Guest guest Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 I found this article and wanted to pass it along, especially since I first became interested in EMS while living in the Lubbock area. -Wes Ogilvie Austin, Texas Small towns struggle with shrinking pool of volunteer emergency medical technicians A critical need HENRI BRICKEY AVALANCHE-JOURNAL Wanted: Rural residents who want to save lives and receive free training to learn how. It might seem like an offer no one would refuse, but finding volunteer emergency medical technicians is becoming increasingly difficult in small towns. " Volunteers just aren't there anymore to do what we do, " said Russ Perkins, director of Idalou Emergency Medical Service, which added its first paid EMT position in May due to the shrinking number of volunteers. " We've been beating our heads against the wall trying to get people. We will even pay for the school if they'll give us one year of service. " Ten years ago, Idalou's EMS department had 10 volunteers. Today, there are four. And it's not just Idalou facing the volunteer shortage. Towns throughout the South Plains are struggling to fill volunteer positions. Some towns have been forced to add paid positions, costing their residents more in taxes. In other towns, officials simply hope a major emergency requiring more than a couple trained medics never happens. , EMS director for the town of sburg, said the volunteer pool began to dry up about seven years ago. Today, there are two certified emergency technicians in town - and the fire chief. has about a half-dozen volunteer ambulance drivers, but not one certified EMT on the volunteer roll. The situation gets interesting on Friday nights, when the sburg Buffaloes play home football games that are supposed to be attended by at least one emergency crew. Sometimes, an EMS crew from Abernathy will come into town for the games. But that's not always possible. " Most of the time our town newspaper editor, who is also an EMS volunteer, will take the truck to the game, " said. , EMS director for the town of sburg, said the volunteer pool began to dry up about seven years ago. Today, there are two certified emergency technicians in town - and the fire chief. has about a half-dozen volunteer ambulance drivers, but not one certified EMT on the volunteer roll. The situation gets interesting on Friday nights, when the sburg Buffaloes play home football games that are supposed to be attended by at least one emergency crew. Sometimes, an EMS crew from Abernathy will come into town for the games. But that's not always possible. " Most of the time our town newspaper editor, who is also an EMS volunteer, will take the truck to the game, " said. ************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 Now I may start something here, but I guess I will anyway. This is a prime example why the state should take charge of the certification process back from the National Registry. This state has a diverse population and backgrounds that require the educator to assess and " tweak " , if you will, the program to match the learning curve for that audience. I can tell you I have some great gravel pit operators, mechanics, ranchers, Walmart greeters that would make great basic responders. Yes, there is a certain aptitude that is needed to absorb and relate the information and skills, but common sense along with an instructor who can relate the information using the class' background will produce a good, basic medic. Unfortunately, when one or two challenge the National Registry test that is based on an assumed set educational level that is not present in that class and fail, the stories spread and those that passed the class lose hope of passing the test and never show. It is hard to build any confidence level back up to the original level when the rug is pulled out from under you. Especially when they rationalize that they don't really have to do this. Now, we are back to square one. I want to train medics, not NR test takers. The story related by Wes, I believe, will continue to multiply unless Texas takes charge of our own destiny and provide flexible avenues to address this situation. The " let's contract with NR and they can handle it " is failing and, in my opinion, is laziness on the part of DSHS. We pay our renewal fees and taxes. The funds are there, in the state couffers, to maintain personnel and a test bank. I would ask DSHS to cowboy up and give us the tools to take care of this state, not NR. I'm sorry, but when we allowed an outside entity to dictate who does and who does not operate within our state, we lost control to address regional issues and provide needed services and care. We know what we need. With Soap Box In Hand, Chuck Colorado County EMS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 Could I hear a huge AMEN, Brother? A little known fact is that the NR exam is designed to FAIL 30% of those that take it and should not be used as an entry level certification exam. I hope that everyone who agrees with Chuck's point of view speaks out, but I fear that it will fall on DSHS......pops, I mean DEAF ears. Rick ________________________________ From: texasems-l [mailto:texasems-l ] On Behalf Of CCEMS Sent: Thursday, October 18, 2007 12:42 PM To: texasems-l Subject: Re:Volunteer EMS shortage hits the South Plains of Texas Now I may start something here, but I guess I will anyway. This is a prime example why the state should take charge of the certification process back from the National Registry. This state has a diverse population and backgrounds that require the educator to assess and " tweak " , if you will, the program to match the learning curve for that audience. I can tell you I have some great gravel pit operators, mechanics, ranchers, Walmart greeters that would make great basic responders. Yes, there is a certain aptitude that is needed to absorb and relate the information and skills, but common sense along with an instructor who can relate the information using the class' background will produce a good, basic medic. Unfortunately, when one or two challenge the National Registry test that is based on an assumed set educational level that is not present in that class and fail, the stories spread and those that passed the class lose hope of passing the test and never show. It is hard to build any confidence level back up to the original level when the rug is pulled out from under you. Especially when they rationalize that they don't really have to do this. Now, we are back to square one. I want to train medics, not NR test takers. The story related by Wes, I believe, will continue to multiply unless Texas takes charge of our own destiny and provide flexible avenues to address this situation. The " let's contract with NR and they can handle it " is failing and, in my opinion, is laziness on the part of DSHS. We pay our renewal fees and taxes. The funds are there, in the state couffers, to maintain personnel and a test bank. I would ask DSHS to cowboy up and give us the tools to take care of this state, not NR. I'm sorry, but when we allowed an outside entity to dictate who does and who does not operate within our state, we lost control to address regional issues and provide needed services and care. We know what we need. With Soap Box In Hand, Chuck Colorado County EMS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 I don't have all of the field experience that a lot of the folks on this list have. What I do have (besides a big mouth) is a ton of education. In that life as an overly educated person, I've taken a plethora of standardized tests. What NR seems to be concerned about is a " statistically valid " exam, not necessarily in measuring actual competence. The two are not necessarily related. I too, would love to see a different exam process. (And not just because I bombed one of the skills on last week's NREMT-P skills test...) The status quo is that the state has put EMS under the purview of the Department of State Health Services. With the current political climate in Texas, health and human services agencies shouldn't expect much in the way of additional funding. So, with the reality of the state budget, the fact that DSHS has anyone involved in EMS is a miracle in itself. So, we're stuck with National Registry. A separate EMS regulatory board like the cops, firefighters, nurses, and doctors have might work, but it'd take a heck a lot of grassroots lobbying from us in EMS, which we seem unwilling to do. Additionally, the Legislature usually expects regulatory licensing boards to be " revenue neutral, " which means we might all pay more for our patch -- and the licensing exam might still be the National Registry. Chuck's pointed to a real problem. In my opinion, the temporary, stop-gap solution is for EMS educators to ensure that their students aren't just ready to practice EMS, but also have the academic foundation and the test-taking skills necessary to clear the NR hurdle. That's probably more than any of y'all wanted to hear from this lawyer. -Wes Ogilvie Austin, Texas Re:Volunteer EMS shortage hits the South Plains of Texas Now I may start something here, but I guess I will anyway. This is a prime example why the state should take charge of the certification process back from the National Registry. This state has a diverse population and backgrounds that require the educator to assess and " tweak " , if you will, the program to match the learning curve for that audience. I can tell you I have some great gravel pit operators, mechanics, ranchers, Walmart greeters that would make great basic responders. Yes, there is a certain aptitude that is needed to absorb and relate the information and skills, but common sense along with an instructor who can relate the information using the class' background will produce a good, basic medic. Unfortunately, when one or two challenge the National Registry test that is based on an assumed set educational level that is not present in that class and fail, the stories spread and those that passed the class lose hope of passing the test and never show. It is hard to build any confidence level back up to the original level when the rug is pulled out from under you. Especially when they rationalize that they don't really have to do this. Now, we are back to square one. I want to train medics, not NR test takers. The story related