~EMS LIFE~ "Why are we treated as less than equal to everyone else?" (blog-1)

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Comment by Gemma Marie Kelley on August 9, 2009 at 11:20pm

Funny we get treated the same in New Zealand, only we get subway 50% off and still do, anyways, turned up in an ambulance the other day to get dinner at subway, parked the truck outside, myself and my partner Shannon walked in and we got to the check out and they were like - so what one of you is the medic,becuase its those who get the 50% off, so I had to inform him that we too switch roles, needless to say he gave us both halfprice, but it angered me just he atitude towarsds us was uncalled for, when we went to grocery store to a hypo diabetic, the patient was at the checkout, had paid for her groceries and we were in the middle of geetting them back to the ambulance - the staff were so concerned for the patient that the purposely obstructed the field because we apparently were just drivers, we didn't know anything, when the actual driver was out getting the ramps up - people realise that we don't just drive, to be in this requires a wide range of skills, blood sweat and tears.......

Comment by Ed Gannon on July 28, 2009 at 8:16am

We are our own worst enemy. Go to any conference or con ed with other medical professionals you can always spot the EMS providers we are the loud ones. We don’t dress like the professionals we claim to be. We also don’t promote all the good things we do. The cops have DARE and community relations officers, The fire service has a ton of programs to promote our message but what does EMS have little to nothing. Sad but if we are going to change the public mindset it has to start from within.

Comment by Dan Jackson on July 8, 2009 at 10:41pm

God forbid we do something that demands much time and effort. I know that many wouldn't be too keen on the idea of having to complete more coursework for the higher standards. However, we have to look at the big picture. It would mean that we're able to do more, serve better, and (hopefully) receive better paychecks. Yes, some of the "mom and pop" ambulance companies would go under. But, if we're to better serve our world, and gain the respect and the place in the system that we deserve, then I'd be for it. I'm currently finishing my Associates degree, and seriously considering a Bachelor's once I'm done. We must learn that proper education IS NOT a bad thing.

Comment by Skip Kirkwood on July 8, 2009 at 9:42am

Sean makes a good point. But more importantly, WHY did nothing come of it? Because WE, the EMS community, didn't WANT anything to come of it. It was too demanding, it would drive the volunteers away, it would make private ambulance companies not profitable. Those were the voices on the "don't do it" side. The voices on the "do it" side.....well, other than a few articles, I didn't hear any.

Comment by Sean Barnes on July 7, 2009 at 5:44pm

Back in 1997 the DOT and NHTSA issued an "EMS Adgenda for the Future" which outlined the educational direction that they intended for us to take. It was a rather long report, but I'll give you the Reader's Digest version of the story. By 2007, they wanted to drop the title technician from us and rename us something else like "Emergency Medical Practicioners". They also wanted ALL paramedics to have 4 year degrees and function as something similar to a Physician's Assistant in the field. They were going to give us limited prescription writing capabilities and other advanced practice care abilities. All paramedics who were currently certified and possessed Associate Degrees were going to have to take bridge programs in order to keep functioning. They were also going to drop the Intermediate level and there would only be EMT's and paramedics.
It was a bold plan and it was all done in order to provide better prehospital care, to help eleviate the burden of the already overcrowded Emergency Departments and also to promote a better level of respect for EMS professionals.
Needless to say nothing ever came of it. I actually really liked the idea. I believe that it would actually take something bold like that to help generate the respect that we all so rightly deserve.

Comment by RICHARD PAYNE on July 7, 2009 at 12:00am

I have been doing this for 24 years now. For the longest time, those comments bothered me but don't anymore. I look at it like this. They will all learn one day cause i believe everyone will need an ambulance sometime in their life. Our problem is that the police in our city will get half price or free food and we are standing right behind them and get little to no discount. I haven't seen this in awhile but some of the nurses at the hospital would call us ambulance drivers so we would refer to them as bed pan cleaners. it solved the problem. If you let the small stuff eat at you, then it will. We have enough to deal with.

Comment by Skip Kirkwood on July 5, 2009 at 12:12pm

Dan's first sentence is beginning to sound like an unalterable fact to me.

Folks carrying the title "doctor," no matter what the subject matter, implies one thing - a substantial accomplishment in the area of post-graduate education. EMS can't even adopt for itself the most basic of educational standards - the associate and bachelor's degree. "Doctor" doesn't automatically generate respect, but it affords one a presumption of educational accomplishment greater than a tradesman. After that, you can earn it or loose it.

EMS folk seem to work very hard at loosing it, before even the game begins!

Comment by jim holt on July 5, 2009 at 2:20am

When I am asked if I am a ambulance driver, I come back with "they won't let me drive I have to ride in the back with the patient" Our service employs 1 emt-p and 1 emt-b per unit. Talk about being treated at least equal or close to it we have the same problem here. This is the irony though, the ambulance drivers teach BLS and ACLS to the nurses at the hospital, but of course their income is higher than ours. Maybe one day we will get there, I don't know, I hope so. It is sad!!!!

Comment by Dan Jackson on July 4, 2009 at 12:16pm

It's a sad truth that trying to get EMS to unite is an exercise in futility. However, we should try our damndest to put our differences aside, and come together. Only then can we be taken seriously enough to be seen as something other than the "red-headed-stepchildren" of public service.

It's bad enough that anyone with any stretch of the title "doctor" automatically gets tons of respect, whether you're a physician, a podiatrist, a sociologist, or a gym teacher. People see us, and say "Oh, that's just an ambulance driver". They don't know how much education we have to get and to maintain. They don't know the horrors we see on a regular basis. They don't know the difference we make in the world, even after they've used our services.

Our goal is to show them why we are the best at what we do, by giving the best example every day. The moment we unite, and show what we're made of, then will the title of "medic" be held with more respect.

Comment by Sean Barnes on July 1, 2009 at 12:24pm

Chas,
I've been in the business for over 20 years and I've often wondered that myself. I have come up with only two answers to your question. 1 - As long as the word "technician" is associated with our profession, it will keep us back. Technician implies that we are simply "trained" to do our job, not educated. Most people, including other healthcareworkers, don't realize how much education and clinical time we actually have to put in just to get the shitty pay that we get. As far as I'm concerned, the word technician needs to be replaced with a more professional sounding name. I personally like the term "Emergency Medical Practioner".
Second, I think that we really do need more education. As you said, most colleges require us to obtain at least a 2 year degree and I think that's great. What would be wrong with requiring paramedics to have a 4 year education? If people knew that medics actually held a 4 year degree maybe they would grant us more respect. The problem with a 4 year degree requirement goes back to salary. Salaries won't increase for us just because we have 4 years of education under our belts. Who do you know that will go to college for 4 years, obtain a degree and then go to work for $10 to $15/per hour? Probably little or none of us would.
Anyway, I could go on and on about this topic. As you can see it has really touched a nerve with me. I have always felt that we have never received enough respect for what we do. It seems that if you're a firefighter or police officer, you get all the respect in the world. If you're only a paramedic or EMT, then you're viewed simply as an "ambulance driver".
The only way that we'll ever get the respect that we deserve is to ban together and DEMAND it. I don't see that happening anytime soon.

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