why do nurses hate medics?

Specialties Emergency

Published

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.

Specializes in CEN, CFRN, PHRN, RCIS, EMT-P.
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.

We do this and yes it does work as you suggest :)

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We have medics in our ed, while they don't take an rn's role, they kinda float. Usually a medic for every 4 pt zones. There is zero friction between rns and medics. There is personality friction but I'm not sure that has anything to do with work roles.

We love our medics other than the fact they get to wear black scrubs. I hate they get to wear black. I want to wear black :(

Sent from my iPhone using allnurses

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

I've been a paramedic since 2003 and an ER nurse since 2008. Usually the nurses who are unkind to medics aren't much nicer to their RN coworkers! I guess it must really depend on where you work, because I have always had a great relationship with our medics, as have most of my coworkers. We value our people very much. I am sorry you've had a different experience, loboracer. That's not the way it should be. :(

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Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

Haven't seen much animosity in my ED, we all joke around, and ask about families. The guys also help out when somebody gets agitated or violent, (if they happen to still be in the ED when it happens), even if it isn't anyone they brought in. I know they have my back! And when we are swamped, I can grab a medic and get help lifting someone up in the bed, etc.

The only friction is when someone comes in that should be collared (by protocol), but they made a call in the field not to, or something similar. Rarely personal problems, just disagreement on choices. But on the whole, our guys (male and female) are great.

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Specializes in ED.

Generally speaking, I don't see this in my facility. Of course, there are a few nurses and medics that just don't really get along but for the most part everyone keeps it pretty professional.

I think the way we look at it is that they can either make my job easier or make it hell when they bring me a patient. Of course, some medics are just exceptional and thorough in providing care while there are others that just need to hang up their boots and go home. It does work both ways.

I personally love the medics and have my favorites!

m

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Specializes in ER.

Wow, in our ER I see zero friction. They like us better than the other nearby hospital I've heard. I love all our EMS folks, except for one. She is rude and unpleasant, and not well liked, but that's her. All the rest are wonderful, we love them!

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Specializes in ED.

I don't see this much in my ER. We have two EMTs that basically function as nurses in my facility. I adore them both and looooove when they are working as they can do EJs and I cannot when a tough stick rolls through. I also just really like them as people :) I try to always be pleasant to our EMTs. They get paid crap for what they do, they don't want to deal with some of these patients anymore than I do, and they are almost always nice. I see no point in being rude with our EMTs unless there is some sort of serious issue. We're all on the same team after all.

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Specializes in ED.

And I just remembered a favorite story. One of my absolute favorite EMTs brought in a pt. That transfer coincided with an issue I was having getting a line on a hard stick. It just was not happening and we had no EMT on staff to do an EJ. I just had to batt my eyelashes and say "pllllleeeaase can you do an EJ?" And he sure did, just for me :) It always pays to be nice, being a crabby patty won't get you very far.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Emergency, CEN.

I love ours and go out of my way to help them get in and out except one. This one EMT purposely made one of our admitting ladies feel small and worthless.

He snapped his fingers at her, and when she didn't see/hear it, he whistled at her and told her how he hasn't got all day to waste waiting for her. While she was trying to write all of the information down, he looked back at the 2 other teams waiting to be seen by admitting, smiled and shook his head as if to say "What an idiot!"

She saw everything and was almost running away in tears when I stopped her. I told him to NEVER treat our people like that again... EVER. I made him apologize to her (though he was now angry at me too and did so only sarcastically) and now whenever we see each other, it's like

.

So while I kind of disagree that I treat EMTs badly, I have to confess to being a rude nurse.

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.

Sorry to hear that this is your experience, OP. I feel fortunate that I have not worked where there has been that kind of friction. In all the EDs in which I've worked there have been medics on staff - and we are a team. And there are close relationships with local EMS services. Our parties, picnics, and breakfasts have produced some legendary stories. :smokin:

I do notice in your post that your hospital is deliberately employing medics in a role which significantly overlaps the role of an RN in a hospital setting. There's the problem: from the medic side, you perceive that you're getting (I'm roughly estimating here) 60% of RN pay to do 85% of an RN job. From the RN side ... if the hospital is getting 85% of an RN for 40% less pay, there's good reason to feel devalued both figuratively and literally, where it hits you in the wallet.

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Specializes in Peds/Neo CCT,Flight, ER, Hem/Onc.

I've worked with medics for nearly my entire career including 7 years in an ED. I have never witnessed or experienced what you have described. I have seen overworked nurses get a little crispy when an outside medic brings them their 5th squad patient in 20 minutes but it's not personal and I would just as likely see the same nurse give the same medic a huge hug after a rough run.

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I work in a busy level 1 ED with approx 75-100 nurses, I have not witnessed or heard about any friction between nurses and medics here. In fact we all get along great. Many of the nurses are friends with the medics outside of work and some are married to them.

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