By Erin Hicks
EMS1 Associate Editor
We asked “What’s in a name” — and EMS1 members responded en masse.
Prompted by discussions on several EMS listservs, our feature last week asked if it was possible to agree on a single term to describe those in EMS by publications such as ours and the general media.
But judging by the feedback we received via Facebook, email and article comments, the lack of consensus doesn’t stop with the public-at-large — opinions seem to differ greatly among those within EMS itself.
For one EMS1 member at least who commented on our original feature, the answer to “What’s in a name?” is simple.
“Paramedic or medic should be the generally accepted terms and is in many cases,” said EMS1 member, Vaughn. “I say we start to promote this ourselves and get over our egos.”
Another member, nyfd136, urged EMS to “look back in history and go forward with one unified name — EMT.”
On his blog, “The Happy Medic,” Paramedic Justin Schorr continued the debate, saying, “I suggest adopting the title of paramedic, but only because EMT drags behind us. First responder CPR providers may not be considered paramedics by us, but they sure are by someone whose husband just slumped over dead in a cafe.”
Read on for a sampling of comments we received for our feature, as well as Editorial Advisor Art Hsieh’s perspective on the discussion. As always, leave your feedback and opinions in the member comments section below.
What’s in a Name? Everything
By Art Hsieh, EMS1 Editorial Advisor
I’ve been following these articles and the subsequent comments with real interest. So let me first disclose a couple of things:
1) Some of what I am going to write will be controversial and even upset (read: piss off) a few readers. For the record, I am not attacking anyone personally.
2) My comments are simply my opinions, no more, no less. The issues I raise are much more complex than a 500-word column can even begin to address. So consider them as a way to keep the discussion going.
3) I don’t mind being called an ambulance driver. As one reader commented, if you’re old enough, you know that was a common term long before “EMT” or “paramedic”. For better or worse, I am old enough. And, as far as I know, it’s still a large part of the job. Frankly, we could do much better in this area. But I digress.
So, what’s in a name? Seriously, almost everything. Name ambiguity is NOT the problem. It is a sign or symptom of the underlying condition — we don’t know who we are. Major structural inconsistencies and dysfunctions exist across the national EMS system that prevent us from agreeing on anything, no less a consistently applied name.
Member comments you may have missedI think EMT works just fine! Our families know who we are, and our friends know what we do. Most of us keep all those ‘certs in a drawer, anyway. I have not read any mention or reference to the Paramedics who work in remote places (i.e., Iraq, Afghanistan, etc.) We like to call ourselves “Remote Paramedic” as we work in places that very few medics would never consider working. In most of Canada, with very few exceptions all field practitioners in the EMS PROFESSION are referred to as PARAMEDICS as the generic term. There are levels within “paramedic": Primary Care Paramedic, Advanced Care Paramedic, Critical Care Paramedic, Neonatal Paramedic, Flight paramedic. This move to a standard term of reference has worked very well for our profession, and the media, for more than 10 years. NAEMT has been using the term “EMS Practitioner” to refer to our members and those engaged in our profession for the last two years. Market research we did stated that term was more agreeable than EMS Provider and EMS worker. I guess if I’m driving the ambulance for half my shift, then that would at least make me a part time ambulance driver? Who cares! Just do the call. I think EMT is a good name. I’m in medic school now, and as my instructor always tells us, we are EMT’s before we are Medics. It still bothers me a bit (aka, my ego gets in the way) when referred to as an EMT (even though my title always included EMT, as far as the National Registry goes). But I wouldn’t mind if we were all called paramedics or medics (we can insert our FACEP, FACS, FP-C, or CCP-C after). |
An example:
Close your eyes and imagine what an American police officer looks like. Not only in appearance, but in training, equipment and mission. It’s very likely that most of us would imagine the same picture — someone in a blue uniform, wearing boots, with a badge, a baton, and a firearm.
That police officer is sworn to protect the public. He or she has a fairly consistent level of training from one state to the next. Educationally, many if not most have a college degree. There is an accredited academy in their initial training, and FTO time with a trainer before going to the “field.”
Once the officer is deemed ready to handle the routine of a patrol, he or she can take additional training — SWAT, K9, Investigations, and so on. In summary, there is consistency in what police officers do, and what they do to get there.
The public, in response, recognizes and expects that a police officer in one part of the country is as prepared and equipped to handle a criminal event as one who works in another area. It doesn’t even matter if it’s an urban or rural jurisdiction. Ergo, they are called by the same name.
Are they paid? You betcha. Absolutely there are reserve officers who work on a volunteer basis. Yet besides making a living as a police officer, there is little difference between the career and volunteer officer. Both are held to the same standards, and both are held accountable for their actions. The volunteer must undergo the same thousands of hours of training and qualify under the same guidelines as their paid counterparts in order to sit in that patrol vehicle.
Alright folks, are we anywhere close to having a model like this? I don’t think so. We have people with first aid and CPR cards driving ambulances on 911 calls. We have initial training for EMS providers being delivered out of the back of someone’s car. We don’t uniformly believe that higher education is important to the reasoning ability to perform the job.
Most of us don’t belong to a professional association. Many of us still pay for the privilege of providing the service to our communities. Yet many of us gripe about the “cost” of becoming an EMT or the “cost” of continuing education.
You want more? Do we even agree on what the mission of EMS is? Is it “the treatment and transport of the sick and injured”, as one EMT textbook used to say? First responders on a fire engine may not agree about transport. In reality I think even the “treatment of the sick” is suspect, given the general consensus among us about the frequency of nonurgent events.
How about how our services are paid? In some areas, it’s tax supported. Others, it’s health care reimbursement. Many places do both. And there are many who can barely keep their departments running because it is simply too expensive.
I’m not even sure that we are a profession. We are an army of professionals, to be sure. But here’s the definition of the word, from Merriam-Webster: A calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation.
And here is an interesting explanation from a website, where the paramedic is named.
So ... what’s in name? As far as I’m concerned, everything. Let the stoning begin. I’d really be interested in your thoughts. Let me know what you think in the comments below.