veryamusing

SirAndrew, I don't know why you feel foolish for posting, but you shouldn't. Asking questions is how we all learn; if you don't understand something or wish to understand it better then please just ask! You are being helpful and are not wasting forum space (hint: it's not finite). I don't think EMT-Bs should be doing IVs--that should be left to EMT-Ps (we don't have EMT-Is in Florida). The EMT-B program at my community college was eleven credit hours, just shy of the twelve required to be considered a full-time student. This may not mean much on the surface, but why is the college so reluctant to validate the profession by making it a legit course of study? Not even my professors could answer that. But with respect to what courses in addition to the basic EMT stuff one should know is like you said, college-level mathematics like algebra, English composition, definitely medical terminology, A&P, and perhaps even sciences like biology, chemistry, physics, etc. Humanities, speech and computer classes? Eh, not so much. I think we can all agree that many EMTs we've come in contact with would balk at these requirements and may not have entered the profession at all had this been the bar height. (I modeled my suggestion after the RN curriculum at both the Associate's and Bachelor's levels.) But if we're ever going to garner any respect (as was said above), and shake the "ambulance driver" mentality, we need to implement stringent education requirements. Lastly, if we want this movement to get roots, we should do it ourselves first. How many here have met these requirements so far? I had already taken many of these courses before I enrolled in the EMT program, but many of my classmates had not and had no intention of furthering themselves beyond the most basic requirements. Let's lead by example.

You're not wrong. My program was one college semester, or about sixteen weeks. It consisted of eleven hours, five lecture, three lab and three clinical. We had to do three eight-hour shifts in a hospital ER and four ten-hour shifts on a rescue with either the city or county fire department. That’s short enough that anyone who wants to just try it out hasn’t wasted thousands of dollars and year of their life. I got real experience, albeit not much, from real people working in the industry. Also, if someone didn’t like it they simply dropped the classes, or in my case just never did anything with their license. I sat for the NREMT exam and passed it, and became licensed here in Florida. My license will expire in December and I never did apply to RMA like I had wanted to. If possible, I’d like to share a bit more of my experience. Admittedly, I grew up watching Rescue 911, Trauma: Life in the ER, Critical Hour, etc. These shows portrayed the continuum of care in a positive light I thought and drew me in; I wasn’t simply looking to speed my way down the street, lights ablaze and siren wailing. I wanted to provide top-notch medical care to sick and injured patients. But when I started really researching my options, I learned that in my area there are just two providers of 911 service aside from the city and county fire services, either Rural/Metro or Health Central Paramedics; Florida Hospital EMS and American Ambulance do IFTs only. The lack of choices isn’t my point though; I also found out that RMA starts EMT-Bs at just $9.00/hour. This really surprised me, and I think it’s a clear indicator of the “value” they place on us as medical professionals. Despite all the negative things I had read, I desperately wanted to do this, and so I did. I registered for classes but didn’t tell anyone until they asked me as I walked out the front door on my first night why I was dressed up in a neatly pressed uniform. When I answered that I was going to find out for myself what it’s really like, they brushed me off and told me I was foolish for not wanting to finish a Bachelor’s in finance that I had started. What I’m trying to say is that everyone close to me had nothing but contempt for me and treated me like I was “less than” for actually wanting to work nights, weekends and holidays in all sorts of weather conditions to help people. I think this is how EMS is perceived in general. I think we’re thought of as skilled workers, and not medical professionals. They just don’t get it, and it’s up to us to make them get it. When I finished this semester-long course and returned to UCF to finish my Bachelor’s (largely due to some advice I received from a firefighter preceptor to come back if I still want to once I’m done), I could hear everyone exhale. They were so relieved, and that bothers the hell out of me. I’d really like to propose solutions to the problem, but I don’t know where to start. Actually, I do. I think that everyone in EMS needs to be more prideful. Yes, everyone; that includes me. I don’t have pride that I’m an EMT, and that’s why I let naysayers keep me from interviewing with RMA. Do you have pride?

I don't mean to offend anyone here, but to be honest with you, most of the people I went to EMT school with just didn't care. They were apathetic and put in as little effort as possible, and thankfully many of them didn't pass. Our community college imposed a requirement that students had to pass the class AND the final exam both with an 80 average, whereas many other schools require just a 70 like the NREMT exam. This made a lot of students mad, but perhaps it forced them to reevaluate their attitudes and get with the program of SAVING LIVES.