT-B's and no where did I even mention EMT-B's at all....I just wanted a simple answer to a simple question...... But no matter what level you are the first 3 letters of the title are EMT....EMT -B EMT-I AND EMT-P... Marty I agree that this forum is a good place for the "older" EMS workers to help and tutor and maybe even inspire the young and new EMT's that are coming into the world of EMS....but if they see the constant bickering and belittling of others that goes on some may think that it just isnt worth the effort to be in EMS..... I think we all just need to step back take a look at our selves and remember where we got our start and where we are now.... and encourage the new EMT's and not bash them we all have a place in EMS ......reguardless of if is the janitor at the station to the captain....we all have a place and just because you have more letters behind your name doesnt make you any more imporant than the mechanic that keeps your trucks running so you can go on a call... We are all in EMS cause we love it ......but like alot of things in life we are sometimes our own worse enemies.... Just my 2 cents..........
7Fissy Posted April 24, 2006 Posted April 24, 2006 I've been reading for about three years, in fact, I was crushed when they switched formats. Although, the color change was good, because black was depressing. The forums.... How many threads have gone from a simple question to an all out hate fest? About 99% How many threads have gone off topic and ended up in insults? Nearly all of them How many threads have been locked for the above reasons? A few too many, but they shouldn't have gone to shit anyway. It's the fault of too many unprofessionals that think they know-it-all, seen-it-all, done-it-all. Why is there so much hate in the forums? Because some people are afraid that someone new, may know something that they do not. It is hard for people to accept the ways of others, especially those they do not know, and things that are done differently than they do. For instance, I'm a Paramedic Instructor at a community college. But, I also teach Con-Ed to seasoned professionals, I have to drill into to these old minds that "you can't do it that way" you actually have to follow protocols and document them. It's even worse when we have to teach them something new. CPAP was a horrible expirence, the "we don't need that crowd" changed their minds quick, and the "It's just an expensive version of the demand valve" got a lesson too. But none changed their attitude. The chat rooms... Why do we have people who will chat but hate posting because they get insulted? Less time to think, more of a person to person deal, I'm better in person than on paper, so to say. Some people will seem smarter than a doctor, but be horrible medics in person. Why do we have people who post but will not chat because they also get insulted? Some people don't do chat, maybe they have better things to do? And what about the site in general.... The main page states roughly 6900 registered users, how many actually visit this site anymore? Maybe some registered in case they want to reply, but just forget about the site. Why don't they visit? I covered that. How many were bothered by the items listed above and want nothing to do with this site anymore? Probably a lot, some people just do not like being in the company of ass-holes. And oh yeah, I'm not quitting this site, I love being a pain in the ass!!! Darn, because you will probably be one of the people responsible for a couple good medics not comming back. Seeing the site as a waste of time. They don't come here to talk to people who are big headded and full of themselves. They come here to talk to other people in the same field. But when that field, which ever of the 50+ they are in, is the target of the so-called hate, why bother?
AZCEP Posted April 24, 2006 Posted April 24, 2006 In the words of Dirty Harry Callahan, "Opinions are like a%%holes, everybody's got one." Anytime you are dealing with other people, especially those you can't see, you need to put the thick skin on. I don't think that the intention to bash or b#$ch is there. The occurrence is more a result of not being able to hear the tone or body language of an individual. Now, some of the threads are started to spark debate. When this happens, you can't expect 6900 people to all agree on every point. If we can read the posts, and learn a little, and at the same time teach a little, then it has been a successful sharing of information. I've been in the chat rooms only a handful of times. I just don't appreciate the utility of the format, so I don't spend much time using it.
jmac Posted April 24, 2006 Posted April 24, 2006 for my two cents worth, it seems that a lot of people are going away from the basics of the job, in my opinion the more education you can get the better but there seems to be a leaning away from pre-hosp with page upon page of really nice to know info but really going away from the golden hour, treatment and movement of PT's. I for one do not really care what leval the person that i am talking to in chat or on the forums, discussion and debate are good, a good slagging is good as well, but to bring the topics down to the gutter, and this coming from self professed supermedics, it baffles me, i do not feel that the people on here , to quote terri "EMT's regardless of the following letter" come here to be beatten into submission, i thought this was a place to take away things from, and i dont mean resentment, but i would like to see the big "I AM's" tone down a little and maybe post a link to their info instead of posting reams of data. everyone has google now don't they, keep safe.
geezlaweezy Posted April 24, 2006 Posted April 24, 2006 I'm pretty brand spanking new here (a week maybe?), but if it isn't too big headed of me, I'd like to put my two cents in. First of all, this forum has inspired me more than ever to become a paramedic. I won't be attending classes until August, but the depth of knowledge, personal anecdotes, years of combined experience, quirky stories, and other various interests that are expressed here are getting me more and more excited about the profession! I don't think many of you realize how much of a help you have been to me and other aspiring paramedics (or EMTs) who are curious about such things, don't know what types of questions to ask, or need some advice. Every time I hear or see an ambulance whiz by I give a little woo hoo and yay (I know, I'm cheezy!) because now I finally see how truly passionate some of you are about your work. Secondly, I have to admit, it can be a bit intimidating posting or chatting with seasoned veterans. The first time I came into chat and asked about certain things I just didn't know because I haven't started school yet, I got slammed down hard. What is extremely basic knowledge to you may not be to others who are just curious. There are now more and more people who are trying to do more research into whether this is the profession for them, or on the various schools because it's getting to be a more popular field and harder to get in. If it helps newer people speak, may I suggest starting another subforum for people who are just interested but may not be medics? I do notice there's the occasional bickering, but what forum doesn't? Most admins don't even lock threads or give warnings in other forums as they should be doing, so this is actually a lot more civil than many I've seen. Not only that, but you can't really change the personality or heated emotion of the writer, you can only ask them to choose their words wisely. Yes I agree that there should be a standard to which EMTs/medics uphold their professionalism even off duty to set a good example, but the occasional slip is okay. Obviously, I'm quite comfortable with chatting or posting now, probably because I'm used to crazy patrons yelling at me at work for no apparent reason, and maybe I just can't shut my trap when I feel really passionate about something. I truly hope new members will see how many nice people there are in here who are so patient in taking the time to answer questions or give some helpful tips. I may not be very knowledgeable about the field at this point, but at least I'm making the effort in trying hard to learn, regardless of how many people roll their eyes at me. Anyway, thanks to all those who've been so friendly and helpful. Cheers!
JPINFV Posted April 24, 2006 Posted April 24, 2006 In the words of Dirty Harry Callahan, "Opinions are like a%%holes, everybody's got one." I completely disagree with this statement. If no one had any opinions then there would be no replies in any thread. I believe part of the problem does lie on both sides. Sometimes the posters can use a better tone when posting. That said, just because someone disagrees with you doesn't mean that it is personal. Society nowadays is so touchy feely that people believe that if you disagree with them that it is a personal insult. 9 times out of 10 there is nothing personal about it. The truth is that there are a lot of broken things in EMS. Unfortunately if you are part of the broken area, knowingly or not (and most of the time not) then you view any critque of that area (for example, the formal education of basics, or the lack thereof) as a bash.
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