What is the greatest training disservice?

[mycrofft]

In your opinions, what parts of training, be they psychological, skills, or other-oriented, are a disservice and fail to prepare new folks to succeed, or help prepare them to fail or burn out?
Some loose ideas to get it going:
1. Attitude that every call is save-able.
2. In adequate training on vehicle ops
3. Winking at protocols and formal training and nodding at expedient and imporvised measures as being better.
4. Failing to teach about improvisation.
5. Management of your social/spiritual/economic/philosophical life as an EMT, Paramedic, etc.
6. Professional ethics and law.
7. Pt rights and advocacy
et et etc

 

[DrankTheKoolaid]

re

Failing to teach improvisation for sure. So many people that are new to EMS cant think outside of the box or beyond simple cook book protocols.

 

[Hal9000]

Had an instructor today tell me that her students didn't need to know what they were doing and what the names of the bones/other anatomical parts were as long as they followed the protocols they taught them.

She also said that I stressed critical thinking too much.

I don't know what to call that.

 

[EMTinNEPA]

Had an instructor today tell me that her students didn't need to know what they were doing and what the names of the bones/other anatomical parts were as long as they followed the protocols they taught them.

She also said that I stressed critical thinking too much.

I don't know what to call that.

Diarrhea of the mouth with constipation of the mind?

 

[chocchipsmom]

While an instructor has guidelines and objectives to meet, I feel all instructors should teach their students to Think! Give them sccenarios that make them think! It is not an attempt to confuse them, just an effort to prepare them as closely as possible for the real world. trust me, the chest pain patient that tries to die at 04:00 will not have read your textbook or protocols, so they will not present "Exactly" like the simulations you learned from.

 

[Ridryder911]

Had an instructor today tell me that her students didn't need to know what they were doing and what the names of the bones/other anatomical parts were as long as they followed the protocols they taught them.

She also said that I stressed critical thinking too much.

I don't know what to call that.

Please tell her, that you could attempt to understand her ideas and philosophy; as long as she quit acclaiming to be an instructor and definitely not an educator.

I would love for those so called self proclaimed "instructors" to come here and explain that type of mentality. Seriously. I would like to know where and why they have developed such lack of understanding about EMS and those that provide health care.

Unfortunately, they will acclaim and brag about being an instructor. How well that they "mold" and "provide exceptional pass rates and knowing what to do more than all that book work".

One of the biggest downfalls in EMS is the lack of education required to be active in EMS education. How can we expect anything in EMS, when those teaching are ignorant and stupid?

I know that I am not well liked within in my own local area, as I attempt and pursue local legislation to make those that teach Paramedic level to have at the least an associate degree level. Of course even this is asinine when comparing to other health care provider educators. Compare this within in my state, of those that teach the LPN course. The main instructor must hold a MSN or BSN w/soon completion of the MS degree and we are worried about an associate degree? Wow! Even those that teach their students how to spell and color within the lines, are required to have a B.S./B.A.

To the original question: What is the greatest disservice? Not screening applicants properly, ensuring they can read and write, and they actually want to provide health care.

 

[MSDeltaFlt]

In your opinions, what parts of training, be they psychological, skills, or other-oriented, are a disservice and fail to prepare new folks to succeed, or help prepare them to fail or burn out?
Some loose ideas to get it going:
1. Attitude that every call is save-able.
2. In adequate training on vehicle ops
3. Winking at protocols and formal training and nodding at expedient and imporvised measures as being better.
4. Failing to teach about improvisation.
5. Management of your social/spiritual/economic/philosophical life as an EMT, Paramedic, etc.
6. Professional ethics and law.
7. Pt rights and advocacy
et et etc

The complete lack of an apprenticeship with regards to ride time. EMT-B ride time should be 6 months. Medics should be a year... minimum.

 

[Ridryder911]

The complete lack of an apprenticeship with regards to ride time. EMT-B ride time should be 6 months. Medics should be a year... minimum.

How about bringing back the provisional level. Where one cannot receive their official license, patch, certificate, etc. until 6 months documented experience. NREMT used to have this and its a shame they removed it.

R/r 911

 

[Hal9000]

Unfortunately, they will acclaim and brag about being an instructor. How well that they "mold" and "provide exceptional pass rates and knowing what to do more than all that book work".

One of the biggest downfalls in EMS is the lack of education required to be active in EMS education. How can we expect anything in EMS, when those teaching are ignorant and stupid?

I know that I am not well liked within in my own local area, as I attempt and pursue local legislation to make those that teach Paramedic level to have at the least an associate degree level. Of course even this is asinine when comparing to other health care provider educators. Compare this within in my state, of those that teach the LPN course. The main instructor must hold a MSN or BSN w/soon completion of the MS degree and we are worried about an associate degree? Wow! Even those that teach their students how to spell and color within the lines, are required to have a B.S./B.A.

