The biggest problem with the average EMT education program is that it seems to create a false sense of smug competence in that 120-160 hours of vocational training deems you competent to function as a medical professional. The real learning and progression to professionalism is when you realize that you don’t know what you don’t know.
Because let’s face it, when your “education” consists of war stories from your instructor, clinical shifts where you get a gold star for showing up, and a bunch of shopworn sayings like “BLS before ALS,” “treat the patient not the monitor,” and “give ’em a diesel bolus,” suddenly you realize your medical knowledge and skills are much closer to a Boy Scout first aid provider than they are of a board certified, residency trained physician.
The positive news is that, despite the efforts of some, it’s pretty hard to kill someone with only minimal training. Of course, so long as mastery is defined by completion of a certain number of hours rather than mastery of the topic, then EMS will be to medicine what shop class is to engineering.
Unfortunately this is so true. The really crazy part is how many come out ready to criticize the physicians (with 20 years of education) and the nurses with 16, and anyone else who tries to help. There are many who continue to learn and those usually don’t stay as EMTs. I know of a number of people who teach the paramedic program who have just passed their own paramedic program within the last year. It is an amazing approach to education.
Physicians go to school for 20 years and nurses for 16? Seriously? Medical school is an additional 3-4 years after 4 year college degree and an RN can get her license at a community college or online college in 2. I agree that EMT training is lacking but please don’t make nurses and doctors look like they went through 2 decades of schooling.
Kelly, I don’t recall giving a specific number of years for medical or nursing education. As we in the law say, you’re asserting facts not in evidence.
She wasn’t talking about you, she was talking about the comment that she initially replied to.
It is not just the training for EMS that falls short of competency. I have a B.S. in Political Science. Does that make me qualified to steal money from taxpayers and receive funding from special interests? No it does not. These are acquired talents that only come from experience. An EMT needs to have experience with seasoned professionals in order to learn all the tricks of the trade and how things really are on the streets….Education blended with experience will make the EMT good or possibly great.
But a B.S. in Political Science wouldn’t necessarily *stop* anyone from stealing money from taxpayers and receiving funding from special interests *koff koff… politicians*
This could not be better stated. Exposure to information and procedures in class does not equal proficiency in their execution.
EMTs and Paramedics are programmed, not educated. The big companies push for less and less recertification requirements, and keep their work forces dumb. As long as we allow large corporations to shoulder the EMS responsibilities, that will not only never change, it will get worse. Huge corporations looking to profit from their EMS operations have no vested interest in keeping expensive experienced paramedics around. Until all medical industry is operated as a not for profit, will we ever see any kind of improvement or changes.
That makes sense until we realize that nursing and other professions flourish in hospitals both for-profit and not-for-profit. Professions outside of the medical field also progress in for profit environments. What’s the difference? It’s worth considering.
Jobs never become stable-income professions until standards are set that allow the marketplace to compare standardized skill sets–generally, that takes the form of a degree. Once a two-year degree becomes a baseline for ALL, then four-year, graduate, and other levels can be developed. Otherwise, it’s catch as catch can and hope your employer sees your value in a market that has no slot for you.
Amen, amen, amen.
But shop class is a great place to start engineers.
And EMT is a great place to start in EMS.
The problem is we stop there. We stop at EMT, or we stop at Paramedic. Nurses have their LPNs and RNs—a great start—but they also have BSN, Clinical Nurse Specialists, and ARNPs. Until EMS has similar positions, there is little incentive TO grow. If EMS is to progress, we must set goals to be attained. This requires vision, organization, and standards. Set the bar high, and I have no doubt that EMS will rise to the challenge.