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Young Paramedics


Timmy

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Just out of curiosity I was wondering how many people are or work with paramedics that are 18 or 19? What is the scope of practice? Job opportunity ect? Obviously these kids are fresh from high school and have attended an accelerated paramedic program. But at that age, being pushed though a course that fast are they really educated enough to be the senior clinician on an emergency ambulance?

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Does young at heart count? :cry:

I have met some young Paramedics that were OK. But honestly most I have met did not seem to grasp the responsibility that they had. They have not experienced enough in life to understand the true value of life. ( Did that make sense? ) I also see the bad Paragod attitude in them more often. Yes I said bad. Some that people call Paragods are called that because others do not like that they actually know their job and are darn good at it. They do not treat others badly they just expect everyone to actually do their job.

So in my opinion we should set a minimum age of 25 to be a Paramedic in charge. Maybe allow the younger Paramedics to be a third person so they get experience.

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We had some students in my program that came right out of high school. The others had done a year of Pre-health in College, had completed a Bachelor's at University or a few had worked for awhile and three have their Masters degrees. We've lost all but two of our High School students to attrition. (We're down to 20 from 45)

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So in my opinion we should set a minimum age of 25 to be a Paramedic in charge. Maybe allow the younger Paramedics to be a third person so they get experience.

Why the number 25?

I am a young paramedic, at 21 years old. I am in charge of an ambulance and patient care. I have a degree in EMS, and am jumping through the ropes. Age should not be so much of a requirement as much as education should be. If the US system were similar to the Aussie system, then the youngest providers would be around 22 years old, and then would have 2 years of intern riding before they are "released", placing them around 24 years old. With that much 'experience' behind them, young people can make great providers. Some of the better paramedics I know are my age. I think a great deal of the older paramedics suck. Seems to me the biggest difference is education though and not so much age.

I know a lot of this is anecdotal, but maybe it has some value. I know nurses in our ED who are 20 to 24 years old, and are in essence 'released.' They are great nurses, but they have a team to back them up, and plenty of education to get them where they are. These nurses also have intense programs set forth by the hospital to make the young nurses competent. EMS needs that. First we need the education to set our foundation, and then extensive 'ride along' experience to supplement it. Personally, I think every paramedic could benefit from this program, from the 20 year old all the way up to the 103 year old Spenac :twisted:

A blanket age of 25 seems silly. There are young people who are mature, and can handle responsibility. Life experience sure is a great advantage, but it is not everything.

To answer your questions Timmy, my scope of practice is the same as the other paramedics. Other young medics I know have the same scope of practice. We all graduated from a college and did not come from an accelerated course. I do not know any paramedics that come from an accelerated course, and are not at least 24 years old. Most 18-19 year olds seem to either go to college, or bum off their parents.

One agency close by has about a 5-month ride along program that every employee must complete in order to be released, and afterwards the paramedic is placed with an experienced paramedic. It seems like a good program. The agency also offers an internship. The riding experience is very helpful, especially for younger providers, IMO.

Job opportunities are fairly good. Paramedics are in need all over this area, so jobs are easy to come by. Anyone that is young 18, 19, or 20 years old, and is rushed through an accelerated course, and then released as a senior provider, is set up for failure. I firmly believe that with a solid education foundation, and gained experience, even the younger providers can come out strong.

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I am an "old" rookie. I bring a lot to the job that the young bucks don't. I have emotional maturity and often am better able to handle the life experience aspects of the job. In general, young people tend to get shocked more by some of the stuff we see and often develop a cynical shell or a judgmental attitude in response to it. They also tend to get more emotional about things that, from my perspective, are really not a big deal. As long as I remain in good physical condition, my strength and reflexes are a match for theirs.

I should not be in a leadership position tho and would refuse if asked. I need several years of seasoning on the job to have a clue about that stuff. I find myself in an informal position of leadership tho - with fellow workers more and more looking for my take on stuff.

If forced to make an overall statement about things, I think that given a proper academic education, then the age of the provider is not significant. More important is emotional maturity, attitude, and good years in the field.

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I was 24 when I was "released" on my own as a medic, but there are others I know who were younger. The youngest I can think of at my service was 20 years old I believe. He is good at his job but does have a little bit more of that "paragod" attitude that was referenced earlier.

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I guess the assumption is that young folks are by definition immature. While this is certainly not true for everyone, it is probably in reality a good indicator. Kids just out of high school are usually not, in my opinion, mature enough to serve as leadership paramedics for critical patients. I have seen exceptions to this rule, but I have seen many more that prove it.

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