I have again over the last few days noticed and interesting pattern in the types of posts being debated.
One of the often lamented aspects of EMS is the lack of professional, or for that matter, any respect in the healthcare community.
What I have noticed is that there seems to be a growing level of romanticism in EMS providers.
Riding in on the blazing steed to singlehandedly combat death and aid one's fellow man in time of need.
EMS joins volunteer fire with being the last bastion of modern society where minimally trained and medically uneducated people can fulfl some childhood dream of making a difference.
There seems no shortage of providers who would like or maybe need to believe EMS is something other than what it is.
Afterall, where else can less than 200 hours get you a front seat ticket to be something more than another corperate cube organism, physical laborer, or fast food guru?
You can't even be a barber with such little training.
This "hero" perception is further perpetuated by elected leadership, who constantly laud "first responders" despite not being able to secure funding for adequete response or even to provide a standard level of care to most of the country.
I call attention to this because I see it as yet another step away from an EMS professional in the US.
I don't know about you, but in my family, we have a few relatives who are big in heart and short on brains.
That is basically the mentality new EMS providers seem to be shifting to.
I will confess that when I started I thought I was going to save the world. At least everyone in it.
But here is the rub. I was fortunate to be mentored by some very capable and professional people who took pride in what they really did. Not what they wanted to believe they were doing.
They tempered or rather preempted my enthusiasm by making it clear in order to be a part of their group, things like a light bar on the POV were unquestionably unacceptable.
They taught me safety as a proactive culture, to scrutinize everything I did to either be better, safer, or demonstrate my value.
But as more and more capable providers leave EMS, the only ones left and its new generation of leaders have no idea or want of these virtues.
They believe their ignorance and passion is just as, if not more valuable than experience and education. They are vollies, weekend warriors, tinkerers, or in a more brutal term, hacks.
With no pretense of even understanding what they are doing, it now seems popular for them to label as out of touch or burnt out any who do not agree with their romantic notions.
They cite personal feeling and N=1 experiences they cannot understand as obvious fact.
It is almost the EMS equivalent of "teach the conflict" of intelligent design.
With both a population and culture shift away from the "hardcore" difficult to replace professional minded, I suggest that the possibilities of a professional US EMS provider is a lost future.
I think I must re-evaluate my efforts and value to advancing EMS.
Is there a solution to this disturbing trend?
One of the often lamented aspects of EMS is the lack of professional, or for that matter, any respect in the healthcare community.
What I have noticed is that there seems to be a growing level of romanticism in EMS providers.
Riding in on the blazing steed to singlehandedly combat death and aid one's fellow man in time of need.
EMS joins volunteer fire with being the last bastion of modern society where minimally trained and medically uneducated people can fulfl some childhood dream of making a difference.
There seems no shortage of providers who would like or maybe need to believe EMS is something other than what it is.
Afterall, where else can less than 200 hours get you a front seat ticket to be something more than another corperate cube organism, physical laborer, or fast food guru?
You can't even be a barber with such little training.
This "hero" perception is further perpetuated by elected leadership, who constantly laud "first responders" despite not being able to secure funding for adequete response or even to provide a standard level of care to most of the country.
I call attention to this because I see it as yet another step away from an EMS professional in the US.
I don't know about you, but in my family, we have a few relatives who are big in heart and short on brains.
That is basically the mentality new EMS providers seem to be shifting to.
I will confess that when I started I thought I was going to save the world. At least everyone in it.
But here is the rub. I was fortunate to be mentored by some very capable and professional people who took pride in what they really did. Not what they wanted to believe they were doing.
They tempered or rather preempted my enthusiasm by making it clear in order to be a part of their group, things like a light bar on the POV were unquestionably unacceptable.
They taught me safety as a proactive culture, to scrutinize everything I did to either be better, safer, or demonstrate my value.
But as more and more capable providers leave EMS, the only ones left and its new generation of leaders have no idea or want of these virtues.
They believe their ignorance and passion is just as, if not more valuable than experience and education. They are vollies, weekend warriors, tinkerers, or in a more brutal term, hacks.
With no pretense of even understanding what they are doing, it now seems popular for them to label as out of touch or burnt out any who do not agree with their romantic notions.
They cite personal feeling and N=1 experiences they cannot understand as obvious fact.
It is almost the EMS equivalent of "teach the conflict" of intelligent design.
With both a population and culture shift away from the "hardcore" difficult to replace professional minded, I suggest that the possibilities of a professional US EMS provider is a lost future.
I think I must re-evaluate my efforts and value to advancing EMS.
Is there a solution to this disturbing trend?
