EMS publicity, only negative, why? EMS lawyers help us.

[spenac]

Why are you striving so much for a glorius (if not bloody) image for EMS? That's not what we are, or even what the job is like most of the time. While I think your intentions are good, I think your means of trying to affect change is wrong. While it might not sound as intense, public information and education is a much better means of making the public aware of what we do and how we operate. Ever offer to go to the senior center, school or any other public assembly in your service area to offer some education and general information? Do a blood pressure screening clinic for the community. Talk to people to raise their awareness. This idea of trying to improve our image with the dramatic, bloody, life saving call is only going to lead to the public believing we are something that we are not in reality. Do those calls happen? Absolutely. Are they common? Not a chance. Let's make improvements of our public perception by being honest with the public about what we do and what our role is in their healthcare; not mislead them to make us seem more glorious then we are. A well presented public display (seminar, open house, etc) will form a lasting opinion and impression on those in the community that you serve. Like I said before, pursue that as a means of causing a change rather than the misleading glory photos that you so desperately seem to want in the news.

I'm okay with quietly remaining in the background and knowing how I fit into the healthcare system if the only alternative is misleading images of what the job is like and what we do.

Shane

NREMT-P

First worked for the fire service didn't it.

Second just like fire service the gory and "heroic" calls are rare as stated in posts here today. Never said they were the norm.

Third yes we educate, we go out in community. Hell many in community come to my house with questions and for BP checks and I mean my house not the station. Just saying our attempts to educate would be better received if could let the public actually see some real footage. FF campaigns would get a whole lot less success if only contained stats and know big fire scenes with FF in them. FF have gotten the public to feel their pain, to feel their joy, they have tried to let the citizens get a sense of what they can do.

Nothing misleading showing what you actually do and providing the stats with it. Stats will be forgotten but an image will stay of them seeing us working our butts off to save a life or holding a newborn, etc. Fire depts don't usually give the stats when the send out info. They send out requests to back them or even educational material they almost always use photos of that rare big fire or rescue.

Not misleading, your advertising. Your getting their focus so they will be interested in learning what we do.

[VentMedic]

There could be scrutiny with too much publicity also. I have seen the ads for some of the private Paramedic schools. These can best be described by "Wow, in just a few short weeks you too can do all this and more!". The lax and minimal educational standards along with inadequate competency assurance rates could be brought to light also.

I think the public has an idea of what an EMT/Paramedic does more than any other health care professional. There have been movies (good and bad), TV shows (again good and bad) and numerous books both coffee table and novels. Even on the show "Ghost Whisperer" there is a Paramedic. There are toy ambulances and "medic's bags" in the toy stores. In real life, EMTs and Paramedics are witnessed in action way too often on our commutes. If someone gets sick or falls at the office, you hear "Call the Paramedics". Rarely do you hear "Call a nurse" outside of the hospital setting. Any more and the public might get overdosed and nauseated.

And don't get me started on the EMS/Firefighter stuff in San Francisco that the whole city had to listen to them air their problems with each other!

I got off the trucks/helicopters a couple years ago to be full time in the hospital and university on another career path that I had been pursuing for many years. No more fabulous uniforms or decked out vehicles to ride around in. No more cameras catching my best side in action. It's just me, my patient and the hundreds of other healthcare providers that make a difference for the patient. I have to explain what I do to a lot of people including other healthcare professionals. But all that matters is the patient knows I'm there and what I do.

[Ridryder 911]

I do understand that there is some problems, good press would help. Aleit, I believe in "glory hounds", but there is places that do not have EMS or is in terrible shape. Selfish, maybe but I believe EMS deserves a piece of the pie as well as anybody.

I heard today Bush promising africa $4 Billlion dollars a year for treating AIDS patients. Yes, it is nice to help third world countries, but let's start charity at home. Four Billion (with a would definitely go a long way in EMS and developing education and loans to establish services.

True, many other health care professionals do not have "public image", however; thinking about this, they are dependent upon the hospital (which probably has a full time image/PR consultant ) and not dependent on the individual communty opinion (be it taxes, private, etc).

I do agree, we need to clean up our image. Maybe, a little positive image would give others a goal to be set. Hey, anything is better than what we have now!

R/r 911

[paramaximus]

Initially I thought you were joking when you were seeking advice from attorneys on how to improve the image of EMS. Why not a used car salesman or a real estate agent?

At any rate, the problem is far deeper than you can possibly imagine. As a paramedic, I don't think of myself as a public servant. I'm a healthcare professional. My career cousin isn't a fireman or cop, it's a nurse, RT and physician. The biggest negative trend in EMS is the absorption into public service sectors such as fire and police. It has been done for purely economic reasons, but it is costing us (EMSer's) dearly.

