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Teenage EMTs - YouTube Video


AnthonyM83

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One thing I will add to my previous post is that I don't doubt that these kids are more competent than the average EMT (not that that says a lot). But regardless of maturity, a 16 year old is not old enough to respond to 911 calls in an ambulance.

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Okay, I was unable to watch the video, but I have many thoughts on the subject just based on the title.

First off, I guess I need to embrace a shameful past and admit that I came from a program that I imagine is much like this one. Students in my high school could get trained as EMT's at 16 y/o and each day 4 would be on duty, wear pagers, and respond from class in a chase car.

While I appreciate the experience it gave me, the program is deleterious for many reasons. To begin with, the maturity and education level of high school students is substandard. I worked with a few very bright, motivated, and mature peers; however the screening process to weed out those who are not is inadequate if existent at all. (now that I think about it, this issue is prevalent in EMS, no matter what the age). Some people say that is the purpose of the state EMT exam, but I think this too is inadequate.

To hit on CC64's point, our chase car was driven by a custodian because the insurance company would not cover 16 year olds to drive. So insurance wouldn't endorse us driving to the scene of an emergency...but the town encouraged us to provide medical care once we got there?

Secondly, this program breeds whackerism. While the few bright, motivated, mature individuals in the program were genuinely interested in the intellectual medical aspect, too many just liked the title and being able to run out of class.

Thirdly, the reason the program came about was because the majority of people in my town work 9-5 jobs so there was nobody to volunteer to respond to ambulance calls. So rather than institute a paid, full time ambulance staff, they opened up the volunteer position to children.

Like I said previously, I am grateful for the experience I obtained while in the program. It allowed me to see what EMS has to offer and begin my education early. None the less, I think there are better ways to provide this to high school students without relying on them for primary emergency medical care.

P.S. read the comments under the video, particularly the ones by jediSCUME and fabifly...these scared me quite a bit.

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I think the papers should just put this in their database, and then when the time comes it will be ready to go.

<Insert month> <insert day> 20--

TRAGEDY IN DARIEN [/font:f5016f9f0e]

<insert #> Teens killed in car crash while playing EMT

Darien, CT -- <insert #> of teens were killed today when the vehicle they were riding in struck/went off of/swerved to avoid a tree/embankment/another vehicle while responding to/returning from an incident. The names have been withheld due to the age of the victims.

"I'm not sure who's idea it was to send teenagers with EMT-B training responding to medical emergencies, but obviously it had tragic consequences," said <insert name of police or fire official>.

"They were so young, but at least they died doing something that meant something to them," said <insert name of misguided doofus>

Funeral arrangements will be held next <insert day that doesn't conflict with high school football game> Members of the community are expected to outpour sympathy and reflect, with out any irony, on "how this could have happened", read some stuff from either Shel Silverstein or maybe "The Purpose Driven Life", play some bagpipe music, maybe plant a tree or make a fountain, and then pretty much move on and forget about it in a year.

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I was a member of an EMS/Fire explorer post when i was 14, we had stict rules on what we could and could not do, as long as they are under the guidence of an adult i really see no problem. How is this any different from any other vocational training many schools deal with? My High School had a nursing (Nursing...not CNA, not candystrippers) Vo-Tec traing course, as well as mechanics, construction, farming. None any more dangerous than what these kids are doing

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One thing I will add to my previous post is that I don't doubt that these kids are more competent than the average EMT (not that that says a lot). But regardless of maturity, a 16 year old is not old enough to respond to 911 calls in an ambulance.
What do you mean by competence? If you're talking about actual EMT medical skills, I wouldn't agree, assuming there is a strict selection process. The EMTs in this video didn't seem like goof-off kids just looking for a thrill. Everything looked professional, like they took it seriously, and like they were bright kids. EMT is not that hard. A kid who is dedicated to treating the job seriously and has the intelligence and a strong academic background (even if they haven't done the upper level course-work) could do a kickass job.

I saw no signs of whackerism, over-excitement, etc. They said one kid was pre-med, I imagine a large number of them are. If you don't expose them to the whacker side and only to medical professional side (which is what they want to be when they grow up), you could actually have a purse breed of competent EMTS...more than a lot of communities.

The downside is they don't have as much field experience b/c they're all young and less life experience, problem-solving experience, mechanical motor skills, for figuring out problems on-scene. That and PTSD would be my only worries with THAT particular program, I think.

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I must say I loved it. I've been an EMT since I was 16, so I think what they are diong is outstanding!

The more things you say, the more I don't like about you.

16 year old children should not be exposed to the things we see. Not to mention they shouln't be around all the communicable disease's we have.

Not to mention the reprocussions we now face as 'professionals'

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