A regular theme in the social media EMS world is the use of the word “paragod.” With that in mind, I present you my thoughts that I recently shared in an EMS education group.
You are responsible for your own education, learning, and mastery of medicine. Bandying about the term Paragod when you think someone is smarter than you shows an incredible lack of maturity and a lack of acceptance of professional responsibility. We’ve been entrusted to care for the sick, injured, weak, and vulnerable. To me, that means that the obligation to care for them is above your sense of self-esteem. Rest assured that there is always someone smarter than you in this field and if you choose not to be challenged by new knowledge, you’re part of the problem in EMS.
In other words, I embrace the term Paragod. I am responsible for my own learning. I am a guardian of our profession. I will help you reach your goals. But I am not going to do your work for you or hand you the knowledge. The reasons are simple. One of these days, you could be my partner or you could be caring for one of my loved ones.
Part of EMS developing a professional identity means that we maintain standards for our profession. Just not like not everyone gets to be an astronaut when they grow up, not everyone can or should be a paramedic or EMT. If that makes me a Paragod, then call me a Paragod. I’ll wear the title with pride.
The way I use the term, it describes someone whose self image exceeds his abilities, often one who uses false bravado to cover up inability or insecurity. A paragod is one who barks at or talks down to the EMTs around him rather than encourage or teach them.
I agree wholeheartedly with Steve. The only way I’ve heard the term being used before was in the case of a Paramedic who has an overabundance of confidence (hence the term ParaGod) and a lack of knowledge of operations/decision-making skills, and poor multitasking ability. It most certainly doesn’t describe someone I feel has a solid education and skillset, with common sense and ability to operate under high-stress while providing compassionate care.