EMT Enhanced

[WuLabsWuTecH]

In Missouri, according to the guy in the EMS office who I talked to a few weeks ago, they should have an EMT-I level by the end of August. He said something about legislature passing it and now it was just implementing it.

I think its very relavant to have EMT-I's For me, it wouldn't make sense to go to Medic school. I'll have my MD in hopefully 7 more years from now so the addition years of work put into it (I'm a full time student so paramedic classes would have to be done over summer vacation or other off school times, possibly nights) and I'd be very close to having my MD. For my friend who is a Senior in college it makes even less sense since he is also premed and will have his MD in 4 years. Yet both of us can still contribute to prehospital emegency care at a higher level before that and in places that can't have medics all the time and I level allows for some ALS care. Best case scenario? No. But better than nothing or BLS only? Yes!

 

[mikeylikesit]

In Missouri, according to the guy in the EMS office who I talked to a few weeks ago, they should have an EMT-I level by the end of August. He said something about legislature passing it and now it was just implementing it.

I think its very relavant to have EMT-I's For me, it wouldn't make sense to go to Medic school. I'll have my MD in hopefully 7 more years from now so the addition years of work put into it (I'm a full time student so paramedic classes would have to be done over summer vacation or other off school times, possibly nights) and I'd be very close to having my MD. For my friend who is a Senior in college it makes even less sense since he is also premed and will have his MD in 4 years. Yet both of us can still contribute to prehospital emegency care at a higher level before that and in places that can't have medics all the time and I level allows for some ALS care. Best case scenario? No. But better than nothing or BLS only? Yes!

well....your circumstance is special. you are continuing to something that most of us here will never reach. go with the I to get some more experience in IV and ekg interp. by the time your done with residency you will be the best EMT alive until your in practice.

 

[triemal04]

it would be great to have paramedics on every ambulance, every agancy full time paid w/ benifits, but its not possible,the inbetween levels of providers are there so rual places like were i live, were it take 40-50minites code3 to get to a level 4 trumma center just to stablize so we can then fly people 2 hours away to get the definitive care, will have some form of als care in route, not many medics are willing to go to 2years of school to then volunteer for agancies with a call volume of less then 400 a year, and those who do have trouble being able to re-cert, EMS is about the people and giveing the best care possible for the cercimstances. but thank you for those medics that do.

Actually, this is the best arguement for having paramedics in your service. If it takes you that long to get to a po'dunk community hospital, then you damn sure need someone who is capable of doing more than slapping on a non-rebreather and calling it good. Longer transports=longer for the disease/illness/injury to manifest itself=greater need for a higher level of care.

And, as has been said, there are paid services out there that have full-time paramedics as part of system that runs maybe 300 calls a year. It can, and has been done, and should be done in more places.

 

[rhan101277]

Actually, this is the best arguement for having paramedics in your service. If it takes you that long to get to a po'dunk community hospital, then you damn sure need someone who is capable of doing more than slapping on a non-rebreather and calling it good. Longer transports=longer for the disease/illness/injury to manifest itself=greater need for a higher level of care.

And, as has been said, there are paid services out there that have full-time paramedics as part of system that runs maybe 300 calls a year. It can, and has been done, and should be done in more places.

Our po-dunk hospital is really po-dunk. The X-ray machines looks like they were on of the first few invented, I even think they have some bone density scanners to go with them. I am sure the service would love to have more medics, thats why after I do my EMT, I hope to be able to do medic to provide a better service to the community.

 

[alex71]

ya communities without als are pretty screwed when it comes to people dieing of heart attacks and suchj

 

[Ridryder911]

ya communities without als are pretty screwed when it comes to people dieing of heart attacks and suchj

?????? ?????? ??????

 

[Jon]

ya communities without als are pretty screwed when it comes to people dieing of heart attacks and suchj

Alex,

What exactly do you mean? Most every community has SOME sort of access to ALS.

 

[upstateemt]

If you have people that are dedicated enough to go to EMT-I school, then they are not dedicated enough to go to medic? I personally believe that EMT-I is a waste of time. If you went from EMT-B to Paramedic it would be what 6-8 months longer? Show me a reason to have an EMT-I position.

I have yet found one person that can give a good argument for having EMT-I.

Just my .02 worth.

In NYS we have: Emt-B; Emt I; EMT-CC and Paramedic.

I am an EMT-CC as well as an RN (with a BS). My CC took me a year, 16 credits and hundreds of hours of clinical (despite my 20+ years as an RN). I have no intention of going on for my Paramedic, WHY? I am a volunteer and in my "paid" life make more as an RN than a Paramedic. A Paramedic cert would bne another 18 months (full time) of school and who knows how many clinical hours.

My (Volunteer) Ambulance is full ALS for EVERY call, given the remote and rural nature of our community it makes no sense to send a BLS unit and have to call for ALS. EMT-I's and EMT-CC's are key to providing that level of care.

Paid Agencies may be able to fully staff with Paramedics bu a Volunteer agency simply cannot.

 

[greenmountains]

That's because your state knows what is best! Two certs, EMT and Paramedic, that is all that is needed.

It is?
My state knows what is best?
It does?
I can think of dozens of reasons for intermediate steps between EMT B and EMT P, not the least of which is location, cost of education, cost of a EMT P and so on.
Me? I am an EMT B and as soon as my state gets its act together for a curriculum I am going to EMT A, (advanced) which, functionally is a Paramedic without perhaps four or five drugs and multi lumen airway rights.
I cannot afford time or money to spend another two years on education which will grant me maybe another $6000 in optimal conditions...there are none of those on my world. I have eight years of university training, three degrees and I do not choose to drive two hours each way and spend time better spent in working getting the right to deliver five drugs which are rarely used (not to mention multi lumen airways, which have not been used in the field at least in recorded history).

