AMT-I vs EMTP - a valid argument?

[DwayneEMTP]

This seems to make the argument for those wanting training instead of education, but I was curious about your thoughts...

http://www.ftimes.com/main.asp?SectionID=8...ArticleID=38131

Paramedics Left Out of County EMS Picture

For EMT-I's in the field, new certification guidelines leave them almost as valuable as a paramedic, according to Ham.

There are only three or four skills a paramedic can do that an EMT-I cannot, Ham said. Ninety to 95 percent of ambulance calls can be handled by an EMT-I, he said.

Michael Garvey, state EMS director, concurs.

"There's no exact percentage, but it's near that 90 percent," he said.

What can't be handled by EMT-I's, Garvey said, are patient transports. EMT-I's can't administer "piggy-back medications," those that are added to an intravenous line during a transport. Also, EMT-I's are not equipped to handle rare heart conditions.

However, most of the medications used to treat a heart attack, called advanced cardiac life support, an EMT-I would have and be able to administer, Garvey said.

NOTE: Most of the article left out for the sake of argument, and to isolate this question.

Dwayne

[Asysin2leads]

Thats it, State EMS director Michael Garvey is now on the list of short sighted and ill informed people that we shouldn't listen too. Rare heart conditions, I love it, yeah, I'm quite adept at treating hypoplastic left heart syndrome. It what I do in my spare time.

This arguement has been done to death. Education is a good thing. You want the person working on you to be educated. Training is for the known, education is for the unknown, the current paramedic curriculum barely touches on the core levels needed to properly care for the sick and injured in the field. Extolling the virtues of the EMT-I program is simply a way for greedy, soulless people to bill ALS rates without paying ALS providers. I pray on everything holy that Michael Garvey breaks both femurs and has a two hour extrication time while his mother goes into cardiogenic shock while only his precious EMT-I's abound. That'll show him.

[tniuqs]

Just from an outsiders point of view and to be certian, I don't know all the facts for this "HAM' bones argument.

Expanding on with this short sighted $$$ based ideal, just who needs a full fledged Cardiologist when a 2nd year resident, does all that cool Angio stuff anyway, and they are way more cost effective too.

OH ASY, have you ever thought about enrolling in a self assertive type program, to overcome that shy demeanor and urge you to come out of your shell ?

:twisted:

LMFAO!

[1EMT-P]

This is why we should never allow bean counters or politicians to make health care decisions.

[Dustdevil]

[Ridryder 911]

One of my favorite quotes from another EMS forum.. it sums it up!

Whenever you say, "I can do everything that a blank (Intermediate, Paramedic, RN, MD, etc) can except for (or but)" basically you are saying you are something that you are not.

It is a disclaimer in an attempt to garner credibility and respect. If you want to be the something you are trying to equal yourself to, then go to school. Otherwise, don't try to convince the rest of the world that you are something that you are not.For example, if you are an EMT with special skills or EMT/I that can utilize 90% of the skillset of a Paramedic with only 50% of the education, who would you rather have treat you or your family?

You can train any lay person to start an I.V, intubate, decompress a chest or give any plethora of medications (training) versus teaching that person the who, what, where, when, why and how to come to the decision to do it (education). Period

This is a cheap way of getting pseudo Paramedics. The management trick is this.. they can legally charge for ALS without paying the pay structure of having paramedics.. remember, you pay for what you get!

R/r911

[fiznat]

Three or four things a paramedic can do that an I cannot? Is he serious? I cant believe this is coming out of the mouth of an EMS Medical Director.

Talk about putting cost before patient care. That really is the ONLY reason I can imagine someone would say something like that. I really hope that EMS is organised enough over there to combat this effectivly.

[MAGICFITZPATRICK]

One of my favorite quotes from another EMS forum.. it sums it up!

Whenever you say, "I can do everything that a blank (Intermediate, Paramedic, RN, MD, etc) can except for (or but)" basically you are saying you are something that you are not.

THANK YOU !!! I could not of said it better myself!

[Asysin2leads]

BTW, I couldn't find an e-mail link for Michael Garvey, but I did find one for the Indiana Department of Homeland Security (bravely protecting the cornfields from terrorist incursion, apparently) which is here. I used it as an opportunity to voice my opinion about Mr. Garvey, in the hopes it will get to him. This is what I said:

"What exactly was Mr. Michael Garvey thinking when he made his grossly uninformed comments about how 95% of calls could utilize EMT-I's rather than paramedics?

I am rather curious, as modern medicine usually dictates that people actually know what they are doing when they perform prehospital emergency care. However, given that Mr. Garvey displayed his gross ignorance of modern medicine by claiming that paramedics can only treat "rare heart conditions" when just about anyone who knows anything about medicine knows that ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, and type II heart blocks are fairly common rhythms on a given population. I would suggest that Mr. Garvey do the State of Indiana and EMS in general a favor and seek other employment, such as in the food service or hospitality industry."

That didn't sound too snotty did it?

[Dustdevil]

That didn't sound too snotty did it?

Nah. But I do think you unnecessarily insulted those consummate professionals in the food service and hospitality industries.

You probably should have specified the fast food service industry.