"The ambulance drivers are here"

[lampnyter]

I'm not sure what I thought you guys did before I landed here. Drive the ambulance yes, but I knew you did stuff in the ambulance while it was being driven. The general public's opinion of what I do is quite amusing. I wish I got that much free time.

I slung a lot of bandaids today actually! Cleaned out my entire box on paper cuts, scrapes, and 2 fingers slammed in lockers. Now I have to go buy more.

Your an EMT? Ive actually never used a bandaid lol.

 

[slb862]

A simple introduction to the patient:

"Hi, my name is "Jane Doe", and I am the Paramedic taking care of you today". "These are my partner's, "Don" who will be driving and "Juan" will be assisting me in the back of the ambulance". "Both are EMTs and have plenty experience".

enough said...

 

[Emma]

Your an EMT? Ive actually never used a bandaid lol.

Haha, only if dispensing bandaids and sympathy to 8th graders counts. Oh, and sometimes I remove a splinter or admire a cast they got! I'm a teacher. Which is why I made the crack about people thinking I have tons of free time.

 

[lampnyter]

Haha, only if dispensing bandaids and sympathy to 8th graders counts. Oh, and sometimes I remove a splinter or admire a cast they got! I'm a teacher. Which is why I made the crack about people thinking I have tons of free time.

Ahh ok.

 

[nwhitney]

Ok so I'm a little late to this party but I do have a question regarding EMT's being called Paramedic and Paramedics being called EMT's. From my understanding (at least here in Oregon) all Paramedics are EMT's but not all EMT's are Paramedics. Our certs. go EMT-B, EMT-I & EMT-P. Is this not the case in other states?

 

[HotelCo]

Ok so I'm a little late to this party but I do have a question regarding EMT's being called Paramedic and Paramedics being called EMT's. From my understanding (at least here in Oregon) all Paramedics are EMT's but not all EMT's are Paramedics. Our certs. go EMT-B, EMT-I & EMT-P. Is this not the case in other states?

That's the general model, but some states use different titles, or have different levels/scopes of practice.

 

[firecoins]

Paramedics do not want to be known as EMT-Bs. We are paramedics. We have a higher level of training.

Most EMTs son't want to be known as ambulance drivers for the same reason.

Doing routine IFT BLS calls, who cares what the nurse says. Shrug your shoulders and move on.

 

[medtech421]

I am not sure how someone can demand to be seen as "professional" when majority of emt's making around minimum wage. Being that to become emt requires very little schooling it's pretty easy to see why crew get called "ambulance driver". OP needs to get over it and just do his job.

Not to completely go off track here, but Police officers in my area don't make much more than I do and the police academy training is around 3 weeks longer than mine. So based on your nutshell assessment of the job, police arent professionals. It is a requirement to be an EMT before you can become a paramedic, but being an EMT does not deter from the fact that we have a passion for pre-hospital care. That statement implies that no one in pre-hospital care deserves respect because the training is less than that of an RN or MD and the pay is significantly lower.

 

[medtech421]

Unless you're ALS unit or doing CCT will you please tell me what is that your really do that would be wrong to refer to you as "ambulance driver". If all you're doing is IFT BLS then yes you're an ambulance driver as usually there is nothing going on. In rare case something happens you either calling for intercept or you're going code 3 to nears ER. In California BLS is really restricted so ambulance driver does describe it correctly.

I agree with a portion of this statement. Yes, there is usually nothing going on. I have also had the lovely experience of doing clinicals on an ALS truck that was dispatched to alot of BLS calls that really didnt require an ambulance. In other words, there was nothing going on. If something happens in ANY truck that requires code 3 they will be running hot to the nearest ER with capabilities. THATS OUR JOB! To get the patient to definitive care. Does California allow people to go straight to Paramedic with no prior experience? You seem to really demean anything BLS

 

[JPINFV]

Not to completely go off track here, but Police officers in my area don't make much more than I do and the police academy training is around 3 weeks longer than mine. So based on your nutshell assessment of the job, police arent professionals.

