emaxray

If someone spoke to me that way you can bet I would sure as hell take it personally. The pot calling the kettle black as far as unprofessionalism, though on different levels. How professional is name calling? Both are examples. Just pointing out the where's and why's of my statement. As far as Ohio "closing the gap of care", don't get me wrong. I don't exactly endorse it, just trying to figure out the reasoning behind it. It does carry great potential to go very badly for the EMT-I.

And it's still the best one there is IMO. Covers more listings than any other I have found. For anywhere.

After completing the school, you can take the NR 3 times. If all 3 are failures, you have to take a refresher course at whatever level you tested for and you make have another 3 attempts. Past that I believe you must attend the entire original program. Don't feel bad. I failed the NR medic exam twice already myself. You might be a horrible test taker like me.

There is a link on www.emtcity.com http://www.emtcity.com/phpBB2/emsjobs.php?...&l=&s=0

How is she NOT going to take that personally? She wasn't the intoxicated one I spoke of earlier. I was done arguing the paid vs. volunteer thing and just had examples to support why I don't think volunteer agencies help in professionalism. I am still waiting for some others to give some good examples where volunteer agencies DO promote professionalism. SSG G-Man was one on my count. Yes, there are a many a paid EMS person who does not promote professionalism. Myself, I have never said otherwise. I agree with points like attitude,, appearance, knowledge and bedside manner being big point where one can make or break whether one is viewed as a professional. I think Ohio in their protocols have attempted to close the gap of care with the implementation of true I-99 protocols. I can't say I agree with it (not because of pajamas or flip flops etc), but with the current education requirements. I think that it may be tempting disaster with only 130 hours of training/education, while current paramedic requirements are in the 800 something hours. Ironically, one of the things I would have liked to see more during school was more time spent of the why and cause/effect than just the how. Unfortunately or fortunately depending on your views, this is not the protocols of all agencies. Most privates and large departments do NOT adhere to these protocols because someone in their chain of command or medical control shares a view like mine where they don't feel enough was taught to I's to have them doing certain things. The ones that simply adopt the state protocols are the ones who have lazy leaders, just don't care, or don't know any better. My view only. I would like to see the education for all levels go up. Paramedic level should be an associates(2 year), make the Intermediate require the length of the current paramedic and the basic cover 130 hours. Use that "extra" time to go more in depth on the cause and effect of illnesses/injuries and the why of treatments. Then discard all the state certifications and National Registry the norm no matter where you are. (OK, that one comes partly from my dealing with the reciprocity issue right now :? ) If I am not mistaken, that was the intent of it's creation anyway. I know that here in Ohio, you take the registry test to get whatever card, but then you receive a state card and never have to do anything with registry again, which in my mind is just laziness.

I agree with the sober statement. The ER was informed and I believe my partner made a call reporting it. She no longer worked there when I left. We "barked" the ER staff for allowing her to run around, bloody and barefoot in thier ER as well.

My only question if a question at all. When something is being reviewed to be changed it's it pretty much up to those who want to change it to show reason for the change? Sounds like the ball is in his court. Perhaps it's he who needs to prove changing it will better the results.

1) Assisted as in was in the back of the ambulance fucntioning as a basic setting up IV's, doing bandaging to the cuts (apparently from glass) etc. 2) Yes, responding to calls in PJ's from home to station and then getting in the ambulance and responding to the house, building, whatever in pajamas. I have more examples like this than I can count. As I said earlier in a discussion about this topic with a friend offline, I don't have to have volunteered to know and I have heard no one tell me how a volunteer service does anything to help the image of professionalism we are talking about. They almost always resort to the "if there were no volunteers..." or the "It's all they have..." reasonings to why they exist.

It has become so hard to find work in OH that I am looking for reciprocity and moving to another state. I think that answers the question, at least around here. Edit: Rid, also come disguised as Subway employees, Burger King employees....

#1 While working for a paid private service withh 911 contracts we were at the local hospital where we saw one of our employees there. Drunk, barefoot and covered in blood, she was present at a barfight and "assisted" her volunteer crew members who responded. She rode along in the back of the ambulance to the hospital. Helpful or harmful to professionalism? #2 The volunteers around me sometimes respond to thier station for calls in pajamas, flip flops and other assortment of clothing similar. Helpful or harmful to professionalism? #3 While working for the same paid private service as earlier, a call went out (during the day on a weekend) to a surrounding volly EMS agency (countywide dispatch) for an elderly female fallen, no one responded. Not 10 minutes late another call went out for the same department, this time for a Code 4 (which is MVA with injuries here, they use Ohio police 10-codes...I won't get into that) and you would have thought it was another 9-11 with all the people responding. Helpful or harmful to prfessionalism? I use these examples not to start anything, but to give people an idea of why I think the way I do about volunteers. In my eyes, those systems are harmful, unsafe for all involved, and cost lives... period. It doesn't meet any form of a definition for professionalism. Not even close. Mind you this is in some surrounding areas (<10-15 miles) of a city of about 50-60 thousand with a full paid FD and full-time EMS. We are all going to have different opinions based on differnt experiences in different places. The fact remains are people paying dearly for some of our ignorance. Edit: I feel I need to add that this is not intended to be indicitive of all volunteers.

