What's the point of EMR ?
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DrankTheKoolaid
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Not likely to be hired as a EMR with an over saturation of EMT basics. But at least here in California a company can hire you as a first responder aka EMR as long as you are EMT certified within 1 year of hire date.
Another reason for the continued use EMR is the cost savings to volunteer Fire departments. The only ost of the course is less, the time commitment to the volunteer is less and depending on the area the LEMSA is not involved in this low of a training level so it is a double cost savings.
Now i admittantly am not a fan of fire based EMS for a variety of reasons, but in the case of the rural volunteer I am all for it and thankful the areas have people kind enough to volunteer to that kind of commitment and training.
Another reason for the continued use EMR is the cost savings to volunteer Fire departments. The only ost of the course is less, the time commitment to the volunteer is less and depending on the area the LEMSA is not involved in this low of a training level so it is a double cost savings.
Now i admittantly am not a fan of fire based EMS for a variety of reasons, but in the case of the rural volunteer I am all for it and thankful the areas have people kind enough to volunteer to that kind of commitment and training.
NomadicMedic
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EMR is a "first responder." Some industrial response teams, security guards, police officers, lifeguards, theme park employee, camp counselors and other people who may be first on a medical scene will be trained as an EMR. In most places it is not a "stand alone" certification.
MagicTyler
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Maybe at a paramedic level... depending on the part of the country you live in. EMT-Basic is a cert that a lot of people have and jobs can be hard to find, especially in medium to large cities. If you live in the middle of nowhere, EMT is more rare... But with that there are much fewer positions, so someone has to be fired or die before a spot opens up.
EpiEMS
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EMR is intended for first responders who will not be transporting patients, such as firefighters and police officers. It is also applicable for those like lifeguards who transfer care into the EMS system, as well as for those who are on CERT teams, say, and don't have the time for an EMT course (though an EMT course is not particularly long). EMRs are trained to provide immediate life-saving BLS interventions like ventilations, hemorrhage control, and CPR for critical patients, not for simple medical patients (per the National Scope).
I am currently an EMR. I want to be a medic and this is good experience. I took EMR because I was 17 at the time and to take EMT-B you have to be 18. I'm an EMR with a vol. fire dept. and a lot of times we beat the ambulance there by several minutes. Which as you know makes a lot of difference if someone's in cardiac arrest. Yes, I have already signed up for EMT-B in August but EMR's definitely have a place. The EMR class I took was pretty close to an EMT level. There weren't many things that EMt's can do that weren't in our class.
fortsmithman
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Here in the Northwest Territories and the province of Alberta EMR is the equivalent of EMT Basic.
Sandog
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In San Diego most departments require Medic.
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Sandog
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EMR was a pre-req for my basic class, I thought it was a waste of time. Just a way for colleges to squeeze more cash out of ya.
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EMR class also satisfies LEO's requirement for a first aid prerequisite during their schooling.. IMO first responders are essential in rural areas when ambulance response times are longer because of distance..
When I was a teen, my father amputated his finger in the garage. Our neighbors were First Responders, two minutes up the dirt road and were able to treat him for shock while the ambulance was still 40 minutes out..
Those same neighbors were also able to help us when he fell in the shower while on home hospice..
A friend of mine had her son delivered by first responders.. A co-worker of mine fell through the ice while snowmobiling, and first responders on the lake treated his hypothermia before the ambulance arrived..
EMRs in my rural area also keep AEDs in their vehicles at all times.. (purchased through local fundraising activities)
My instructor says that EMR cert is a stepping stone, he says that he sees more success in EMT/Paramedic students that have passed an EMR course and practiced as volunteers. I believe him..
When I was a teen, my father amputated his finger in the garage. Our neighbors were First Responders, two minutes up the dirt road and were able to treat him for shock while the ambulance was still 40 minutes out..
Those same neighbors were also able to help us when he fell in the shower while on home hospice..
A friend of mine had her son delivered by first responders.. A co-worker of mine fell through the ice while snowmobiling, and first responders on the lake treated his hypothermia before the ambulance arrived..
EMRs in my rural area also keep AEDs in their vehicles at all times.. (purchased through local fundraising activities)
My instructor says that EMR cert is a stepping stone, he says that he sees more success in EMT/Paramedic students that have passed an EMR course and practiced as volunteers. I believe him..
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They have their place, yes, but it's limited to rural areas in my opinion. EMTs can't do a whole lot anyways so that's not saying much.
For what it's worth all of FDNYs firefighters operate at the CFR (same thing, different name) level despite their actual certification.
EMR/CFR is not a stepping stone and that's a very anecdotal statement on your instructor's part. The Boy Scouts of America teach 14 year olds the same things included in a EMR/CFR course. That's like saying you have to have EMT experience to be successful in medic school and to be a good medic.
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Expand on that thought if you have time, I'd like to know what you mean..
*he never said "always", he says he sees "more"*
Christopher
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This has not been my experience. Given a reputable paramedic program there is rarely a functional difference between providers once leaving the program.
5 years of bad habits as an EMR isn't useful in Paramedic school.
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Oh, that makes plenty of sense then.
Christopher
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I should add that my statement would apply to any lower level of medical experience prior to paramedic school. Experience is something to consider, but it is also "learning by anecdote". Some competencies must be obtained in this way, but most didactic objectives are best kept in the classroom.
Kelly Grayson often uses the line, "some medics have twenty years of experience, while others have one year of experience repeated twenty times."
(I'd imagine he adapted this from Robbin's Truth about Managing People)
EpiEMS
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+1 to that! I'd rather a smart, inexperienced medic than a medic who's overconfident because he's/she's "been doing this a long time" (prompting me to ask "So you've been doing it wrong all this time?).
Regarding EMR --> EMT --> Medic, the EMR level exposure is nice, but it's certainly not requisite.
That's just crazy. Not very useful to have 4 medics on an engine, after all.