by Wes, I believe, will continue to multiply unless Texas takes charge of our own destiny and provide flexible avenues to address this situation. The " let's contract with NR and they can handle it " is failing and, in my opinion, is laziness on the part of DSHS. We pay our renewal fees and taxes. The funds are there, in the state couffers, to maintain personnel and a test bank. I would ask DSHS to cowboy up and give us the tools to take care of this state, not NR. I'm sorry, but when we allowed an outside entity to dictate who does and who does not operate within our state, we lost control to address regional issues and provide needed services and care. We know what we need. With Soap Box In Hand, Chuck Colorado County EMS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 that was supposed to be oops, not pops, darn spell check! ________________________________ From: texasems-l [mailto:texasems-l ] On Behalf Of , Rick Sent: Thursday, October 18, 2007 12:51 PM To: texasems-l Subject: RE: Re:Volunteer EMS shortage hits the South Plains of Texas Could I hear a huge AMEN, Brother? A little known fact is that the NR exam is designed to FAIL 30% of those that take it and should not be used as an entry level certification exam. I hope that everyone who agrees with Chuck's point of view speaks out, but I fear that it will fall on DSHS......pops, I mean DEAF ears. Rick ________________________________ From: texasems-l <mailto:texasems-l%40yahoogroups.com> [mailto:texasems-l <mailto:texasems-l%40yahoogroups.com> ] On Behalf Of CCEMS Sent: Thursday, October 18, 2007 12:42 PM To: texasems-l <mailto:texasems-l%40yahoogroups.com> Subject: Re:Volunteer EMS shortage hits the South Plains of Texas Now I may start something here, but I guess I will anyway. This is a prime example why the state should take charge of the certification process back from the National Registry. This state has a diverse population and backgrounds that require the educator to assess and " tweak " , if you will, the program to match the learning curve for that audience. I can tell you I have some great gravel pit operators, mechanics, ranchers, Walmart greeters that would make great basic responders. Yes, there is a certain aptitude that is needed to absorb and relate the information and skills, but common sense along with an instructor who can relate the information using the class' background will produce a good, basic medic. Unfortunately, when one or two challenge the National Registry test that is based on an assumed set educational level that is not present in that class and fail, the stories spread and those that passed the class lose hope of passing the test and never show. It is hard to build any confidence level back up to the original level when the rug is pulled out from under you. Especially when they rationalize that they don't really have to do this. Now, we are back to square one. I want to train medics, not NR test takers. The story related by Wes, I believe, will continue to multiply unless Texas takes charge of our own destiny and provide flexible avenues to address this situation. The " let's contract with NR and they can handle it " is failing and, in my opinion, is laziness on the part of DSHS. We pay our renewal fees and taxes. The funds are there, in the state couffers, to maintain personnel and a test bank. I would ask DSHS to cowboy up and give us the tools to take care of this state, not NR. I'm sorry, but when we allowed an outside entity to dictate who does and who does not operate within our state, we lost control to address regional issues and provide needed services and care. We know what we need. With Soap Box In Hand, Chuck Colorado County EMS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 Rick, would you please let all us know where that " little known fact " comes from? Could it be there is another little known fact the NR is designed to pass 70%? Why do we have the NR as the certification exam? If we don't use it, what do we use? Do you know why the NR started being used in Texas? Just curious. From: texasems-l [mailto:texasems-l ] On Behalf Of , Rick Sent: Thursday, October 18, 2007 12:51 PM To: texasems-l Subject: RE: Re:Volunteer EMS shortage hits the South Plains of Texas Could I hear a huge AMEN, Brother? A little known fact is that the NR exam is designed to FAIL 30% of those that take it and should not be used as an entry level certification exam. I hope that everyone who agrees with Chuck's point of view speaks out, but I fear that it will fall on DSHS......pops, I mean DEAF ears. Rick ________________________________ From: texasems-l <mailto:texasems-l%40yahoogroups.com> [mailto:texasems-l <mailto:texasems-l%40yahoogroups.com> ] On Behalf Of CCEMS Sent: Thursday, October 18, 2007 12:42 PM To: texasems-l <mailto:texasems-l%40yahoogroups.com> Subject: Re:Volunteer EMS shortage hits the South Plains of Texas Now I may start something here, but I guess I will anyway. This is a prime example why the state should take charge of the certification process back from the National Registry. This state has a diverse population and backgrounds that require the educator to assess and " tweak " , if you will, the