What happened to paramedic students?

[Ridryder911]

Unfortunately, my remark about anion gap was taken out proportion, I could had have stated BUN or Creatnine and the majority of EMS providers have that puzzled look. Please, let's not get into the ..I don't need to know it, if I don't use it in the prehospital phase...

I have been associated with EMS education for over 28+ years, and still overwhelmed with the old well there is the "field medicine and I don't need to know" statements. Which is part of our problem within the profession of EMS. We encourage and push autonomy which is definitely needed however; many of the personalities that enter this field have little or poor understanding of professional demeanor. Their not realizing that the real education starts after you graduate and obtain your license and you being in your clinical practice.. I always describe, that many that many that leave programs are dangerously dumb with a license. Knowing the difference between being what is technically correct and what is providing the best and most appropriate treatment comes with education and experience.

There is a fine line between cockiness and confidence. Unlike many other health care provider programs, that require shadowing or residency many EMS push new Paramedics in the field only after a few months of being with an FTO or passing a protocol test.

As I predicted a decade ago, we will see more and more EMS leave the emergency arena and provide out of hospital care. Sure, we will always have and need first responder type medics but for the long run (for financial expansion of EMS) we will have to continue to expand our way of thinking and increase our knowledge.

R/r 911

 

[unleashedfury]

Unfortunately, my remark about anion gap was taken out proportion, I could had have stated BUN or Creatnine and the majority of EMS providers have that puzzled look. Please, let's not get into the ..I don't need to know it, if I don't use it in the prehospital phase...

I have been associated with EMS education for over 28+ years, and still overwhelmed with the old well there is the "field medicine and I don't need to know" statements. Which is part of our problem within the profession of EMS. We encourage and push autonomy which is definitely needed however; many of the personalities that enter this field have little or poor understanding of professional demeanor. Their not realizing that the real education starts after you graduate and obtain your license and you being in your clinical practice.. I always describe, that many that many that leave programs are dangerously dumb with a license. Knowing the difference between being what is technically correct and what is providing the best and most appropriate treatment comes with education and experience.

There is a fine line between cockiness and confidence. Unlike many other health care provider programs, that require shadowing or residency many EMS push new Paramedics in the field only after a few months of being with an FTO or passing a protocol test.

As I predicted a decade ago, we will see more and more EMS leave the emergency arena and provide out of hospital care. Sure, we will always have and need first responder type medics but for the long run (for financial expansion of EMS) we will have to continue to expand our way of thinking and increase our knowledge.

R/r 911

Your bolded statement is very true, Paramedic school provides you with the education you need to meet the minimum standards to pass the liscensure exam. You get your feet wet in the field during FTO and learn about appropriately applying your skills in the "gray area" as I call it. The book and protocol answers work great in the black and white education world. But we live in a world that offers shades of grey. Requires Out of the box thinking, strong physiology knowledge and experience to see visually what works what doesn't work and vise versa. All my scenarios that were for testing stations where clear. Medical patient presents with chest pain radiating to the arm and the suspected illness is a MI. The 56 yr old STEMI I had a few weeks back complained of nausea vomiting and respiratory distress. She also had pain in the back.. No way did she present as a textbook MI.

We live in a world of greys to become a well rounded practictioner you need to become educated, experienced and listen to the veterans those guys who have seen the odd cases often provide great knowledge if you willing to listen.

 

[hogwiley]

I think its more of a societal thing than anything else. You see the same thing with new EMTs as well, and its even more annoying with them because they truly don't know anything. Humility is increasingly seen as a sign of weakness, and the days of keeping your eyes and ears open and your mouth shut are long gone with this generation. They are cocky and arrogant right out of the gate.

My Paramedic class is full of ultra cocky kids who can screw up repeatedly without so much as a dent to their egos. I recently watched one of them totally screw up an airway station he should be able to do in his sleep by now, then on break talk to his buddies about how he did everything right but the instructor probably just didn't get laid last night.