Adding suffix to your name

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RobertAlfanoNJEMT

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does anyone add EMT to their name when signing?

For example: Robert H. Alfano, EMT-B

If so when do you write it?

To me it just doesn't seem to be significant enough of a certification to add but some people at my squad write it...
 
For charts i add fpc, emtp to the end of my name. My last employer wanted it that way and now it's habit.
 
I do it at the end of internal emails and include my employee number. That's the only time, so it's more of a signature and not just a name at the bottom of an email.
 
Just about the only time I attach a suffix to my name is when I'm signing something for "official" purposes that are connected with my job. When signing checks, I'll just do "Akulahawk" (obviously not my real name ;) ) but when signing narcotics logs at work or discharge paperwork, it's "Akulahawk, RN" or something very similar. Almost never do I add the rest of the alphabet soup...for it would probably end up looking like this:

Akulahawk, BS, ADN, RN, EMTP, ACLS, PALS, PHTLS
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There's almost as many letters in my suffix (as above) as there are in my real name... ;)
 
I never had need for suffixes....I always elevated myself quickly to where I only needed to use my first name and that is all anyone else needed to reference me. If you do not know my name, then you are not worthy. But then I leveled up beyond that and now:

These days I am all about the Prefixes....





:)
 
Prefixes just aren't my thing... I would rather NOT let my prefixes lead me into a room. ;)
 
I can see adding just "EMT" or "EMT-P" when signing a chart or something, but that's about it. Even that seems unnecessary, though. Anyone reading the chart will know what your basic certification level is, and as far as any extra credentials like your degree or something, they just don't matter.

I'm not gonna lie though, I used to take every opportunity to flaunt my alphabet soup, and at one point I had just about all the alphabet soup there was to be had a by a nurse-paramedic. Until one day when it dawned on my how dumb and attention-starved it looked. Nurses are the absolute worst for this. It's just embarrassing to flight nurses list "RN, BSN, CFRN, CCRN, CEN, CTNR, EMTP, FP-C, CCEMTP, CMTE" after their name. Just get over yourself. No one cares.
 
Adding the suffixes is a common practice in academic circles; for some reason it adds a level of credibility to the holder. As a street medic? Not so much.
 
Only time I've put a tittle or suffix after my name like that has only ever been on official forms that specifically asked for it, and that's pretty much only always been Army forms (e.g. putting "SGT/E-5" in the box that wants to know my "Rank/Grade" that's usually right next to the boxes to print your name, sign it, and then put the date), can't really think of an EMS company that wanted a signature with my EMT suffix attached to it, never had to do that for a PCR or other kind of memo. I can see listing your official job title in an email signature line if you're writing an official company email/memo like "Operations Manager" "Communications Center Supervisor" "Station 14 Crew Chief" etc but certainly not the alphabet soup examples given above. And this is in an official work capacity where people (should) know at least most of those suffix's...imagine signing something at the bank, or DMV, or the check at a restaurant or somewhere else where people probably don't even know there's a difference between an EMT and a Pararmedic, so if you write something like "Jim37F, EMT-1, NREMT-B, PHTLS" or whatever they may decide you're having a stroke by writing a bunch of seemingly random meaningless letters after your name lol
 
My company recently added the EMT-B/EMT-P/CCRN/Observer boxes @ the bottom of the PCR, next to the signature line, we just have to check these prior to submitting. That's as far as using the suffix goes for me :-)
 
From my experience PCR or ePCR normally has a field to be populated populated for name of the EMT or the Paramedic in the appropriate fields, eliminating the need. Using it outside of that context, it depends. For most professional matters where it holds some relevance I say use it. I had to write a patient care guide for diabetes the other day. In my opinion, I felt it relevant to list I was a paramedic next to my name as the author. Obviously, on this forum I use it... Although I suppose that is questionable, this is the only place I use it in a non-professional setting, and I am also sort of anonymous here, so its part of my online identity for this environment. Mainly anything directly connected to being a paramedic or how announcing myself as a paramedic could be relevant to whatever I am applying it to. I think using it in any personal manner is pretty corny and obnoxious, just like those whacker shirts, stickers, hats, ect that scream look at me. I work with people who put it in their personal email signature for gmail, hotmail, ect (non work related), Barf!
 
If you are licensed or certified, your professional suffix indicates WHY you can write what you are writing. However, other degrees or certifications shouldn't be placed there. Its what you are licensed to do, really. For example, nurses are licensed to practice and normally its the RN that allows them to practice. If they have a BScRN, that's their degree, not their license(i.e. you can get through university but flub your licensure). In a previous life I earned a BSc, MBA as well as being a ,licensed RT. I wrote RT on the charts and the BSc, MBA were left off.

I find it interesting that healthcare covets their degrees so now I place BSc, MBA on my business cards. Personally I hate it but its a work culture thing. If I placed the alphabet soup of letters for every course I took over the years it would look pretty stupid.
 
ThadeusJ said:
If you are licensed or certified, your professional suffix indicates WHY you can write what you are writing. However, other degrees or certifications shouldn't be placed there. Its what you are licensed to do, really. For example, nurses are licensed to practice and normally its the RN that allows them to practice. If they have a BScRN, that's their degree, not their license(i.e. you can get through university but flub your licensure). In a previous life I earned a BSc, MBA as well as being a ,licensed RT. I wrote RT on the charts and the BSc, MBA were left off.

I find it interesting that healthcare covets their degrees so now I place BSc, MBA on my business cards. Personally I hate it but its a work culture thing. If I placed the alphabet soup of letters for every course I took over the years it would look pretty stupid.
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Why do you include the BSc? Possession of an MBA implies possession of a lesser degree. In my experience, if you're going to use the alphabet approach you include your highest academic degree, your licensure and any fellowships you might hold (for example, Duncan Deauxnought, MBA, NRP, FAWM)
 
I'm from the (perhaps) old school where the only suffix one should address yourself with is the licensure (MD, RN, RRT, EMT, P.Eng, DDS, etc.) Some say PhD's get to add it because that's a higher level degree despite it not being a professional designation. I personally add the BSc because there is a group of healthcare professionals in my home province in Canada that had all of their programs change to degree programs (from college diplomas). Once the new set of grads entering the workplace suddenly had degrees, they really it over the more experienced college educated colleagues. I personally didn't see an improvement in patient care but that's my observation. Nonetheless, the fact that they had a degree was really something, so I started adding it to my business cards so I could earn the right to talk to them (I earned it in Marine Biology 30 years ago).
 
When I sign paper work documents I put my ID number on them as well. Just a habit and not every form has a place for a printed name.
 
RobertAlfanoNJEMT said:
does anyone add EMT to their name when signing?

For example: Robert H. Alfano, EMT-B

If so when do you write it?

To me it just doesn't seem to be significant enough of a certification to add but some people at my squad write it...
Click to expand...

I don't add EMT, don't really see the point. When I'm signing official documents for my nursing job, I do write "RN" after my signature.
 
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