All meds, and I do mean ALL meds should be treated as if they have the potential to kill, and be respected as such.
On my second shift as a newly released ALS provider, my senior medic partner and I were treating a stat ep. I couldn't get a line for anything, and he pulled out the valium. He asked me what the dose is, and I told him correctly (5mg). He then handed me the syringe and told me to push it IM. It didn't sound right, though I couldn't remember exactly why. I figured that, as an FTO, he knew the right thing to do, so I did it. Valium only goes IV here. Ativan goes IM. The Sz didn't break. The pt turned out okay, thankfully, and we both received remediation and 6 months probation (that was 18 months total for me). The next med error would result in termination, no questions asked, and rightfully so. It unfortunately takes actually making a mistake and suffering the consequences to straighten you out.
Partners will look at me and ask why I'm calling out the med, conc, doseage, exp, intended route, and handing them the syringe with the needle still in the vial. This is over four years later after that error that I'm still doing this. I occasionally hand a partner the wrong med to draw up, if time is not of the essence, to see if they catch it, to not become complacent.
I advise everyone to watch your partner, and question them if needed, even if they outrank you, such as a "lead" medic, or an Lt/Capt. Some agencies, such as mine, regard an EMT-I and an EMT-P as one and the same (puzzles me). The courts don't, however. If your lead is of a lower cert level as such, it's your neck (job, successful lawsuit, P-card) on the line if things go wrong.
I've imposed my will on lazy/complacent med officers for pt care issues when needed. I'm lucky that the ones in my station are not that way. Detail officers and OT personnel can vary.
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