Professional Courtesy

[tcripp]

Curious. What is your definition of "professional courtesy"?

[Chief1C]

I carry a professional courtesy card that was issued to me. It's a get out of jail, or ticket, free card in a nut shell. Have I ever used it? No. We also offer PC to our members and their immediate family (spouse, children), in that we don't bill them, to any extent, for transport or treatment in the ambulance.

[WolfmanHarris]

I'm going to leave aside "professional courtesy" in terms of Law Enforcement showing leniency to EMS providers. The courtesy is their's, their prerogative and certainly not an expectation.

For my part, as a Paramedic, professional courtesy involves going the extra mile for a fellow medic, cop or FF or their family. I have rarely found myself in that position, but as an example, I recently picked up the 12 y/o son of a co-worker who I'd never met. The child had a complicated medical history and the parents had arranged a sitter for the night for a rare getaway. The sitter had to stay with the three other children when we transported and the child would have been alone in the room waiting for their parents. My professional courtesy was to stay in the room and keep them company until the parents arrived. This is something I wouldn't do for the average Pt. but is that extra mile I would go for a colleague.

I'm afraid an example doesn't make a great definition, but I don't have a clear concept of it myself I guess.

[NYCEMS9115]

I believe in it. Obviously, many don't. A cop pulled me over for going 70mph in a 65. He asked me why I was in a rush; I said its a long story but he wanted to know. I told him the truth, "I'm a Paramedic & a Manager. I had to go to another county to take a large amount of $ out of the bank; which there was no Capital One in my county. Head home; drop off $ to my wife and head to NYC; it was 8:30am & it was rush hour. I had something big that happened; one of my guys was hurt in a MVA." He said okay. He took my DL, Insurance Card & went his car. He came back to me in 5 minutes & wrote me a ticket. So I guess Professional Courtesy didn't mean anything to him. Granted I was SPEEDING but many of us do. I didn't think that going 5MPH over would get me one... I don't expect it but whatever...

[Richard B the EMT]

First, the tongue in cheek:

Frank Mundis, the shark boat captain from Montauk Point, on whom "Quint" in the first "Jaws" movie is reputedly based, had a passenger fall off the boat into waters almost swirling with sharks. Surprisingly, the sharks just circled, but left him alone.

Seems the man was a lawyer, so the sharks extended a professional courtesy.

As for reality, one lawyer might do something for another lawyer that could have been charged for, exclusive of "Pro Bono" work. An EMS service that normally charges for their services might not charge, or charge a reduced rate, if they transport one of their own members (such courtesy was extended to me, when my dad was being transported, over 2 decades ago). An ER nurse, without registering an EMSer in the ER, might review the EMSer's "Tine" test, no charge.

After a VAC treated and transported a member of one of the FD's Rescue Company members, the courtesy extended was, for years afterwards, the Rescue Company would refill and recharge the VAC's D and E O2 tanks, from their cascade system.

Depending on both the individual LEO, or the department they work for, speeding a bit over the limit might get a professional courtesy of being scolded by the LEO, instead of getting ticketed. DO NOT expect such courtesy from the majority of State Police in the United States, or the Lynbrook (Nassau County, NY) cops, who I heard being badmouthed by the truckers on the Citizen's Band radio, on a drive from New York City to Grand Forks, North Dakota. Wow, the truckers hate the Lynbrook PD!

Sometimes, the courtesy is Fire Fighters going to LEO Departmental Funerals, or LEOs to the Fire Fighter's. Just being there is the courtesy.

One time, a VAC EMT was killed , Line of Duty. As both courtesy, and a sign of respect, when the funeral cortege passed the local FDNY "house", the fire apparatus was pulled out onto the apron in front, and the Fire Fighters lined up in front of the pieces, with their dress uniform hats on, holding salute until we had passed. I was later told that doing that for a non Fire Fighter was an extreme honor extended.

[croaker260]

For my part, as a Paramedic, professional courtesy involves going the extra mile for a fellow medic, cop or FF or their family. I have rarely found myself in that position, but as an example, I recently picked up the 12 y/o son of a co-worker who I'd never met. The child had a complicated medical history and the parents had arranged a sitter for the night for a rare getaway. The sitter had to stay with the three other children when we transported and the child would have been alone in the room waiting for their parents. My professional courtesy was to stay in the room and keep them company until the parents arrived. This is something I wouldn't do for the average Pt. but is that extra mile I would go for a colleague.

Excellant example.

As for reality, one lawyer might do something for another lawyer that could have been charged for, exclusive of "Pro Bono" work. An EMS service that normally charges for their services might not charge, or charge a reduced rate, if they transport one of their own members (such courtesy was extended to me, when my dad was being transported, over 2 decades ago). An ER nurse, without registering an EMSer in the ER, might review the EMSer's "Tine" test, no charge.

After a VAC treated and transported a member of one of the FD's Rescue Company members, the courtesy extended was, for years afterwards, the Rescue Company would refill and recharge the VAC's D and E O2 tanks, from their cascade system.

Depending on both the individual LEO, or the department they work for, speeding a bit over the limit might get a professional courtesy of being scolded by the LEO, instead of getting ticketed. DO NOT expect such courtesy from the majority of State Police in the United States, or the Lynbrook (Nassau County, NY) cops, who I heard being badmouthed by the truckers on the Citizen's Band radio, on a drive from New York City to Grand Forks, North Dakota. Wow, the truckers hate the Lynbrook PD!

Sometimes, the courtesy is Fire Fighters going to LEO Departmental Funerals, or LEOs to the Fire Fighter's. Just being there is the courtesy.

One time, a VAC EMT was killed , Line of Duty. As both courtesy, and a sign of respect, when the funeral cortege passed the local FDNY "house", the fire apparatus was pulled out onto the apron in front, and the Fire Fighters lined up in front of the pieces, with their dress uniform hats on, holding salute until we had passed. I was later told that doing that for a non Fire Fighter was an extreme honor extended.

Other great examples as well. At our service, the last thing we want to be caught doing is extening an informal break on the charges to a cop or EMS member when the public doesnt get those. It appears to be a "good ol' boy system". That said, we have a memebership program. All of our employees and the counties employees are members by default, therefore their bill gets written off for anything we dont recover from insurance. Strangely, a lot of our fellow LEO's are members as well... as our our local air medical providers, etc etc etc.

In short, what was an informal subjective practice that would be a PR nightmare was made into a legal program that would pass public scrutiny. As As a TAX BASED agency, this was important. Especially since our local populance ar every sensitive to "abuse of power and monies" issues.

I cant speak for my fellow medics, but occasionally local FF's have fallen under my care. Even a few that have been above and beyond rude while under my care, though most are nice enough when they are alone in my rig. Usually for orthopedic/injury/back related reasons. I have taken the (very) high road and provided them with absolutly high end care, complete with heavy doses of analgesia, same as I would do for my own co-workers. Probably a lil more than I would the lil old lady with a fractured hip, but physiologically they can take it anyway.... Sometimes this has resulted in a change of attitude the next time we are on scene, but not usually. To most of those guys, if you aint a FF, your pond scum. Still, I would do the same tomorrow when one of them ends up in my rig.

Conversely, the local LEO's absolutely love us, because when they have fallen under our care (for the same reasons) we tend to take very good care of them too. Additionally, when on scene, we make sure to restock their gloves, give them sani whipes to whipe off their cuffs, etc.

Sometimes it the little professional curtesies that go the farthest, far more than the "big ones".

Edited February 9, 2011 by croaker260

[Richard B the EMT]

A station I used to be at had no fuel pumps, so we'd fuel up at the Sanitation Department garage around the corner (both municipal agencies). Even though the overnight mechanic at the Sanitation garage never did more than toss us the keys to unlock the pumps, I was not the only tech to toss the man a box of gloves. When we'd have substantial snow, somehow, the mechanic always seemed to have a Sanitation front end loader clear the street in front of the EMS station, and sometimes clear the apron, from the street to the garage door of the station.

[chbare]

Curious. What is your definition of "professional courtesy"?

The officer acts professionally. If I'm speeding, give me a ticket. I am of no more importance than the next guy and breaking the law is just that.

Take care,

chbare.

[tcripp]

Thank you all for participating. I got in on two rounds of email both of which were similar in nature that read, "What's happened to professional courtesy?" and were basically bashing law enforcement for giving them a ticket for speeding. I found myself thinking, "...BUT YOU WERE SPEEDING!"

So then I wanted to do a value check - maybe I've missed the boat here.

* Docharris - I love your example.

* NYCEMS - you just say you "agree in it" but you don't tell me what you think "it" is. I'm assuming by your response that you fall in the "it's what law enforcement can do for me" category.*

* Richard - I like your example about the station attendant.

* Chbare - thank you.

Assuming that professional courtesy is only "what law enforcement can do for me" makes absolutely no sense. Should we absolutely be given a free ride because we chose to knowingly break the law? If that's the case, how do we ever reciprocate?

Now, for my interpretation of professional courtesy. The courtesy, I would think, would be within the same profession. Therefore, only law officers can offer each other a professional courtesy. Same for EMS, same for FF.

I believe that what we do for each other is something more along the lines of "above and beyond customer service".

**edited for formatting only**

Edited February 10, 2011 by tcripp

[island emt]

Professional courtesy is a broad spectrum as it relates to EMS providers. We are interacting with many different professions in the course of our daily lives.

How you relate to Law enforcement,, dispatchers, Fire fighters, town administrators, Other medical professional ie doctors , nurses, all can have a strong bearing on the quality of your daily existence.

Do you give the dispatcher crap when they send you on a call you don't want to do? Or do you get the job done and thank them for the assistance? It does make a difference in how they treat you in return. Remember they can steer all the crap calls your way if you piss them off with an attitude.

Around here I don't believe that I could get a ticket for anything short of vehicular manslaughter as our relationship with the deputies is top shelf. We always have their back and they have ours,

They know that no matter what we will do anything they need for assistance. They reciprocate by showing up on our calls in the middle of a blizzard to help us carry equipment or for another set of hands lifting or carrying a Pt out to the truck.

When you call in a report to the ER do you act "almighty" when speaking to the nurse? Or are you part of the team approach to providing quality care for your customer the patient?

How professionally you act and appear goes a long way towards earning the respect back from them. When speaking to the Doctors do you give an intelligible report , that helps them understand what care and treatment you have provided prior to the pt's arrival at his ER ? Can you ask them for info or guidance when you're not sure of how to deal with an unknown issue? Developing a good two way relationship with the Docs goes a long way towards earning Professional courtesy.