EMS Aficionado Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 I would argue that: Expectations (On the part of the student and the program) + Content (Breadth and depth of material) = Outcomes (The knowledge and abilities of the program graduate) Expectations by themselves are useless without content. Its just a group of students wishing that they knew more. Or an educator that wishes that their students knew more. Content alone is meaningless. There are instructors that teach a lot of material, but don't expect their students to truly retain or fully understand it. Some students memorize a great deal without really understanding it, because understanding is not what is expected of them. Physicians are expected to know everything about medicine. Obviously as they specialize their knowledge will expand in some areas and decline in others, but they are expected to learn a lot of content. Physician Assistants are expected to know a great deal about medicine, but they aren't expected to know as much as physicians. So they are taught less content than physicians, but are still taught and expected to know a great deal. Paramedics (in the US) are often not expected to know a great deal about medicine. Many programs attempt to teach it, but it can become an afterthought to skills and ACLS/PALS/PHTLS standards. The content often isn't there. Medical school within the US is very standardized. It is four years long and there is a very solid understanding and expectation about what is expected of graduates. PA programs have more flexibility in length, but the expectations of graduates are very clearly defined. Paramedic education and the expectations of what a Paramedic knows can vary greatly. The profession suffers as a result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chbare Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Going back to literature that focuses on EMS providers, I have found a small study that is somewhat significant. I remembered listening to a Dr. Jeff Guy podcast (http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ems-pharmacology-for-prehospital/id290936644) where he mentions a paper from North Carolina that looked at paramedics and their ability to perform medication calculations. I was able to find an abstract and you can pay to access the full paper: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1090312700700554 While limited, it does indicate that college level education is associated with an improved ability to perform dosage calculations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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