I'm just curious...& I hope this question doesn't come off the wrong way to anyone...I'm really hoping to get some genuine input...this kind of goes along with Guardian's "video" thread, which got me thinking...
On our very active, volunteer 911 EMS service, every shift we have at least 1 ambulance (driver & AIC <most often a BLS person> & sometimes a trainee), 1 ALS provider (either an Intermediate or Paramedic that drives his/her own zone car) & a supervisor (that drives his/her own car as well).
I see a lot of discussion on these forums about EMT-B's & references to B's as being "first aiders" & "if you were the patient, who would you rather have...an EMT-B or paramedic responding to you?"
I completely agree that if I or any member of my family was having a serious, life-threatening condition, I would want the responding individuals to have the highest level of pre-hospital certification. However, what about those calls (& we get them all the time), & I stress, in the middle of the night, we get for minor lacerations, ground-level falls, sinus pain/congestion, etc. I run in an area where there is a large indigent population & we get quite a few calls for people who literally just need a ride to the hospital & use the ED as their PCP.
I'm not saying that calls that seem to be benign can't be serious, because we all know that something seemingly simple can be more than it appears.
My question is: don't ALS providers find some value in EMT-B's who can respond to these minor, Priority 3 calls at 3 a.m. rather than utilizing someone with higher skills for these types of calls? On my service, our ALS providers seem find value in the EMT-B & that they don't have to respond to every single call right off the bat---that there is a BLS unit who can respond to a "patient dropped picture frame on their foot" at 3 a.m. (I kid you not!). Of course, if I get to a call & my general impression is bad or something is troubling, etc., I do not hesitate to call for ALS.
And don't paramedics find value in a good EMT-B who can anticipate their needs? Have an IV set up & ready to go, hook 'em up to the monitor, get a good, solid set of vitals right away, etc.?
My service seems to really appreciate all of the above...what do you guys think?
On our very active, volunteer 911 EMS service, every shift we have at least 1 ambulance (driver & AIC <most often a BLS person> & sometimes a trainee), 1 ALS provider (either an Intermediate or Paramedic that drives his/her own zone car) & a supervisor (that drives his/her own car as well).
I see a lot of discussion on these forums about EMT-B's & references to B's as being "first aiders" & "if you were the patient, who would you rather have...an EMT-B or paramedic responding to you?"
I completely agree that if I or any member of my family was having a serious, life-threatening condition, I would want the responding individuals to have the highest level of pre-hospital certification. However, what about those calls (& we get them all the time), & I stress, in the middle of the night, we get for minor lacerations, ground-level falls, sinus pain/congestion, etc. I run in an area where there is a large indigent population & we get quite a few calls for people who literally just need a ride to the hospital & use the ED as their PCP.
I'm not saying that calls that seem to be benign can't be serious, because we all know that something seemingly simple can be more than it appears.
My question is: don't ALS providers find some value in EMT-B's who can respond to these minor, Priority 3 calls at 3 a.m. rather than utilizing someone with higher skills for these types of calls? On my service, our ALS providers seem find value in the EMT-B & that they don't have to respond to every single call right off the bat---that there is a BLS unit who can respond to a "patient dropped picture frame on their foot" at 3 a.m. (I kid you not!). Of course, if I get to a call & my general impression is bad or something is troubling, etc., I do not hesitate to call for ALS.
And don't paramedics find value in a good EMT-B who can anticipate their needs? Have an IV set up & ready to go, hook 'em up to the monitor, get a good, solid set of vitals right away, etc.?
My service seems to really appreciate all of the above...what do you guys think?