Justin Schorr, FF/NREMT-P, WhO.C-arES
Emergency Services seem to thrive on certificates.
I’ve got some paper on my wall, I’m very proud of it. At times I mention it behind my name when trying to gain credibility for what I am writing, saying or presenting. People pay more attention when they know you are trained in what you are about to tell them, right?
But looking through some old files a few days ago I came across my last college paper “Shortening the Chain of Survival” in which I studied and showed the importance of, wait for it, early ALS intervention.
What bothered me right off the bat was how hard I was trying to establish myself on the title page. I included my rank at the time, my NR status, my MICU cert and 3 more abbreviations I had earned at school.
I sure was trying hard to prove that paper legitimate, perhaps not relying enough on the paper itself.
Wandering through some recent issues of the leading EMS magazines and articles on leading EMS websites (blogs excluded) we can see folks doing the same thing. An article is submitted and, as if to make us believe they’re an expert right off the bat, the letters start to get added to the name. RN, NR (Which I just noticed mirror one another) MD, BSN etc etc.
As a struggling profession it is as if we are clinging to any semblance of formal education to catch up to the MD, RN, BSN, PA etc, sometimes without reading through the things we propose to let them stand on their own merits, just like that paper I found.
Talking with a father and son Firefighting family at FDIC, I saw a generational divide on the perception of the letters after the name. The father, near retirement, wanted to hear more about the letters I had earned, while the son seemed more interested in what can be learned on the job. Book smarts vs street smarts all over again.
There aren’t many high school kids writing policy these days, however, no matter how much it seems like it, so maybe a touch of credibility is warranted.
When we present something, an idea, a new protocol, procedure or concept, perhaps one set of letters is appropriate, but let’s call it good there, shall we?
Over the next few weeks you’ll be hearing from me about the 
Welcome back to our coverage of Engine 99, I’m Happy and with me as always is Steph Frolin. How are you Steph?
NFPA standards are met or exceeded by this product and they did just fine in the fire environment and were very easy to clean afterwards.
It all comes down to this meeting doesn’t it. The entire project, everything I hoped to learn comes down to sitting with Mark’s supervisors and policy makers in the UK and making a solid impression that American EMS is not awash in profit driven patient care.
Peter Stoddart, Operations Manager and the arranger of most of my experiences in Newcastle, was in attendance as was his lovely wife. We spoke at length about event EMS at the Sunderland match the day before and I had to bend his ear about disaster and event related topics later as well. What can I say, I’m a systems and resource allocation nerd.
The ambulances currently used by the NEAS are inefficient when it comes to treating a patient enroute or dealing with more than 1 patient. I use the term carefully since when a rider is placed in Mark’s ambulance and a patient is in the cot, half of his kit is inaccessible. The large gurneys load into the open space in the rear of the ambulance and latch into a sliding platform that can move the gurney from the wall to the center of the floor for the simple reason of accessing the patient’s left side. This removes space for a bench seat and moves the patient a good deal away from a practitioner in the back. I had difficulty imagining Mark working a proper patient, rolling blues to the hospital and being able to access anything quickly and safely. This photo is from Swalwell Vehicle 214, which we worked on later in the week, but show the head of the cot and the fold down seat for a family member or rider. the cabinets slide out of the wall so when they are closed they are secure and not accessible. More on that when I discuss working in these Vehicles.
an one patient opened my eyes to the benefit of multiple hands on the scene. We arrived soon after the police and began assessment. An ambulance had already been dispatched and when they arrived I had my first glance into one. Whoa.
It figures. Finally a day away and the job 
Our first contestant has been found in a child care center in a woman’s garage. They state the girl is new to the group and they have no information on her whatsoever. She was having a bottle when she choked,turned blue and is now unconscious, unresponsive and in vfib. Your partner is managing the airway and has IV access. DOSE THAT KID!
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