JEMS article: EMT or Paramedic?

[DesertMedic66]

i was reading a magazine and i came across an article that was called "EMT or Paramedics?". in the news police are called "Police" and firefighters are called "Firefighters". but as for us in the EMS service we are called many different names "EMT" "Paramedic" "Medical Service" "Medical Responders" the list goes on and on. so JEMS did an online survey and their survey showed that most of us want to be called "EMTs". so what is your opinion on this? should we have a generalized term for us in the pre-hospital setting or should we not and why? And what do you think we should be called if you believe we should have a generalized term?

if the mods let this link stay, , its the link to the article in JEMS:

http://www.jems.com/article/administration-and-leadership/emt-or-paramedic

 

[abckidsmom]

I vote for paramedic. It's silly for the us to try and educate laypeople about all the various acronyms we try to go by.

 

[lightsandsirens5]

I kind of like plain old "Medic". It is simple and IF you had to generalize everyone under one term, it applies to everyone, and the public understands it.

 

[DesertMedic66]

I vote for paramedic. It's silly for the us to try and educate laypeople about all the various acronyms we try to go by.

From what I have noticed laypeople don't know what EMTs are. I get asked what I do for a living and I say EMT. Their response is usually "what's that?" but if you say paramedic they know right away what that is.

 

[DesertMedic66]

I kind of like plain old "Medic". It is simple and IF you had to generalize everyone under one term, it applies to everyone, and the public understands it.

Agreed fully by me.

 

[abckidsmom]

I kind of like plain old "Medic". It is simple and IF you had to generalize everyone under one term, it applies to everyone, and the public understands it.

I'm with you on that. I was just trying to stick with the multiple choice question as presented. In everyday use, I say medic. "I'm Dana, I'll with the fire department, I'll be your medic today."

 

[DesertMedic66]

I'm with you on that. I was just trying to stick with the multiple choice question as presented. In everyday use, I say medic. "I'm Dana, I'll with the fire department, I'll be your medic today."

I changed it so it's not a multiple choice question. Hopefully now my questions seem less of multiple choice and more essay answer haha

 

[Chief Complaint]

Agreed. Medic. Ill alert the masses!

 

[lightsandsirens5]

See, the way I look at it is this, all the guys working for the sheriff are Deputies, some are patrolmen, some are sargents, some are captains. They may have different jobs, but they are all deputies. When you get pulled over, it doesn't matter if it is a patrolman or a captain, he is Deputy Fife to the public. The same is true for firefighters, some are Firefighter Twos, some are Firefighter Ones, some are lieutenants, some are station captains, but they are all firefighters. Again, different jobs, but all working in the same field and if you put a Firefighter Two, a station captain and a Bat. chief next to each other the public sees three firefighters. Even doctors are that way. One may be a neurosurgeon, one may be an oncologist, one may be head of trauma in the ER, but again, they are all called medical doctors.

No reason why we can't be called medics and have different subtitles for within the field. In fact, it would make the most sense to have a sort of numerical system. All of us are medics (or whatever term you want to use) and we are broken down into Medic Three, Medic Two and Medic One. Of course that would require the transition to a truly national standard first.

Just my $0.02. Feel free to have at it. ^_^

 

[Nerd13]

I agree that medic would be a nice catch-all term for everybody. Unfortunately, I'm fairly sure that we won't have much say in the matter. It will probably be decided by people not actually involved in EMS. I also don't think the public cares what we're called as long as we show up when we're called. My vote is still for Medic though.

 

[DesertMedic66]

I agree that medic would be a nice catch-all term for everybody. Unfortunately, I'm fairly sure that we won't have much say in the matter. It will probably be decided by people not actually involved in EMS. I also don't think the public cares what we're called as long as we show up when we're called. My vote is still for Medic though.

yeah we arent going to have any say. the media is who gets the say of what we are called.

 

[dixie_flatline]

I don't care one way or the other, but it has also been my general experience that Joe Public is much more likely to call me a paramedic than an EMT (regardless of the patch on my right sleeve).

 

[Veneficus]

Of course that would require the transition to a truly national standard first.

Just my $0.02. Feel free to have at it. ^_^

This is impossible in the US because the power to do that would require a constitutional amendment which would take power from the states for the licensing/regulation of said providers and give it to the federal government. I cannot imagine any state, especially in this political climate voting in favor of something like that.

I think it is a great idea, just highly impractical.

 

[Aidey]

No reason why we can't be called medics and have different subtitles for within the field. In fact, it would make the most sense to have a sort of numerical system. All of us are medics (or whatever term you want to use) and we are broken down into Medic Three, Medic Two and Medic One. Of course that would require the transition to a truly national standard first.

Just my $0.02. Feel free to have at it. ^_^

Slight thread-jack here.

"Medic" has traditionally been used as a shortened version of "paramedic", and while that might make things easier for Joe Public, I bet it will cause issues within EMS. Mostly because I've had that problem.

I was working on a remote incident as an EMT. We had a IC team from California (which may actually explain everything). At my job all of our titles were "Remote Medic" because medic =/= paramedic in that area. So the Med unit leader ordered 2 "remote medics" and was pissed when he got two EMTs. He assumed "medic" meant paramedic.

 

[JPINFV]

This is impossible in the US because the power to do that would require a constitutional amendment which would take power from the states for the licensing/regulation of said providers and give it to the federal government.

Naw, you do the same work around that almost every other unconstitutional law uses, the power of the purse. If Medicare refused to reimburse ambulance service in states that didn't meet the national standard, watch how quickly the national standard would be implemented in the individual states.

 

[Veneficus]

Naw, you do the same work around that almost every other unconstitutional law uses, the power of the purse. If Medicare refused to reimburse ambulance service in states that didn't meet the national standard, watch how quickly the national standard would be implemented in the individual states.

That is brilliant, I love it. Let's do it.

 

[MrBrown]

Our generalised term is Ambulance Officer has been so since 1975 and over the years the "levels" have changed names but the generic term has stayed the same.

 

[nakenyon]

Naw, you do the same work around that almost every other unconstitutional law uses, the power of the purse. If Medicare refused to reimburse ambulance service in states that didn't meet the national standard, watch how quickly the national standard would be implemented in the individual states.

Yes. That sounds fantastic.

 

[mycrofft]

NHTSA created them and named them "EMT-A" and "EMT-P" at birth.

Then states, counties and ambulance companies started coining their own little monikers.

The trouble isn't that the names are not obvious, it's that there isn't a good TV show to popularize them like "EMERGENCY".

JEMS just needed some filler.

 

[46Young]

This is impossible in the US because the power to do that would require a constitutional amendment which would take power from the states for the licensing/regulation of said providers and give it to the federal government. I cannot imagine any state, especially in this political climate voting in favor of something like that.

I think it is a great idea, just highly impractical.

Too bad we can't at least get something analagous to the NFPA standards for EMS. I know the standards aren't mandated, but if there's a court case, the NFPA standards will be brought up.