Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

EMTs and paramedics are part of the health care team. Don’t forget that.

James D. Turner, JD, NREMT
Physician
December 22, 2015
371 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

After having read the article by Marjorie Stiegler, MD entitled “Stop the hostility among health care professionals,” I wanted to talk briefly about a group that was not mentioned, but needs to have a voice speak out for them. The EMTs and paramedics that serve this country as paid professionals and volunteers in ambulance services and fire departments all over this nation.

Yet, I sometimes find that EMTs and paramedics are seen as quasi-health care providers. We are not quasi-anything. The men and women that go through the training are dedicated to preserving human life, providing high-quality care, and often followup on patients after they put them in the care of more highly trained professionals. We are just as dedicated to learning and improving our skills and practices as any other person in the medical profession. Our patients outcome is just as important to us as it is to any other health care professional. We are required to continue to learn and have our skills retested every two years, or we lose our licenses as well.

Some of us volunteer in medical reserve corps across the nation. There we rub elbows with doctors, nurses, and medical directors. We take monthly classes taught by those same doctors and nurses to improve our medical knowledge and understanding. Though not formal medical training we pick up a lot thorough being with these professionals and we take what we learn seriously.

As an EMS teacher, I stress to all my students that when we start with a patient, we are the eyes, ears, and hands of the emergency room physician until we can get the patient to them. We are to take the utmost care to do as accurate an assessment as we can in the field. Whether the field is a home with family looking on, a car wreck with lights and sirens blaring from fire engines and police vehicles, or on scene like the shooting in San Bernardino, California. We in the profession do our best to provide for those patients and give the receiving emergency room our field impression so that they are prepared to take over for us and do what we cannot do for the patient.

We are proud to be EMTs and paramedics and try to show that in all we do. Like the doctors and nurses of days gone by, we carry our expanded first aid kits in backpacks in our cars and respond to accidents and emergencies in off duty hours. Lives are saved when we are on the scene and taking care of the life threatening basics of the patient. We have great respect for doctors, nurses, and others in the health care profession of any stripe or name.

So the next time you hear the ambulance roll by on the road way or pull into your receiving area, please remember we are part of the whole emergency team.

James D. Turner is an emergency medical services provider.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Why premedical education is disconnected from medicine

December 22, 2015 Kevin 57
…
Next

How we can move to value-based health care delivery

December 22, 2015 Kevin 25
…

Tagged as: Emergency Medicine

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Why premedical education is disconnected from medicine
Next Post >
How we can move to value-based health care delivery

Related Posts

  • How social media can help or hurt your health care career

    Health eCareers
  • Turn physicians into powerful health care influencers

    Kevin Pho, MD
  • Why health care replaced physician care

    Michael Weiss, MD
  • Here’s what it’s like to be a student on a health care team

    Rachel Bigley
  • Health care is not a service commodity

    Peter Spence, MD, MBA
  • Why the health care industry must prioritize health equity

    George T. Mathew, MD, MBA

More in Physician

  • Beyond pizza and pens: National Doctors’ Day should be about saving lives

    James Young, MD
  • Maximizing physician potential: How coaching can aid in conflict resolution, enhance health care leadership and build stronger teams

    Asha Padmanabhan, MD
  • Physicians are a finite resource we need to protect

    Jack Resneck, Jr., MD
  • Tom Brady’s legacy and the importance of personal integrity in end-of-life choices

    Kevin Haselhorst, MD
  • The hidden truths of hospital life: What doctors wish you knew

    Emily Stanford, DO
  • The heart of a Desi doctor: Balancing emotions and resources in oncology

    Dr. Damane Zehra
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • What is driving physicians to the edge of despair?

      Edward T. Creagan, MD | Physician
    • The untold struggles patients face with resident doctors

      Denise Reich | Conditions
    • Beyond pizza and pens: National Doctors’ Day should be about saving lives

      James Young, MD | Physician
    • Physicians are a finite resource we need to protect

      Jack Resneck, Jr., MD | Physician
    • From clocking in to clocking out: the transition to retirement

      Debbie Moore-Black, RN | Conditions
    • Lessons from an orthopedic surgery journey [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • The vital importance of climate change education in medical schools

      Helen Kim, MD | Policy
    • The fight for reproductive health: Why medication abortion matters

      Catherine Hennessey, MD | Physician
    • Resetting the doctor-patient relationship: Navigating the challenges of modern primary care

      Jeffrey H. Millstein, MD | Physician
    • It’s time for C-suite to contract directly with physicians for part-time work

      Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Corinne Sundar Rao, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Lessons from an orthopedic surgery journey [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Beyond pizza and pens: National Doctors’ Day should be about saving lives

      James Young, MD | Physician
    • Maximizing physician potential: How coaching can aid in conflict resolution, enhance health care leadership and build stronger teams

      Asha Padmanabhan, MD | Physician
    • The future of education: AI empowerment, YouTube college credits, and the impact on traditional colleges

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech
    • The beauty of a patient’s gratitude

      Dr. Damane Zehra | Conditions
    • Physicians are a finite resource we need to protect

      Jack Resneck, Jr., MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 2 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • Moderna's Steep COVID Vaccine Price: Corporate Greed or Capitalism?
  • House Republican Argues Against FDA Budget Increase
  • Prescriptions for Stimulants Jumped During the Pandemic
  • Federal Judge Strikes Down ACA's Preventive Care Coverage Requirements
  • Pandemic Jump in ED Visits for Firearm Injuries Continued Into 2022

Meeting Coverage

  • VTE Risk in Recurrent Ovarian Cancer Increases With More Lines of Chemotherapy
  • Obesity's Impact on Uterine Cancer Risk Greater in Younger Age Groups
  • Oral Roflumilast Effective in the Treatment of Plaque Psoriasis
  • Phase III Trials 'Hit a Home Run' in Advanced Endometrial Cancer
  • Cannabis Use Common in Post-Surgery Patients on Opioid Tapering
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • What is driving physicians to the edge of despair?

      Edward T. Creagan, MD | Physician
    • The untold struggles patients face with resident doctors

      Denise Reich | Conditions
    • Beyond pizza and pens: National Doctors’ Day should be about saving lives

      James Young, MD | Physician
    • Physicians are a finite resource we need to protect

      Jack Resneck, Jr., MD | Physician
    • From clocking in to clocking out: the transition to retirement

      Debbie Moore-Black, RN | Conditions
    • Lessons from an orthopedic surgery journey [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • The vital importance of climate change education in medical schools

      Helen Kim, MD | Policy
    • The fight for reproductive health: Why medication abortion matters

      Catherine Hennessey, MD | Physician
    • Resetting the doctor-patient relationship: Navigating the challenges of modern primary care

      Jeffrey H. Millstein, MD | Physician
    • It’s time for C-suite to contract directly with physicians for part-time work

      Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Corinne Sundar Rao, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Lessons from an orthopedic surgery journey [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Beyond pizza and pens: National Doctors’ Day should be about saving lives

      James Young, MD | Physician
    • Maximizing physician potential: How coaching can aid in conflict resolution, enhance health care leadership and build stronger teams

      Asha Padmanabhan, MD | Physician
    • The future of education: AI empowerment, YouTube college credits, and the impact on traditional colleges

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech
    • The beauty of a patient’s gratitude

      Dr. Damane Zehra | Conditions
    • Physicians are a finite resource we need to protect

      Jack Resneck, Jr., MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today iMedicalApps
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

EMTs and paramedics are part of the health care team. Don’t forget that.
2 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...