# NAEMT..Worth it?



## Stephanie. (Jul 28, 2010)

Hola Amigos!

  Quick question... I am a little uneducated on NAEMT, I have researched their website but is the membership worth it? Is the scholarship worth a membership? From what I can see the only thing that will benefit me is that I will be able to APPLY for a scholarship, everything else.. doesn't.:wacko:

Am I missing something?

All feedback is appreciated.
Be safe out there


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## feldy (Jul 28, 2010)

I was wondering the same thing. Is it just another thing that I have to pay for like all of my certs. Or are the benefits actually worth it.


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## Stephanie. (Jul 28, 2010)

tough crowd....


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## JPINFV (Jul 28, 2010)

The National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians is a professional association., The purpose of any professional association is to represent the wants and needs of their membership and to lobby the government. If you are planning on being in EMS for the long run (or even the moderate run), the question you need to be asking isn't, "What can I get out of this now?" but, "Do they support the same things that I support?" For me, for example (and, to be fair, association membership is not mutually exclusive), given where I'm heading, I'm a proud member of the student branch of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine because the AAEM represents the needs of the specialty I plan on entering. 

The more members and money that an association has, the better they can represent and lobby for their consituents.


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## DNR 1 (Jul 31, 2010)

The NAEMT has no legislative agenda and does not represent the needs of working professionals; don’t waste your time, and more importantly your meager salary.


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## beandip4all (Jul 31, 2010)

Thanks for asking this, I have been wondering the same thing.


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## 46Young (Jul 31, 2010)

DNR 1 said:


> The NAEMT has no legislative agenda and does not represent the needs of working professionals; don’t waste your time, and more importantly your meager salary.



It's sad that the NAEMT is the only "sizeable" EMS organization around in the U.S. As far as starting a better organization, there's one huge problem. EMS as a profession is severely fragmented. The amount of EMS professionals that work in the field for their entire career are very few when compared to other healthcare professions and other public safety professions (I say both healthcare and public safety since EMS is either one or the other, or both, depending on who you ask). As for those who don't stick it out for a career, one of several things happen: 

They just burn out and quit. They earn a degree in either another area of healthcare or something else entirely, and then leave for that career. They go fire based for the pay, retirement, etc. etc.

This results in a highly transient workforce. It's exceedingly difficult to politically organize a highly transient workforce, many of whom don't intend to stay in it for more than a few years or so. If the profession as a whole were more financially rewarding, there would be less turnover. It's really a catch-22.

One thing that may help is if The Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act passes the Senate. That would give EMS (municipal only) collective bargaining rights nationwide. Perhaps if muni EMS were able to negotiate better deals, then the surrounding regions would benefit from the "union effect" as I call it. This is the case in NYC. FDNY EMS has great benefits and retirement, but mediocre pay. Some union hospitals have great benefits, pay, and retirement. To compete with the FDNY and the few union hospitals, the non union ones have to trump what they offer. If JHMC pays another $1.50/hr, the other hospitals will follow suit. Same for benefits, working conditions and such. The hospitals also pay so well because they have to compete with FDNY's benefits and retirement. It's worked well over the years. Many have left FDNY EMS for the hospitals.


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## Veneficus (Jul 31, 2010)

To answer the OP...

In my opinion, no they are not worth the money.

As 46 pointed out, EMS is extremely fragmented, and currently suffering a major identity crisis. Not only do many of the best and brightest leave EMS, but some are actually forced out by large numbers of uneducated leaders who feel threatened. 

There is a very large effort in every type of EMS service to keep the status quo. To maintain its members NAEMTs take no position on controversial issues and issue statements that are so neutral they probably could have said nothng at all.

NAEMT is also a co-opted by other organizations. As an example, in my area the local NAEMT rep is also a local IAFF official. While I am not suggesting that EMS and fire are or should be mutually exclusive, it seems to me reasonable that the interests of these 2 organizations don't always match up. Having one person who is a leader in both is basically the perfect storm for a conflict of interest.

It is fair to say that the opposite is also true. In areas with strong 3rd service or private EMS providers, the leadership may be antifire which then doesn't accurately reflect on the realities of the constituency or the interest of all of them.

Because of the many very powerful competing interest in the US, I don't think it will be possible to create or maintain a meaningful professional EMS association in the US.

Why would anyone go to a racetrack and put money down on the loser?


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## sir.shocksalot (Aug 1, 2010)

I got a "free" hat from them once... that pretty much sums up what they do.
But seriously, don't waste your money, I signed up for a year and realized as others have said, they rarely take a stance on anything, and will never go to washington and advocate for EMS. Even their scholarship is pretty abysmal.


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