# Tennessee EMT patch question



## BigPoppa (Apr 9, 2010)

when I finish school, the patch will of course have the "IV THERAPY" rocker across the top.

In the middle of the main (orange) patch , there are 2 different versions out there......one says "TENNESSEE" and one says "ADVANCED" 

which one is correct ?

I guess I can't post pics or I would show both versions


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## TransportJockey (Apr 9, 2010)

Have you called TN dept of EMS?


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## BigPoppa (Apr 9, 2010)

jtpaintball70 said:


> Have you called TN dept of EMS?




No. seems like such a trivial matter at this point.


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## BigPoppa (Apr 9, 2010)

I have just created an album containing all levels and variations of Tennessee EMS patches, so you can see what I'm referring to.


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## medicdan (Apr 9, 2010)

Have you considered asking your instructor? Classmates? Coworkers in the field? What do others wear? Perhaps ask someone at the supply shop where you buy your patches?


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## TraprMike (Apr 9, 2010)

*rockers?*

rockers for what?? why not just a company patch and call it good..


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## BigPoppa (Apr 9, 2010)

Link to my Tennessee EMS patch album

http://www.emtlife.com/album.php?albumid=223


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## rook901 (Apr 12, 2010)

Depends on what service you ride with. I've only seen one service in my area even use these - the Tennessee one either with "Paramedic" or no rocker. It's a small service (8 units). All other services in this area (Memphis) just use their company or FD patch.

The great thing is that the public probably won't notice either way.


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## Fox (Apr 20, 2010)

BigPoppa said:


> Link to my Tennessee EMS patch album
> 
> http://www.emtlife.com/album.php?albumid=223



During my clinicals the EMT-IV patches said "EMT-IV" instead of "IV-Therapy", maybe it is a company thing?


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## EMSLaw (Apr 20, 2010)

rook901 said:


> Depends on what service you ride with. I've only seen one service in my area even use these - the Tennessee one either with "Paramedic" or no rocker. It's a small service (8 units). All other services in this area (Memphis) just use their company or FD patch.
> 
> The great thing is that the public probably won't notice either way.



Maybe that's because the patch, err, lacks a certain aesthetic?  

Just my personal opinion, but it's ugly as heck.


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## rook901 (Apr 20, 2010)

EMSLaw said:


> Maybe that's because the patch, err, lacks a certain aesthetic?
> 
> Just my personal opinion, but it's ugly as heck.



I can't argue with that. They're god-awful.


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## medicRob (Oct 18, 2010)

Here is the deal with the patches. There are actually four types of EMT-IV patches, the standard ones say, "IV Therapy" at the top. The new ones (Like Pro-Med EMS is using in some of their stations) says "IV Tech" at the top. Then there is the "EMT-IV" rocker patch, which has been spoken of, but I have yet to see it. Now, the standard TN EMT-IV patch says, "Tennessee" in place of Advanced. 

The advanced seems to be a fall back from a time when the Paramedic was referred to as the Advanced EMT (Not to be mistaken with EMT-Advanced). Now, I am assuming (keyword) that when we move to the EMT-Advanced level in Fall 2011, requiring all EMT-IV to bridge up or lose their i/85 priveleges, that the patches will either replace, "IV Therapy" at the top with "Advanced" or they will still say "IV Therapy" at the top and "Advanced" in place of TN, like the patch shown in your gallery. They didn't mention anything about the patch at the Regional educators conference in Chattanooga when Ms Tidwell announced the new levels. That being said, 
you also have to remember, the state does not send you a patch when you get your EMT-IV license. You either have one on your uniform, or you pick one up from your local uniform shop that carries them. All of my patches back when I was an EMT-IV said, "Tennessee" and had "IV Therapy" at the top. I never had one that said, "IV Tech" or "EMT-IV". 

The patch with no rocker is used for the "EMT-Basic" which we no longer license here in TN. The Paramedic patch has a rocker that says, you guessed it.. "Paramedic"


Also, about the aesthetics, I actually like the way the patch looks. However, the National Registry Paramedic patch drives me freaking crazy, it is so ugly. If you want a more thorough answer, you should contact Donna Tidwell at the state board of EMS. If she can't answer your question, no one can, considering she is over the entire licensing division of the board of EMS. 


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Also, before you guys come in and say, this thread is old, I could care less. I had a thorough answer to a question that was posed in this thread where no answer was found. As such, I chose to revive the thread, if you don't like it, deal with it. Moreover, if you are one of those who says, "Stop reviving threads", I dont want to hear your $h!t about people asking the same question over and over. My reason for reviving this thread was both warranted and legitimate.


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## Fox (Oct 18, 2010)

Actually I appreciate the info. thank you. I was still curious.


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## TraprMike (Oct 18, 2010)

TraprMike said:


> rockers for what?? why not just a company patch and call it good..


I hear the boy scouts have a lot of patches ...


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## wyoskibum (Oct 21, 2010)

*those are some butt ugly patches!*



BigPoppa said:


> Link to my Tennessee EMS patch album
> 
> http://www.emtlife.com/album.php?albumid=223



I wonder if people dream about the day they get to put the patch on their sleeve?


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## bleeintn (Sep 23, 2019)

I realize this is a VERY old thread now, but I wanted to comment. 

Went I went to IV school, in 94, patches said both "IV THERAPY" AND "IV TECH" on them, depending on where you bought them. There was/is no standardized patch. 

The original intention of the patch, was to have the basic EMT orange "stop sign", and then the six INDIVIDUAL rockers sewn on to the basic patch, as they were acquired. 

The addon rockers were: ambulance, rescue, paramedic, IV therapy/tech, EOA/EGTA, MAST. 

It was actually quite the accomplishment, if one could get all six.


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## CCCSD (Sep 23, 2019)

All those are Paramedic skills. Just need one rocker...


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## bleeintn (Sep 25, 2019)

Hardly. MAST and EOA/EGTA (the original blind airways) were taught in my basic EMT class, in 92. IV therapy was, at the time, a separate class, but was below the level of paramedic. Likewise, "rescue" isn't paramedic level training. 

It's taken for granted, now, that every Tennessee EMT patch comes with the ambulance rocker. The reason that there were originally different rockers for ambulance AND rescue, was that the vast majority of EMT's in the state, at that time, were members of their local rescue squad, but may not necessarily work/ride on the ambulance. If they happened to pull double duty on the rescue truck and ambulance, then they could have both rockers.


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