Inmate EMTs?

[Just Plain Ruff]

Not to beat a dead horse but at least in the state of Missouri a convicted felon cannot hold a professional license.

[Ctemt589]

What about the less than honorable people that we work with now. Not all emts are sterling human being. How many people do we know have gotten DWI"S and still kept med control. If they're already certified and get charged are they any less a criminal, we give our co-workers second, third chances. Why not some certan convicts on a case by case basis

[MadMod]

Unfortunately, in most cases it is a moot point. Most states and the NREMT state you cannot be a convicted felony and hold certification. It's just that simple. That's what happens in a society of laws and rules. You choose to break the rules, you pay for it. In the case of the prison guard, the court obviously decided the guard had a duty to protect the prisoner and chose not to do anything. This is misfeasance of official duty. Sorry, but that's how it works.

I don't see a problem of teaching them the first responder and EMT classes for use INSIDE the prison only. No official cert. Several prisons do this with fire brigades. Those prisoners do not have any opportunity to work in the fire service outside of prison. But they all did something for the common good.

Maybe it'll teach them responsibility and compassion. Teach them empathy.

[SSG G-man]

Ok, I mentioned this before and have not seen it addressed. Everyone keeps saying convicted Felons. You do not have to be guilty of a felony to go to prison. What I read said something to the effect of "certain classes of inmates" I did not see felon any where in the document.

Where I lived in GA I saw people get put in jail for bouncing a check. Irresponsible, yes. Should it keep them from being an EMT? I have bounced checks from time to time. I bounced a crap load once when my pay got screwed up. I did not go to jail, but should it preclude me from being an EMT?

I would rather a person who committed a minor offense have a way to make a living when they come out, then have them without out a skill so all the do is go back to jail because they know they will 3 hots and a cot. I think a program like this could help reduce the recidivism rate!

[WelshMedic]

Has anyone stopped to think why the prevailing attitude here is the very reason why the prison system is filled to overflowing and why so many felons end up re-offending after coming out. I'm not suggesting that we make rapists or murderers EMT's but I do think that there are some gray areas here. If you have paid your debt to society and come out of prison with a serviceable qualification that you can use to find a paid job, then surely the chance that you're going to re-offend is much smaller?.

Everyone deserves a chance to try again, surely?

Carl.

PS - to the person that said he'd rather die than be worked on by a felon - what planet are you on? If you're in that much trouble you really won't give a sh*t who does it, but you'll sure as hell be grateful!!!

[Ridryder 911]

You want your job to be considered a profession, then allow anyone to be one and it WILL NEVER BE CONSIDERED as one !. Period.. Sorry, they can't be a RN, an M.D., D.O. etc.. why, because they jobs have professional standards.. hence, no prior convictions. For those that described we have some unwanted dead wood in our profession, your right it is shame we cannot remove them as well.

Whenever, and if ever this market decides to grow up and start screening and monitoring of those that call this a profession, as other professionals do, then we might be considered as one. Yes, there have been too many Doc's, Nurses that slipped through the cracks, but let's not repeat their mistakes, in which they correcting.

Teaching first-aid or even allowing them to practice while serving time, I have no problem with as long as they can no longer in the private sector. They would be closely monitored while in correctional facility.

R/r 911

[Nate]

EMS is over flowing with enough trash as it is...I'd prefer to keep as much of it out as possible. While not everyone who goes to jail is a bad person, we need to move away from making exceptions and that includes keeping convicted criminals of serious offenses out.

[Just Plain Ruff]

This all goes down to the professionalism and tremendous level of trust by the public towards EMS.

If we start to allow felons to hold professional licenses what is the Lay public supposed to think. We operate in a tremendous level of trust by patients. They let us in their homes, which are supposed to be their most secure areas of their world, we take care of them when they are most vulnerable and most subject to be taken advantage of. If the lay public knew that we were letting convicted felons get licenses then the public begins to question whether or not they want EMS to be in their homes. It just goes to the level of trust that the public puts in us. If they believe a person who was convicted of a crime might be on the ambulance it may cause them to delay calling 911 or just go to the hospital on thier own when they could have gotten help sooner.

The argument of a convicted felon taking care of me and my not caring about it if he helped me is a good one but I don't really want to take that chance.

Keep the felons away from professional certification/licensure.

[medic_wannabe]

Not to beat a dead horse but at least in the state of Missouri a convicted felon cannot hold a professional license.

You can hold a professional license in the state of missouri and be a convicted felon I know that for a fact. And as for the rest of you I believe that it is easy to denounce those who have made a mistake when it is not you or when you dont fully understand the matter. A real education may help you all. I know many paramedics who have DWI ( a felony by the way) and are still practicing. They are convicted felons, wjhy should they "rot away" as one person put it. Everyone here talks as if they are perfect. This is pathetic.

[Jimbo]

I am just starting out in the EMS field, I found I have a strong drive to learn as much as I can after being introduced to it in a combat lifesaver course. Now I am going to be going to an EMT class and hopefully after wards an advance lifesaving class. I have not been in this profession but in my everyday profession people come and go and say they can do this or that. I am not one to be to proud to say I might have learned something from one of those that have left. I can't say that it doesn't bother me that people can just about walk into the field and say have the same qualifications without displaying them or taking tests. It seems to me if they take the same tests as anyone else in the field they may just be as good as everyone else. Yes they must have done something wrong but who are we to judge? Is this all black and white? If you think not giving them another chance doesn't make your taxes go up you better think again. Back home we had a doctor that lost his license to pratice out in California and the hospital hired him in our community. He wasn't a regular doctor but a specialized heart doctor forgive me if I don't know the correct terminology. He has had four people die under his hands and they found him to be at fault. The hospital covered up his past to bring him in and make money. What do you think of that? What do you think of the policeman or the county workers that sit at donut shops and you see them there everyday. You think they are taking the amount of time off allowed or maybe a little more? You think maybe they could be saying who's going to say anything ? They are paid by tax paying dollars and if they aren't working when they are suppose to be aren't they stealing from the public? I have never in my life heard something so idiotic from someone who would say they would rather die than to be saved by a felon. Give me a break, being in Iraq I can tell you that even though people are trying to kill you and they may inflict a hell of a hurt on you and you on them but we are governed by rules that say we have to save them also. I have worked with some Iraqi soldiers and I can't tell you that I really trusted them a 100% but I will tell you this if my ass got shot you can dam well bet that if an Iraqi came up to me to save my life I would welcome him with open arms. I would be willing to bet a lot of people in here have done something wrong at one time in there life or another and just never got caught!!! Are we that blind or just that ignorant to see it? I can see this may ruffle feathers in here but if your that insecure maybe you better find a different line of work.