PRPGfirerescuetech Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 I love EMS. Don't get me wrong. But I am tired of seeing how EMS professionals are treated and regarded as "white trash" or "red-necks with stupid lights all over their trucks" and of course "uneducated idiots." The hospital based 911 service that I used to work for (and I still live here) the CEO of the hospital was caught referring to his EMS employees as "rednecks." That my friends is NOT respect. To be professionals we need to act like professionals AND be educated. Something needs to be done with EMS and my views are very liberal to you newcomers who are just now starting a basic class. I have 8 years total, 4 as a medic. EMS will always be a dead-end job if we continue to allow it. Look at firefighting, THAT is a immature. Look at nursing, THAT is a career. Look at Police officers, That is a career. Now look at EMS. We are the bastard child of emergency service. We need strong leaders who have a strong educational background to lead us to this. If every EMS service was part of the fire department, then this would be a mute issue. As a FF/Medic you get respect, pay, retirement, etc. But the sad truth is we are not always part of the Fire Department. Hospitals own us and treat the nurses with 150% more respect, better pay, less hours, better incentives, and better employee retention. Why? Nursing is a PROFESSIONAL organization and career. Private EMS services are sometimes worse and sometimes better, it just depends where you live. I'm looking at the big picture. Some of you are too immature to see this. If you like living paycheck to paycheck, trying to feed your family when you NEVER see your family, watching your relationship with your loved-one go down the drain, then the current EMS is for you. I have no doubt that if you spend any amount of time working in EMS and dealing with these issues you will have the same views as I have. If I really wanted to tick you people off I would express my views about volunteer EMS.. Why pay someone to do it when someone will do it for free? Your taking your experience in a small sliver of the country as being the baseline for the entire country. The fire service is the worst thing to ever happen to EMS, period. You had me til then. Other than that, check out www.capem.org and the forums it mentions. Seems you might be interested in the information there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PuzzlePiece Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 I started yesterday!! Yay!! I'm such a nerd, though. I was the overenthusiastic medicine nerd.... I was so embarrassed, though. On my first day, I started class feeling fine... no problems. Then my b.p. dropped and I had a migraine. The medic that is teaching the class pulled me off to the side and asked me if I was okay and when I told him my dilemma, he asked me if I wanted a ride to the hospital. I declined but I was thinking "What an ass I would be, first day of class and my bp bottoms out and I pass out from a migraine." Luckily, he was cool enough to stop the class an hour early because by that time, I'd hurled. Funny, but it left me feeling sooooo stupid. :oops: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnatomyChick Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 After almost 20 years as an EMT-B, I'm actually getting ready to head back to school for something no where remotely related to EMS... I'm not sure if I'll keep my license and my Instructional stats up, or if I'll just let everything lapse... I have nearly 4 years to come up with THAT decision.... Anyway... I say follow your dreams. But keep in mind, that as an EMT-B you're truly not that marketable... very few services will pay you what you're worth OR what you have to make to survive... you have to work in EMS because you LOVE it... Don't get me wrong, I still love EMS, but I am at a point in my life where I truly need to consider my future. Just my 2 cents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Plain Ruff Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 I love EMS. Don't get me wrong. But I am tired of seeing how EMS professionals are treated and regarded as "white trash" or "red-necks with stupid lights all over their trucks" and of course "uneducated idiots." The hospital based 911 service that I used to work for (and I still live here) the CEO of the hospital was caught referring to his EMS employees as "rednecks." That my friends is NOT respect. To be professionals we need to act like professionals AND be educated. Something needs to be done with EMS and my views are very liberal to you newcomers who are just now starting a basic class. I have 8 years total, 4 as a medic. EMS will always be a dead-end job if we continue to allow it. Look at firefighting, THAT is a immature. Look at nursing, THAT is a career. Look at Police officers, That is a career. Now look at EMS. We are the bastard child of emergency service. We need strong leaders who have a strong educational background to lead us to this. If every EMS service was part of the fire department, then this would be a mute issue. As a FF/Medic you get respect, pay, retirement, etc. But the sad truth is we are not always part of the Fire Department. Hospitals own us and treat the nurses with 150% more respect, better pay, less hours, better incentives, and better employee retention. Why? Nursing is a PROFESSIONAL organization and career. Private EMS services are sometimes worse and sometimes better, it just depends where you live. I'm looking at the big picture. Some of you are too immature to see this. If you like living paycheck to paycheck, trying to feed your family when you NEVER see your family, watching your relationship with your loved-one go down the drain, then the current EMS is for you. I have no doubt that if you spend any amount of time working in EMS and dealing with these issues you will have the same views as I have. If I really wanted to tick you people off I would express my views about volunteer EMS.. Why pay someone to do it when someone will do it for free? RNMEDIC you sound really really bitter and are wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy off. RN MEdic, like others have said, you can't generalize that the entire country is like your neck of the woods. I've worked in 2 different states as a medic, I've been at hospitals in 14 of the 50 states and talked to medics and what you say about if every ems service was with the fire department then things would all be rosy and hunkydory is just plain wrong. I've spoken to hundreds of medics and emts from private, volunteer, career and part time services