I'd argue that the vast majority of police officers aren't professionals under anything but the broadest definition of the term "profession."

It is a requirement to be an EMT before you can become a paramedic, but being an EMT does not deter from the fact that we have a passion for pre-hospital care. That statement implies that no one in pre-hospital care deserves respect because the training is less than that of an RN or MD and the pay is significantly lower.

Most EMS providers do not act, for a variety of reasons, as a professional. Too many EMS providers absolutely refuse to consider any use of judgement, instead prefering to follow guidelines like a cookbook. That, alone, disqualifies EMS as a profession. Now, to note, what EMS should be and what EMS is, in my mind, is two different things.

Similarly, the status of being a profession, paraprofession, or a trade and being deserving of respect are two different things. Just because a job or career is not a profession does not mean it is not worthy of respect. Unfortunately, some of the professions most worthy of respect get the least of it.

 

[medtech421]

Just because I like splitting hairs with you sometimes JPINFV, pro·fes·sion noun \prə-ˈfe-shən\
Definition of PROFESSION
1: the act of taking the vows of a religious community
2: an act of openly declaring or publicly claiming a belief, faith, or opinion : protestation
3: an avowed religious faith
4a : a calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation b : a principal calling, vocation, or employment c : the whole body of persons engaged in a calling -Mirriam-Webster
See? That means we are in a profession!

 

[JPINFV]

Just because I like splitting hairs with you sometimes JPINFV,

Aww... thank you!

pro·fes·sion noun \prə-ˈfe-shən\
Definition of PROFESSION
1: the act of taking the vows of a religious community
2: an act of openly declaring or publicly claiming a belief, faith, or opinion : protestation
3: an avowed religious faith
4a : a calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparationb : a principal calling, vocation, or employment c : the whole body of persons engaged in a calling -Mirriam-Webster
See? That means we are in a profession!

Underlining added. EMS education is neither long, nor intensive compared to other health care professions, and definitely not compared to the three classic professions (law, divinity, and medicine).

Also, using that description, then anything is a profession. If I want to be the best darn little trash man ever (which, to be fair, trash collectors save more lives than medicine does. Public health and all that jazz), then being a trash collector would be a profession. The problem with the definition you want to use is falls into the, "When everyone is special, no one is" cliche.

 

[EMT-B.R-34]

He has a point

I have yet to experience a time when a LVN or RN got upset over calling a LVN a "nurse." How often do you see the "They don't respect our author-a-tay" posts when a paramedic is called an EMT or an EMT called a paramedic?

If I were an LPN or CNA and I was called nurse I wouldnt say a word... But if I were an RN and I was called anything other than Nurse or RN I'd be furious. Just as when I get My medic they call me ambulance driver but if they call me an EMT not soo much because to the public Medic or Basic your an EMT. I'd definitely tell the woman I'm as much as an Ambulance Driver as you are a *** wiper. And if you have a bad day because they called you an ambulance driver you should turn on youtube and watch Firefighter/Paramedic Vs Dumb RN videos the guy that makes them bases them of true experiences and man are they FUNNNAY

 

[mxarquero]

Ambulance driver is still preferable to "the transporters are here"

 

[JPINFV]

Ambulance driver is still preferable to "the transporters are here"

You were saying?

 

[jonpw52]

I hate being called ambulance driver because we save lives! We're so much more than that. We often are the first wave of medical professionals that the patient sees and its what we do or don't do that determines if the pt makes it to a doctor or nurse still breathing.

__________________________________
I NEED MEDICS.... MEDICS!!!!!

 

[JPINFV]

I hate being called ambulance driver because we save lives! We're so much more than that. We often are the first wave of medical professionals that the patient sees and its what we do or don't do that determines if the pt makes it to a doctor or nurse still breathing.

__________________________________
I NEED MEDICS.... MEDICS!!!!!