i was talking to a lady today online who claims to be a physicians assistant. she was asking me about a male friend of ours and i mentioned the fact that he was not around this weekend because he had to attend fema training. she asked me what fema was?
excuse me, but shouldn't a physicians assistant know what fema is? i have been a registered nurse for 12 years and have had countless amounts of training in emergency services and what to do in case of a crisis or other emergency.
how can this physicians assistant not have a clue what fema is? my husband says i am being petty and that not everyone knows about fema.
If someone said something about FEMA training to me, I might not initially understand them them *that* FEMA. Especially in the context of the hospital setting, I might be thinking "Hmm, what does FEMA stand for? I haven't heard of this condition? Maybe it's a certification? I'm not up on my mental health stuff, maybe this is a specialty training for dealing with pts with acute mental crisis? Something like "something Endorsed Mental Aid" training?" I, too, might ask what FEMA meant in that situation. I'm still a nurse, with a license. Really. I just don't associate FEMA with something local, even though I'm sure they *do* have training with our local ED and EMS. I don't work in that area, so that's not what first comes to mind when I think of FEMA in the context of local nurse training.
Yes, there are common ones we all know and learned, my only point was. There are that have one meaning to some and something as to someone else.
drug dose abbreviation I believe is standarized so we all understand what they mean. Our reference books, just as you site what you use in Britain, one which I did not know, but PDR is standard reference is this country.
I agree with the above poster FEMA, my first instinct might have been is this something new? Even though here in Florida I am familiar with FEMA, but you ask me that at work I might think it is something directly related to my work that I am unaware of yet.
We all assume to much, and judge too harshly sometimes. Tend to makes a few of us,not pipe up with? What does that mean as we are fearful of appearing stupid. I am always relieved when someone next to me, no matter their title says. " I didn't know that either"
Specializes in Emergency, Case Management, Informatics.
Being a PA and having knowledge of FEMA isn't exactly intertwined. Now, if a Paramedic didn't know what FEMA was, I would have some suspicions.
Like others, I don't recall knowing anything about FEMA until after Katrina hit. We *may* have had an introduction to FEMA in the very brief bioterrorism portion of nursing school, but it would have only been a cursory mention.
I didn't get any in-depth knowledge of FEMA until I joined an ambulance service as a part-time gig, and was required to do hours and hours and hours of ICS/NIMS training.
If you're using this as a basis for trying to call them on being a PA, your evidence would be VERY lacking. :wink2:
there are certain common abbreviations that you'd expect people to know
the BNF example for us rightpondians is one - it;s the British National Formularly and it's one of if not THE most commonly used reference book for meds and doses ...
I don't think you can compare knowing what FEMA is, and knowing what BNF stands for...a health professional would be much more likely to know what the most commonly used pharm book is....
I didn't know what FEMA was until the hurricanes, either. We are trained in emergency preparedness as a hospital, what our role is if there's a local disaster, but those initials are not mentioned in the training. I don't think it's an indicator whatsoever if this person is *truly* a PA.
Maybe she is a PA that works in something other then emergency medicine. I have been a nurse for over 13 years and not until Katrina did I learn what FEMA was. As for the "countless hours" of training, never had that either.
I will address this on this post.
I work for a large state run mental and developmental institution. We have drills all the time to prepare us for disasters. The last drill was seeing how quickly we could get out of the buildings due to an earthquake, and taking care of the injured. There were also concerns about hazardous chemical spills in this scenario. Everyone from the physicians to the techs had to participate. We even had a helicopter land to escort the "injured" out of the area. There were ambulances and firefighters there too. We were formed into teams and each team was given a scenario to follow through.
Also, when I worked at a prison we trained for emergencies all the time. Not only inmate caused emergencies, but preparedness for natural disasters. Every place that I have worked at has some type of video or representative that comes in and discusses what to do in an emergency. How anyone in the medical/nursing field cannot educate themselves on FEMA and Homeland Security is just beyond my comprehension. After all, we are supposed to respond in emergencies. If one doesn't know what to do, what good would you be in such emergencies?
We have those same disaster drills. Plus the big ones which involve multiple hospitals, the airport, our emergenency responders , local police and fire departments . I do not recall FEMA entering the scenario for the plane that crashed in that scenario. Now Homeland Security I suppose might have played apart, but again it was not mentioned where I was assigned for the drill.
I work for a large state run mental and developmental institution. We have drills all the time to prepare us for disasters. The last drill was seeing how quickly we could get out of the buildings due to an earthquake, and taking care of the injured. There were also concerns about hazardous chemical spills in this scenario. Everyone from the physicians to the techs had to participate. We even had a helicopter land to escort the "injured" out of the area. There were ambulances and firefighters there too. We were formed into teams and each team was given a scenario to follow through.
Also, when I worked at a prison we trained for emergencies all the time. Not only inmate caused emergencies, but preparedness for natural disasters. Every place that I have worked at has some type of video or representative that comes in and discusses what to do in an emergency. How anyone in the medical/nursing field cannot educate themselves on FEMA and Homeland Security is just beyond my comprehension. After all, we are supposed to respond in emergencies. If one doesn't know what to do, what good would you be in such emergencies?
JHMO
All these drills were sponsored by FEMA? I think either my hospital is getting the shaft, or someone's been greasing some pockets in your area.
My hospital drills (the ones *I* am involved in, as a non-emergency room worker) haven't mentioned FEMA at all, that I can remember. I'm thinking I'm a good nurse despite my inability to recognize all federal agencies' acronyms immediately, with 100% accuracy!:wink2:
FEMA does not sponsor our diaster drills. They are a requirement of the Joint Commision. Just like firedrills are mandated so be so many per year. We have one large multi system disaster drill, perhaps as we are a designated trauma hosp.
queenjean
951 Posts
If someone said something about FEMA training to me, I might not initially understand them them *that* FEMA. Especially in the context of the hospital setting, I might be thinking "Hmm, what does FEMA stand for? I haven't heard of this condition? Maybe it's a certification? I'm not up on my mental health stuff, maybe this is a specialty training for dealing with pts with acute mental crisis? Something like "something Endorsed Mental Aid" training?" I, too, might ask what FEMA meant in that situation. I'm still a nurse, with a license. Really. I just don't associate FEMA with something local, even though I'm sure they *do* have training with our local ED and EMS. I don't work in that area, so that's not what first comes to mind when I think of FEMA in the context of local nurse training.