Young ride alongs and EMT's

[Asysin2leads]

>Many EMT's and many are pretty good ones with descent experiance and knowledge.

Main Entry: de·scent

Pronunciation: di-'sent

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French descente, from Anglo-French descendre

1 a : derivation from an ancestor : BIRTH, LINEAGE <of French descent> b : transmission or devolution of an estate by inheritance usually in the descending line c : the fact or process of originating from an ancestral stock d : the shaping or development in nature and character by transmission from a source : DERIVATION

2 : the act or process of descending

3 : a step downward in a scale of gradation; specifically : one generation in an ancestral line or genealogical scale

4 a : an inclination downward : SLOPE b : a descending way (as a downgrade or stairway) c obsolete : the lowest part

5 a : ATTACK, INVASION b : a sudden disconcerting appearance (as for a visit)

6 : a downward step (as in station or value) : DECLINE <descent of the family to actual poverty>

A little more time in English class, a little less time on Ye Olde First Aid Squade, trooper, you'll be in a lot better shape. Whether you get paid or not is moot, we were talking about maturity and responsibility to the patient's and to our profession. If you really want to benefit the public, study hard, quit playing hero with the First Aid Squad, and become a politician and fight for modern EMS to come into your state. You'll help a great number of people.

[weasel 108]

>Many EMT's and many are pretty good ones with descent experiance and knowledge.

Main Entry: de·scent

Pronunciation: di-'sent

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French descente, from Anglo-French descendre

1 a : derivation from an ancestor : BIRTH, LINEAGE <of French descent> b : transmission or devolution of an estate by inheritance usually in the descending line c : the fact or process of originating from an ancestral stock d : the shaping or development in nature and character by transmission from a source : DERIVATION

2 : the act or process of descending

3 : a step downward in a scale of gradation; specifically : one generation in an ancestral line or genealogical scale

4 a : an inclination downward : SLOPE b : a descending way (as a downgrade or stairway) c obsolete : the lowest part

5 a : ATTACK, INVASION b : a sudden disconcerting appearance (as for a visit)

6 : a downward step (as in station or value) : DECLINE <descent of the family to actual poverty>

A little more time in English class, a little less time on Ye Olde First Aid Squade, trooper, you'll be in a lot better shape. Whether you get paid or not is moot, we were talking about maturity and responsibility to the patient's and to our profession. If you really want to benefit the public, study hard, quit playing hero with the First Aid Squad, and become a politician and fight for modern EMS to come into your state. You'll help a great number of people.

Well put Asy. I salute you :salute:

[Nate]

First off, threads like this are what drive me away from this place. Have people forgot something called respect, there is no way in hell a cadet, student, or whatever you want to call them would buck up to a certified medic in the manner this kid has. If he was on my rig, I'd tell him to stop bumping his gums.

Second, this whole EMT vs. Paramedic thing is another reason I've stoped reading as much as I have. It gets old seeing a lot of threads turned into a stupid battle. It is funny that other sites don't seem to have this problem on the scale as EMTCity...many of you are on other sites and know what I'm talking about. Here is some advice.

IT'S THE F*CKING INTERNET! Learn to let things go, you aren't going to change the thoughts of someone by trying to validate yourself over the internet on some message board. In the end, does it really matter? Do you really lose sleep because someone thinks your not worthy or something? If you do, then you need to find a new career fast...because your ego is of no use to ANY patient.

There are a few of us who got our start at a young age, some are first generation...others grew up around fire trucks and the formation of EMS and their ambulances. Those of us who started off young had to deal with proving ourself over and over. So when those of us were once there went on and made something of ourselves, we became even more critical of those young cadets/students...because we didn't want to see them muck up the programs for others.

I became a paramedic before I could legally buy beer, I was dealing with stress that I had never had before. There is something to be said about age, and I've calmed down a lot over the past few years. However; I can't stand to see a "young" medic of any level talk sh*t to an older medic. I don't care if that older medic is a freaking moron...you respect them because they have been there and done things you haven't...they might not be the best, have as much education as you, or even be able to keep up with you...but they have something that is priceless...they have that time under their belt.

One of the problems with EMS is that a huge majority of people here (including some on this site) have issues with who they are. They think they are hot sh*t because their a freaking medic. You are no better then anyone else, and if you think you are then you are wrong. You are here to serve the public, and that includes the poor, the damned, the criminal element, and every other kind of person our culture likes to write off. They aren't some kid of freak show that you can come and see and run back to your friends and talk about how you "saved" a life because you helped move a drunk from the side of the road to the cot so he could "sleep it off" at the ER. No glory in that is there?

So many people run around like a chicken with it's head cut off talking abut how they "saved a life" and they did this or that. Funny, no one says last night I walked into a house and saw four dead people with their brains all over the walls, they don't talk about sitting in the room of a dead infant trying to get the strength to go back into the next room and tell some young mother her child is dead. There is no glory in that. No glory in getting shot at, beat up, cussed at, spit on, and there damn well isn't any glory and seeing your friends in police, fire, and EMS die.

Don't feed me that "I do this because I care" bullsh*t, if you cared then you wouldn't be seeking attention, you wouldn't think you were the best, you would realize that you need to shut the f*ck up and go read up on some new breakthrough or your old text books and keep yourself up to date, ready to go. You would come here to post questions about how to be a better person, a better medic, a better co-worker...not to show off and gloat.

