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FD Launches In-House Paramedic Education Program


VentMedic

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14 months sounds great unless it is stretched out by having class on only one day as to not interfere with FF duties too much.

That was precisely my concern. Just like the whacker over on the LI volly discussion (at another site) who was bragging about his six-month EMT class. Unfortunately, it's 5 hours a week for 6 months. Someone actually dragged three weeks of monkey training out into six friggin' months! Yikes! They aren't going to remember the first thing from those first 8 classes. It's going to take a lot of test prep to get those people to pass. And we all know that test prep does not in any way equal education.

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I don't proclaim to know how Memphis FD does their thing. I can say they had a chance at a really good paramedic that only wanted to be a paramedic a little over six years ago. Apparently, you have to become a firefighter, and you also have to UNcorrected vision of 20/200. I NEVER wanted to be a firemonkey, and I haven't had uncorrected vision that good since I was six. Incidently, I correct to just below 20/20 and 20/40 with lenses. I'm not trying to pilot a commercial plane here, I'm merely the provider of emergency medical care. I lost respect for them when I was discriminated against.

MEMS in Little Rock makes their little patch puppies go to school five days a week and will not let them work during the six months (yes, I said six months) they are in their "paramedic" school. They give them a little anatomy book, something I think they got from a 9th grade biology teacher, and make them finish that class online (NO LAB) in the few months before the class begins. They then toss them the condensed, one volume paramedic text and they have at it for six months. After that, they get to ride on the ambulance as a student for about 100 hours, and they do a few hours in the local ER. Once they pass that pesky registry test they ride six shifts and are "turned loose" as a primary paramedic on the ambulance. This entire process takes 8 months. Don't get me wrong, if you want to be a paramedic quickly with as little effort as possible for free while getting paid 40 hours a week, this is your type of program.

I hear this is pretty typical of places that want to put quanity over quality. It's one of the main reasons I've about left EMS. I can almost deal with low pay and crappy hours. I refuse to deal with incompetent idiots and companies that promote them. I decided early this year that I wanted out and I'm working on my bachelors in both nursing (because I need a job) and history (because I want it). I really do wish all the best for the people that will stay and try to make it a better profession. I'm just getting too old and cynical to believe it will ever change.

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There was just a story and video on Fox News about Memphis Fire Department. City Animal Control called them to help get a cat out of a VERY tall tree. The firemonkeys charged a hose and literally blew the cat out of the tree with high pressure, falling a good forty feet or more to the pavement. Dip shitz.

They can't even rescue a cat from a tree right, and they want to go stick needles in human beings? Nigga, puhleeze! :roll:

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Let me address a few of the comments:

I hope the FD has given some thought about continuing education and maintaining competency with as solid QA/QI program in place.

There is a solid QI program in place that addresses areas of concern with training by the training staff and medical director.

But when doing actual "in-house" training, which was at least two hours per weeks, we had Lt./T.O.'s. But some of the Lt./ Training Officers were not Paramedics

All medical in-service training, whether ALS or BLS, is done by paramedics and all training has received CEU's accepted by the state and National Registry.

I am willing to bet there are at least a thousand currently licensed paramedics in Tennessee who would go to work for the City of Memphis tomorrow if given the opportunity

There is and has been a shortage of paramedics across the country for quite some time. You may live in one of the few places that has a bunch of medics, but that is not the national trend. This is the trend:

I decided early this year that I wanted out and I'm working on my bachelors in both nursing

14 months sounds great unless it is stretched out by having class on only one day as to not interfere with FF duties too much.

They attend class 16 hours per week, off duty, and the clinical rotations will be in addition to that time.

Apparently, you have to become a firefighter, and you also have to UNcorrected vision of 20/200. I NEVER wanted to be a firemonkey

You are required to be cross-trained with the MFD. Is that for everyone? No. I have worked for a fire service that did not do EMS, private EMS running 911 call, and cross-trained fire and EMS. I love the dual role. I go to work and perform both functions that I love, but it is not for everyone and that is O.K. We could debate the single vs. dual role EMS systems all day and each of us would think that we had the most valid points. As you said, you get told about it up front. If it isn't for you, no problem.

As for some of the requirements, city Human Resources is responsible for that and not MFD. We don't agree with all of the requirements either, but it is what it is. Every job in every discipline in every community has some quirk attached to it that someone doesn't agree with.

"We get to train them the way we want them to be trained," Burns said

Read this as "We get to train them to be paramedics and understand the pathophysiology of what they are dealing with instead of just training them to pass the test" We all know programs that just teach to the test in order to make their numbers look good.

Basically what I am saying is that our system may not be perfect, but I don't know of any that are. Please don't bash a program that you don't know anything about. Allow us time to screw it up first (which I do not see happening) before you tear it apart. And no, I am not one of the instructors.

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When you start taking a "medical program" away from a standardized educational system such as a college, you are opening the education up to many variables, including instructor competencies, that may eventually be difficult to control. That is why almost all other healthcare programs took their programs to the colleges so that is would be easier to control the standards at both the state and national levels.

1 year at 16 hours/week is still not that big of a commitment by other healthcare professional standards. Ride time can usually be done while on duty if the program is FD sponsored. That is the biggest advantage to training your own.

How many of these FFs would have had any interest in becoming a Paramedic if the education was not paid for and a financial incentive or promotion was not involved?

Is it also understood that they may only have to work the ambulances for the usual (FD) average of 2 years before rotating to a nice engine in the suburbs?

Most do enjoy working as Paramedic in the FDs and this statement sums it up:

Johnson said. "I've always dreamed of being a hero."

Medical professionals that do "heroic" things everyday rarely make the front page of newspapers.

Just a little ranting from one of the leading medic mill and fire medic states. Been there, done that and have seen the progression or degression many, many times over the last 3 decades.

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Again, I understand some of the concerns, but you are making generalizations and comparisons that aren't fair.

1) No class or clinical time is done on duty.

2)How many of these people wanted to go to paramedic school, but couldn't afford it or couldn't find the time while working a "regular" job.

3)There is no rotation to a "suburban" engine. You can promote up after a few years and not ride the ambulance anymore, but that is the same with any service.

4) I understand your frustration with the "medic mills". We have seen it too, and hopefully this program will help to eliminate it. These people will reflect on our instructors and our department. Do you think that the instructors will want to put a piece of **** on the street?

I don't want to argue over this thing, I'm just trying to make a few points.

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3)There is no rotation to a "suburban" engine. You can promote up after a few years and not ride the ambulance anymore, but that is the same with any service.

That's essentially what I said.

If you spend time getting an education and a CAREER as a medical professional, you usually seek to maintain your professionalism or advance within the medical profession.

4) I understand your frustration with the "medic mills". We have seen it too, and hopefully this program will help to eliminate it. These people will reflect on our instructors and our department. Do you think that the instructors will want to put a piece of **** on the street?

I don't want to argue over this thing, I'm just trying to make a few points.

From the article:

The Tennessee Department of Health Division of Emergency Medical Services board unanimously approved the course last month, making it the first accredited paramedic training program in Tennessee not affiliated with a college or university.

Following a one-year, state-mandated probationary period, the department plans to expand from 36 to 72 candidates per session and hopes to train 120 paramedics over the next three years.

The birth of a medic mill....

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I had no idea there were so many "experts" on the Memphis Fire Department across the country. Some of you should care as much about this as we care about what you think about it.

I am sure everything is great where you work. Stay there.

WOW with your professional attitude I'm sure it will work out just great. :roll:

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