One thought on NR

January 31, 2007

You raise some good points here.

I have some opinions as well (BIG surprise there I know).

My comments are in line with yours.

LNM

In a message dated 1/31/2007 5:13:30 P.M. Central Standard Time,

joetemt_p@... writes:

Thought I'd put in my 2 cents since everybody else is LOL

Conversation and professional debate is good for the soul.

It seems to me that when NR got started, it was in the more

popluace areas where the things aren't as spread out as they are in

our little piece of Heaven.

Fair assumption, but the idea was a " Naiknal Registry "

There are plenty of opportunities for

face to face instruction in those areas. Also, the DE wasn't nearly

as good then as now. I use on-line for my CE's due to the lack of,

and distance to, any classes offered. Shoot, I have to go nearly 100

miles for ACLS and PALS, and they're offered all the time. I've seen

the on-line CE programs improve a lot.

I understand your plight and I agree with your point that Online CE and

online education is a much better product today than say 3 or 5 or especially 15

years ago.

Mainly it was because of the

input from people like me that provide the bucks for those folks to

stay in business. We demanded programs that stayed up with the

changes so we could actually get something out of CE's besides just

so many hours.

CE hours for hours alone are a waste of the hours that you do on them.

Quality CE regardless of it's format is worth its weight in gold!

You see, I'm not one of those folks that skim the

program for answers. I actually want to stay on top of things and

learn the new stuff.

Ah the true crux of the CE problem.

Do you do EXACTLY XX hours and then stop? If you do well that is OK

according to the regs right as the XX is the XX is the XX.

Hell, in NJ when they moved to a 24/24 hours of CE in a 3-year period (24

cores 12 2-hour courses and 24 elective areas in any content area) we literally

had kids get cards in December of year X and have all 24 hours of elective

CEs done by the end of February, then they sit in on the once a month CORES and

they are eligible for re-cert 2 years later! (I think they fixed that issue

in NJ, make that I HOPE they did). So then that some kid could in theory

never sit in a class for 4 or 5 years if he wanted and he's still certified.

Just for bragging rights, I rode my first box in

1967, so I've seen lots of changes and I haven't stopped learning

yet.

OK you got me beat as I was 2 in 1967 (bragging rights? maybe?) and the

ATTITDE about learning that you just stated is the KEY to success in EMS,

period.

The day I quit trying to learn is the day the first shovel full

of dirt hits me in the face.

I think Texas requires a casket but I get your meaning <VBG>

Having said all this, I'l try to get to the point.

Points have their place <VBG>

NR started with

face to face because it wasn't that hard to do in the environment

where thay started. They didn't allow CE because it petty much

sucked.

Again fair statement I think.

Why hasn't NR kept up with the times and changed to allow DE?

My opinion (and we all know what evrybody says about opinions) is the

age old rut that so many people and organizations fall into...BECAUSE

THAT'S THE WAY WE'VE ALWAYS DONE IT. Don't have enough fingers and

toes to count the times THAT one has been smacked on in this forum.

Well I sorta kinda but not quite agree with you on this. I think it's a fair

statement that EMS has a psychomotor element to the business and hence it's

almost impossible to do 100% CE via the DE route. As an educator I'd freak

out if we ever moved to 100% DE CE (OK am getting confused )

Until NR is ready to get out of the mind set that their way has

worked so far so why change it, it will remain the same. The only way

to get them to change is for the folks that pay their bills...US, the

CUSTOMERS...to force them to. One thing I learned long ago, when you

start getting into a fella's pocket book, you get his attention REAL

fast.

Again sorta kinda but not quite agree. The " US " or the customer for the NR

is not really the Jane and Joe EMT's or Medic's, It's the SYSTEMS and or

services and providers etc., that certify and employee those Jane and Joe's, If

you want to be an EMT or medic in Texas right now you have to take the NR test

but you don't have to keep it, if you want to move to SOME places you might

well need or prefer to have the R card as it's easier for you if you are moving

from say NJ to TX as I did. NR made the process a piece of cake for me, had

I NOT had it (it was an option and in fact I had to opt-in in to NR my case

in NJ at the time i got my NR-Basic) it would have been a harder more time

consuming process.

ly, I still think that NR provides a service at a level and at a cost

to the SYSTEMS that make them well one of the few games in town that do what

they do (not the only game but the oldest player maybe?). I've have said it

before and I'll say it again government systems are generally speaking horrible

at doing things in timely and cost effective ways especially over time.

