why do nurses hate medics?

Guttercat, ASN, RN · Dec 13, 2014

In my ER stint, I valued the EMT's/Paramedics highly. I heavily relied on them. Damn if those folks couldn't run circles around me in certain situations.

Way underpaid, in my opinion.

akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P · Dec 14, 2014

In my ER stint, I valued the EMT's/Paramedics highly. I heavily relied on them. Damn if those folks couldn't run circles around me in certain situations.
Way underpaid, in my opinion.

Often, that's very much the case. Just remember that Paramedics are specialists in basically one or two things and they're very good at those things. It's one reason why they're as useful as they are in the ED setting and not so much elsewhere in hospital. This specialization also makes them useful as code team members.

ChicagoRN84 · Dec 14, 2014

I was a medic for 9 years prior to my RN. At each ER I "visited", there were some staff that I worked well with and trusted my judgement. Most unfortunately would look down on us, and let it be known that we were worthless and didn't know anything. Most doctors had our backs more than the nursing staff. It was quite frustrating and difficult not to lash out. Ignorance is the biggest issue. As medics we know what nurses are capable of, but they would never understand our role and how much schooling and rigorous testing medics go through. I loved being a medic, but went nursing because I was tired of feeling unappreciated and constantly being put down by ignorance

NeoPediRN · Dec 14, 2014

I can't relate to this. I've worked in 4 ERs and we always have a great working relationship. The medics stick around when they bring in critical patients if they can to see if we need help, and we respect and listen to their assessments and recommendations. We work very closely together.

ANnot4me · Dec 14, 2014

There are mean and rude people everywhere and in every profession. I have worked in the ED and what happens in the field is different than what happens in the hospital. It just is what it is and once a patient enters the hospital, their care is governed by hospital policies and protocols. As a nurse, I am bound to follow these policies and protocols and this may mean that I see things from a different perspective.

I have never worked in and ED or Critical Care Unit with paramedics or even LPNs. I have only worked in environments where the staff were RNs and MD/ODs and Respiratory Therapists. Once patients enter my environment, they are under my charge. That is just how it is and that does not mean I have no respect for the care providers that brought the patient into my environment, it just means that once the patient arrives, I am accountable from that point on...

That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Dec 14, 2014

I love our medics. Only because I secretly am jealous of them and want to be one of them.

brandiep1982 · Dec 14, 2014

I think a lot of people are making great points in this discussion. One I found very interesting was the mention of paramedics as nursing students being arrogant... I am a paramedic, practiced for three years before I decided to leave 24 hr shifts to go back to school for nursing. I will 100% agree with the idea of paramedics being arrogant. Most are. Not all. But, plenty are. Yes, we get to make decisions without a dr's order (instead we have many standing orders; however, we do get to make big calls every once in a while), yes we do get to do a lot of different skills (some that even nurses cannot), but what we DON'T get are professionalism classes or ethics classes or anything like that... that stuff is valuable. And I really think the lack of that type of training may have a lot to do with some of the arrogance.

Being the only paramedic in a family of nurses, I have heard a lot about this. :) However, arrogance can go both ways, too.

In my personal experience, I have run into irritated nurses that don't understand why I may have done something... they work in an ER, with a roof and walls. There is no rain or snow falling on their heads, wind gushing at them, they are not in the back of a bumping and jiving ambulance while trying to treat their patients... they don't understand sometimes why we do this instead of that.

PMFB-RN, RN · Dec 14, 2014

In my experience and both a former medic and now RN it's the superior attitude of the medics, and their condecending treatment of nurses that begets nurse's bad attitude twords medics.

In other words medics have earned nurses dislike through their own actions.

In my experience medics are very jelous of how much RNs make and feel nurses don't deserve to make more than the medics do. Having done both I know that the nurses job is much harder, though it may or may not carry more autonomy and independant decision making than the medic depending on the nurse's job. I currently have moch greater autonomy and responsibiliety than any medic in this area does, but the same isn't true for all RN positions. However the vast majority of nurse's jobs are harder than a medics job. More politics, physicians, managers, and patient families to deal with tham medics usually deal with.

IMO medics should stay where they are trained and qualified to practice, in the pre hospital enviroment and should not be working in hospitals like nurses do.

allnurses Guide · Dec 14, 2014

In my small town ER, I didn't experience this at all. We have medics who work in the ER with the nurse (only one nurse and two medics). We are a team.

When I worked in a bigger city ER, I could see cocky attitudes from some ER nurses and some medics. I don't think it has much to do with ER work . . . I think people come in with those attitudes. They'd be that way working at Mickey D's.

PMFB-RN, RN · Dec 14, 2014

Yes, we get to make decisions without a dr's order (instead we have many standing orders; however, we do get to make big calls every once in a while), yes we do get to do a lot of different skills (some that even nurses cannot

Like what? Nurses in my department intubate, are trained in emergency cricothyrotomy , and needle decompression of tension pnumothorax, among other skills. In addition we also place various central lines and art lines. We have a large range of medications we can give on protocols and standing orders and we make big calls all the time.

It depends on what job the nurse is working in. Our EMS and critical care transport, both ground and air are staffed with an RN, medic and EMT driver or pilot. The RN is the team leader and is responsible for calls made in the field.

Nurses can do a lot if they have a policy and supporting competency training.

I have run into irritated nurses that don't understand why I may have done something... they work in an ER, with a roof and walls. There is no rain or snow falling on their heads, wind gushing at them, they are not in the back of a bumping and jiving ambulance while trying to treat their patients... they don't understand sometimes why we do this instead of that

Hmmm, I am an RN and last year I intubated a man while standing ancle deep in liquid, but rapidly freezing, cow manure in the dark, in as snow storm while he had an 1,800# dead holstien bull laying across him. I had 5 people holding flashlights and a terrified 22 year old deputy sheriff hold cric pressure for me.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Dec 14, 2014

Several years ago I started a thread on rudeness from EMTs and paramedics toward nurses in the LTC/SNF setting. Click on the link below if you have some time to burn:

https://allnurses.com/geriatric-nurses-ltc/rudeness-emts-paramedics-268561.html

roxiroxmysox · Dec 14, 2014

I volunteer as an EMT and man I have felt the hostility from ER nurses. It's like they assume we are incompetent and that we are taking up their time. I am on both sides and I definitely see what the original poster is talking about. Unless your attractive guy (I'm being completely honest with what I've seem first hand), it's like your not in the same social class.