The school of hard knocks

[Guest guest]

I agree with the Doctor that wrote about being from the school of

hard knocks.

I am living that school right now. Since I arrived here in the

Middle East almost 2 years ago I have come to realize lots of

things. For one...I did not know as much as I thought I knew.

Every day I learn something new and realize just how much I don't

know. I am learning first hand from the school of hard knocks. When

I first got here I had been a paramedic for a while, had been in EMS

even longer and had even done some teaching in the EMS and medical

field. I thought I was a pretty good paramedic, I knew I didn't know

everything then but I did fancy myself a good paramedic. I could

tell you all sorts of things that I discovered as time goes on here

doesn't mean didly if you don't know how to do the important stuff.

I came here knowing very little of what I had gotten myself into. I

learned within a few days just how much I didn't know. Suddenly I

was in a new world. A world of ENT exams, musculoskeletal exams, and

what seemed like a plethora of medications I'd never heard of or if

I had heard of them I didn't have a clue how to use them. And so my

training began…I spent weeks trying to figure out what a normal

Tympanic Membrane looked like…or for that matter what the inside of

a normal ear looked like. I carried around pocketfuls of books and

little pocket guides. It took me months to even start to grasp

what antibiotics were good for what…and almost 2 years later I am

still trying to learn about that. Over the next few months I

learned about abscesses, ear aches, back pain, ingrown toenails, and

dozens of other conditions, diseases, and miscellaneous illnesses or

injuries. I have been working alone in a clinic for almost 18

months now. I still am learning new things every day. I own a

small fortune in books and guides on everything from antibiotics to

pathophysiology to ophthalmology. My skills have progressed by

leaps and bounds. Things that seemed difficult at first have become

routine. I am no longer afraid to do ingrown toenail removals or

lance abscesses, I am comfortable doing sutures and staples, and ENT

exams are usually very easy.

Yes, I have learned first hand from the school of hard knocks. I

can't tell you every single fancy term out there…I can't come

close. I call it trying to baffle them with bullshit. Tell people

what's wrong in plain English. You'll get a lot farther with them.

I've learned if you do more listening and less talking you'll

eventually figure out more about your patient than if you did more

talking. You build a relationship with your patients that way. They

are more likely to trust you that way. Smile, be friendly,

professional and treat them with dignity and respect. You'd be

amazed how far you get just being nice to someone.

Anyhow, I will step off my soap box for now.

Vaughn EMT-P/Instructor

[Guest guest]

Middle East = ville, Texas

[Guest guest]

Amen Sista !

Sounds like you treat patients right, and with kindness.

Stay safe over there...

-Meris NREMT-P

Austin, TX

>

> I agree with the Doctor that wrote about being from the school of

> hard knocks.

>

> I am living that school right now. Since I arrived here in the

> Middle East almost 2 years ago I have come to realize lots of

> things. For one...I did not know as much as I thought I knew.

> Every day I learn something new and realize just how much I don't

> know. I am learning first hand from the school of hard knocks. When

> I first got here I had been a paramedic for a while, had been in EMS

> even longer and had even done some teaching in the EMS and medical

> field. I thought I was a pretty good paramedic, I knew I didn't know

> everything then but I did fancy myself a good paramedic. I could

> tell you all sorts of things that I discovered as time goes on here

> doesn't mean didly if you don't know how to do the important stuff.

>

> I came here knowing very little of what I had gotten myself into. I

> learned within a few days just how much I didn't know. Suddenly I

> was in a new world. A world of ENT exams, musculoskeletal exams, and

> what seemed like a plethora of medications I'd never heard of or if

> I had heard of them I didn't have a clue how to use them. And so my

> training began…I spent weeks trying to figure out what a normal

> Tympanic Membrane looked like…or for that matter what the inside of

> a normal ear looked like. I carried around pocketfuls of books and

> little pocket guides. It took me months to even start to grasp

> what antibiotics were good for what…and almost 2 years later I am

> still trying to learn about that. Over the next few months I

> learned about abscesses, ear aches, back pain, ingrown toenails, and

> dozens of other conditions, diseases, and miscellaneous illnesses or

> injuries. I have been working alone in a clinic for almost 18

> months now. I still am learning new things every day. I own a

> small fortune in books and guides on everything from antibiotics to

> pathophysiology to ophthalmology. My skills have progressed by

> leaps and bounds. Things that seemed difficult at first have become

> routine. I am no longer afraid to do ingrown toenail removals or

> lance abscesses, I am comfortable doing sutures and staples, and ENT

> exams are usually very easy.

>

> Yes, I have learned first hand from the school of hard knocks. I

> can't tell you every single fancy term out there…I can't come

> close. I call it trying to baffle them with bullshit. Tell people

> what's wrong in plain English. You'll get a lot farther with them.

>

> I've learned if you do more listening and less talking you'll

> eventually figure out more about your patient than if you did more

> talking. You build a relationship with your patients that way. They

> are more likely to trust you that way. Smile, be friendly,

> professional and treat them with dignity and respect. You'd be

> amazed how far you get just being nice to someone.

