Long post to follow..... I just read an article about community paramedicine, and the opposition it faces from nursing unions, hospitals, etc. that feel threatened by ems providers stepping into more advanced roles. For those who dont know, the stated goal of such a program would be to have a medic make several home visits to a frequent flier. Doing so would hopefully allow continual ability to address the patients needs through coordination with higher levels of medical care. It would also allow for rerouting of non emergent issues to walk in clinics, etc. Hopefully by doing this, you could reduce ed overcrowding, and thereby reduce some of the strain on the system by finding better options for these patients. The medics providing this service would have additional training. Ems, like so many other professions before it, is growing and changing to meet the needs it purportedly serves. There are apparently huge arguments going on over this. It starts with each profession going at each other...youre not trained for that, you cant do this, blah blah blah. And then it falls to the usual name calling...taxi driver....bed pan changer....all of us know the rest. I dont care which side does what. I dont care which side is trained to do what. Those are questions of willingness to sit in a classroom and then go and do. The reality is......we were all trained to be part of a chain of care. Similar to an assembly line. Each with their part to play, each piece vital. And each piece working together for the best outcome possible for the patient. Im sick and tired of the senseless debates, the finger pointing, and the name calling. At what point do we all just agree to get along and work together like we are supposed to? All of us have had our run ins with assholes on both sides of the fence. I can admit Ive been one at least once. Weve all been stressed, tired, whathaveyou, and messed up in one way or another. But for the love of everything good and right...there is no sense to this perpetual pissing match. It was never about who was better. It was never about who was right or wrong. It is however, about caring for the people in our communities. End of vent/rant.
Posted on: Tue, 19 Aug 2014 09:58:05 +0000