I have worked for many years as a tech (EMT-B) in an ER that currently sees about 40,000 patients. I also volunteer as an EMT for my local township squad. I am in my third semester in an ADN program. Before I started nursing school, I erroneously believed that I was entitled to more responsibility and respect than I was given. I, too, thought that I got all of the scut work. Well, I was WRONG! There is a significant difference of the emphasis of training between EMT's and nurses. Nurses are trained to be critical thinkers and to treat the whole patient, not just the illness/injury. Perhaps it should not be Medics vs. Nurses in the ER, but rather Medics and nurses in the ER collaborating together to properly treat and serve the patient. Let's also keep in perspective the type of pt generally treated in a typical ER: the majority are medical patients, not trauma. jlbns