Tired of the Stereotypes of Medics and EMTs

[KeekesRenea]

So, as most of you can probably tell by the credentials on the side of my name, I am a paramedic. My overall goal was to become a nurse, and it still is. I am currently finishing up a couple prerequisites and hopefully, I will be accepted into a BSN program by the end of next semester. Here is the issue, though...

One day, I was browsing the web, looking for stories of people who were like me. People who became paramedics first and then went on to become nurses. What I found, however, was a crap load of articles, mainly from nurses, stereotyping the EMS field and limiting the skills of paramedics to nothing more than "ambulance driver". I was appalled. One, because I didn't even think that this was even an actual "thing", and two because I would figure that healthcare providers as a whole would grasp at some point that this whole idea of healthcare is a TEAM effort. There is no licensure more needed than another.

Then, I see more articles on newcomers wanting to explore another option other than CNA. People who were thinking about becoming EMT Basics, prior to their nurse education. A lot of biased nurses there, once again completely bashing the idea of becoming an EMT instead of a CNA. They cared to do no research whatsoever on what an EMT or paramedic does. They used both terms interchangeably, which is a mistake within itself because the scope of practice for both are different. But once again, both are being limited to only "ambulance drivers". Really?

So, just clearing up a few things here and there. EMTs and Paramedics are not just "ambulance drivers". People could easily stereotype nurses as "doctor assistants", I KNOW for a fact that it would very looked down upon. So, why do it to someone else?

EMTs typically have to take a semester long program to be EMTs. As does a CNA. However, EMTs take more classes in the semester. CNAs have one course to take.

To be a paramedic now, it takes 1- 2 years, depending on what program you go into, and that's not including prereqs. That's about the same amount of time it takes to be a LPN or an RN on the Associates level. The program I did was a year and a half and I ended up with an Associate's degree. A lot of medic programs are held in colleges now. Not just EMS companies.

Paramedics are skilled in giving medications, EKG interpretations, Cardioversion, Defibrillation, Transcutaneous Pacing, IVs, IOs, Intubations, Needle Decompressions, ect... We do have to know drip rates. EMTs can not do these things, but they are still trained to handle the basic stuff like controlling the bleeding, simple airway management, CPR, simple anaphylaxis management, etc... Until the medics come and take over.

EMTs and Medics can work in the hospital. Usually, they only work in the ED, but it makes sense since they are trained in the emergency medical model. There are a few other places where EMTs and Medics can work. Options seem to open up a little more to paramedics... But all of this being said, EMTs and Medics are not just limited to working on an ambulance. I know this from personal experience, before anyone tries to invalidate this fact.

Another annoying misconception is that EMTs and Paramedics are only limited to one patient a day... This is a very stupid misconception and it proves that people do not know the purpose of EMS. EMTs and Medics are trained for emergencies. When we get on a scene, we do not have the stable environment of the hospital. We have to make due with what we have and what we know. We have to stabilize the scene and ensure scene safety. If an incident occurs when there are multiple people injured or sick, we have to know how to tend to that. Not every case is "we load and go and that's it". It has never been just that.

The bottom line is, EMTs and Medics are around for a reason. And there is a reason why the burnout rate from Medics are higher than the burnout rate from nurses. Not saying at all that nurses do not get burned out... Medics do more than they get credit for and it's unfortunate that this even has to be a topic. All I can say now is, before you go on a biased rampage on how nurses are better than medics and how medics are useless and not skilled in anything except ambulance driving, I insist that you do your research and learn all there is to know about the EMS field, instead of contributing to the load of bs that EMTs and Medics have to deal with from people all the time.

P.S. I apologize if this is in the wrong place. Feel free to move it. I don't know how to change where this gets posted.

[SmilingBluEyes]

I respect the heck out of EMT/Paramedics. All first responders, actually, including police officers and firemen. I have never been one ( a first responder), so I can't speak to how it is to work as one. But just know this is one nurse who respects you. I have had to make many 911 calls from my unit to have a patient transported to the hospital with chest pain/cardiac symptoms and am always relieved when they come in the door. I could not do my job without you.

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

I learned to do IV sticks from a paramedic during my clinical rotation in the ER during nursing school. Best education I could have had on the subject and I was grateful. I was successfully sticking people when most of my counterparts never even had opportunity, let alone success at it yet.