Texas as a government is MUCH better then anyone in the northeast and with all

the respect for what they do overall in this states government we still see

waste and the like. Even the TSDHS an agency that I think does the greatest job

doing what they are tasked with based on what they have been given to do it

etc. and the like they likely have places where they could do better, that's

the nature of the beast. with the demands of the Public to cut cut cut asking

a government entity to do anything as complex as what the NR does (good bad

or ugly as they may accomplish it) is a HUGE task.

Sorry this got so long. Just wanted to give my slant on things.

Y'all be careful now, ya hear?

Joe T

Slants have their places.

Louis N. Molino, Sr., CET

FF/NREMT-B/FSI/EMSI

Freelance Consultant/Trainer/Author/Journalist/Fire Protection Consultant

Buddhist philosopher at-large

LNMolino@...

(Cell Phone)

(Home Phone)

(IFW/TFW/FSS Office)

(IFW/TFW/FSS Fax)

" A Texan with a Jersey Attitude "

" Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds

discuss people " Eleanor Roosevelt - US diplomat & reformer (1884 - 1962)

The comments contained in this E-mail are the opinions of the author and the

author alone. I in no way ever intend to speak for any person or

organization that I am in any way whatsoever involved or associated with unless

I

specifically state that I am doing so. Further this E-mail is intended only for

its

stated recipient and may contain private and or confidential materials

retransmission is strictly prohibited unless placed in the public domain by the

original author.

January 31, 2007

In a message dated 1/31/2007 6:02:12 P.M. Central Standard Time,

je.hill@... writes:

I resent the Jane and Joe comments, since my name is Jane and my brother

really is " Joe " . LOL

Jane Hill

Oh my now that IS funny.

But, I feel that Jane and Joe EMT etc is a fair use of the name so if you

get the good Mr. Gandy to represent you I'll get the good Mr. Oglive to

represent me and we can counter sue each other till a 7th flag flies over Texas

Louis N. Molino, Sr., CET

FF/NREMT-B/FSI/EMSI

Freelance Consultant/Trainer/Author/Journalist/Fire Protection Consultant

Buddhist philosopher at-large

LNMolino@...

(Cell Phone)

(Home Phone)

(IFW/TFW/FSS Office)

(IFW/TFW/FSS Fax)

" A Texan with a Jersey Attitude "

" Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds

discuss people " Eleanor Roosevelt - US diplomat & reformer (1884 - 1962)

The comments contained in this E-mail are the opinions of the author and the

author alone. I in no way ever intend to speak for any person or

organization that I am in any way whatsoever involved or associated with unless

I

specifically state that I am doing so. Further this E-mail is intended only for

its

stated recipient and may contain private and or confidential materials

retransmission is strictly prohibited unless placed in the public domain by the

original author.

January 31, 2007

Thought I'd put in my 2 cents since everybody else is LOL

It seems to me that when NR got started, it was in the more

popluace areas where the things aren't as spread out as they are in

our little piece of Heaven. There are plenty of opportunities for

face to face instruction in those areas. Also, the DE wasn't nearly

as good then as now. I use on-line for my CE's due to the lack of,

and distance to, any classes offered. Shoot, I have to go nearly 100

miles for ACLS and PALS, and they're offered all the time. I've seen

the on-line CE programs improve a lot. Mainly it was because of the

input from people like me that provide the bucks for those folks to

stay in business. We demanded programs that stayed up with the

changes so we could actually get something out of CE's besides just

so many hours. You see, I'm not one of those folks that skim the

program for answers. I actually want to stay on top of things and

learn the new stuff. Just for bragging rights, I rode my first box in

1967, so I've seen lots of changes and I haven't stopped learning

yet. The day I quit trying to learn is the day the first shovel full

of dirt hits me in the face.

Having said all this, I'l try to get to the point. NR started with

face to face because it wasn't that hard to do in the environment

where thay started. They didn't allow DE because it petty much

sucked. Why hasn't NR kept up with the times and changed to allow DE?