How does having great technique with the BVM (which I would actually be impressed with because most providers are atrocious) help you understand crash airways or RSI? What basic skills, once mastered, make paramedic school easier? You could try to make the argument over patient assessment, but most EMTs treat patient assessment as a check list instead of actually understanding what they're asking and looking for- because that's taught in paramedic school. That's if their assessment ever progresses past asking the nurse for the H&P at discharge.
A.) hands on patient assessment skills (checklist or not) is invaluable.
B.) documentation procedures
C.) role expectation and leadership
D.) Familiarization with protocols
E.) Familiarization with 12/24 shift work and time away from family/etc.
F.) Life experience (most EMT-Bs are 18-22)
G.) Familiarization/practice with medical procedures/departments/terminology
H.) Familiarization/practice with pharmacology
I.) Interpersonal skills development (when trapped in a box with a person for 12/24 hours)
J.) Experiece and practice in EVOC and actually driving and manipulating an ambulance.
K.) Area familiarization.
L.) Hospital staff/MD familiarization.
M.) Lifestyle familiarity (how to deal with how others percieve your work and prolonged absence.)
O.) Again, documentation!
P.) Exposure to real life and death situations and high stress environments.
Q.) Exposure to other fields of study that may interest you.
R.) Exposure to the first time you see a dead person, sick child, of mangled body that you are forced to touch.
S.) Familiarization and practice with team work.
T.) Exposure to being uncomfortable (not eating/cutting off bathroom visits/etc.) due to responsibility.
U.) Practice and familiarization with our equipment.
V.) Ambulance information and familiarization with the layout.
W.) Experience in maintaining professionalism, even when you don't want to.
X.) Exposure to your limits and capabilities.
Y.) Unfortunately, exposure to losing your partners and colleagues in the line of duty.
Z.) Experiece/practice/exposure to being a productive and positive member of the EMS community.
AA.) Most importantly... Knowing exactly what you're getting into. Not to be a hero. Not to join the fire service. Not to be on TV. But just knowing what it is we actually do.
If you can't agree with at least some of those reasons, 27 in all, then perhaps you truly are the "forum burnout" as your self-proclaimed title expresses.
