Professional opinions, and unique perspectives

[EMT_Journalist]

Hey there, my name is Seth. I'm working on a project that requires me to learn virtually EVERYTHING there is to know about the EMT world. Though I've already begun my research online and visited local fire departments as well as community colleges, I'm hoping to utilize this site as an avenue as to gain unique perspective from all of those who are involved directly in the EMS field. It's exciting for me, but at the same time hectic due to the vast, and seemingly endless amount of information that surrounds your field. I'm studying EMT and Paramedic for the most part. So i'll be browsing the forum and blogs in the background. I'll occasionally ask questions via posts in hopes to learn something new!

Thanks all!

Seth

[DFIB]

Welcome Seth,

If you are looking for professional opinions and unique perspectives you probably will not be dissapointed. I wish you luck in your quest to learn everything about EMS. I expect that most of us are still trying to figgure it out.

You will find a great variety of posters with different levels of training and very different life experience.

Something you might want to look at from a jounalist perspective are some of the opinions about the way EMS is covered by journalist.

Stick around and please jump in.

[EMT_Journalist]

Welcome Seth,

If you are looking for professional opinions and unique perspectives you probably will not be dissapointed. I wish you luck in your quest to learn everything about EMS. I expect that most of us are still trying to figgure it out.

You will find a great variety of posters with different levels of training and very different life experience.

Something you might want to look at from a jounalist perspective are some of the opinions about the way EMS is covered by journalist.

Stick around and please jump in.

Thank you,

Cheers.

[DwayneEMTP]

Welcome to the City Seth...

We have a whole stable to posters that start salivating every time a professed tv show, or professed movie, or professed author comes to visit...you'll have no lack of people filling your mailbox with offers....

Good luck man...I'd be interested to hear what what motivates your project.

Dwayne

[nypamedic43]

I'm happy being a street medic...no offers from me LOL. Anyhoo, welcome to the City Seth

[paramedicmike]

Hey there, my name is Seth. I'm working on a project that requires me to learn virtually EVERYTHING there is to know about the EMT world.

Well, there's your first problem. Given the combined years of experience of all of our regular contributors and you still don't scratch the surface of EVERYTHING there is to know.

Just what kind of project is this? A brief summary would work since I understand you may not want to give away too many details in order to protect your final product. I figure since we'll be helping you in some way, shape or form we at least have the right to know what you're doing with our contributions.

I'm studying EMT and Paramedic for the most part.

The jobs? Or you'll actually be taking classes for each of the provider levels?

Fair warning. There's another discussion going on right now where the reporter involved turned out to be an ignorant yellow journalist. I hope you understand that some of us may not necessarily hold your profession in very high regard due to the actions of your colleagues. I further hope you have much higher professional standards than many of those who practice in your profession.

Good luck.

[Asysin2leads]

Unfortunately, you'll find that fire departments insight into patient care is generally limited to putting out patients that are on fire. Try a hospital.

[DFIB]

Though I've already begun my research online and visited local fire departments as well as community colleges,

Seth

I am not sure what your experience has been with the FDs and Colleges but I was thinking that to begin to understand the complexities of EMS this information might be give you some reference points to begin to form an idea of the complex network of coordinated services providing various levels of care to a community that define modern EMS systems.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) developed 10 EMS system elements.

1. Regulation and Policy

2. Resource Management

3. Human Resources and Training

4. Transportation

5. Facilities

6. Communication

7. Public information and Education

8. Medical Direction

9.Trauma Systems

10. Evaluation

Although there is some standardization of the EMS curricula as developed by US DOT every state and medical director has authority to infer in their state and regional and local policy, protocols and procedures. In short, everyone does it a little different. So you can understand the complexities of EMS of which the posters refer.

After 9/11 the NIMS system was formed to help all of these different agencies be able to coordinate efforts in the event of a National or Regional emergency. You can take NIMS training for free on the FEMA website. http://www.fema.gov/emergency/nims/NIMSTrainingCourses.shtm

This information should give you a lead to begin to follow and learn about EMS Systems.

Edited January 8, 2012 by DFIB

[Richard B the EMT]

I'm working on a project that requires me to learn virtually EVERYTHING there is to know about the EMT world.

After being involved for 38 years, I STILL don't know everything. No one here does.

We just know vast segments, some better than others. With the overlap of segmented knowledge, I feel confident that, while you'll not learn every last iota of knowledge, your understanding of the EMS world, populated by EMTs and Paramedics, Doctors and Nurses, will be enlarged, and better understood.

As for opinions, they are like noses, as everyone has one. Some of us will agree on a particular item, others, not so much (some will take exception to that last statement). You'll see disagreements over "newly proven by science" versus "we've always done it THIS way". Perhaps oversimplified, it's just all of the EMT City residents being human.

I do remind you that, due to this being an international site, that some practices are going to seem quite liberal, and others very restrictive. I always say that local protocols rule. Protocol rules can be different as you cross county/parrish, state/provence, and international border lines. At least 2 of the guys are from Germany/Bavaria, and their protocols are far different than what I can do, in and around my own New York City region (with some similarities, I'm sure). Some of the Paramedics have large numbers of "standing protocols", where they rarely have to contact their On Line Medical Control Doctors, while others have to get "Mother/Father, may I?" approval for almost anything.

Due to ongoing changes, as we find out about them, information and practices will change.

Now that I've placed all that on you, Welcome to the EMT City!

[Vorenus]

After being involved for 38 years, I STILL don't know everything. No one here does.

We just know vast segments, some better than others. With the overlap of segmented knowledge, I feel confident that, while you'll not learn every last iota of knowledge, your understanding of the EMS world, populated by EMTs and Paramedics, Doctors and Nurses, will be enlarged, and better understood.

As for opinions, they are like noses, as everyone has one. Some of us will agree on a particular item, others, not so much (some will take exception to that last statement). You'll see disagreements over "newly proven by science" versus "we've always done it THIS way". Perhaps oversimplified, it's just all of the EMT City residents being human.

I do remind you that, due to this being an international site, that some practices are going to seem quite liberal, and others very restrictive. I always say that local protocols rule. Protocol rules can be different as you cross county/parrish, state/provence, and international border lines. At least 2 of the guys are from Germany/Bavaria, and their protocols are far different than what I can do, in and around my own New York City region (with some similarities, I'm sure). Some of the Paramedics have large numbers of "standing protocols", where they rarely have to contact their On Line Medical Control Doctors, while others have to get "Mother/Father, may I?" approval for almost anything.

Due to ongoing changes, as we find out about them, information and practices will change.

Now that I've placed all that on you, Welcome to the EMT City!

Taking this even farther - we don`t really have any standing rigid SOPs/Protocols/Guidelines (at least not in the way seen in many other countries) which could be easily compared to your system.

Edited January 8, 2012 by Vorenus