Greetings fellow EMT's, help me, help you.

[PCT EMS]

Hey Everybody,

I have not been in the field in many years due to other business pursuits, but I have recently started a company focused on helping to solve some of the systemic problems that EMS systems and EMT's face which have not changed in decades since EMS evolved from meat wagons to mobile trauma bays.

In seeking answers that go beyond my experience, and accounting for others perspectives and preferences, I hope that anyone with constructive opinions can help.

JS
EMT (Ret)

 

[STXmedic]

It's not 100% clear what you're looking for. I'm reading your post as you're looking for input on what some of the systematic problems are. If that's the case:

Education standards (or lack thereof)

Minimal entry requirements

The "hero" stereotype that draws such a large number of people for the wrong reasons, who can't be turned away by said minimal entry requirements

The pilot/carpenter dilemma (good medical providers driven away by not wanting to be associated with Fire)

Just to name a couple. What kind of company would be able to fix these problems?...

 

[VentMonkey]

1. Education standards (or lack thereof)

2. Minimal entry requirements

3. The "hero" stereotype that draws such a large number of people for the wrong reasons, who can't be turned away by said minimal entry requirements

Definitely my top three here, their numbers vary from moment to moment though, and I am (perhaps foolishly) optimistic that number three would become less frequent if 1, and 2 were truly, and correctly implemented.

 

[PCT EMS]

Maybe systemic was misstated. Frankly, I know how futile it is fighting windmills, but
there are simple things I see everyday that could use some logic on a localized or wide scale.

The factors you mentioned (and seconded VentMonkey) are procedural and psychological, and
those can vary greatly between EMTs within the same system. Human factors are more important
than anything in this business and it's greatly misunderstood that for most EMTs, 85% of the job is
personality and 15% is medical skill. My training covered the medical part, but they cannot teach
the interpersonal part in school.

I do appreciate knowing though that the most of your concern is your co-workers or colleagues,
very interesting. Is it that you feel that you get less respect inside the industry from newcomers
than when you were a probie, or does it feel like the industry gets less respect from the public
because of the inconsistency in quality of care because of the lack of standards?

 

[VentMonkey]

Maybe systemic was misstated. Frankly, I know how futile it is fighting windmills, but
there are simple things I see everyday that could use some logic on a localized or wide scale.

The factors you mentioned (and seconded VentMonkey) are procedural and psychological, and
those can vary greatly between EMTs within the same system. Human factors are more important
than anything in this business and it's greatly misunderstood that for most EMTs, 85% of the job is
personality and 15% is medical skill. My training covered the medical part, but they cannot teach
the interpersonal part in school.

I do appreciate knowing though that the most of your concern is your co-workers or colleagues,
very interesting. Is it that you feel that you get less respect inside the industry from newcomers
than when you were a probie, or does it feel like the industry gets less respect from the public
because of the inconsistency in quality of care because of the lack of standards?

Read @SandpitMedic's post on a neighboring thread just posted...that.

 

[STXmedic]

So your company is a psychologist practice?... Lol. No, my problem is as stated. Absolutely none of it revolves around respect.

My issue is with EMTs thinking they're life-saving reaper racers while not being able to obtain an accurate blood pressure because all they needed to become an EMT was a GED and 120hrs of "education". Or paramedics who do what doctors do at 70mph, though they can't tell you the dose for ondansetron, let alone exhibit the requisite respiratory physiology understanding needed to perform the "sexy" RSI. Then the handful of medics that take it upon themselves to be good at what they do leave for nursing (or mid-level/md) because, unless you're part of an FD, it's very hard to find a job that lets you live comfortably as a single-role medic.

With that said, it doesn't seem any of it is relevant to your initial post, so I'll forego any further rantings

 

[VentMonkey]

With that said, it doesn't seem any of it is relevant to your initial post, so I'll forego any further grumblings

Fixed it for ya, STX. Seriously though, OP. We're not beating up on you, but what specifically was it you wished this thread to provide?

What's the primary focus of your thread topic?

 

[PCT EMS]

What kind of company would be able to fix these problems?...[/QUOTE]

One

So your company is a psychologist practice?... Lol. No, my problem is as stated. Absolutely none of it revolves around respect.

My issue is with EMTs thinking they're life-saving reaper racers while not being able to obtain an accurate blood pressure because all they needed to become an EMT was a GED and 120hrs of "education". Or paramedics who do what doctors do at 70mph, though they can't tell you the dose for ondansetron, let alone exhibit the requisite respiratory physiology understanding needed to perform the "sexy" RSI. Then the handful of medics that take it upon themselves to be good at what they do leave for nursing (or mid-level/md) because, unless you're part of an FD, it's very hard to find a job that lets you live comfortably as a single-role medic.

With that said, it doesn't seem any of it is relevant to your initial post, so I'll forego any further rantings

No, please it's good to know. Frankly, this is all academic, but the goal is to inspire thought. One great example is the dispatch systems
we use, which can run the gamut from 1960's radio equipment and pen and paper to multimillion dollar CAD systems that don't talk to one another
and provide little benefit over that Korean era motorola box and the punch clock that worked pretty well. If our government gave a damn about public safety (public health), emergency communications would be open source, we would be able to get a refund for short shellfire drugs we are mandated to carry and all training would be free and to a national standard.

 

[mgr22]

PCT EMS, you're asking for constructive opinions, so here goes:

It's really unclear what services your company provides. Do you actually have a company yet, or are you looking for ideas on what sort of company to start?

Can you leverage your "other business pursuits" to help provide value for potential customers? What have you done other than EMS that might vector you toward specialized offerings?

If I came to you and asked what sort of EMS company I should start, what would you want to know about me and what advice would you give?

 

[hometownmedic5]

So, with a self admitted paucity of situational experience, you formed or are forming a company to identify and correct macro industrial faults. Got it.

Well, the big problems in the industry have been well identified so far. If you can find a way to properly educate emt and paramedic candidates and prepare them mentally and physically for the actual job they will be doing in a way that gains national traction, and do so in such a way that a sufficient quantity of people remained interested in the job, I'll tip my hat to you. I personally don't see it happening.

There are far too many issues that need to be corrected to make it a manageable situation. Some of these issues could have been rectified 30 or 40 years ago, but sadly at this point we're dug into bad practices like termites.