 

[NomadicMedic]

It is?
My state knows what is best?
It does?
I can think of dozens of reasons for intermediate steps between EMT B and EMT P, not the least of which is location, cost of education, cost of a EMT P and so on.
Me? I am an EMT B and as soon as my state gets its act together for a curriculum I am going to EMT A, (advanced) which, functionally is a Paramedic without perhaps four or five drugs and multi lumen airway rights.
I cannot afford time or money to spend another two years on education which will grant me maybe another $6000 in optimal conditions...there are none of those on my world. I have eight years of university training, three degrees and I do not choose to drive two hours each way and spend time better spent in working getting the right to deliver five drugs which are rarely used (not to mention multi lumen airways, which have not been used in the field at least in recorded history).

Yeah! More skills, less education!

(...The SVT patient will appreciate that you didn't think adenosine was important.)

Half assed ALS is a disservice to all; The patients who think they're getting a paramedic, and the "advanced EMT" who thinks they're just as good.

 

[Ewok Jerky]

I can think of dozens of reasons for intermediate steps between EMT B and EMT P, not the least of which is location, cost of education, cost of a EMT P and so on.

Holy necropost Batman!

So your reasons for the existence of AEMT all include YOUR inability to obtain a higher cert level and nothing to do with providing adequate patient care?

 

[greenmountains]

Holy necropost Batman!

So your reasons for the existence of AEMT all include YOUR inability to obtain a higher cert level and nothing to do with providing adequate patient care?

Then logically, anything less than a physician board certified in emergency medicine should be on an ambulance, right?
I agree. Paramedics provide inadequate patient care.
Your inability to go to medical school is just an excuse for your inability to provide adequate medical care.
To all who share this attitude, I encourage them petition their state legislature to eliminate anything short of Paramedic (or for that matter M.D) and have nothing else licensed or providing care pre-hospital.
After all, in the late 1800's physicians staffed ambulances. There is no reason they could not do so again, right?
Yes, all the god-like paramedics need to go to medical school and stop giving inadequate care to your patients. They deserve better than a professional certificate.
I further encourage all ambulance services to fire anyone who is not a paramedic and employ only paramedics.

 

[NomadicMedic]

Then logically, anything less than a physician board certified in emergency medicine should be on an ambulance, right?
I agree. Paramedics provide inadequate patient care.

You're either a troll or clueless. Based on the statements you made above, I'm leaning toward clueless...

 

[greenmountains]

You're either a troll or clueless. Based on the statements you made above, I'm leaning toward clueless...

Or logical perhaps.
I see no other option given the reasoning I have seen.
Hire only M.Ds or you are giving inadequate care.
(Alternatively, I am right.)

 

[WildlandEMT89]

 

[PotatoMedic]

Or logical perhaps.
I see no other option given the reasoning I have seen.
Hire only M.Ds or you are giving inadequate care.
(Alternatively, I am right.)

I would love to have an MD or DO come to my door if I call 911! You should start the trend and go to med school.

 

[triemal04]

I'm sorry, but when you feel the need to trumpet how you have 3 degrees and 8 whole years of "university training," and then follow it up with the nonsense you been spouting...doesn't say anything good about you.

I would strongly urge you to look into what an AEMT in Vermont (that is where you are, right?) can do compared to what a paramedic in Vermont can do. Because right now it's clear that you haven't done that, or lack the requisite knowledge to understand what the differences between the two are, and why it matters.

 

[Smitty213]

As somebody who is currently certified and actively practicing at the AEMT level, I would greatly appreciate it if you could stop spouting some of the nonsense that gives us a bad rep in many systems to begin with, BEFORE you have even reached certification at the Advanced level. While I will say that in a highly rural system with long transports and limited access to Paramedic care, the AEMT can provide lifesaving "basic ALS" measures beyond the scope of most BLS providers while transporting to intercept with a Paramedic, we are NOT "...functionally [a] Paramedic without perhaps four or five drugs and multi lumen airway rights.". For starters, the education pales in comparison to that of most Medic programs (by close to 1000 hours of difference), I completed mine in addition to an undergrad semester because my EMT card was up for recert and I figured it would help me when I entered PA school that fall; it is a stepping stone, not a stopping place. The medications most commonly found in an AEMT medication protocols are ASA, NTG, DuoNeb's, D50, D25, Glucagon, Narcan and Epinephrine's 1:1 & 1:10; this is approximately one pocket of most Paramedic drug bags. In the majority of states and EMS regions, the AEMT has no ability to very limited abilities to perform cardiac monitoring, and the corresponding amount of training in it; therefore we cannot pace or cardiovert, but those are just silly things that never get used right? As for airway management, my state/region allow me to do needle decompressions and intubate, however this is exceptionally uncommon and unpopular with National Registry, who favor the use of the King and Combi's by the AEMT, leaving intubation to Paramedics. I hope that I have managed to logical (an ideal you seem endeared to) explanation of just some of the "minor" differences between an AEMT and a Paramedic; now if you could do us all a favor and stop embarrassing this profession by crawling back to the dark corners where you found this thread to begin with, myself and my fellow AEMT's would appreciate it. Good day to you sir.

 

[Chris07]

I would love to have an MD or DO come to my door if I call 911!

...if you think system abuse is bad now...just wait until people find out we're sending physicians to every 911 call!