Preschool Providers

["JT"]

I'm 18 and in a Paramedic class. I have never had problems in the field, mostly I think because the guys who I work with are the guys who teach my class (or commanded by one of my teachers) and in the field they treat you with respect. I do get alot of jokes aimed at me about how young I am in class. "Your patient might not be comfortable telling you everything because you don't even look old enough to drive." I do have trouble getting respect outside of work. Nobody thinks I know what I'am talking about when I say something medical or try to help somebody. It is a little frustrating trying to help somebody who is bleeding saying "I'm an EMT do you need help? Your bleeding pretty bad." "NO, my brother in law is an EMT, I know what I'm doing"
as they stuff dirty brown paper towels into their cut while I am holding gause.

 

[EMT11KDL]

I'm 18 and in a Paramedic class. I have never had problems in the field, mostly I think because the guys who I work with are the guys who teach my class (or commanded by one of my teachers) and in the field they treat you with respect. I do get alot of jokes aimed at me about how young I am in class. "Your patient might not be comfortable telling you everything because you don't even look old enough to drive." I do have trouble getting respect outside of work. Nobody thinks I know what I'am talking about when I say something medical or try to help somebody. It is a little frustrating trying to help somebody who is bleeding saying "I'm an EMT do you need help? Your bleeding pretty bad." "NO, my brother in law is an EMT, I know what I'm doing"
as they stuff dirty brown paper towels into their cut while I am holding gause.

not to be mean, i dont know you.. but you being 18 and in a medic course scares the crap out of me!! at 18, i know how some of medics in the army are, and you will have a lot more medications and have more responsibilities than my privates.. im sorry but that is just a little scary to me

 

[medicdan]

I'm 18 and in a Paramedic class. I have never had problems in the field, mostly I think because the guys who I work with are the guys who teach my class (or commanded by one of my teachers) and in the field they treat you with respect. I do get alot of jokes aimed at me about how young I am in class. "Your patient might not be comfortable telling you everything because you don't even look old enough to drive." I do have trouble getting respect outside of work. Nobody thinks I know what I'am talking about when I say something medical or try to help somebody. It is a little frustrating trying to help somebody who is bleeding saying "I'm an EMT do you need help? Your bleeding pretty bad." "NO, my brother in law is an EMT, I know what I'm doing"
as they stuff dirty brown paper towels into their cut while I am holding gause.

Does something sound wrong with a provider legally handling and administering narcotic medications before they can purchase beer?

 

[Handsome Robb]

It's definitely person dependent but I know I was not mature enough to handle the responsibilities of being a paramedic at 18.

 

[EMT11KDL]

Does something sound wrong with a provider legally handling and administering narcotic medications before they can purchase beer?

I second this

 

[tssemt2010]

I'm 18 and in a Paramedic class. I have never had problems in the field, mostly I think because the guys who I work with are the guys who teach my class (or commanded by one of my teachers) and in the field they treat you with respect. I do get alot of jokes aimed at me about how young I am in class. "Your patient might not be comfortable telling you everything because you don't even look old enough to drive." I do have trouble getting respect outside of work. Nobody thinks I know what I'am talking about when I say something medical or try to help somebody. It is a little frustrating trying to help somebody who is bleeding saying "I'm an EMT do you need help? Your bleeding pretty bad." "NO, my brother in law is an EMT, I know what I'm doing"
as they stuff dirty brown paper towels into their cut while I am holding gause.

i get alot of crap for being the youngest one in my class as well, i will be 21 in april and i finish paramedic school in december, but i have good experience with a very busy 911 service (50,000+ calls a year) so when i speak i know what i am talking about, and they respect me for that, i have also been able to ride with alot of my friends who are incharge paramedics lately and they pretty much let me run the entire call, except pushing the drugs, i tell them what drug and how much etc and the patients feel comfortable around me

 

[STXmedic]

I became a paramedic when I was 21; I just turned 24 and I STILL look like I'm 12. Nobody that I normally interact with (now or when I first started) ever gives me any grief for being young (now grief for looking young is another story). But I have more than proved myself to be a competent provider.
Every now and then I'll work with a medic that I've never met before. They may ask if I know what im doing, or if I know how to put on a 12-lead (usually they won't even realize I'm a paramedic), then I'll start giving an in depth report, or doing my assessment and they typically retract their comments.

I don't think age plays too big of a role as long as you are competent and able to do the job. If you're 21 (or any age for that matter) and still have the mind-set of a typical 16yo, stay out of my scene. If you're 18years old and know your stuff, I'll be glad to work beside you.

 

["JT"]

I understand the fear, I really do. Most 18 year old kids are...well...ummm...if you don't have anything nice to say. I have always been ahead of my age I graduated from high school at an early 17 with a year of experience as a dental assistant in my father's office. I then started volunteering in the local ER where I was offered jobs all the time but was never old enough to take them. I was almost the youngest person they have ever had in my basic class, and the same can be said in my medic. But I have always gotten the respect from my teachers and my peers because of my maturity and the fact that I can do my job. That also goes back to the whole topic of this thread the fact that age is given too much wight in this job.

 

[usalsfyre]

I was an 18 year old EMT that ran his own unit and a 20 year old paramedic. I was mature enough to deal with medical issues, where I lacked maturity was being able empathize with certain life situations. That only came with age.

I only have two "regrets", if you can really call them that, about starting EMS at a young age. One is certain things I've been exposed to have profoundly colored my worldview, meaning I have a very hard time switching out of the gather and analyze data" mode sometimes. Secondly I occasionally see upper level residents in teaching hospitals that are my age and kick myself for not going that route.

 

[fast65]

I was an 18 year old EMT that ran his own unit and a 20 year old paramedic. I was mature enough to deal with medical issues, where I lacked maturity was being able empathize with certain life situations. That only came with age.

I only have two "regrets", if you can really call them that, about starting EMS at a young age. One is certain things I've been exposed to have profoundly colored my worldview, meaning I have a very hard time switching out of the gather and analyze data" mode sometimes. Secondly I occasionally see upper level residents in teaching hospitals that are my age and kick myself for not going that route.

That's kind of the point I'm at (well, in a way at least), I'm trying to figure out where I want my career to go from here.

 

[EMTswag]

Nothing will ever top my previous partner i dont think... every call ended with

"Well i remember when this last happened to me..." go on a rant about how he saved the world from a meteor and end it with "Man, ive been doing this way way too long..."

one day i decided to ask my 21 y/o partner exactly how long he has being doing "this" to constitute too long...

"Oh man, its about 5 years now"

Then again, this was after he instructed me to "stop playing doctor" while performing an assessment on a fall victim... we had a nice chat about that one

 

[Tigger]

Nothing will ever top my previous partner i dont think... every call ended with

"Well i remember when this last happened to me..." go on a rant about how he saved the world from a meteor and end it with "Man, ive been doing this way way too long..."

one day i decided to ask my 21 y/o partner exactly how long he has being doing "this" to constitute too long...

"Oh man, its about 5 years now"

Then again, this was after he instructed me to "stop playing doctor" while performing an assessment on a fall victim... we had a nice chat about that one

I had no idea my old partner worked in Jersey too. I wish I could have worked back in the day too, 2005 sounds pretty rad.