>

> Anyhow, I will step off my soap box for now.

>

> Vaughn EMT-P/Instructor

>

>

[Guest guest]

> Amen Sista !

>

> Sounds like you treat patients right, and with kindness.

>

> Stay safe over there...

>

> -Meris NREMT-P

> Austin, TX

And yet you and both miss the point that Dr. B was forwarding on

via email...

Hard knock are great, and experience is wonderful, but education is key.

Mike :/

[Guest guest]

Education is important...however, you learn much from the school of

hard knocks as well. Both are important in the learning process.

> > Amen Sista !

> >

> > Sounds like you treat patients right, and with kindness.

> >

> > Stay safe over there...

> >

> > -Meris NREMT-P

> > Austin, TX

>

> And yet you and both miss the point that Dr. B was

forwarding on

> via email...

>

> Hard knock are great, and experience is wonderful, but education

is key.

>

> Mike :/

>

[Guest guest]

Amen to that Mike,

No need to keep our profession so watered down.

L.

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[Guest guest]

I was in no way downplaying the importance of a good education, and the

point of his post was not lost on me. I don't think there is a single

person on this list who does not know Dr. Bledsoe's credentials. He

certainly didn't send in box tops for them. :-)

He did a much finer job of making his point than I could have, seeing as how

I'm not a college graduate at all (yet), and I could not have added anything

that others hadn't already said. Hence, why I didn't respond to that

particular thread.

What I did, was express admiration and encouragement to a fellow EMS

professional who is doing a job I wouldn't be able to do right now, in an

incredibly adverse environment.

Besides, I know a more than a couple of people who are great with a book,

and can regurgitate information all day long, but who have no real world

experience, and cannot apply it to save anyone's life.

-Meris NREMT-P

Austin, TX

>

> On 11/17/06, Meris <RescueGirl96@...<RescueGirl96%40gmail.com>>

> wrote:

> > Amen Sista !

> >

> > Sounds like you treat patients right, and with kindness.

> >

> > Stay safe over there...

> >

> > -Meris NREMT-P

> > Austin, TX

>

> And yet you and both miss the point that Dr. B was forwarding on

> via email...

>

> Hard knock are great, and experience is wonderful, but education is key.

>

> Mike :/

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

>

> I was in no way downplaying the importance of a good education, and the

> point of his post was not lost on me. I don't think there is a single

> person on this list who does not know Dr. Bledsoe's credentials. He

> certainly didn't send in box tops for them. :-)

That's interesting, because the letter wasn't by or about Bledsoe. He

just forwarded it. You did read it, right?

> He did a much finer job of making his point than I could have, seeing as how

> I'm not a college graduate at all (yet), and I could not have added anything

> that others hadn't already said. Hence, why I didn't respond to that

> particular thread.

It was single-threaded. What other thread was there?

> What I did, was express admiration and encouragement to a fellow EMS

> professional who is doing a job I wouldn't be able to do right now, in an

> incredibly adverse environment.

Who was espousing the view that education didn't matter as much as

experience. How do you GET experience that matters without having the

education to understand it and put it in perspective?

> Besides, I know a more than a couple of people who are great with a book,

> and can regurgitate information all day long, but who have no real world

> experience, and cannot apply it to save anyone's life.

So medical schools shouldn't allow folks to complete and graduate if

they intend to become medical researchers (scientists)? They must be

able to directly apply their skills to a warm, cool or cold body to be

of value? We already do a good job of diminishing the value of

research in EMS. Do you really want to espouse the view that unless

you're a good practitioner that knowledge in and of itself is useless

and impractical?

Personally, I wonder what WOULD happen if more paramedics had a vested

education in the scientific research process. In some sense, a

paramedic going on to get a civil engineering doctorate could be a

more valuable thing than a paramedic practicing on the street for the

equivalent amount of time. The sole paramedic can help one call at a

time. The researcher can help hundreds, thousands or millions at a

time.

Sometimes I wonder why there's such a knee-jerk reaction AGAINST

education in EMS. Not everyone has to obtain a PhD... but it almost

seems as if the junior high stigma against " nerds " just carried

straight through to EMS.

Remember the debate, moaning and gnashing of teeth over the licensed

paramedic issue? How is THIS any different?

Mike :/

[Guest guest]

I think it is time for me to take some advanced english classes. Or

maybe an advanced interpersonal communications course. It seems

while some (Meris and others) got the point of my post it slipped

right past others.

Vaughn EMT-P/Instructor

> >

> > I was in no way downplaying the importance of a good education,

and the

> > point of his post was not lost on me. I don't think there is a

single

> > person on this list who does not know Dr. Bledsoe's

credentials. He

> > certainly didn't send in box tops for them. :-)

>

> That's interesting, because the letter wasn't by or about

Bledsoe. He

> just forwarded it. You did read it, right?

>

> > He did a much finer job of making his point than I could have,

seeing as how

> > I'm not a college graduate at all (yet), and I could not have

added anything

> > that others hadn't already said. Hence, why I didn't respond

to that

> > particular thread.

