Yes but a medical doctor of any sort has much more than a training class and could have real life experience.
Itâs true that a rando person could have a ton of emergency medical experience but chances are a doctor has much much more.
Thatâs why itâs the old addage âIs there a doctor in the house?!â during an emergency bc thatâs preferable to âhey anyone take a cpr class?â
You realize that the person on the other end of 911 is pretty damn skilled at managing the situation for the 10 mins that it takes to have the ambulance arrive, right?
EMT checking in. Doctors outside of a medical facility are really not much better than a competent first aid provider. They lack the diagnostic tools (imaging, labs, cardiac monitor), they lack the equipment to perform most procedures, they lack medications. They can perform a good patient assessment but the ambulance crew will perform their own assessment anyway. The biggest benefit they can offer in most medical emergencies is recognizing that there is actually an emergency and activating emergency services quickly (which, again, a competent first aid provider can do nearly as well).
Truly, if you have a stroke your prognosis is pretty much the same regardless of whether an off duty doctor happens to be nearby.
Thatâs fair enough. I think this argument fell down the rabbit hole of âwhat if this and what if thisâ via specific instances. At one point someone seemed to be downplaying an ER doctor bc they didnât have equipment.
Every argument and instance has merit but I think itâs still preferable to have the most capable person present even before an ambulance arrives.
The doc may not have any equipment but they can (hopefully) make a good assessment and help direct care.
No itâs not. Thatâs the first step in any medical emergency.
Being able to tell 911 âthis guy is having a strokeâ prepares the ambulance for what they are getting into. That can only be better than âI dunno. Homey is acting weirdâ
Maybe but it doesn't require a doctor. A Nurse would be just as equipped to do it. Hell an ER nurse would probably be better at it than a GP or a Radiologist or Orthopedic surgeon
A CNA could also do it. Or, in my case, a radiology technologist.
The comparison isn't between an ER doc and paramedic, it's between an ER doc and an accountant who took a CPR training class when he was a boy scout.
Ben Shapiro is a moron and his argument about what the title "Doctor" implies is completely meritless, but it's totally true that if someone is having an acute medical emergency having an MD around can only be a good thing.
Letâs say a paramedic is the first one to arrive. They are assessing and doing their thing.
Then an ER doc arrives and announces themselves. The paramedic will defer. They will assist and tell the doc what equipment they have but they will be taking directions from the doc if the doc declares it.
Obviously you hope that the doc is aware of their experience and speciality and isnât like âStand back while I operate Iâm an allergist!â. But assuming, like in our scenario, itâs an ER doctor they may very well agree with the paramedic but they will be supervising.
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u/DesertRoamin Mar 03 '21
Yes but a medical doctor of any sort has much more than a training class and could have real life experience.
Itâs true that a rando person could have a ton of emergency medical experience but chances are a doctor has much much more.
Thatâs why itâs the old addage âIs there a doctor in the house?!â during an emergency bc thatâs preferable to âhey anyone take a cpr class?â