why do nurses hate medics?

kool-aide, RN · Dec 12, 2014

An EMT-B acquaintance of mine goes on and on about nurses v. EMS and I just don't see it, although I work in Inpatient acute care and not ED. I occasionally have pts brought to me via EMS and never feel tension with EMS workers. Would love to read input from others.

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Dec 12, 2014

I don't see a lot of friction either, and we have EMT's working in our ER and teaching our advanced life support classes. A few individual EMT's seem to have an attitude about nursing that I can only justify as jealousy. For the record, the jobs are NOT the same. Nurses are obligated to consider so much more than just what is emergent, so sometimes there is a difference in the focus. I find that snotty people exist in every discipline. We have special meals for our EMT's, the schools come here for clinicals, and we invite them to grand rounds so they can hear what the MD's have done with the patients they bring in. EMS personnel play a vital role in our community.

loboracer · Dec 12, 2014

I can say that there is a noticable difference with floor nurses. Neuro trauma, picu, cdu are just different. In a good way. I am not saying that there are not a fair share of burned out medics that should find another job because of their attitude. The hrs and low pay leads to working OT = increased stress.

liberated847 · Dec 12, 2014

Most of the resentment I see in my area is related to: Nurse is mad because of workload and medic is bringing that workload, it's a classic "shoot the messenger" story vs a true hatred of the profession. Medics get mad when nurses are rude, they can be rude because of frustration due to workload and it goes round and round. Not personal just situational.

loboracer · Dec 12, 2014

I see where your coming from. I cannot disagree. I worked for a year as a medic in the er. My duties we the same as the rn's except I did intubations and most EJs. I have never been treated so bad in my life. I have a degree and was qualified but you would think I was making $10hr more than them.

Purple_roses · Dec 12, 2014

From what my friend has told me, there were some medics in her nursing classes who were very arrogant and were not very teachable because they over-valued their experience. So she does not like medics either. I'm sorry you've been treated poorly though. Your job is very important.

akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P · Dec 12, 2014

Not to offend anyone, but I have been in this game for over 12 yrs. I have worked with sone very good nurses but I have found that the majority of ER nurses are quite hateful to paramedics. It seems to be the younger nurses too. With the most current survey showing paramedics making an average of 14.xx per hr and nurses making 30.xx and hr... you would think it would be the medics with the problem. I am not talking about low educated medics either. In this area medics have ACLS, PALS, NALS, PHTLS, ABLS, proficient in 12 and 15 lead interpretation, etc.. We have medics that work in the ER not as techs but actually are assigned rooms as RNs. Can do everything as an RN except hang blood although you are trained in it. Medics have to choose the med they give in the field based on assessment not by dr. Order on the computer. Some opinions from nurses? I am not wanting a war here just enlightenment.

For your particular situation, I would suggest that it's a situational deal on two separate fronts. One front was mentioned above, in particular the "shoot the messenger" type of deal. Paramedics bring an increased workload. The second is that your facility employs Paramedics in essentially an RN-like role for the ED. In that type of environment, the nurses are going to feel very threatened. You see, they're expensive. Paramedics aren't. If you can substitute an RN with a Paramedic, your facility saves money. A lot of it, even if it's just within the ED.

I suspect that where Paramedics aren't employed like the way you describe (which is most places, I'm sure), RN and Paramedic relations are likely to be generally very good. My own working relationship with area ED nurses was quite excellent, back when I was an active field provider.

One other issue that may also be at play is that nurses typically don't get a whole lot of exposure to what the various levels of EMS providers can do nor what they're taught. I just graduated from nursing school just a few months ago and I was not educated at all about other care provider types that I might have contact with throughout the years nor what they are generally authorized to do.

liberated847 · Dec 12, 2014

From what my friend has told me, there were some medics in her nursing classes who were very arrogant and were not very teachable because they over-valued their experience. So she does not like medics either. I'm sorry you've been treated poorly though. Your job is very important.

Unfortunately this is true of some medics but also some nurses. It's all a personality issue vs professional jealousy on either side.

psu_213, BSN, RN · Dec 12, 2014

Not personal just situational.

In 4 years working in the ED, I have seen very very few instances of a nurse being rude to a paramedic. Those few times it has happened is when we are busy, nurses are overworked, everyone in the department is ticked off, and patients are piling up in the hallways. It is most definitely not personal.

Catch22Personified · Dec 12, 2014

I think of it as the same as how floor nurses hate ER nurses, because as ER nurses we are giving them patients. In this regard medics give us patients therefore we have to work. That's just me though.

loboracer · Dec 13, 2014

I appreciate the honestly. One reply got me thinking... medics have to do hours of ER and other areas of hospital time, doing assessments and skills.. I think it would be good if nurses did ride time on an ALS ambulance. It would bridge that gap of "what does a paramedic really do" and " what is the dif between a paramedic and an emt". Maybe realize the common goal and how hard it can be in the field and what it is like when a pt. Is brought in.