research

[NYSEMT-B#357862]

i am an EMT-B and i am also a high school student doing a twenty page research paper on the three questions below...the only issue is there is very limited info i can find on those questions. if u answer them and leave your name and certification i will cite u as a interview...those questions can be answered along with any other important info i should consider for my paper, please help, all the help i can receive is much appreciated.


1. Would in school, such as high school and college, students volunteering and becoming EMTs be a major asset, and please feel free to elaborate with any explanations.

2. Can community education, such as when to call, what to call for, and how to handle situations until we arrive, help the EMTs out? feel free to elaborate or extend.

3. As an EMT/Medic, do you think it will be necessary to start turning a lot of volunteer agencies into paid services for daytime manpower, due to the lack there of during the hours of 5 am-5 pm (roundabout figures), and money wise, do you think the communities will back this in the beginning, such as prior to the calls, and when they hear the amount of money that they may have to pay?

 

[MedicDoug]

1. Would in school, such as high school and college, students volunteering and becoming EMTs be a major asset, and please feel free to elaborate with any explanations.

Student run ambulance services exist at a lot of colleges and universities and are a tremendous asset to the community. Some only serve their institution, some also serve the surrounding city/town if needed. Syracuse University Ambulance (www.sua.syr.edu) is one of the oldest, and where I got my start. I suspect quite a few EMS professionals got their start in college based services. Alumni of my service are MDs, EMS Administrators, Firefighters,as well as Medics and EMTs More info at National Collegiate Emergency Services Foundation (www.ncemsf.org)

2. Can community education, such as when to call, what to call for, and how to handle situations until we arrive, help the EMTs out? feel free to elaborate or extend.

Community Education is a vital part of the EMS business, for all of the reasons in your question. Just as important is educating the community about those times when calling 911 and activating the EMS system is _not_ appropriate... (runny nose during normal business hours, for example).

3. As an EMT/Medic, do you think it will be necessary to start turning a lot of volunteer agencies into paid services for daytime manpower, due to the lack there of during the hours of 5 am-5 pm (roundabout figures), and money wise, do you think the communities will back this in the beginning, such as prior to the calls, and when they hear the amount of money that they may have to pay?

I am afraid that some sort of paid supplement to volunteers is becoming reality in a lot of places. The training burdens that are competing for everyone's time are increasing, with the result that volunteer retention is harder than ever. This despite the tremendous dedication of volunteer personnel from all parts of the country. I've seen a couple of estimates of the cost savings of having volunteer fire and EMS units, and the numbers are staggering. I suspect that some towns would be unable to staff at even a minimum level of service without their volunteers. I know mine wouldn't be able to...

Good luck with the research.

 

[JPINFV]

1. Would in school, such as high school and college, students volunteering and becoming EMTs be a major asset, and please feel free to elaborate with any explanations.

High school? No. High school students need to be in class learning during school hours (so no answering calls between 7:20 to 2:20). Furthermore, if you can't sign your own permission slip, you have no business feeling out a patient care report. It's cold, it's harsh, it sucks, but a line between being able to care for oneself has to be drawn someplace, and you shouldn't be expected to care for someone else if you aren't expected to care for yourself.

College: Meh, it depends. Again, college students should be in class learning. If EMS is making it hard for you to study, then no, you shouldn't be involved in EMS. Granted, just because someone is involved in EMS doesn't mean that they're time on calls is taking away from study time.

I can see volunteering being an asset if the person goes on to be involved with emergency care, especially if in some sort of administrative position that will control the future of the system (e.g. medical director). In cases like this, since as mentioned, there are college EMS agencies, volunteering is no better or worse than working for a paycheck.

2. Can community education, such as when to call, what to call for, and how to handle situations until we arrive, help the EMTs out? feel free to elaborate or extend.

Definitely. Calling early when needed will save lives, calling when not needed will put additional stress on the system. In addition, certain conditions (e.g. 5 hurry cases) can easily be initially managed by the public, and without that management the patient is going to be a lot worse for the wear. For example, without bystander CPR, a person in cardiac arrest is as good as dead by the time EMS rolls around.