Respect is earned, it isn't given, and respect isn't someone telling you how awesome you are. Being a good provider means taking the time to listen and do what is best for your patient. It is sitting there in a nasty house trying to get Grandma to go the ER instead of letting her go with a refusal because it stinks and your hot. So stop with this EMT vs. Paramedic, this young vs. old, and this 911 vs. transfer. There is a place for each and everyone of us, and we all aid in some way or another.

If you aren't doing this because you feel that your calling is to help someone, to bring hope, to make a difference, then get out before you kill someone, or you kill another person. This isn't a game, it is real life, and those are real people, and your actions have a real effect.

Nate

[Michael]

Normally I'm hostile to genetic engineering, but at this moment I'd make an exception for cloning Nate.

Well roared, Lion.

[Asysin2leads]

Well writ, Nate, cept you left out the part where you do another shot of whiskey and bellow "AND ANOTHER THING THAT PISSES ME OFF!!!", lol.

[emtpsaveu911]

=D> Well said Nate.

[JPINFV]

Furthermore, I actually have some experiance (I have 50 calls so far) so I'm not an idiot,

I highly doubt that anyone is impressed with 50 calls. Especially if you aren't even a basic.

I know how to do vitals, administer oxygen safely, CPR, and all that good stuff.

Not exactly brain surgery. Vitals aren't that hard to learn. Administering O2 safely? Memorize some limits (1-6 for NC, 10-15 [i.e. keep bag inflated] for NRB) and make sure no one smokes around it. CPR is taught to middle schoolers. The question is, do you know the how [and not, 1. attach NRB to O2 source. 2. dial in flow rate. 3. inflate bag. 4 put on patient] and the why of your actions?

Why does it have to be a fight about who can and can not touch patients?

1. Legal issues of consent. Should someone who can't even sign a contract be allowed to transport someone against their will (psych, for example)? How about get someone to sign AMA?

2. Field advancement. You don't see 17 year old RNs.

3. Professionalism. Honestly, how many of your school mates would you like to be treating you after you've been in an accident? Laws have to regulate people who fit the rule [i.e. minors are, in general, immature], not the exception.

And so what if someone is only an EMT, around here being an EMT is mostly voulnteer and we give up OUR time to help people.

Then these people are not just "only an EMT." I'm paid, and I'm not "only an EMT." I'm also a college student too, among other thing. These people are bankers, and repairmen, and clerks, and advertisers, and a whole host of other jobs, some of which help them be EMTs and some jobs that don't help. I'm not going to defend volunteerism and the whole 'sacrafist' mentality that seems to make volunteers think they are god-like, but these people are not "just EMTs."

We are BLS (BASIC life support)

How many emergent/urgent calls are honestly BLS calls? Is a simple broken arm a BLS call? Shouldn't they get pain control?

Psych calls? What about chemical restraints?

Over a year working BLS part time, I've come to the conclusion that there is almost never a true BLS call outside of interfacility [dialysis, basic transfer, psych, discharge]. At the very least, most of the emergent calls (especially IFT ER calls) would benefit from the extra assessment tools provided by paramedics that basics can't use due to a lack of education.

if I was getting paid for this, you might have a case.

If anything, this is the best reason to get rid of volunteers. A provider should never use their cert level (basic or paramedic), call type (911 vs event standby vs on-site response [themeparks, etc] vs IFT) or their company as an excuse to suck. Your company might suck, or you might be limited by your cert level, but that is no reason for you to suck at your job.

[MedicNorth]

Nate for President!!!!

[Asysin2leads]

You know, JP, I am giving serious consideration to changing my longheld to sig to "There is no reason to suck at your job" in your honor. =D>

Here's my thing about BLS/ALS, QLS, etc. etc. I really don't see things in terms of ALS or BLS, I see things in terms of patients who need to be treated. What really saddened me when I graduated paramedic class was that I realized in how much better a position I was to really treat a patient, even one with let's say a minor injury, and I thought, 'Jeez man, what the hell have I been doing up to this point?'

As JP said, a lot of things that people consider to be 'BLS' calls would benefit with someone who has more than 120 hours of training. Given the weird wild world of the human body, abdominal pain can be a heart attack, or it can be a bad enchilada, and telling the difference may not necessarily be the difference between life and death but it can mean the difference between having 40% heart function and 95% heart function. I won't pretend I'm paramedic Gregory House and can diagnose everything in the field, but I do honestly believe that after spending 3000+ hours with paramedics, RN's, respiratory therapists, cardiologists, neurologists, anesthesiologists, pediatricians and a whole host of patients, I did come out with a pretty good understanding of what to look for and why, at least a lot better than when I was an EMT.

Its for this reason that I take the stand that I do against local volunteers and cadets and all that, because I believe that EMS can be an immensely important factor in determining a patient's outcome, and it should be treated as such and held to the same standards as the rest of the medical profession, and for better or worse, when you enter in the ER, you don't have 25 underage well meaning volunteers descend on you. You might have a few underage interns and residents, but at least they went to college, lol.

We are also still a profession fighting for recognition. I have busted my ass to become good at what I do, and I am fully aware that 20 professionally presented and treated patients by me does less for our image than 1 bunch of 17 year olds in uniform goofing around in the ER. That's why I don't think underage kids in this field is a good idea, and really, I can't say anymore on the subject.

[Nate]

Well I'll be damned, I spoke of telling someone their loved one was dead and I just ran a DOA. :shock: