Originally posted by medic03+Jun 2 2005, 07:22 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (medic03 @ Jun 2 2005, 07:22 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-ECC@May 27 2005, 03:13 PM
Did Medic03 throw you a beatin for this?!?!? 
Oh, I have... I have.
Erika, no offence to you guys in nY who are CC's, but you just don't get enough training. You hit the nail on the head when you say that "I do not deny that CC's know what to do, while P's know WHY to do it. That is the major distinction."
That is a HUGE distinction. Any monkey can pop an iv in or tube, it's understanding what is going on with the pt and why you are doing something that is very critical in the care for the pt. Any pt with AMS in NYC can get d50, thiamine and narcan standing orders, no questions asked. The trick is to find out why the pt has AMS and treat that problem, not use a blanket policy and give the d50 and narcan. A good history and understanding your meds and what they do will help treat your pt better, insted of playing chemist and loading them all up on every drug that a person can give under standing orders. I'm not attacking you or saying you suck (you know I love ya) I'm just saying that I feel that the cc's in the county do not get enough training and are thrown to the wolves. You either sink or swim and that it's. I don't think it;s fair that they put you in class 2X a week and expect you to have the same knowledge as the medics and docs when you call medical control or bring a pt into the hospitals. Thee are some great CC's out there, but the majority of them stop learning after they get out of class. The other big diffrence is that the majority of CC's are doing this as a volly thing at their local FD or Ambulance corp, where there are ony a handful of medic that are doing this only as a volly, almost all of them are paid somewhere. I have no idea why anyone would want to go through medic class and then just volly..... Screw that, I worked too hard to get where I am to just volly. No offence to you at all or to any CC on these boards from NY, but it doesn't matter if there are only a few diffrences in standing orders between the medics and CC's, it's the knowledge that's behind the training that's what's important. I wouldn't care if they took all my standing orders away. Now Erika, since we know eachother and a lot of the same people, would you really want some of the EMS providers we know taking care of you or your parents? How about "Tool" from where I use to belong? Or the current student that rides with my when I work the overnights at your corp? Both nice people, but the training and lack of skill isn't there, but they both will have their ALS cards and can staet giving meds like crazy if they wanted.
Again, I'm sorry if it seems like I'm attacking you or putting you down personally, I'm not, and if it wasn't for you guys we wouldn't have any als on Long island. I'm just stressing the point that it's not about who can do what, when and how much they can give, it's about understanding why you are doing something and what it's going to do to the pt when you give it. [/b][/quote]
No, I totally hear you - although I will probably knee you if I'm not one of the "good CCs" you referenced... A lot of people stop learning - but a lot of people don't. It would be nice if there was more instruction in the CC course, but there's only so much you can cram into a "non-professional" cert - and I say that because most agencies don't pay anymore for a CC than a Basic. You know if the pay cut wasn't so huge I'd probably be in the medic class in the fall, but I really can't make that sacrifice. Anyways, there's a short list of people I'm calling before the ambulance if I ever need it - you, Nat, Brian, Alex...
But you are totally right. However, there are a lot of medics I've met who are just as bad as the two people you mentioned... I think Con Ed requirements for CCs should be stricter - right now the only Con Ed that's required is advanced airway and anything you need to refresh. There should be mandatory updates at least quarterly.
