Tennessee EMT patch question

BigPoppa

Forum Crew Member
40
0
6
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
 

TransportJockey

Forum Chief
8,623
1,675
113
Have you called TN dept of EMS?
 
OP
OP
BigPoppa

BigPoppa

Forum Crew Member
40
0
6
I have just created an album containing all levels and variations of Tennessee EMS patches, so you can see what I'm referring to.
 

medicdan

Forum Deputy Chief
Premium Member
2,494
19
38
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?
 

TraprMike

Forum Lieutenant
230
2
18
rockers?

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

rook901

Forum Crew Member
70
0
6
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.
 

EMSLaw

Legal Beagle
1,004
4
38
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. :p
 

medicRob

Forum Deputy Chief
1,754
3
0
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.


--------------------
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.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

TraprMike

Forum Lieutenant
230
2
18

bleeintn

Forum Ride Along
3
0
1
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.
 

bleeintn

Forum Ride Along
3
0
1
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.
 
Top