and many of them, I repeat many of them are happy and the respect I see the community and the ER's give them is quite good. You factor in the helicopter services of which Iv'e seen many in each of those states and the level of respect there is immense. Your second to last paragraph is downright wrong. I've worked at services where starting medics are making 50K in a service population of 25k. The work 24 on and 24 off. So I guess they don't get to see their families. Shame on you if you allow the service you work for keep you from your family. That's your own damn fault. Is that the kind of service you work for???? Yes we deserve more respect but don't come here spouting that you know all because there are people here who have seen a lot more than you and worked in a lot more areas and we know that respect is earned and you have to give it to get it. Your little corner of the world of EMS is a small one as I'll bet many others corners here is small too but you cannot generalize that EMS Sucks every where when it doesn't. If you want me to give you the list of states, hospitals and EMS Services I've talked to and have worked in I will. Until then, stay safe. You sound burned out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cjarred Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 I love EMS and I haven't even gotten hired on yet. I know this is kinda off the subject but I am trying to locate some peolpe in EMS that can give me insight to where is the best place to start out. I have a good friend at AMR, who works in my town and I have sent in my application to them. I have also sent off my app' to a couple other companies. I hear all these horrable stories about making 7/hr and living paycheck to paycheck. I would love for all of you to shed some light on this for me. Where you work, city and State Company Years of service & pay. What about those who go thur EMT-b school and end up in the ER room working full time. Whats that all about. I am a sponge.......please give me some info to soak up. Calley Stockton, CA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
txemt Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 I worked for 2 different transport companies in the Dallas/Fort Worth TX area. One paid me 11.50 hr to start but didn't provide a lot of hours. The only patients we transported where dialysis patient. After that I went to FREMS, which is another local transport service. We did back up 911 also. Made about 10.00 hr there with unlimited overtime. Plus we got to chase the ponies at the local horse track. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doubledog8 Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 Good luck! I just finished my EMT-B training (with an awesome instructor -- I passed my Registry on the first try) and got hired on with the local ambulance service. Remember: study, study, study and always volunteer for the scenarios. Have fun! Congratulations. I just finished my Basic class tonight. Aced both the practical and written exams for the class, am taking the Natl Registry practical on Sat., and the written in probably 3 weeks or so. I definitely agree with the advice about volunteering for the scenarios. I'll be working in one of the bigger ERs in town. I like the field, but for right now the ER is the right way to go for me. Higher pay, more opportunity to use my skills, etc. I'm hoping to get out in the field more as I get closer to my Paramedic. And good luck to those just starting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rathbone Posted December 14, 2006 Author Share Posted December 14, 2006 hi all, back in august i started the accelerated emt-iv class and finally finished up today with my nremt practical and test just waiting on the old pass or fail information. already enrolled for spring 2007 to get my associate degree in paramedic started and then medic school in august 2007 to august 2008. and hopefully when i get through medic school the bridge program will be started so i can go from paramedic to R.N. in one year i have not heard any more about the program but the medic instuctor at school said it should be starting up in 2008 i am from tennessee if any body has any information on this i would love to hear about it. i think that is going to be a great thing for me to be able to do the bridge program does anyone have any input on the way i am approaching this good or bad comments all are welcom. rathbone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustdevil Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 I like the field, but for right now the ER is the right way to go for me. Higher pay, more opportunity to use my skills, etc. Specifically what skills are you referring to? Most ER based EMTs I see don't do much more than vital signs, skills wise. The rest of the stuff is just the same nurses aid stuff that you didn't even learn in EMT school. The most bandaging and splinting you will do is a 4x4 over the laceration you didn't suture, and the occasional arm sling over the arm you didn't splint/cast. Not exactly "skills" in my book. hopefully when i get through medic school the bridge program will be started so i can go from paramedic to R.N. in one year i have not heard any more about the program but the medic instuctor at school said it should be starting up in 2008 i am from tennessee if any body has any information on this i would love to hear about it. Most bridge programmes I have seen require a minimum time-in-field for admission, usually being 5 years or more. Without that experience, your paramedic cert is worthless towards a nursing education. All in all, you'd be better off and faster just taking the full two years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doubledog8 Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 I job-shadowed at the ER I'm going to be at (a level 2 trauma center). I know every ER is different, but here, the ER Techs do pretty much everything but starting IVs and giving meds. They do most of the blood draws for labs, EKGs, splinting(the techs do apply most of the splints), etc. Basic stuff, I realize. However, the EMS service in my city uses 1 Basic/1 Paramedic crews, so the Basics don't get to do much more than vitals, moving pts, and driving the ambulance (at least that's what I've gathered from the ones I've spoken to). If I can fine part-time work in the field, that would be great, since I know there's no substitute for real field experience. Right now, though, I feel like the ER is the best choice for me. At least for the moment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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