I don't want to work with someone who has no interest in medicine/health

[EMT Dan]

Unfortunately I get to go to class twice a week with a room full of people that are only there because they're required to upgrade to Paramedic to keep their job. I'm the only one that is not of that group in that class, and apparently the only one who like to discuss medicine and WHY we are doing something.

I think that's a good summary of what I've seen. I'm a "lowly" volunteer EMT-B. I'm a nuclear engineer officer in another world, and with some free time I had, I went to 3 months of class at a local university to get certified as an EMT. For me, it was all because of a genuine interest in doing so.

What I found in a class of 46, was that many of the students were doing it as a class on their way for pre-med or some other medical-related field. I think I was the one in the class who was like you, jtpaintball70, asking questions about "why," staying after to close up a thought, doing the homework problems at home, and seeing that many other people were just interested in whether or not we were getting out early that day.

Some of that is probably well-attributed to a decade of age difference, and that I've accomplished my college-slacking already, and I see the value in actually learning something for the sake of knowing it.

Back to a little more of the point, though, is that while I find there are several young EMTs in the fire department I volunteer with who are eager to show up at every call, regardless of how mundane, that's probably not the case everywhere. Also, it seems like they're content to simply maintain the minimum of state certification without really learning anything they don't need to extra...which makes some sense because there's no real incentive for them to do so - financially, professionally, or personally.

Maybe I'm naive, but I'm fairly impressed with the level of knowledge of a lot of paramedics, and the curriculum they need to go through seems fairly exhaustive for a job where you don't need a degree of any type to get there. I think a lot of paramedics and academically-oriented EMTs (volunteer or otherwise) would probably have the dedication to do some good with the CEs that they learn (if well done) and through their own self-education. Unfortunately, it seems like most systems have no interest in fostering a well-educated pre-hospital provider, and are just as happy to have whomever happens to be at the scene take some vitals and bring a patient it and be done with it.

I agree with the original post, in that it really doesn't seem like a lot of the EMS providers really care a whole lot about maximizing their own education for its own worth. However, I think part of the problem is there's no real incentive in doing so...and me being an EMT for a relatively short period of time, I don't see a good way to fix it. Hopefully the EMS community by happenstance starts attracting people who are eager to learn as much as possible for their own benefit, regardless if the system they work in will ever permit them to use that knowledge.

 

[Veneficus]

Maybe I'm naive, but I'm fairly impressed with the level of knowledge of a lot of paramedics, and the curriculum they need to go through seems fairly exhaustive for a job where you don't need a degree of any type to get there.

Respectfully,

This is a case of not knowing what is not known. I know from years of practicing and teaching EMS what the curriculum and its shortcomings are.

It is nowhere near complete nor adequete in order to prepare people for the tasks required. For the skills required, sure. However, most EMS agencies as well as experienced practicioners can tell you how long it takes to become proficent as a paramedic and the training and education required after initial certification to do it.

This latest curriculum has compounded the problem substantially. I agree it is a well meaning idea, but the implementation is abysmal.

I have spoken with instructors who complain they do not understand the basic science material.

So it just gets presented as bullet points to memorize.

Of course since I predicted it when I saw what was going to be, it made me look sort of smart, so there is some good news to it.

You should compare the attempts of the different publishing companies and the absolute mountain of products now created for instructors to present what they don't understand and sound knowledgable.

I agree there was a time when a paramedic did not need a degree to do a fantastic job. But things are more complex now.

Truthfully you still don't need a degree, but what you do need is the knowledge and ability that all those classes that lead to a degree give you.

I detailed it in another post, but by my count, with just the basic science course backgrond needed to actually understand what is in the paramedic text, it brings about 66 credit hours of college work.

If you are going to truly have a base nderstanding in order to proficently function with understanding and deliberate critical thinking and action, it's best if you have the degree, because then it gives you a measurable standard by which to demand better compensation.

It is not the piece of paper that is really needed, it is the journey to get the paper that makes a difference to patients. The paper is what will make a difference for providers.

I know it will not be an instant difference, but it is the starting point as demonstrated by not only healthcare but almost every other profession as well.

People who think an education is not required to live above poverty in 2011 are not fooling anyone but themselves. Just watch the earnings index. The evidence speaks for itself.