>

> It was single-threaded. What other thread was there?

>

> > What I did, was express admiration and encouragement to a

fellow EMS

> > professional who is doing a job I wouldn't be able to do right

now, in an

> > incredibly adverse environment.

>

> Who was espousing the view that education didn't matter as much as

> experience. How do you GET experience that matters without having

the

> education to understand it and put it in perspective?

>

> > Besides, I know a more than a couple of people who are great

with a book,

> > and can regurgitate information all day long, but who have no

real world

> > experience, and cannot apply it to save anyone's life.

>

> So medical schools shouldn't allow folks to complete and graduate

if

> they intend to become medical researchers (scientists)? They must

be

> able to directly apply their skills to a warm, cool or cold body

to be

> of value? We already do a good job of diminishing the value of

> research in EMS. Do you really want to espouse the view that

unless

> you're a good practitioner that knowledge in and of itself is

useless

> and impractical?

>

> Personally, I wonder what WOULD happen if more paramedics had a

vested

> education in the scientific research process. In some sense, a

> paramedic going on to get a civil engineering doctorate could be a

> more valuable thing than a paramedic practicing on the street for

the

> equivalent amount of time. The sole paramedic can help one call

at a

> time. The researcher can help hundreds, thousands or millions at a

> time.

>

> Sometimes I wonder why there's such a knee-jerk reaction AGAINST

> education in EMS. Not everyone has to obtain a PhD... but it

almost

> seems as if the junior high stigma against " nerds " just carried

> straight through to EMS.

>

> Remember the debate, moaning and gnashing of teeth over the

licensed

> paramedic issue? How is THIS any different?

>

> Mike :/

>

[Guest guest]

,

Don't sweat it. There appear to be many on this list that need a class to teach

or a flowerbed to weed, etc. They apparently have the luxury of too much time

on their hands, and while many of them often make good points, far too often

they overreact, trying to tear the belly from the beast...from the inside. Most

of us read the banter because it is occasionally constructive, but alas, it

sometimes slips to a new low, as evidenced by some of the topics that get beaten

to a pulp for hundreds of posts, often moving beyond the original author's

intent. We are all clear on the intend of Dr. B's forwarded post, but

understand your point as well. Most of us did " get it " . Keep up the good work,

and maintain that humility, you will need that to be the best medic that you can

become.

Vernon Gresham, LP

Peon Small Town EMS Director

Re: The school of hard knocks

I think it is time for me to take some advanced english classes. Or

maybe an advanced interpersonal communications course. It seems

while some (Meris and others) got the point of my post it slipped

right past others.

Vaughn EMT-P/Instructor

> >

> > I was in no way downplaying the importance of a good education,

and the

> > point of his post was not lost on me. I don't think there is a

single

> > person on this list who does not know Dr. Bledsoe's

credentials. He

> > certainly didn't send in box tops for them. :-)

>

> That's interesting, because the letter wasn't by or about

Bledsoe. He

> just forwarded it. You did read it, right?

>

> > He did a much finer job of making his point than I could have,

seeing as how

> > I'm not a college graduate at all (yet), and I could not have

added anything

> > that others hadn't already said. Hence, why I didn't respond

to that

> > particular thread.

>

> It was single-threaded. What other thread was there?

>

> > What I did, was express admiration and encouragement to a

fellow EMS

> > professional who is doing a job I wouldn't be able to do right

now, in an

> > incredibly adverse environment.

>

> Who was espousing the view that education didn't matter as much as

> experience. How do you GET experience that matters without having

the

> education to understand it and put it in perspective?

>

> > Besides, I know a more than a couple of people who are great

with a book,

> > and can regurgitate information all day long, but who have no

real world

> > experience, and cannot apply it to save anyone's life.

>

> So medical schools shouldn't allow folks to complete and graduate

if

> they intend to become medical researchers (scientists)? They must

be

> able to directly apply their skills to a warm, cool or cold body

to be

> of value? We already do a good job of diminishing the value of

> research in EMS. Do you really want to espouse the view that

unless

> you're a good practitioner that knowledge in and of itself is

useless

> and impractical?

>

> Personally, I wonder what WOULD happen if more paramedics had a

vested

> education in the scientific research process. In some sense, a

> paramedic going on to get a civil engineering doctorate could be a

> more valuable thing than a paramedic practicing on the street for

the

> equivalent amount of time. The sole paramedic can help one call

at a

> time. The researcher can help hundreds, thousands or millions at a

> time.

>

> Sometimes I wonder why there's such a knee-jerk reaction AGAINST

> education in EMS. Not everyone has to obtain a PhD... but it

almost

> seems as if the junior high stigma against " nerds " just carried

> straight through to EMS.

>

> Remember the debate, moaning and gnashing of teeth over the

licensed

> paramedic issue? How is THIS any different?

>

> Mike :/

>

[Guest guest]

Experience is education, we learn from the experience of others, their success

and failures in the field or the lab.

Some one had to experience it in order to write about.

I am fortunate to get to work with and I get to learn from her

experiences.

For me hands on experience is always the best teacher.

---------------------------------

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