loboracer

I would say you might stand alone with that opinion from fellow nurses

We all say it is all about the pt's which is how it should be. But how many or you have seen an order for a med sit there and not be prepared or given. I have seen it when i worked er. Some would click prepare and stay sitting there talking...With ems it is the same with chute and response times. There is a minimum standard that has to be met. If you work in the er and have not seen a pt lay in their bed waiting for assessment or treatment while the nurse looks at a mag or on the net then you have a good nurse and service. That is where I want to be treated.

When I posted the original question I was really referring to the ones that day in day out have a problem. They are great with other rns but if you have a medic title.... cold, hateful is just the beginning. Not all by no means but I could honestly say 50% in the ER or more. Every shift. Stab you in the back, non stop. Better as a field medic. I just don't put up with it. We might have strayed a bit from my original meaning.

I think after reading these posts the answer to my question is in there. Some nurses just don't realize the training, the job, the skills, the standing protocols that medics have. And the fact that in some areas they can be quite limited and in others they are more advanced and specialized than imagined. Not just in intubations and codes. We bring EVERY kind of pt. to the hospital and have to be able to assess and treat them all. No labs, no doc, no rt, no rad, no help. I worked the er and it was easier having the orders pop up and omnicell here I come. The nurses that "know how it is" due to being married to a medic or working close to them... or just old enough to know seem to be the team players that some have talked about.

Good discussion. A medical crisis not blatantly obvious... if we are out in the field with just you and an emt partner I think a paramedic would definitely hold their own. In my opinion nurse have more training on labs and diseases...etc.. which I saw first hand in the ER. But when it comes to pucker factor on your own ...this is the life of a medic. I would state that there are not so good medic schools out there and med directors that will not allow medics to perform many skills. We RSI, some like myself continued on and got a degree. More than a just a cook book medic. I appreciate what ER nurses do, I love nurses that will listen and give reports. A nurse in a good mood is like ice cream on a hot day... excellent! You can see by the responses where some of the attitude comes from and how it is not consistent.

As the original poster... I am also an EMS Supervisor. So it is not just me. I am glad to here that there are so many that do not feel this way or see this. I disagree with rhe person that says medics are trained in 2 areas. Where in the world do you live? I frequently transport to 4 different hospitals and my crews report it to me all the time. Yes there are bad medics but there are bad people too. Thanks for all of the replies.!

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.

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.

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.

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.