This particular case that you cited in the article seems to be more of a problem with California certification/licensure laws. This guy is probably part of a union to boot. Here where I am, we are a right to work state. You can be terminated (that's fired) for any reason at any time. It works well. We have moral turpitude stipulations, and once we had a medic that got a little slap happy with his wife. Our EMS director was going to let it slide since she decided not to press charges, but our medical director refused to let the individual work under his license thus ending his job at our service. Proving there are plenty of ways to get rid of an idiot or a sociopath.

Finally, several have hit the nail on the head as it were. Before we go parading before the public, perhaps we need to do a little internal policing. If you have an idiot or sociopath working in your service, begin the process to drive them out. I prefer psychological warfare. A well placed criticism here, an insult there... pretty soon they get the picture. Worse case scenario they get tranferred away to another station or service and you aren't embarassed running down to the one stop anymore.

Cordially,

paramaximus[align=left]

[spenac]

Para consulting EMS lawyers to see if way to publicly display actual calls.

While the case in California was used you can do google news search and find negative about EMS in probably every state.

I do agree I am a healthcare professional not a public servant, but until such time as we are officially there we have to compete with public servants. Even when recognized as healthcare professionals we still need public to see what goes on in EMS, some needs to be real actual footage along with public education.

[VentMedic]

Ahhh geez spenac!

You are self-defeating and looking for the negative. You could Google "paramedics + heroes" and come up with many more positive articles to build an image.

I've seen a lot of changes in EMS since 1978 and most have been positive. Raised education standards and national licensure would have been nice but again, EMTs and Paramedics have ourselves to blame for that and not the media or John Q. Public.

You can Google for the negative and find it on every profession, healthcare or otherwise. I can give you horrific examples of unprofessional events in every healthcare profession.

Court TV just spent a month with a woman on trial for murder. Except, for headlines: Nurse Murders Husband.

California has had its share of black eyes in healthcare. The EMS accountability system needs a serious overhaul. They did learn a lesson from there RT division which had a knee jerk reaction after Efren Saldivar, Angel of Death who murdered probably 50 or so patients. 40 RTs were scrutinized severely and lost their jobs at that hospital before they were declared innocent of any knowledge or Efren's activities. Now ALL RTs in California must take an Ethics course every 2 years on "how not to murder patients and what to do if you know someone who is." I wish I was joking about that one.

IMAGE; you can not change the actions of a few rotten eggs in every profession. Policing ourselves, making changes to keep from getting burned professionally and not ignoring them or blaming the public for "not understanding what we do" will get back the positive.

Yes there are photos of FF and kids. I also have the EMS "heroes" collection sold in many magazines of EMTs/Paramedics. They were "hot" in the 80s and early 90s.

How soon we forget that there were some notable EMTs and Paramedics in our history. How about a very famous child Jessica McClure and Robert O'Donnell her paramedic that really gave us national attention? I still remember the moment he carried her from the well. Probably every household with a TV saw that moment.

All the true stories on Rescue 911 featured very real EMTs and Paramedics also. We had several seasons of heroes with that show.

A little story:

20+ years ago, Miami wanted to get a trauma tax pasted to build a trauma center (Ryder Trauma Center) and enhance a system. They needed a penny tax passed. Miami was in the midst of being the murder and violence capital at that time. They had a news crew follow around EMS and film blood and guts. The tax lost the first time overwhelmingly. The next time they filmed "warm and fuzzy" stuff. EMS worker holding granny's hand, putting a band-aid on a scraped knee of a kid in the park etc. The tax passed this time with no problem.

What about respect for a patient's privacy (not talking HIPPA, just common sense) before you have a news crew running around doing a Geraldo?

The public knows what a Paramedic is. It is now time to focus on gaining a stand among health care professionals by not being the only profession that requires just 1060 hours for a certificate. And, it is a certificate that many other healthcare professionals can challenge a test and obtain. This part the public probably doesn't know.

Side note;

Yes I do know about Robert O'Donnell tragic end 10 years after the well save before somebody wants to take away that moment too. However, his death did bring attention to PTSD in EMS workers again.

[ladyemt51_2000]

The public knows what a Paramedic is

[VentMedic]

ladyemt51_2000,

Congrats on doing the two year program. I just wish so many would continue through the full 2 year degree instead of stopping after the certificate. The average paramedic program in the US is 32 weeks.

Now as an educator, I really wish the young ones would look at the positive and build on that to secure the future of EMTs and Paramedics. As a paramedic (class of 1979), I would like them to know how far we have come.

I don't know about your nurse. :? I just hope she doesn't find out she too can be a Paramedic in just a few weeks of EMT-B and a test challenge in many States.

Again, good luck and congrats on your paramedic program.

[ladyemt51_2000]

There is no possible way I could grasp everything and feel confident in 32 weeks. I'm playing hell trying to absorb everything the way it is:)

Bless that sweet little nurse though, she was nice enough. I have the feeling she likes her "9-5'er, weekends and holidays off" gig. Who can blame her?