First I read it as, for 13 cents a day one rig (to continue the implied it seems, 26 cents a day get 2 rigs, 39 cents a day...) basically meaning it really would be all that hard or as expensive as the people who say it would cost too much. Maybe one rig couldn't do it, but it isn't as far fetched to think there couldn't be enough provided. Second, yeah, both parties back are hurt, yeah both have bad memories, but only one was paid to do it and can afford therapy from doing it, etc, etc. Third...eh...I read only an example of how a system can be affordable. -5 for not being able to read between the lines.

:?: :?: If any of it was incorrect, by all means... Asysin2leads wrote:"If you don't want to be a paramedic and do all you possibly can to treat the sick and injured, why exactly did you get into EMS? I mean, if you have true desire to help others by providing prehospital emergency care, wouldn't you want to be able to do all you possibly could for your patient?" I can't count how many times (and recently) I Have heard you say you got into EMS to help people. I was simply wondering the same thing. A very valid question as well.

When I was in CA I had every cop from Orange County Sheriff to Military Police and Oceanside clear intersections. Back in Ohio, I don't even think they yield. :? If units are responding from behind me, I always edged to the right alittle and turned lifghts on. If someone decided to creep forward, yip the siren(didn't happen often). Any other direction and especially in heavy traffic, I stay quiet and wave.

Thanks Michael, I enjoyed reading the topic and didn't know where to start until I saw it was locked. Nobody will pay to have fire or ems if people do it for free. That's pretty much the bottom line. John Q doesn't see it as important enough. And in my opinion from what I have witnessed, volunteer services give EMS (and fire if it applies, though less harmful) a bad name. I worked in an area with volunteers and now live in one. At times a call will come in and go unaanswered for 20-25 minutes. Pardon me, but WTF is that? BS I say. The child having siezures at 1100 am doesn't get any help because the vollies are at thier REAL jobs. The "it's all they have" arguement has lost it's worthiness with me. It can be better, but volunteers DON'T WANT IT TO BE, cause they like getting to have woo woos and whirlygigs on thier POVs and play Johnny Gage, Ricky Rescue, whatever you want to call it. Therefore, I say volunteers in general are harmful to the professionalism we are trying to portray. Now some might frown or ask, why don't I volunteer? Since I am here and all. Easy, PAY ME, and I'll do it round the clock. To hit the "make everyone a medic" I can't say I disagree with it, but I don't think it has anything to do with being professional. I know plenty of Basics and Intermediates that are just as or more professional than alot of Paramedics. As far as not wanting the extra responsibility (here comes the fun part which will continue beyond all of yuor ears and eyes), then why an EMT-I? In the volunteer system, that has made you take on that responsibility. Where you are required to know first line cardiac medications and pain management to include medications among other things. Now you bear some of the same responsibilities without the depth of education.

I'm not sure if all of those address the question at hand, but I love it!! :!:

I "learned" to call it a "box", but that always referred to the back mainly. That was in CA though and here in OH most people refer to it as a "squad", (which always bugged me because a police car was a "squad car" in CA) or a bus, (noted cause they wanna sound cool like those fellers in NYC). I have noticed that west coast seems to prefer "box" and east coast seems to prefer "bus". In the middle it ranges from "truck", "rig" or "squad" (rural). With FD's that run both fire and ems, truck is the ladder and one of the others is used for the ambulance. OMG I'm so confused! :roll:

ummm...yeah

I am so glad to see something like this other than hearing myself. I am tired of arguing with the vollies about why it's worth paying people to risk thier lives. At least in places with enough call volume to warrant such. Instead, they blow the money they have on those huge buildings nobody uses (cept for the Labor Day fish fry) and newer, bigger, better apparatus. There are 2 township FDs near me that have ladder trucks. There isn't a building over 2 stories for 20 miles and even then it's the hospital in a small city with thier own ladder. What a waste of money. If you read the medic vs basic pay post, you'll recognize the "horrible company" I mentioned there. That same company provided bunk rooms, a huge bay for the trucks and a kitchen withOUT a range unit (but there's a microwave), bathrooms and shower, etc.. They bought new leather office furniture for the billing department downstairs and sent the old stuff up to us. However, The new million dollar building they built does not, to this day, have ANY form of fire detection of suppression system in it. To save money, they paid off the township FD inspector and he passed the building. Same as they paid off the ambulance inspector to pass ALS units without gear. I remember watching him check a new truck and upon finding out there was no monitor, asked someone to get the monitor for the unit. One of managment got one from another truck, he saw it, checked it off and the manager took it right back to the other truck! I was beside myself. I guess just hearing about the volunteer/county FDs again got me boiled over. The "Good 'Ol Boy" system makes me wanna vomit. Alot of times it's some Vol. Chief that just doesn't want to give up his power. I've seen that too. No offense to the volunteers of the world. There are times when that's all you got so you make it work. But I definately get frustrated when I'm trying to make a living as a professional (I am FFII as well) and there are people giving it away.