3. As an EMT/Medic, do you think it will be necessary to start turning a lot of volunteer agencies into paid services for daytime manpower, due to the lack there of during the hours of 5 am-5 pm (roundabout figures), and money wise, do you think the communities will back this in the beginning, such as prior to the calls, and when they hear the amount of money that they may have to pay?

Yes. First and foremost 911 calls should have a first response by paramedics for all calls. The difference in emergent and urgent (e.g. pain management) care options between EMT-Basics and EMT-Paramedics should not be ignored and is not minimal. Second, there should not be a built in additional delay between a 911 call and response (going to pick up the ambulance). If a bunch of paramedics are willing to man a station 24/7 for free (or even take the ambulance or quick response vehicle home if they live near the station), then go for it.

Outside of that, the community deserves advanced and prompt care and should work to achieve it. Unfortunately, no one will like new taxes which makes implementing a system, regardless of the costs, hard to do short of the costs being offset by state or federal money.

 

[LucidResq]

Arapahoe Rescue Patrol << My volunteer search and rescue team, which is entirely comprised of youth.

We've been around for over 50 years. We do SAR and assist fire/police. We're on auto-aid with the local FD and do tons of other non-SAR stuff like event security/medical, training, liquor compliance checks, communications, fire/crime scene security, evidence searches, etc etc.

It works out really well. The way I see it, three groups benefit greatly from ARP:

1. The members. This is honestly the best thing I've done with my life so far. I've gained experience and skills that will be useful to me no matter what field I go into. I'm in better shape and being on-call 24/7/365 has probably kept me out of trouble. I have a solid foundation for a career in public service, and I've made connections with hundreds of paramedics, firefighters, sheriff's deputies, police officers, etc etc in my area. I've been given a inside look as to what working in public service really means, the good and the bad.

2. The community. Although we are under the sheriff's jurisdiction and they are ultimately, by law, responsible for SAR in our county, they do not have the resources to have paid deputies dedicated to SAR. By providing volunteer SAR, we provide the community with a service that would be impossible to match. We increase the level of trained manpower available for SAR efforts, which ultimately results in better outcomes for missing persons. We also help out at events, making them safer. We've been available in times of disaster, and our unique training has been invaluable at times. A couple of years ago a blizzard struck and emergency services were spread extremely thin. It was difficult for ambulances and prams to get to people. We were able to help bring injured/ill people to the care they needed with our hands, feet and stokes litters. In fact, during the blizzard one woman almost gave birth in one of our litters as she was being rushed to the hospital on foot. She gave birth to a healthy baby about two minutes after they brought her in!


3. Police/fire/EMS agencies. We assist these agencies for free with whatever they may need help with. We can keep crazy media people back from a fire scene, set up RIT, change air tanks, babysit evacuees, help police search for evidence, play victims in trainings, do security at a crime/fire scene until the investigators can get there, roll hose, etc. We make their jobs a lot easier. We're also a great pool of future emergency service workers, and former members often go on to work as police officers, firefighters, ER physicians, etc. Agencies like hiring us because we come with a basic knowledge of stuff like radio communications, emergency vehicle operations, paperwork, training, PR, dealing with frantic pts/families, lifting and moving, etc.

 

[Ops Paramedic]

To answer your questions for your paper:


1. Anyone becoming an EMT would be asset t the community. As for high school kids doing duty/voluntering, it is permissible up to a point. Some situations/calls are not ment for kids/teenagers to be dealing with. They are great to help out at sport standbys, but working on the road fulltime-partime, i have my reservations.

2. Community Education is of the utmost importance. There are areas where i don't do a lot of house calls, as long before they become ill enough to call the EMS, they are in they have seeked medical advice at a facility of some sort. The other extreme is that they call for anything, not realising the constraints they are placing on a already recourced deprived system. They call because they want transport by the EMS, not treatment by the EMS. This is where the system falls short, as ambulances are used for these transports and load multiple patients int a vehicle not designed to safely do so. If the community is educated, calls transport call will decrease and a lot of them even fall away, as the ilness/sickness could have been avoided (Primary Health Care). This will also free up the vehicle to service calls that are high on the priorety list.

