RE: Negativity in EMS

June 3, 2010

Thanks Rick....what you say makes sense of course. Budgeting has to occur

everywhere and with everybody. To me there's no argument for what you just said.

I'm really not interested in any debate over DWI programs either even though I

dropped an opinion on the topic. But this discussion maybe has more or less

changed to something I see so much of in EMS (we all see it and cannot argue it

exists).

Negativity. Is there another industry other than medicine (not just EMS) where

there is so much of it? It's in police and fire as well I should add. EMS

people, as we all know, are quite opinionated (just not me right?) and rather

head-strong (now there's some news). And a ugly side of this is the amazing

amount of bashing done to others in the business. Could it be worse than between

the fire sector and the private sector? Between 2 privates? Between one shift to

the next? Between communications and field staff? Between educators? One EMS

school and the next? We love to find the mistakes of others and jump on them. Is

it the stress of the job that does this? Would that be the psychologists'

answer? It's a part of every group and every end of this business. I never have

liked that aspect of EMS but I would be lying if I didn't have my own part in

it. I hate seeing it on this listserve. I just hate seeing it period. And I'm

sure it won't go away. I wish the discussions were more positive.

It's really just rhetorical but why do we not compliment each other as much as

we anhilate each other? And man do we ever do the latter.

>>> rick.moore@...> 6/3/2010 3:47 PM >>>

Don,

I apologize that you think all my comments are negative, I don't but that is

probably just me. The irony here is that I took your comment as being negative.

As one who is very active in injury prevention activities I try to participate

in those that are discussed in the CDC Clinical Guide for Prevention and the

Community Guide for Prevention. In order to make the CDC guide the program must

have data backing up its effectiveness.

I take the approach I do based on dwindling funding sources and a down economy.

If a system has unlimited dollars for these programs then sure lets do them all

regardless of the effectiveness. If dollars are short we need to do what is most

effective for the amount of money spent. I often hear " but Rick, if it saves

just one child isn't it worth it? I like to think of it this way. I have a

certain amount of money budgeted to feed my family for a week. I can splurge and

buy steaks and lobster tails and feed them one good meal or I can scrimp and

feed them hamburgers and beans and they eat all week. I love steak and lobster

(as do my wife and kids) but we choose to eat all week.

Rick

From: texasems-l [mailto:texasems-l ] On Behalf

Of Don Elbert

Sent: Thursday, June 03, 2010 3:08 PM

To: texasems-l

Subject: RE: Drive Safely - warning graphic violence

Rick - As many comments come from you on this list serve - has any ever been

positive? Cannot remember any as many as you throw out there. I'm not sure how

you connected evidence-based medicine to an opinion on these presentations. If

there is valid evidence that drinking & driving should be discontinued - and

there are no requests for them - let's quit doing them. If the schools seek them

because their faculty believe in them and they believe there is reason to

conduct them.....let's give that some respect and continue them. My sole point

lies there. I don't participate in these myself but if my child or yours MIGHT

be impacted by one.....I'm for it.

Don, Tyler

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June 3, 2010

Excellent points and questions, Don. Yes, we seem to be mired in negativity,

but are we really any different from other professions?

I'm no psychologist, but some things come to mind that may or may not be valid.

I'll toss them out anyway.

First, we're still a very young profession. Notice I use the word profession.

Perhaps I should say evolving profession. We are still in adolescence, albeit

extended adolescence, with its moods and rebellion.

Second, we're still trying to find the right " model " that works for the majority

of situations. Compared to medicine, which has formal and informal routines and

rituals, we're still struggling to find a culture of practice that crosses

boundaries and is seen as central to all applications. Therefore, there are

lots of differing opinions about how things ought to be done. And there is a

dearth of research to support the things we do, as there always will be because

it is difficult if not impossible to do double blind studies in EMS due to

informed consent matters.

Third, being in " extended adolescence " we still have a lot of energy and

passion. Energy and passion lead to active debate, and we're often guilty of

hyperbole and too much passion. If we all had to stand opposite each other

during the debates, they would be considerably toned down or else there would be

a lot of bloody noses and black eyes.

Fourth, we are not in any way unique in medicine in our passion for combat. One

only has to join one of the physicians' online groups to see that they rip each

others' throats out regularly, and they're an old profession.

Last, this goes on in all professions. There is no more vicious culture than

that of higher education, where both young and old are consumed with relish and

glee. As someone once said about the internecine quarrels that occur in higher

education, " Passions are so strong because the stakes are so low. " The stakes

in medicine are far higher; thus we bicker and fight, but most of us still have

nothing in mind but improvement. It's easier to find fault than to bring

constructive ideas for change, so we take the path of least resistance.

Hospital politics are Chess to EMS's game of Old Maids. And, my wife, who's a

scientist, laughs when I talk about the lethal personal games played in EMS.

She assures me they're nothing compared to the dog-eat-dog battles that go on in

the scientific community.

So we struggle and fight and will as long as the First Amendment lives. We

might each take a look at the messages we send and the tone we project. Surely

most of us could improve the civility level of our discourse.

But let's not lose the passion.

Gene G.

RE: Drive Safely - warning graphic violence