NREMT-IL

Friends- I have known many people who have gotten through Basic school and have no desire to go any further. Now I would agree that this generally limits one's upward mobility within the EMS system as it currently exists. However there is a point in one of the first posts that I disagree with vehemently and that is (to paraphrase): Basics do little in terms of emergency medicine. I think it is a logical fallacy to make such a comment. We (basics) are allowed to splint, bandage, stabalize and in generally provide a certain degree of emergent care. We are also allowed to push epinephrine and glucagon. I think the reason that I point this out is that Basics do much of the work that Paramedics dont WANT to do...that doesnt make it any less important. It seems to me that rather than beating the horse of Paramedic vs. EMT that we should see there roles not as one being better than the other (an unfortunate attitude taken my many medics) that we should see that we work together as partners and as a team to provide the best possible pre-hospital emergency care within our scope of practice. As far as one being better than the other, I have seen basics that practically have the PDR and Merck Manual memorized and can put that information into practice as they assist in patient care and I have also known those who have gotten through Medic school that couldnt bandage or splint if their lives depended on it. There are good EMT-Bs and good medics, there are also bad in each of these groups. As for the statement in another posting that many states are doing away with Intermediate level EMTs, this may true. But my research would indicate that many services are taking on just as many intermediates as Paramedics. As for me, I plan to advance to the Intermediate level before going to Medic school. Lets drop all of this petty bickering and realize that we are all members of a wonderful and time honored service to the public. And that, my friends is what its all about, basic, intermediate or paramedic...Service. I would like to finish up with this idea: the past president of the AMA has been quoted as saying that the fate of a patient, in a majority of calls, is based on the quality of the first rescuer to attend to that patient. Notice he makes no mention of level. Just some food for thought.

Perhaps the most important thing to remember is that failure to be certain that you have turned over care to a person of equal or higher medical certification as you constitutes legal abandonment...if you are not going to be absolutely certain to who you are transferring care and not going to take the extra minutes to check credentials so that you are not transferring you patient to a unit clerk or custodian, you may as well leave them sitting on the concrete floor of the hospitals ambulance bay. Because either way you have abandoned your patient and will definately get slapped with a law suit and probably lose your license. Something interesting that we were taught (USA/IL) is that the patient you are currently caring for takes standing over anything that may come in and "stack up" while you are caring for them. We had an ALS unit in my town literally take the patient into the hospital, draw sheet him into a bed and run out the door to be present at a structure fire. Naughty naughty. "This is my job. This is not my emergency."

I personally get fired up when people say that an EMT-B is nothing but an ambulance driver. Let them go without us for awhile and see how they do.