Singing the same song in the same key

As a Paramedic, you are entrusted with a lot of responsibility. You are given lots of shiny toys, a fair number of drugs, even more if you become a PP (Paramedic Practitioner) or CCP (Critical Care Paramedic), and are let loose on the general public who, on the whole, will let you do almost anything to them when you turn up in your shiny ambulance.

This leaves us with a need to ensure we practice properly and are doing things because patients NEED them doing, not BECAUSE WE CAN do them. It means we have to be evidence based practitioners and ensure we are doing everything in the patients best interest.

Now, most Paramedics I know are ethical and sensible with their treatments, although I do know of some who cannulate "because they can". My question to them is "Why? How is you sticking a needle in them in a dirty out-of-hospital setting benefiting that patient?" Quite often they have no intention of giving them anything iv, and I think this is wrong. I do know of a service where some medics can take pre-hospital blooded when they cannulate to prevent a second invasive procedure, which is brill. However I have heard that some are using this as a justification TO cannulate. This I don't agree with. There are other practices done "because that's just the way we do things here" and other such phrases, and things done because it's easier.

I also know of some services where they have told medics to do / not to do certain things that fly in the face of all the published evidence for best practice. We as employees then have to follow these poor practices even when we know it isn't in the patients best interest.

So, where do we stand as Paramedics? As a fairly new medic (although recently I've looked around and started to feel more of an old hand on station than a newbie!) I still find it difficult to question practices of those who have been in the job for longer than me. I still see people doing things and want to stop or correct them but don't do it, and as such I feel I'm failing in my duty to give everyone my 100% best.

But as a whole, I feel we as Paramedics are not united as one. We have multiple unions who fight amongst themselves, the services we work for all seem to sing from different hymn sheets, and even within the same service there can be many people singing in VERY different keys. There are guidelines, protocols and evidence which all contradict each other. Yet as practitioners we are supposed to know what to do?

While I'm not specifically here to promote the College of Paramedics (Yes I know this is the second post in a row where I've gone on about them, I promise I won't on the next post!), I do firmly believe in them as a potential unifying force that all UK Paramedics should be getting behind. Only by uniting and getting one voice can we as a group of health care professionals begin to influence practice on a grander scale, to get one voice saying to all UK ambulance trusts "oi, let's get x y z standardised across all services", to have once voice TO all Paramedics guiding and advising us as a whole, and taking a lead in collating, disseminating and even producing research relevant to our profession and using it to guide practice. I know its more expense but I do feel that we need it and is ask any of you out there who are not members to seriously consider signing up.

On a personal note, I believe that we all as Paramedics also need to be prepared to do what we know is right and challenge that which we believe to be wrong, even if it is uncomfortable to do so. After all, its in out patients best interest and that's why we are here isn't it??

Who are we?

Paramedics.

We are a funny old bunch really. But recently I’ve been thinking, what exactly IS a Paramedic? And from things I’ve read from the College of Paramedics and other sources, this question is one that is coming up again and again.

It’s difficult to define really. When you stop to think what we actually do, then try to explain it, nothing seems to come close. Some will say “a Paramedic is like a Technician only they can cannulate, intubate and give more drugs”. Is that what we are? A Technician with extended skills? Personally, and I mean no disrespect to Technicians, I think that isn’t a very good description and sells us short. Besides, with the way the profession is moving I don’t think you can sum up what we are just by the mechanical skills we perform and drugs we are licensed to give!

Another description I hear a lot is “Jack of all trades, master of none”. While this hints at our need to have some knowledge about all and sundry in the medical world since we never know what we are going to come up against, again I think this sells us short. Master of none? I’d argue that there is one trade we are masters of – Pre-Hospital.

I’d say we are “Pre-Hospital Specialists”. While this may seem a bit vague, I think it is true. The pre-hospital world is a very strange, sometimes dangerous place. It is not just “here is a patient, please make them better”. While many doctors, nurses and other health professionals can deal with the medical side of our patients, dealing with the complex medical needs of the patient in ever changing environments with little or no backup, while being conscious of your own safety, and dealing with the often tricky extractions from said environments to your ambulance and then to wherever is appropriate for the patient... well that is a whole different ball game and one we are right in the middle of.

Much, if not a very large percentage of our job is not all about the medical knowledge, the things we do medically to patients, but about talking to people, dealing with their emotions, dealing with the people around them, problem solving, negotiating. It is hard, and often draining work but it is what we must do if we are going to truly help our patients.

Of course, there needs to be firm underpinning knowledge and skills to go along with the talking and dealing with people. A Paramedic who can’t walk in and recognise the “big sick” patient who needs rapid treatment & transport (drug of choice –DIESEL) is not very good at all. But increasingly we are not just dealing with the big sick patients. We have to be able to deal with the not-so-sick and all their complex needs as much as the big sick.

A blog post that really captures the essence of what we do is one from the Legendary Insomniac Medic and can be found here http://insomniacmedic.blogspot.com/2009/08/proof-of-creationism.html - And really, if God had that much trouble with us, will we ever be able to get a good definition of what we are?

In the ever changing dynamics of the NHS I feel it is important that we as Paramedics keep a sense of self. We need to make sure that what we do is recognised and appreciated by the wider health care community. We need to shout about what we are good at, make people realise we are no longer just stretcher taxies with first aiders on, but also to recognise what we are not good at and ask for help. In a little plug, I also feel that we need to get behind our professional body, the College of Paramedics, as without a strong professional body, how can we as Paramedics stand up and say “Hey, this is what we think and we do actually know what we are talking about”. Any medic who may happen to read this and is not a member, please do join. It’s not that expensive at all and they are gathering momentum. If we get over half the 17500 Paramedics in the UK as members, they can apply to be the Royal College of Paramedic – and that will provide even more clout!

So, next time someone asks you “what is a Paramedic”, pause for a second before you answer. If you really think about it, I’d say we are unique, special, highly adaptable members of the health care community who have to be able to deal with anything life can throw at us in a calm, professional manner with the highest levels of patient care and treatment available. We are Pre-Hospital Specialists.

NM.