To the original question: What is the greatest disservice? Not screening applicants properly, ensuring they can read and write, and they actually want to provide health care.

I believe that one needs to have only a 3-day "Lead Instructor" class to teach in the state of Montana, and the class teaches only how to submit the proper paperwork. That instructor (Who I doubt I will help much in the future; indeed, the reason I do help is simply to make sure that killers aren't being sent out.) felt the need to keep reminding me that I'm not a "Lead Instructor," and that I don't know enough to teach, despite the fact that I've spent and continue money on college medical classes to further my knowledge and actually keep up on current practices. I know for a fact that this instructor has never even taken an introductory A&P class, and teaches that "all of the heart repolarizes after the T-wave" and that "all IFTs should be run L&S to save time; it's simply a local protocol."

It is amazing to watch how many people are swindled into becoming the antithesis of knowledgeable professionals. Thankfully, the service is a tiny one serving only around 14,000 total people.

It is still a disservice to the people being served as well as the people being "trained."

 

[emtfarva]

In your opinions, what parts of training, be they psychological, skills, or other-oriented, are a disservice and fail to prepare new folks to succeed, or help prepare them to fail or burn out?
Some loose ideas to get it going:
1. Attitude that every call is save-able.
2. In adequate training on vehicle ops
3. Winking at protocols and formal training and nodding at expedient and imporvised measures as being better.
4. Failing to teach about improvisation.
5. Management of your social/spiritual/economic/philosophical life as an EMT, Paramedic, etc.
6. Professional ethics and law.
7. Pt rights and advocacy
et et etc

you can't teach improvisation, you can teach to think out of the box, well you can tell people to thing out of the box, but most people have to think that way on their own.

 

[Luno]

There are great injustices to training, however I think that the greatest injustice to all the students that attend training, be it EMT-B, I, P is that classes make the technician. An EMT is made in the field, the class teaches to pass a test. Reading over the comments to "shake and bake" courses and my personal experiences, it just comes back to the point, a class does not teach one to be an EMT, it just instructs to pass an exam... This is the greatest injustice in my opinion.

 

[Ridryder911]

There are great injustices to training, however I think that the greatest injustice to all the students that attend training, be it EMT-B, I, P is that classes make the technician. An EMT is made in the field, the class teaches to pass a test. Reading over the comments to "shake and bake" courses and my personal experiences, it just comes back to the point, a class does not teach one to be an EMT, it just instructs to pass an exam... This is the greatest injustice in my opinion.

If that is the given, then those are crappy programs. One of the reasons accelerated and shake & bake programs needs to cease to exist. Not all courses are taught as training, but rather as education. I definitely can tell those that were trained and those that have received an education.

If you were not taught properly upon how to function within your role without having additional education, then your program was poor. Period. This does not mean your education ceases but one should be competent enough to at least start at the entry level.

The reason the technician label is added because most training institutions fail to educate, but rather "train". Unfortunately that is what the student wants... an easy, short cut, half arse program and thus the results are technicians. What should they expect? How many gripe if they have to take formal basic support level courses such as A & P, Micro, Psychology all at the basic level? All of it is needed to really have a grasp how to properly function in the role of prehospital provider. Truthfully, a technician is what the majority roles just are... technician as to follow a set guidelines and orders; all because they lack the education and expertise to make decisions upon themselves.

Too many are placing the emphasis of training and education comes from working. I do not disagree that one will develop and hone their expertise and increase their knowledge but to have to learn the basics of the job is not only ridiculous but dangerous. An employer should not be responsible for teaching a person to how to perform at the minimum level. Once you have completed your foundation you should already be prepared to function in that role. Again, if you are not, you and your program have failed.

Many times I wonder if most EMT's even make the technician level, in comparison to other health care technician? At least the technicians have a grasp of their profession and how to perform it when exiting a program.

 

[rescuepoppy]

I don't know if this happens in any medical classes. But recently I taught a rescue-tech VMR extrication class,and had some of my students ask if this was "a no fail class". Seems that some of their instructors were making any tests they used open tests where the class answered all questions as they took the test. This included CPR classes. If this is not a disservice then I don't know what it is. Can you imagine depending on these people in a time of need?

 

[EMTrainer]

The greatest disservice

The greatest disservice an instructor can do to his/her students is to teach them to pass tests without training them to function in the real world. I've seen too many students who can recite the book ver batum and perform every task on the skill sheets backwards and forwards, but who freeze or fall apart the first time the encounter a field situation that wasn't covered in class.

We must give our students not only knowledge, but the ability to apply that knowledge with sound medical judgement, even in situations beyond what was covered in class.

IMHO