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Just to give you a little background before I start my rant:
I currently take care of my disabled mother, and live with her at this time. She is enrolled in a program called COPES, in which the state assists (read "pays all of") her with medical costs and other things. Part of this is that she is entitled to have a Independent Care Provider for so many hours a month, and I am hired as that ICP. The job is for 68 hours a month, at a pay rate of basically $8.50 per hour. She is required to pay all of my wages, since the state pays all of her medical costs (around $2-3K per month).
The Rant:
When we enrolled in this program, I was told that I would have to attend a 28-hour course called "Fundamentals of Care Giving". When I informed social services that I was an EMT, I was told that I could have the class waived based upon my EMT status. I then notified the private company contracted to provide the class, and asked for the information to process my waiver request. They asked if I was a RN, LPN, or CNA. I informed them that I was not, but that I was an EMT.
I was then told that I could not get the classroom portion waived, because it did not cover "emergency medicine". Okay, so I get the time off from work and attend the class. During the introductions, the instructor asks me what I'm doing in the class since I could challenge the test after taking a modified class (10 hours). I then told her what had transpired with the company in charge, and she shook her head. I was then used as an Instructor's Assistant for the rest of the class as I repeatedly called the company to schedule the challenge test. I didn't receive a call back, so I completed the course.
The course ciriculum is as follows:
1. Student Centered Learning (like I could have made it this far without knowing this info) <_<
2. Role of the Caregiver (very similar to EMT class) <_<
3. Basic Responsibilities
4. Who my client is (duh!)
5. Client Rights (Confidentiality, Privacy, Freedom of Choice...but absolutely no mention of HIPAA. Also covered some advanced directives, but not all.)
6. Abuse & Neglect (I'm now a triple Mandatory Reporter)
7. Basic Communication (won't even go there)h34r:
8. Professional Boundaries (gotta have them as an EMT, also)
9. Infection Control (Covered HIV/AIDS, HAV, HBV, HCV, TB but no MRSA or VRE; also taught how to wash hands and put gloves on and off) :blink:
10. Accident Prevention and Emergencies (I basically taught this portion, although the book instructed us to place a fall victim in the shock position if they are injured! I explained that they should not put a pillow under the head or raise the legs if the patient is injured. I would also like to point out that CPR or First Aid certification is NOT required.)
11. Food Handling (I'll give them this one, since we generally don't cook for our patients in the ambulance)
12. Service Plan (What I'm required to do)
13. Self-direction and Nurse Delegation (very similary to patient assisted meds or on-line medical control)
14. Personal Care (how to clean a person)
15. Mobility (how to lift/move a person)
16. Process of Elimination (like I didn't know how the bowels and bladder worked)
17. Nutrition & Hydration (Eat right and drink lots of fluids, and how to relieve stress.) :lol:
18. Medications (won't go there, either)h34r:
So much of this course was straight from my EMT-B class, that I didn't even open my book for the class. Oh yeah, I aced the test and skills demonstration. This whole class was just such a waste of my time, that I just needed to vent a little. But I did observe that this whole incident was a case of some nurses not thinking EMT's knew enough about how to take care of a patient in a non-emergency setting. :angry:
I currently take care of my disabled mother, and live with her at this time. She is enrolled in a program called COPES, in which the state assists (read "pays all of") her with medical costs and other things. Part of this is that she is entitled to have a Independent Care Provider for so many hours a month, and I am hired as that ICP. The job is for 68 hours a month, at a pay rate of basically $8.50 per hour. She is required to pay all of my wages, since the state pays all of her medical costs (around $2-3K per month).
The Rant:
When we enrolled in this program, I was told that I would have to attend a 28-hour course called "Fundamentals of Care Giving". When I informed social services that I was an EMT, I was told that I could have the class waived based upon my EMT status. I then notified the private company contracted to provide the class, and asked for the information to process my waiver request. They asked if I was a RN, LPN, or CNA. I informed them that I was not, but that I was an EMT.
I was then told that I could not get the classroom portion waived, because it did not cover "emergency medicine". Okay, so I get the time off from work and attend the class. During the introductions, the instructor asks me what I'm doing in the class since I could challenge the test after taking a modified class (10 hours). I then told her what had transpired with the company in charge, and she shook her head. I was then used as an Instructor's Assistant for the rest of the class as I repeatedly called the company to schedule the challenge test. I didn't receive a call back, so I completed the course.
The course ciriculum is as follows:
1. Student Centered Learning (like I could have made it this far without knowing this info) <_<
2. Role of the Caregiver (very similar to EMT class) <_<
3. Basic Responsibilities
4. Who my client is (duh!)
5. Client Rights (Confidentiality, Privacy, Freedom of Choice...but absolutely no mention of HIPAA. Also covered some advanced directives, but not all.)
6. Abuse & Neglect (I'm now a triple Mandatory Reporter)
7. Basic Communication (won't even go there)
h34r: 8. Professional Boundaries (gotta have them as an EMT, also)
9. Infection Control (Covered HIV/AIDS, HAV, HBV, HCV, TB but no MRSA or VRE; also taught how to wash hands and put gloves on and off) :blink:
10. Accident Prevention and Emergencies (I basically taught this portion, although the book instructed us to place a fall victim in the shock position if they are injured! I explained that they should not put a pillow under the head or raise the legs if the patient is injured. I would also like to point out that CPR or First Aid certification is NOT required.)
11. Food Handling (I'll give them this one, since we generally don't cook for our patients in the ambulance)
12. Service Plan (What I'm required to do)
13. Self-direction and Nurse Delegation (very similary to patient assisted meds or on-line medical control)
14. Personal Care (how to clean a person)
15. Mobility (how to lift/move a person)
16. Process of Elimination (like I didn't know how the bowels and bladder worked)
17. Nutrition & Hydration (Eat right and drink lots of fluids, and how to relieve stress.) :lol:
18. Medications (won't go there, either)
h34r: So much of this course was straight from my EMT-B class, that I didn't even open my book for the class. Oh yeah, I aced the test and skills demonstration. This whole class was just such a waste of my time, that I just needed to vent a little. But I did observe that this whole incident was a case of some nurses not thinking EMT's knew enough about how to take care of a patient in a non-emergency setting. :angry:
