Zofran

[2Rude4MyOwnGood]

Where is 'here?'

Dwayne

Im in VA.

Wow. With all due respect, it is rare that I hear something so audacious and offensive to my sensibilities that my jaw drops the way it did when I read this. What else can intermediates do in your area? Can they push narcotics as well? ET intubation? NG tube placement? Manual defibrillation? EKG and 12-lead interpretation? Why are they even hiring paramedics? If they can get away with just letting an EMT-Intermediate with two semesters of coursework take the place of a paramedic, where's the incentive to hire the higher educated provider?

This is exactly the kind of backwards thinking that is dragging EMS down. Instead of providing higher education opportunities for paramedics, we're catering to EMTs and just tacking on skill after skill until what you have is a cheap paramedic substitute with not even half of the education but all the power to do harm. It's no wonder people don't take us seriously, we're not even taking ourselves seriously when we allow this kind of shit to pass. Can you imagine what our colleagues in the hospital must be thinking? That we're seriously allowing people with only two semesters of education to give all the same drugs everyone else in the healthcare industry must spend YEARS of education to earn the right to push? It's madness.

And no, this isn't personal. I'm not attacking you, sir, but the system you're working in. Unless you're an advocate for this kind of crap, in which case, with all due respect, you're out of your freakin' mind. Paramedics as they currently are probably shouldn't be doing a lot of the things we are, yet we're letting EMTs grow ever closer to paramedic level care?

No offense taken.

Yes, Intermediates can push narcotics and intubate in the county in which i work. No NG tubes or manual defibrillation though. 12-lead interpretation is always done by a Paramedic as well. Intermediates are only up to speed on 4-leads by registry.

I work in an all ALS county, so each medic unit will always have at least 1 P riding, often 2. Intermediates are called medics here, but they will never be the highest level of ALS provider on the ambulance. I know that I's are able to push narcotics, but ive never seen it done, the paramedic will usually handle that.

Edited April 7, 2011 by 2Rude4MyOwnGood

[usalsfyre]

VA follows the I99 standard, prior to that it had a level called Cardiac Tech that in essence did the same thing. Is it absolutely insane? Yep, but the system was set up around the volunteer rescue squad/transporting FD, so that's what the state is stuck with.

[Kiwiology]

Technician level Ambulance Officers have ondansetron wafers, Paramedics and Intensive Care Paramedics have IV ondansetron

[Timmy]

I would have to disagree, why should an advanced first aider with a one month qualification be able to practise at the same level as me having 4 years of university under my belt? I bet they even get paid more! Crazy talk…

[Bieber]

I would have to disagree, why should an advanced first aider with a one month qualification be able to practise at the same level as me having 4 years of university under my belt? I bet they even get paid more! Crazy talk…

Exactly! Like I've said, my state requires two year degrees, but that's still nothing compared to what my education should have been, and yet that's the general movement within U.S. EMS. Like I said, it's backwards motion.

Edited April 7, 2011 by Bieber