Increasing public respect: an idea

Aidey said:
Another question for Rid, what do you think about the large number of FFs/EMTs who have Fire/EMS tattoos? (Visible or not)
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Oh nos!!! Run for your lives! This thread is fixing to go thermonuclear!
 
Ridryder911 said:
I respect your opinion as well. I do ask why is such pics in demand for text books? Is it because of tradition or truly the demand? I have no problem for some occasional (very limited) real photos but does every chapter have to have a pic? Maybe we have too many pics and not enough material contained within.
R/r 911
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The increase in demand, at least for my work, came about as a result of HIPAA, which drove away all of the camera toting paramedics, EMT's, etc. several years ago. Many of the large EMS text book publishers started running out of actual scene material in their libraries a few years ago and therefore, the demand for my work sky rocketed. There are only a small handful of us capable of obtaining this material now and I'm probably the only full time EMS photographer in the U.S.

A lot of my work appears in chapter openers, which the authors prefer an actual scene image that depicts the chapter's content. I'm currently working on a new EMT and EMR textbook (you know the authors, I'm sure) and now my editors are getting more graphical in an artsy sense with the chapter opener photos. They are requesting very specific scene images to fit into a certain format for the book's design. A real pain for me!

Several recent EMS text books that are due out within the next year have had me shoot much of the practical images (splinting, etc.) which we shot in a studio. Boring work, but it pays the bills! A fair amount of my work that appears as an actual incident was actually staged due to very specific requirements by the author. I get a kick when I fool people with those images for they look very authentic.

I've developed close working relationships with all of the authors and that in itself I find rewarding. It's nice to exchange creativity ideas and they are very open to suggestions.
 
Sasha, I don't like you very much any more. I demand you pay for my therapy. :P
 
Aidey said:
Sasha, I don't like you very much any more. I demand you pay for my therapy. :P
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I should charge you for the mind bleach I had to use after looking that up for you!
 
You could have just explained it! I didn't need a picture! *shudders*
 
karaya said:
The increase in demand, at least for my work, came about as a result of HIPAA, which drove away all of the camera toting paramedics, EMT's, etc. several years ago. Many of the large EMS text book publishers started running out of actual scene material in their libraries a few years ago and therefore, the demand for my work sky rocketed. There are only a small handful of us capable of obtaining this material now and I'm probably the only full time EMS photographer in the U.S.

A lot of my work appears in chapter openers, which the authors prefer an actual scene image that depicts the chapter's content. I'm currently working on a new EMT and EMR textbook (you know the authors, I'm sure) and now my editors are getting more graphical in an artsy sense with the chapter opener photos. They are requesting very specific scene images to fit into a certain format for the book's design. A real pain for me!

Several recent EMS text books that are due out within the next year have had me shoot much of the practical images (splinting, etc.) which we shot in a studio. Boring work, but it pays the bills! A fair amount of my work that appears as an actual incident was actually staged due to very specific requirements by the author. I get a kick when I fool people with those images for they look very authentic.

I've developed close working relationships with all of the authors and that in itself I find rewarding. It's nice to exchange creativity ideas and they are very open to suggestions.
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Maybe the publishers and authors should listen to the educators. Do we see each skill having to have a picture within most related medical texts? Are we not educated enough not to be able to describe within a text not to have be demonstrated as we can now demonstrate per A/V and live within the lab time? How many true medical texts have to have pics of how to establish an IV (each step with a pic) ? Truthfully, are they effective? I have yet seen such as per teaching in the lab portion.

I even ask why do we have to "dramatize" interest in the chapter? Would not wanting to know about the appropriate care be enough? Again, maybe this is why there is poor retainment in EMS. The drama soon end and maybe we should reevaluate our methods of education and instruction apparently its not working well.

I am definitely for motivating students to learn, but maybe content should be more emphasized instead of glamour.

Maybe we should emphasize the real workings of the job. How many pictures displays nursing home transfers, ITF's which really compose the majority of EMS daily business? Maybe we should concentrate on the real objectives of the profession and then add the emergency portion as "if and when needed". Emphasis should be placed that one should be very competent in assessing and providing emergency and critical care; but the majority of the business is other routine workings.

Yes, it may not attract the numbers nor satisfy the taste of adrenaline junkies, but it would be the truth. Being truthful from day one is one way to ensure those that pursue this career realizes what they getting into.

I do blame publishers for a lot of the poor education and promotion of EMS. They fail to listen to educators and even with the new curriculum advances with encouraging educators to develop their own objectives; the publishers feel "they know better". Really? Is what they have provided us for the past 40 years worked? Want to compare education and reading levels with other comparable health professions text? In comparison ours looks like a comic book. What would we expect the results be?

