States

[Scaramedic]

Scara-I know Washington's got all the different I levels, but how often do all of them actually get used?

It's like the Wild West out here when it comes to certs. I can't give you exact numbers but I usually see IV or Airway techs. I don't know about the boonies though, I think the ILS levels are for them.

[EMS49393]

If it makes you feel any better, Iowa calls their EMT-I/99s "EMT-Paramedic."

Sometimes, I just don't know what to say. :roll: Perhaps I should reconsider becoming a CPA.

[JPINFV]

Oh, as I'm going through and compiling the EMT level list I'm seeing all sorts of fun. Alaska has 6 levels of provider including 3 levels of intermediates (defibrillator tech, EMT-2, EMT-3). Indiana has a level called EMT-Basic Advanced (oxymoron?) as an EMT-I/85 and another level called EMT-Intermediate. Kansas has 3 levels of intermediate, EMT-Defibrillator, EMT-I/85, and EMT-I/Defibrillator. Maine refuses, apparently, to end their old levels (5 levels with Ambulance Attendant and EMT-Critical Care not having new certs issued).

Heck, we can't even get our naming conventions to be the same. One state has EMT-Basic, another state uses just "EMT," a few others use EMT-I (one) and another state has EMT-Ambulance. Is EMT-I/85 an Advanced EMT (Idaho), EMT-Specialist (Michigan), EMT-2 (Alaska, maybe California...), or EMT-Intermediate?

Are paramedics EMT-Paramedic, Paramedic Specialist (Iowa), Licensed Paramedic (Texas) [ok, ok, special case with their howdy toady degrees), Mobile Intensive Care Technician (Kansas) or just plain Paramedic?

I've said it before, would I really be misleading by calling myself an EMT-I? After all, that is the nomenclature used by my state (California) for EMT-Basics.

[EMS49393]

I can tell you all about the Indiana EMT-basic/advanced. I've seen a lot of worthless certifications in my life, but that has to take the cake. I worked for a company that had contracts in Indiana. To fulfill the ALS end of the bargain, they put these advanced people on trucks, thereby letting the public think they were getting a bonifide paramedic unit.

If I remember correctly, the advanced could start an IV, and put a patient on a cardiac monitor. They could push no drugs, and could barely interpret a lead II strip. I believe combitube was their airway, which was also a basic airway at the time. I never really understood the reasoning behind this level until years later when I became a little more focused on politics. See an ambulance, think everything is okay.

I welcome corrections from anyone that still lives in Indiana. I'm curious if this is still going on there.

[JPINFV]

See an ambulance, think everything is okay.

That's so true. I tried talking to some of my classmates about EMS and the low standards. The response was basically, "Yea? So what, all they're supposed to do is drive people to the hospital, they don't have to understand all that much." It's so nice knowing how ignorant some of the future physicians are going to be of prehospital medicine.

[coolparamedic]

It's like the Wild West out here when it comes to certs. I can't give you exact numbers but I usually see IV or Airway techs. I don't know about the boonies though, I think the ILS levels are for them.

The stats are as follow from WA DOH:

563 IV techs

2 Airway techs

23 IV/AW techs

227 ILS techs

91 ILS/AW techs

and it appears that they are pretty much all from the boonies

[Richard B the EMT]

If nobody already mentioned this, I'll bring it up now...

With multiple levels of EMT and/or Paramedic practices between states being recognized, or being denied, don't forget that some levels are not even recognized by the next county over in the same state!

Example: Nassau County, NY, has EMT-I. The 5 counties of New York City, NY, doesn't recognize that level of training.

Charles Dickens had it so right:

The Law Is A Ass!

[Lone Star]

Michigan uses the EMT-S which is I believe is the I-85 class. It's mostly useless here though. Wayne county is the only ones who actually use them in an als capacity in the Detroit metro area (I can't tell you about the rest of the state). ALS in wayne county = 1 EMTS + 1 EMTP. All you can legally do above basic is IV and intubation. the rest of the metro area is either basic/medic or medic/ medic

Genesee County still uses the EMT-S, although the state of Michigan has been threatening to phase out the EMT-S license for at least the last 10 years.

In their 'wisdom', it was proposed that the EMT-B be trained to the EMT-S (intermediate) level, and the current EMT-S be sent back to school to become EMT-P.

The MFR (Medical First Responders) are to be trained to the Basic level to cover the 'gaps' left in the system from moving the Basics to ILS level.

Like I've said, the state had been threatening to do this for the last 10 years or so, but the wheels of bureaucracy turn slowly.......

[spenac]

Texas has EMT-I.

[JPINFV]

Is there anyone here from Montana that can tell us exactly how much the sub-level endorsements are used?

(There are 3 endorsements for first responder, 6 for EMT-Basic, 4 for EMT-Intermediate, and 4 for EMT-Paramedic).

Also, is there anyone from Delaware that can link me to a page on their state website that talks about their levels? (6 states, including Delaware, left to complete the list...)