Pros And Cons of EMS

[Future EMT 07]

I am about to begin my Senior year of high school and I am required to complete a senior project for graduation. Im doing EMS and I just wanted to get some feedback on what all of you EMTs, Paramedics, etc. think are the ups and downs of the EMS system or the ups and downs of working in EMS.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Guardian]

Ups- we get to help people and run red lights without getting in trouble.

Downs- abuse of the system (aka taxpayer abuse), let me explain. Across the country (especially cities) poor and stupid people call 911 so they can get a free ride to the hospital. Now, if our politicians wanted to start a free taxi service for these people, the public would raise holy hell and say we refuse to pay for people to lazy to pay for themselves. So instead, politicians convince taxpayers to pay for expensive ambulances with highly trained paramedics to respond to potential emergencies. The problem is, these ambulances end up responding mostly to primary care 911 calls (ie flu, common cold, head ache, broken finger, stubbed toe.....etc....etc.....etc!!!). And after an ambulance responds to and transports these non-emergencies, Joe taxpayer has to pay a huge bill because it cost a lot more to run an ambulance than it does to run a taxi cab. To all those people out there who say "our ambulance company charges money to our pts and not the government" I've got two words for you, Medicaid and Medicare.

 

[Stevo]

UP would be there is a lot of gratification in helping people Future EMT


DOWN would be all the bueracracy and class A personalities involved in meeting that need

good luck

~S~

 

[gradygirl]

ups-helping people, the adrenaline rush (sorry, i'm a trauma junky ), an ever changing work place (i get bored very easily), getting paid to drive fast, getting paid to drive (period), and, while working in a city, i.e. hartford, never quite knowing what you're gonna find

downs-verbal abuse, physical abuse, underappreciation (eh, whatever), and, while working in a city, i.e. hartford, never quite knowing what you're gonna find

i love ems, so most of the downs don't really bother me. good luck with your project!

 

[Flight-LP]

Ups- we get to help people and run red lights without getting in trouble.

Downs- abuse of the system (aka taxpayer abuse), let me explain. Across the country (especially cities) poor and stupid people call 911 so they can get a free ride to the hospital. Now, if our politicians wanted to start a free taxi service for these people, the public would raise holy hell and say we refuse to pay for people to lazy to pay for themselves. So instead, politicians convince taxpayers to pay for expensive ambulances with highly trained paramedics to respond to potential emergencies. The problem is, these ambulances end up responding mostly to primary care 911 calls (ie flu, common cold, head ache, broken finger, stubbed toe.....etc....etc.....etc!!!). And after an ambulance responds to and transports these non-emergencies, Joe taxpayer has to pay a huge bill because it cost a lot more to run an ambulance than it does to run a taxi cab. To all those people out there who say "our ambulance company charges money to our pts and not the government" I've got two words for you, Medicaid and Medicare.

2 words for you............

Medical Necessity

They will not pay with out it

 

[Guardian]

2 words for you............

Medical Necessity

They will not pay with out it

For routine transports, yes. What about "911" calls?

 

[Guardian]

Medical necessity is way to broad by medicaids definition. How do I know this? My company is making money hand over foot and yet 96% of what I treat and transport is poor people with non-emergencies. Not to be sarcastic, but how is this possible? They must be getting money from the government because they sure as heck aren't getting it from the poor people who are too cheap to call a taxi.

 

[fm_emt]

... and, while working in a city, i.e. hartford, never quite knowing what you're gonna find

I'd have to call this one an "Up." I love the fact that you never know what you're going to get.

Another "Up" is that you are constantly learning new things and meeting new people. Even if you only meet them for a few minutes, it can change your whole day. Has anyone else ever had a patient that just made your whole day seem better? (hopefully they don't make your day worse!)

Down: bureaucratic BS, overly inflated egos. Fortunately, the agency I work with seems to be fairly big-ego free.

 

[Ignac Mare]

I have to agree there are a lot of ups and downs in the job the things that kills the most sometimes is the waiting for something to happen and that happens a lot in South Africa. Especialy in the rural area's

 

[Jon]

Ok...

Ups:
.Helping people
."no day is the same as the day before" (at least when working 911).
.Working outdoors
.Some great co-workers
.The "fun" of running "hot"

Downs:
.Underpaid and overworked.
.Fraud/Abuse of the system.
.Some not-so-great co-workers
.Being called "Ambualnce Drivers"
.YOU, as a provider are a target of abuse from patients/the public.
.In many places, EMS is the stepchild of the fire department
.In some places the EMS providers are treated as second-class citizens by the Fire Department brothers they work with day in/day out.
.Working inside, outside, in a ditch on the side of a road at 3am in a thunderstorm.
.EMS takes a great toll on your body - many providers end up out of the field "in their prime" becuase of life-changing back injuries, knee injuries, and other injuries.


That said - can I see myself wanting to do anything else as a carrer? HECK NO!!!

If I/we can help you in any way... let us know.

 

[MMiz]

Lets be honest. People who work in EMS do it because they love helping others. If you're doing it for any other reason, then I think it's safe to say you need to find another job.

Plus... ladies dig guys in uniforms.

 

[Future EMT 07]

Thank you all for your input. MMiz I've always wanted to work in EMS and I've always enjoyed helping people so I'm pretty sure this job would work for me. I guess the fact that ladies dig guys in uniform only helps with that choice.

 

[fm_emt]

Plus... ladies dig guys in uniforms.

They do? :O

Dude, why didn't anyone tell me that years ago? Wow..I got into this so I could get closer to the cute nurses in their scrubs. And to think, they oughta be chasing *me* instead!

woot! ;-D

 

[MedicPrincess]

Plus... ladies dig guys in uniforms

Yes you guys are dang handsome when dressed up like EMS personnell....but it goes both ways. I get hit on more when I am on my way to or from work than I do when I am TRYING to look good. I am thinking of saving the money and just wearing my uniform everywhere.

For routine transports, yes. What about "911" calls?

Its all in how you write your report. The people at Medicaid/Medicare read the EMS reports. If you write your narrative in such a way that it reflects its crap and not an emergency, the Medicaid people will deny it. I have a friend who works for Medicaid and her job is to -as she says- deny the 2 a.m. toe pain for 2 weeks calls. And she tells me all the time, a lot of times it just comes down to how we write our narratives.

And for the question at hand....

Ups- everything everyone has said. I like to believe that when I go to work at some point in my shift I will have helped at least one person and even maybe made a difference for at least one person.

Downs- chronic complaining. Everyone has a problem with what everyone else is doing and loves to complain and whine and moan about it. And the gossip is terrible. I firmly believe without gossip about who is doing who and who is doing what the entire EMS system would crumble and the world would fall apart.

Good luck to you in your research. There are lots of good books out there as well.