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Snapshot from the Paramedic Battlefield

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IN MY DAY JOB I AM IMMERSED IN EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE ISSUES. In EHS 170, the undergraduate students spend six weeks learning about evidence-based medicine and apply it to the question of out-of-hospital intubations at a fictional county where a fire department, ambulance service and medivac agency demonstrate a range of intubation performance.

Kelly Grayson, in A Day In The Life Of An Ambulance Driver dedicates a blog item in response to comments made to a Rogue Medic posting “Teaching Airway – Part One” in the Paramedicine 101 blog.

This sums up the dilemma and challenge of the paramedic profession as it staggers to Scope of Practice. Grayson writes:

First of all, until paramedics define themselves by a unique body of knowledge rather than by a patch and a skill set, we’re not going to be taken seriously by other health care providers. That body of knowledge is going to require education far broader and deeper than most current EMS educational programs offer.

And the first growing pain in acquiring that body of knowledge is questioning much of the bullshit myth urban legend war stories dogma that currently passes for education in EMS.

Some of us are already there. Others, dinosaurs with one year of experience repeated twenty times, or rookies too ignorant to know that **** does not correspond to their willingness to perform an ALS procedure, resist any effort to apply the precepts of evidence-based medicine to EMS.

Paramedicine 101 Banner (1)

It is hard going from the vocational, auto mechanic training model to a health profession model that is more in-line with the medical profession. Especially when so little work has been done to develop EMS educators and the structure needed to deliver this essential education.

You should read both Teaching Airway, Part One (HERE) and Grayson’s response (HERE)

Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

Also on FireGeezer…

Posted by on October 12, 2009 • Filed under: ambulances, culture, EMS Topics, Patient Management, Training & Development • Tagged: , , , , ,
  • http://roguemedic.blogspot.com/ Rogue Medic

    We need to have more future paramedics and future EMTs taking courses like EHS 170 (an evidence based approach to prehospital care). Until then we will continue to have turf wars over skills, rather than effort to figure out what is best for the patient.

    Unfortunately, uncritical acceptance of all sorts of crazy ideas seems to be much more comfortable for a lot of people.

  • http://roguemedic.blogspot.com Rogue Medic

    We need to have more future paramedics and future EMTs taking courses like EHS 170 (an evidence based approach to prehospital care). Until then we will continue to have turf wars over skills, rather than effort to figure out what is best for the patient.

    Unfortunately, uncritical acceptance of all sorts of crazy ideas seems to be much more comfortable for a lot of people.

  • http://roguemedic.blogspot.com/ Rogue Medic

    Oh yeah. Thank you for the link. :-)

  • http://roguemedic.blogspot.com Rogue Medic

    Oh yeah. Thank you for the link. :-)

  • Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

    Thanks Rogue, I appreciate the work you are doing.

    Mike

  • Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

    Thanks Rogue, I appreciate the work you are doing.

    Mike

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