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

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


I have been sitting here thinking for a while......Ok!! for those of you that know me, I know what you are thinking!! HA! HA!! LOL!! Why is it, that everyone in EMS gets treated as less than equal? It does not matter if you are an EMT-Basic,EMT-Intermediate, or EMT-Paramedic. I see this happen all the time!! Most people just see us as Ambulance Drivers!! I often wonder, why that is? A few weeks ago I was in SUBWAY and the lady at the cash register says, "Oh, since you are an Ambulance Driver you get a 20% discount. I was thinking, "Heck Yea"! Anyways, I wanted her to know that we are not just drivers so, I started informing her about the most important things that our jobs include. After that conversation, I was telling her that my partner and I take turns driving. He will drive and I will ride with the patient, then for the next 911 call that we receive, we will switch. Then she says,"Oh!, Well, I won't tell anybody because only Ambulance Drivers are allowed to get this discount!" I was thinking to myself, "DAMN!! Are you kidding me? Are people really this smart??" LOL!! I went back to SUBWAY last week. A different lady was working the register this time. She looks at me as she was adding up the cost of my food and says, "Ambulance Drivers don't get a discount anymore. Only the Sheriff's office does now." I was like, dang, !! I wonder why? Then she says, " That is the way the owner wants it." So, needless to say, We no longer get a SUBWAY discount, which is fine. I know that times are tough for everyone. Since then, I often wonder what the owner of SUBWAY thinks about us and why he decided that about EMS. So, what makes everyone think of us as less than equal to them ?? It's not our education! Most of us go to college for 2 years and sometimes longer just to be in EMS! Most people are not well educated about the job duties of EMS. They really think that we are a taxie service. Have you ever received a 911 call around 3am for a hurt foot? Then you arrive on scene just to find out that it is mostly B.S. It usually goes like this, "I don't have a car, so I need a ride to the hospital" or either the yard is loaded with vehicles and nobody wanted to get out of bed to help there own family member. I really want people to understand that we are EMS which means, "EMERGENCY Medical Services". It's just that easy. Come on people, say it slowly and don"t forget to sound it out!! One more time!! EMS means, EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES!! Good job!! We bust our ass, day in and day out!! And for what, the money? I promise you it's not that!! What about all of the grueling hours of school and clinical time we have to endure? It's not that either nor, is it all of the continuing education hours that we have to do each year!! So, Why do we do our jobs? It's because we love it!! EMS flows through our veins like fire!! We bust our ass to save yours!! We work 24hr shifts, take call days, don't sleep often, don't eat much, and we never get to see our family or friends very often. We miss out on birthdays, holidays, and special occasions. So, I guess you can say that we don't have much of a social life. We see our work partners more than our own family. Anytime that you, a family member, or a friend needs help, rather it is a car accident, respiratory distress, or a very sick person, etc., who do you call? That's right!! You call us!! So, please think about all that I have wrote and decide for yourself why we are treated less than equal to everyone else.