Comments on: EMS 2.0: The Wet Blanket Post

By: JC

JC — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:57:33 +0000

Toronto EMS is actually implementing the changes you talk about towards the end of your post. More BLS for most calls, and ALS where needed. It's not quite a direct comparison, since up here our BLS providers come out of a 2 year college program, with ALS medics having another year of education on top of that (after experience). From JEMS: http://www.jems.com/news_and_articles/columns/H...

By: JC

JC — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:57:33 +0000

By: A Flaw in EMS 2.0? – 999 Medic

A Flaw in EMS 2.0? – 999 Medic — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:18:19 +0000

[...] Ambulance Driver states, it is the views of the idealistic dreaming few that can create change, however, we need to bring [...]

By: Jim (firefighter4884)

Jim (firefighter4884) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:30:16 +0000

AD,

The tiered system that you describe sounds similar to the way the NJ runs their system currently.
The county where I grew up, and initially got involved in EMS only had two ALS units on duty during the day, and only one at night. The county where I went to school had a total for 4 ALS intercept units on duty during the day, and two at night.

I've since moved to Indiana and I'm working within a system that has an medic and a an EMT on every ambulance that does emergency response, and it seems like the medics spend the majority of their time driving trucks around while the EMTs do non-emergency transports.

By: Jim (firefighter4884)

Jim (firefighter4884) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:30:16 +0000

By: EMS Blog Rounds Edition 23

EMS Blog Rounds Edition 23 — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:15:27 +0000

[...] Grayson has an interesting Wet Blanket approach to EMS 2.0. No one like being the wet blanket… but everyone likes a blanket [...]

By: roguemedic

roguemedic — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:31:10 +0000

The post is EMS 2.0 by emtbernice at I Just Call It As I See It

By: Dave Konig

Dave Konig — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 06:10:20 +0000

I have to wonder though, topv7051, as to who exactly determines what is and what is not an emergency. Sure we have EMD that will set a priority on the call for a response based on the information provided... but would the people who call for the "non-emergencies" agree?

The perception of the average citizen calling 911 (or your local emergency access number or point) is that they are indeed having an emergency. Who am I, as an EMT that is paid to respond to their calls for help, to tell them different?

For a comparison, if you go to McDonald's and order a #1 Value Meal, does the cashier have the right to tell you "Oh no, you don't want that. You want the #3!"? The answer is, or should be, no. So why do EMTs and Paramedics, who at the basic atomic level work in a service industry, get to do the same thing?

By: Dave Konig

Dave Konig — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 06:01:30 +0000

I understand what you're trying to say Medic999, but I think there is an oversight into the understanding that we are not intended to treat onscene and transport to a health facility... which is our training. We are trained for X number of hours with Y number of clinicals and Z number of rotations on how to treat and transport a patient. How many hours are spent on training someone to not transport a patient? My last refresher spent 15 minutes on the RMA subject, and I remember my originals spending perhaps 2 hours on the topic which is less than 1% of the training time.

The argument that not transporting those who "don't need us" makes units available for those who "do need us" is trying to provide a solution while not fixing the problem. In that case it is as simple as the problem being demand, and the solution being to match that with adequate resources.

The fact that we are trying to compensate for inadequate resources by not performing what we are trained proves that we have either not provided an adequate argument to our true value, or that we are over valuing our own services.

By: uberVU - social comments

uberVU - social comments — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 05:49:50 +0000

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