I actually contacted the reciprocity contacts for VA, NC and SC and printed out any forms they have. I only one I haven't heard back from was VA. SC "urges" me to get my medic through NR before attempting reciprocity, which is understandable, but I don't know if I have that long. Divorce, lost job and working at a Quizznos for crissake don't bode well. I would love to be able to do that though. Fact of the matter is, I don't care where the NR cert comes from state-wise. The medic exam seems ta have my number and has kicked my arse twice already, but I digress... NC asks for 1) copies of all my certs (naturally), 2) official transcript verification of complete an initial EMS course, showing course hours and grade earned, 3) a letter stating why I want to be certified in NC and 4) personal info like SS# and stuff. Then they will send a packet to complete, once they receive the packet, should take 5-10 days for them to decide whether or not they will grant reciprocity. The only issue I have is #2. 10 years ago I completed NR Basic course and twice have completed paramedic school, (I let it lapse like a dumbarse, don't bring it up... :roll: ), the latest of which was completed 06/06. If they are referring to my initial NR Basic course I think I am screwed because it was through MTN (Military Training Network) while I was in CA and none of the Navy instructors that were overseeing it or taught it are there any longer, I guarantee. Naturally, I will be calling her to verify what it means exactly, but that's the scoop so far. The main reason I searched and stumbled upon EMT City was because of this search and it was the main reason I signed up here. The site has been ever so helpful in helping to find links, want ads, departments, etc. Everything I couldn't find using such things as Monster etc. The combining of all the job sites makes it soooo much easier and I owe a lifetime of gratitude to whoever set that up. I also appreciate the support already of 2 "Tarheelians" (is that really a word? ) and would have a "foreigner" transfer as a coworker. It means mounds.

I have been looking for work in nearby states due to the over population of fire/ems personnel in Ohio. However, the states I have been looking into seem to always want residency for reciprocity. I have been looking mainly at VA, NC and SC cause I heard there were a lot of jobs in those states and they're close to Ohio. (I am divorced and have a daughter whom I would like to see from time to time still) Does anyone know if there are ways around this where I might be able to get reciprocity without already being a resident? I can't move without knowing I'll have gainful employment, I just don't have the resources, nor do I know anyone there. I am open to any suggestions, but apparently, staying here and functioning as a firefighter/emt (hopefully paramedic soon) isn't an option anymore.

I never post as you can see, but I kinda got an inside view on some of this. I have been both sides of the fence here and (unfortunately) having worked at the same place Shira did, I agree with what she's talkin about. Starting salary vs. experienced employee. That horrible company paid every one the same. IE: EMTB's make 8/hr, EMTI's make 9/hr, EMTP's make10/hr. It doesn't matter if you have been there 1 day or 5 years. Raises came only twice in my 3 1/2 years there. Everyone got .25 and then everyone went to those rates I stated. And as a side note, if some one on the truck screwed up (in that companies eyes, both the medic and the basic got canned) To hit on what emtpsaveu911 said, technically the "rule" was, no one discussed their pay. Of course not, cause it isn't right at any level. Apples to apples, if you and I are both medics, and you have been at the company 5 years to my 1, you should make more. Taking apples to oranges, a basic and a medic at the same company, both for 5 years shouldn't make the same, the medic should start out making more and continue to do so. However when you talk about raises are these performance based? Many aren't and they should be. In a little defense of basics (which I currently still am), I know every medic can think of a basic that they thought was dumber than a box of rocks and in turn think of one they would love to have as a permanent partner. Why? Because we all know the saying, "Good medics save patients and good basics save medics." Some basic are worth more than the average basic pay (whatever that may be). It boils down to degrees really. Should a good basic(based on performance raises) with 15 years at a department or company make more than a new medic? Possibly. Should the basic pay top out at the same as the medic pay? Absolutely not. I think that part of her statement was missed a bit. On a separate note. I'm trying to get out of Ohio due to the over abundance of Basics, Medic, Fire everything. I was looking at VA, NC and SC cause I heard there's alot of work down there. It's close enough to family, but what's the deal with having to reside there to get reciprocity? I'll take this to another topic, but asrnj77 mentioned something about Fairfax...ideas? I can't, however, condone the childishness of the latest response.

I think I used a glove several times as a Navy Hospital Corpsman. Not after that, that I can think of though. Do the old penrose rains count as commercial?