I was recently involved in what became a somewhat spirited, heated discussion through email with some of the smartestEMSthinkers and leaders that I’ve ever met. The topic mainly revolved around grammar, spelling, and the education level of EMTs. Anyone who has spent any time reading charts knows that there’s plenty of improvement needed for some. The invention of ePCRs with grammar and spell checks has certainly helped, but the basics of it are
In the 17 years since I took my first EMT class, things have changed. Back then, we didn’t give Aspirin, we didn’t “assist” with medications, and epi pens were something that you saw occasionally with someone with an allergy to bees. SOAP is still around though, and so is CHART. The alarming thing is that in general, EMT classes are still the same length.
These days, EMT instructors have a tough time. They are forced to cram more information into what equates to the same amount of class time, and a lot of important things get overlooked. Students leave class having not been brought up to date on simple yet necessary skills such as effectively communicating with someone who is sick, injured, and having arguably the worst day of their lives.
How do we fix it?
Require more papers? Ask them to write more, and do more case studies? What if we build in a reading and writing prerequisite, or, dare I say, build an EMT certification in as a semester in an Associate’s Degree program? One thing is for sure, if we keep the bar where it is and the world around us keeps progressing, we will only be rewarded with mediocrity.
And what about after they get out of class? We need to remember that education doesn’t stop there. Making a good EMT is not just the responsibility of an instructor. Their responsibility is to give students the skills and tools to get through the black and white pages in a text book, and the black and white state exams. It’s our responsibility to color in those pages. When I say “our” I don’t just mean training departments, or medical directors, or even FTOs. It’s the responsibility of each and every EMT and paramedic that person encounters.
We were all new once, and once there is a newer batch that is the first thing we need to forget. We didn’t always know the fastest way to the hospital or those little tricks that make our jobs easier. We weren’t always the fastest at writing PCRs or check out our units at the start of the day.
The lesson to be learned here is be willing to help. Share what you know about your system, your field, and how to be an EMT. Chances are that last piece wasn’t covered very much in their class.
I would absolutely agree that the writing, grammar, and spelling skills of many providers could use some improvement. Poorly written reports reflect upon the profession when they are read by hospital staff and dare I say “management.” I’m not trying to start an “us vs. them” debate but when it comes to customer complaints, the truth of the matter is a well written incident report will go much farther in any defense than a poorly written one. Good documentation can save the careers of providers.
In terms of the length of classes, I believe a necessary component for a basic class should be field and hospital time. These rotations do not need to be the full length of a medic class, but at least enough to give the students a “hands on” experience. An associates degree program that incorporates A & P and writing would be nice but at the BLS level, that’s a large time and money investment for little pay. In my personal opinion, at the ALS level, the ability to think is much more important than the ability to read the protocols.
That’s a great point, Carl. Also remember that if a provider is asked to testify in court they know that run form is their painted picture of an incident. A clearly, well written run form will improve your credibility and help you remember what happened.
If you would like to read more about educational requirements that go a little further than what we see here in Massachusetts, check out what Oregon does.
Two ways to improve writing skills: 1) read more, 2) write more.
Great post Scott.