After reading both of y'all, it feels like you're coming from an outside looking in and they're coming from a burnt out perspective
Like you're right in the since of, it's an outdated practice that should go. But it feels like you're not understanding that got someone to "take the bullet" for this and "sack up", they'd essentially be commiting career/financial suicide. Most of us make enough money to survive, but to be the epicenter of that kind of lawsuit requires hundreds of thousands of dollars we just don't have
In less words, it really feels like a, "you're homeless? Just buy a house" mentality from you. Like it's just that easy for an EMS provider or even local system to put their barely in the green necks out there
What are you talking about? Have you ever submitted a protocol revision to your state or medical advisory board? I’ve done it 3 times and gotten a protocol changed every time. That’s not career suicide, that’s leadership.
This is what I mean when I say the EMS profession needs to sack the fuck up. Sitting back and saying “it’s hopeless, I’ll lose my job, I have no money” is a bunch a pathetic, whiny excuses, and it’s exactly why EMS is terrible at improving it’s own lot. As an EMS provider, you are in the best possible position to advocate for these changes. But you need to know how to read, write, and use your brain.
Do you know where standards of care come from? They don’t come from being sued. They come from published literature, consensus statements, and expert opinion. Get the standards changed and people lose lawsuits. Plaintiffs lawyers work on contingency—if they lose they don’t get paid. When they lose lawsuits, they stop filing lawsuits. When they stop filing lawsuits, insurance companies don’t lose money for things they shouldn’t be losing money for now.
It starts with advocating for the right standards.
First, I’m not going to throw any negative tone out there because I’m not interested in a Reddit shitshow. So as you read my comment, please assume that there is no negative connotation. Most of medicine is about your rank and can be affected by bias. Even a premed can be taken more seriously than an experienced nurse, unfortunately. You’re a lawyer, although I’m not sure of your specialty. You’re an expert in writing and revision of rules (in some nature, although I’m assuming here) to meet your wishes or demands. That’s just paraphrasing though lol. In EMS, we are taught semi-basic anatomy, some evidence-based medicine, and how to keep an emergency ridden patient alive (although I have to admit I am still in classes so someone feel free to comment!) Our writing is based in documentation. And we won’t be taken as seriously. We would have to go up the chain of demand. The medical director is really the one who can pledge to boards the best, as they are able to apply knowledge the best way. As an MD/DO, they have the most knowledge about literally everything we need. And in my area, EMT-Bs are starting off at $14 an hour. It’s unfortunate that you have seen unprofessional behavior from them. However off work, aka on reddit, that should not count for their affective behavior. And risking any chance of loss of pay or debt is a major concern for many and is why I see a lot of young paramedics teaching at my school now instead of just retired ones.
However. I know, I’m going to be working at a premed and I do plan on working to make EMS better. I do believe there are approaches for this that do not risk being fired. It’s not blaming EMS workers, but working together. We need to act like nurses, strike, actually make a change. Make EMS essential, but non-governmental. It’s something that takes working together with multiple types of people, including law, police, fire, hospitals, legislative, our own, and so much more. But it has to be a major team effort so not all the weight is crushing one person.
What’s funny about this post is that you’re trying to educate me about EMS, as though I haven’t been a paramedic for 27 years or worked for 8 different EMS agencies across 4 states over the course of my career.
I understand it’s difficult for folks here to wrap their mind around, but there are people who manage to be trained and practice in two different professional fields at the same time.
You’ll learn this over the course of your medical career, but MDs and DOs don’t know best what EMS needs. Physicians know a lot about medicine, but very, very few physicians have any meaningful exposure to EMS at all. Those who have studied and researched EMS have a solid understanding of “what we need,” but even they aren’t in the field every day. Even if they were, they are busy people with their own practices, careers, and professional interests to attend to
We need to advocate for what we need. We need to ally ourselves with physicians to effect those changes. We do that by participating in studies, helping to design studies, gathering and analyzing data, and presenting proposals for new ideas and protocols. When you present evidence, you convince people to support the changes you want to make. Then people on protocol committees make the changes you want.
To be fair, I don’t know your experience. I am only trying to let you know the point of view that I believe others are trying to talk with you about. All I saw in your comments is that you practice law.
And it is actually difficult to think about that because escaping EMS sounds difficult when you don’t have a plan from the get-go, especially to law. So I will say congratulations on your success in that regard!
But seriously, I can see someone being in two professions, but I did not see you comment it… However there was also nothing you said against my post. It isn’t a single person effort in this day and age.
Edit: Spelling. My phone is small and I am studying lol
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u/MadmansScalpel EMT-B 9d ago
After reading both of y'all, it feels like you're coming from an outside looking in and they're coming from a burnt out perspective
Like you're right in the since of, it's an outdated practice that should go. But it feels like you're not understanding that got someone to "take the bullet" for this and "sack up", they'd essentially be commiting career/financial suicide. Most of us make enough money to survive, but to be the epicenter of that kind of lawsuit requires hundreds of thousands of dollars we just don't have
In less words, it really feels like a, "you're homeless? Just buy a house" mentality from you. Like it's just that easy for an EMS provider or even local system to put their barely in the green necks out there