It is funny to me you state nurses look down on EMTs and paramedics. I have actually found the opposite to be true...that EMTs and paramedics are pretty resentful and ugly toward nurses. There were a couple medics fresh out of the military who had big chips on their shoulders during nursing school that they "had to take all this stuff" because they functioned at what they perceived to be a higher level in the field during active duty. They seemed very anxious to tell their stories and bizarrely eager to be seen as "above" the other students. Who knows...I just know it made them less friendly and less included because they were already bashing the very education they were paying to receive and they had a hard time learning the parts they didn't feel were pertinent, which mostly had to do with basic patient care and psychosocial issues. They also wanted to lord their "real life experience" with combat training over the training we all were in together at that point. It was seriously off-putting. If that experience were sufficient then the BON would recognize it. It doesn't. We didn't make the rules.

So you see, it is all a matter of perspective. How nice the world would be if we all would stop generalizing and just appreciate and support one another's unique roles.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

It is funny to me you state nurses look down on EMTs and paramedics. I have actually found the opposite to be true...that EMTs and paramedics are pretty resentful and ugly toward nurses.

Based on anecdotes, my personal experiences, and encounters described by past and former coworkers, I think paramedicine attracts a certain personality type.

I am definitely not insinuating that all paramedics and EMTs are rude. However, many of them are rude and play the one-upmanship game (e.g, "I've got one-up on nurses! I can do more than them! I've got more autonomy than them!").

[KeekesRenea]

I learned to do IV sticks from a paramedic during my clinical rotation in the ER during nursing school. Best education I could have had on the subject and I was grateful. I was successfully sticking people when most of my counterparts never even had opportunity, let alone success at it yet.

It is funny to me you state nurses look down on EMTs and paramedics. I have actually found the opposite to be true...that EMTs and paramedics are pretty resentful and ugly toward nurses. There were a couple medics fresh out of the military who had big chips on their shoulders during nursing school that they "had to take all this stuff" because they functioned at what they perceived to be a higher level in the field during active duty. They seemed very anxious to tell their stories and bizarrely eager to be seen as "above" the other students. Who knows...I just know it made them less friendly and less included because they were already bashing the very education they were paying to receive and they had a hard time learning the parts they didn't feel were pertinent, which mostly had to do with basic patient care and psychosocial issues. They also wanted to lord their "real life experience" with combat training over the training we all were in together at that point. It was seriously off-putting. If that experience were sufficient then the BON would recognize it. It doesn't. We didn't make the rules.

So you see, it is all a matter of perspective. How nice the world would be if we all would stop generalizing and just appreciate and support one another's unique roles.

Just like you are speaking from experience, I am also speaking on experience. And what I have seen from the healthcare field, in general, seems pretty valid. Am I denying that there are medics like the ones you described? No. Me being a paramedic had to deal with a medic or two who were like that. A lot of us aren't. I know I don't do that.

It would be nice to see more healthcare providers act as a team instead of playing the "my licensure is higher than yours" game. That was the whole point of my post. It wasn't to start a "pissing contest", as I was accused of doing from someone earlier in the conversation, and it wasn't to broad brush all nurses. If you don't do it, there would be no need to defend yourself. *shrugs* My intended audience was for the nurses who actually do what I am talking about.

[Wuzzie]

My intended audience was for the nurses who actually do what I am talking about.

Sadly your intended audience won't care and aren't introspective enough to see themselves as you have described. This, of course, goes for both sides of the discussion.

[KeekesRenea]

Well, that's fine, I guess. I was able to say what I had to say. If they're determined to stay ignorant, it is no longer my problem.

Sadly your intended audience won't care and aren't introspective enough to see themselves as you have described. This, of course, goes for both sides of the discussion.

[nurse2033, MSN, RN]

I was a paramedic to RN. Accept it. Most people have no idea what the capabilities of EMS are. Put your energy into showing them what an awesome NURSE you can be. It's like fighting racism. You can rant and rave but that doesn't solve the problem. I take every opportunity to praise EMS, but it's not nurses' fault. They just haven't been under that car with you, or in that tiny bathroom, or in that drunk crowd. Suck it up, get through school, and sooner or later someone will notice that you rocked it when your patient went down the tubes. And don't forget, you have a ton to learn about nursing. Good luck.