program to match the learning curve for that audience. I can tell you I have some great gravel pit operators, mechanics, ranchers, Walmart greeters that would make great basic responders. Yes, there is a certain aptitude that is needed to absorb and relate the information and skills, but common sense along with an instructor who can relate the information using the class' background will produce a good, basic medic. Unfortunately, when one or two challenge the National Registry test that is based on an assumed set educational level that is not present in that class and fail, the stories spread and those that passed the class lose hope of passing the test and never show. It is hard to build any confidence level back up to the original level when the rug is pulled out from under you. Especially when they rationalize that they don't really have to do this. Now, we are back to square one. I want to train medics, not NR test takers. The story related by Wes, I believe, will continue to multiply unless Texas takes charge of our own destiny and provide flexible avenues to address this situation. The " let's contract with NR and they can handle it " is failing and, in my opinion, is laziness on the part of DSHS. We pay our renewal fees and taxes. The funds are there, in the state couffers, to maintain personnel and a test bank. I would ask DSHS to cowboy up and give us the tools to take care of this state, not NR. I'm sorry, but when we allowed an outside entity to dictate who does and who does not operate within our state, we lost control to address regional issues and provide needed services and care. We know what we need. With Soap Box In Hand, Chuck Colorado County EMS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 Chuck has hit it on the head. When we have a system that is designed to create failure 30% of the time, we are forcing ourselves to function in a 'back to the wall' mode. We can't afford to set up situations where 30% of our potential future is flushed away at the first stop. What is the pupose in designing failure? Answer- generating revenue from retesting. That is the sickest part of it all. Those of us who are instructors have to adapt, adjust and overcome. We always have, always will, but it would be nice not to enter a rigged game. " A prudent man foresees the difficulties ahead and prepares for them; the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences. " Proverbs 22:3 __________________________________________________ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 Here is an idea...lets make state certification just like ACLS...it is better to make sure everyone passes than?to make sure they?know the material.? I mean maybe we should just let the course instructors test their folks and attest to their ability to " be a good medic " .? When we look at our counterparts, I see that.? I mean we are all talking about J & J promoting nurses...I was just reading on the nursing email lists about how unfair the state nursing test is and how they are working to make sure that even those who can't read and write can still be nurses... And then the physicians...I mean when they ain't cuttin hair, they are really working on being better care providers.? Good thing they moved away from those medical boards, I mean that high school drop out couldn't be doing my brain surgery next week had they kept that pesky hard test out there. We want everyone certified, but then we will sit and complain about how care isn't what it should be and we aren't seen as professionals.? We can't have it both ways.? Another example...we want EMS to be a mandated service, but for this to honestly happen, the poorer areas (and lower tax base areas) are going to need state and maybe even financial help...but as soon as that happens, the larger areas (read BIG cities with functioning EMS Systems) are going to be standing in Austin with their hand extended wanting money and leaving these poorer areas out in the cold...and then when the cash gets to the outlying areas...who will be the most opposed to paying for EMS????? Yep...the volunteer agencies who are beating themselves to death just to get diesel and one or two people to answer a 911 call during the Friday night football game.? We want what we want but not what we want. Dudley RE: Re:Volunteer EMS shortage hits the South Plains of Texas Chuck has hit it on the head. When we have a system that is designed to create failure 30% of the time, we are forcing ourselves to function in a 'back to the wall' mode. We can't afford to set up situations where 30% of our potential future is flushed away at the first stop. What is the pupose in designing failure? Answer- generating revenue from retesting. That is the sickest part of it all. Those of us who are instructors have to adapt, adjust and overcome. We always have, always will, but it would be nice not to enter a rigged game. " A prudent man foresees the difficulties ahead and prepares for them; the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences. " Proverbs 22:3 __________________________________________________ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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