Unfortunately, we have no true monthly respectable journal publication. JEMS had attempted to but each month has now began to place pictures over content. Comparable to its original competitor EMERGENCY that most only used for reading in the John.
As educators and promoters of improving education, we should compare ourselves with other successful health care professions. Review publications of New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, Emergency Nursing, Critical Care Review, Forensic Nursing, RC Journal, and see how many "drama" pictures or even pictures are included within the text?

I am not attacking you. You have a job to do and from your pics you do a great job. It's just time to review and see if what & how we are doing working? Again apparently not.

Time for a change.

R/r 911
 
I think it is more that way then you realize Rid. Not all of the photos are glamor or drama. They have a very specific placement within the books curriculum. Many of the authors I work with are educators themselves (Bledsoe, Limmer, Mistovich and McKenna to name a few). Very well known in their field! The authors call the shots as to much of the books content and the publishers have a close working relationship with the authors.

On a recent book that was just released, the author included numerous special needs photos for the first time. These included images of patients on vents, special communication situations, etc. All images that would better familiarize a medic with a first time situation.

Of course the EMS publication industry is competitive and the publishers must lay out a book that will respond well with a potential educators. This is crucial in the success of the book and how well it stacks up against the competition.

By the way. I'm working on a new nursing book. Lots of pics in there too!
 
Ridryder911 said:
I respect your opinion as well. I do ask why is such pics in demand for text books?
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Probably for the same reason my EMT-B book has a picture of a portable radio with the caption "A portable radio" in the communication section. EMS doesn't have text books, we have picture books.
 
I don't know, Rid. My wife's nursing books has just as many pictures of twice as many horrible things than my paramedic book. My favorite was the geriatric care book, because it has stick figure diagrams of sexual positions you could inform old people they could do without breaking a hip.

It worked on a couple levels. On one hand, it was horribly disgusting because you had to envision old people doing things that made the Kama Sutra look like a children's book. But on the other hand, a couple of those positions those little stick people were pulling off looked damn fun and I want to try them.

Too bad the wife isn't a little more flexible. And double jointed.
 
I do have some with pics but they are only for the lab portion. Very little to any pictures were included mine (maybe illustrations) but artwork and hero pics are much different.

Maybe we should have a more simplistic approach.

reading_rainbow-1.jpg
 
Ridryder911 said:
I do have some with pics but they are only for the lab portion. Very little to any pictures were included mine (maybe illustrations) but artwork and hero pics are much different.

Maybe we should have a more simplistic approach.

reading_rainbow-1.jpg
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I know we've had our differences, Rid, but I will NOT have you badmouthing Reading Rainbow. You hear me? YOU WILL NOT BESMIRCH THE GOOD NAME NAME OF MR. BURTON!
 
benkfd said:
SINCE WHEN IS EMS NOT REAL MEDICINE!?!?!?! :o Last I checked Medics can administer medication, intubate pt.'s, I could think of others but I'm not going to let myself go there.
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Oh, medication, intubation, and pacing oh my. Sorry, but real medicine requires an actual understanding of anatomy and physiology and the expectation that the provider will actually consider something more than the Ikea style of instructions of "If A is found, insert X into Y." Sorry, EMS is not a profession yet and the volunteers and fire fighters are going to do their damndest to insure that it stays that way. Things like college level A/P should be required at ALL levels, but as soon as you even suggest at that, both interest groups are going to whine louder than a baby who's mommy isn't buying them that shiny toy. Hence EMS will stay in its little rut spinning it's wheels.
 
I wouldn't mind learning BLS from LeVar Burton. He can toot my siren anytime. :wub:

Note to self: never, ever start a thread about clothes again. Or tattoos.
 
Ridryder911 said:
I do have some with pics but they are only for the lab portion. Very little to any pictures were included mine (maybe illustrations) but artwork and hero pics are much different.

Maybe we should have a more simplistic approach.

reading_rainbow-1.jpg
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Where do you find this stuff!?
 
SINCE WHEN IS EMS NOT REAL MEDICINE!?!?!?! Last I checked Medics can administer medication, intubate pt.'s, I could think of others but I'm not going to let myself go there.
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Real medicine requires real thought, not "If the patient is not breathing proceed to page six."
 
JPINFV said:
Probably for the same reason my EMT-B book has a picture of a portable radio with the caption "A portable radio" in the communication section. EMS doesn't have text books, we have picture books.
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Ok, so I'm confused here.

You guys don't like the "simple" pictures in text books, but you also feel that EMTs should go straight into MICP school without any experience.

So at what point are they supposed to become familiar with all this stuff?

Maybe in a perfect world all MICP schools would have a variety of equipment so the students could become familiar with different versions of the same stuff, but not all schools can afford that.
 
^
I'm talking literally about a picture of a portable radio just like this taking up a good 1/8th of a page. No labels, no nothing. If it seriously takes longer than 5 seconds of training at your first job to know what a portable radio looks like, then EMS is just not the field for you.
 
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