Ok, so I'm a male nurse. I worked hard to get where I am in my career and consider myself not only competent but an exceptional nurse. Unfortunately the EMS personnel I encounter from the field, the first responders, fire fighters, emt's, and paramedics just don't seem to have the smallest amount of respect or even professionalism for nurses period.
A simple youtube search will confirm this if you have any doubts. It seems as though these people have some sort of angst towards nurses. They refer to us as "waitresses" and "unable to think for ourselves". As previously stated, I worked hard, very hard to become a nurse. So I take offense to someone who think's I'm just the doctor's *****...
I have experience in ED, LTC, and Med/Surg. Not a ton in any certain area, but I feel a well rounded and balanced resume. Still as a LTC nurse, when I call the squad, after talking to the family, the patient, and the doctor, the EMS personnel still seems to perisist that I am an idiot. I don't send pts to the hospital unless it's really necessary, yet they act like I'm wasting their time. The last pt I sent had an NSTEMI, and the EMS responders seemed to think their was nothing wrong and no need to transport the pt. I've also had a pt c/o a broken neck and the EMS personnel thought it was a joke, took no spinal precautions, made the pt get up and transfer himself to the guerney. It turns out he did have a broken neck, and then the medic tried to lie about putting a cervical collar on. It really disturbs me in my experience that people ho can be so uncaring and incompetent will call out nurses. It's been my experience that the EMS personnel are in the wrong almost always, yet they continue to insists that nurses are idiots.
Anyone else experience this kind of crap? I mean really!! The local FD has tried to recruit me for years as an EMT, but I have never done it, just because I don't have the time. I've even taken the NR EMT-B test and passed with flying colors. It's first semester nursing school kind of ****. With less difficult questions and even easier answers.
I find it offensive and flat out wrong the image these "heroes" try to pursue, especially when most are nothing more than taxi's to medical appointments. I feel as though they've already diagnosed the pt before even seeing them based on nothing more than their ignorant opinions/bias.
The smart ass comments never cease either. Their famous line is "we'll have um back in a few hours" or "there's nothing they're going to do". It just really infuriates me the brash obnoxious and flat out ignorant attitudes these folks have...