3. It would be the ultimate goal that volunteer services turn into paid services. I would work for free but, i can't pay may car/loans/bond in Patient Record Forms!! Just like the members of the community have bills to pay, and work for remuniration in order to do so, so do i. Where we are, voluntering is not big, and at my service, we don't take volunteers, as we had a nasty experience some years ago. I do respect and understand that there are places where the only form of service is volunteers.

 

[NYSEMT-B#357862]

please keep it comin

i still need more ppl..thnx so far..but i need more sources..so please keep it coming

 

[Ridryder911]

1. Would in school, such as high school and college, students volunteering and becoming EMTs be a major asset, and please feel free to elaborate with any explanations.

NO! This is a profession and as such, we need to act as such. High school students are kids.. sorry, they do not need to be exposed and around such until after an adult. I can speak as an experienced person, as a Paramedic at 17, and past EMS Post Advisor. Sure, I used to be a BIG advocate of youth in EMS, until I seen the effects of PTSD, Hep B from exposures, to youth that was involved in EMS calls. No matter the amount of BSI, blood exposure cannot be prevented. As well, calls are more violent and more intense on treatment, I do not have time to watch many people and babysit.

EMS units in a collegiate setting, to be used as a first responder is GREAT! I have worked with several such agencies. Nothing but kuddos.. They have become more mature with some life experience, most have some formal education as well to understand pathophysiology.

2. Can community education, such as when to call, what to call for, and how to handle situations until we arrive, help the EMTs out? feel free to elaborate or extend.

Education is NEVER harmful, but remember education is only when it falls upon a receptive ear. This is not a new topic, and actually have been attempted for the past 35 years, and it still appears to be a endless battle. Ironically, more people (laymen) took first-aid courses before EMS. Now, most assume not to do anything and allow the "professionals" to do everything. Then when the patent dies.... guess who's fault it is?

3. As an EMT/Medic, do you think it will be necessary to start turning a lot of volunteer agencies into paid services for daytime manpower, due to the lack there of during the hours of 5 am-5 pm (roundabout figures), and money wise, do you think the communities will back this in the beginning, such as prior to the calls, and when they hear the amount of money that they may have to pay?

Majority of the volunteer services will be a thing of the past. A dinosaur in the making. There is NO way that they will be able to keep up with the demand, education required, exposure to more and more infectious disease, etc. By the time you have read this approximately 100 people will have turned the age of 65. Hospitals are already over packed and no rooms, EMS is known to have to await up to several hours before removing patients from their stretcher, Even rural hospitals have been documented to be over taxed with no rooms and additional patients to be seen in the ER. Along with this the average age of an RN is 49 years of age.

Paramedic education will have to be equivalent to or have an Associate Degree to test for the NREMT by 2012. Each year the test is scheduled to become difficult and focus upon collegiate level science. Most people do not have the time or revenues to pay for such education and will not as well want to dedicate to do so.

Communities are beginning to demand professional services, as well the responsibility comes with legal issues as well. Litigation's have doubled within the past 15 years. Again, education will be have to be more intense to meet the demands.

Yes, there will be a few remaining volunteer EMS. These will be primarily located in rural areas or volunteer emergency first responder systems to assist EMS.


Good luck in your studies!

R/r 911

 

[Jon]

Collegiate EMS is awesome as a First Responder service. Anything that gets trained providers onscene fast is a good thing, and it serves a few other purposes. Our volunteer EMS agency works hand in hand with the local college QRS unit, and some people are members at both places.

However, since there is usually a low call volume... I've seen some EMT's who really don't have a grasp of being an EMT... and I've heard horror stories. One of the problems is that they have limited experience... some of the folks were running with the FD and EMS in high school... but some are just doing the EMS thing as a resume-builder for nursing or Medical school.

I agree that high-school students need to be IN school during classes... baring emergencies. There were 5 EMT's in my high school class during senior year. Several of us assisted as first responders when the ambulance was called TO THE SCHOOL for an emergency. We also left school early (with parental permission) a few times when we had an end-of-day study hall, and the FD was burning something. We'd usually show up just in time to help clean up.

Additionally, a program that recruits and trains high-school age volunteers (like an Explorer program) often assists in recruitment, as many of these members transition to be senior volunteers when they hit 18.

 

[NYSEMT-B#357862]

thnx guys thats goin to help a lot..and dont be afraid to keep it coming