siren_man

Usually the lawyers go after everybody they can, kind of the " shotgun " approach. They are looking for whoever has the deepest pockets. Contrary to popular belief most lawyers are not really interested in going to court. Thier bread and butter is the " out of court settlement " . But don't be decieved most services would throw all of us under the bus to save themselves. It is a sad commentary on our profesion but it is the truth. Be careful of malpractice policies as again if this policy makes you the " deepest pocke " it can make you a target. the best policy is always do your best to do what is best for your patient within your scope of practice and protocol. I have been in EMS for 29 years and have been to court 3 times. I have never been the litigant but I have seen people get ripped, funny thing 2 of the three were involving non patient care ( driving accidents ) so just do what you think is right again within your scope of practce and protocol. The fact is things will go wrong, that is the very nature of our job, something has already gone wrong thats why we are called, but it is more difficult than you think to lose litigation. anyone can be sued for anything these days. to win a lawyer has to prove 1) there was an obvious mistake made that someone of equal trainig and experience would not have made 2) you were solely responsible for this mistake ( ie varying from protocol or scope of practice ) and finally that 3) harm was done by you to the patient. So be vigilant about your protocols, stay within your scope of practice and relax and do your job. But if it makes you feel better get a malpractice policy they are not expensive and available thru vendors you can find in most EMS magasines.... Hope I helped

I know I'm new here but I hear some of this every day. I'm referring to the " we all need college degrees" crowd. its usually someone young who is in college for something else. I have been in Emergency Services for 23 years and I have not run into a situation where a college degree would help at all. don't get me wrong I'm not anti-degree I just don't see how it can improve our situation as a profession. look at Fire services, they have a great deal of recognition as " heroes" and I'm not sure but most Firefighters don't have degrees. how DO we improve our situation? I'm not sure and I have spent allot of time talking to allot of people and thinking a great deal about it. I'd gladly listen to anyone who can give us some idea what we can do. Bobby

ok here we are. the simple facts are this, what is holding EMS back is that we are not recognized as healthcare providers. we are public safety. there is no consensus where we as Paramedics and EMT's fit in to the healthcare system. Of course we're also not part of Fire or other public safety either. I think Paramedics and to some extent EMT's provide care comparable or exceeding that of nurses so how to get that fact into the general knowledge of the public? When I know that I'll be famous ( ha-ha ).