(MENAFN- EIN Presswire)
A controversy is in full swing that could affect you during the darkest moments of your life.
People don't care until they need us and by then, it is too late.” — Julianne StevensonAUSTIN, TEXAS, USA, August 5, 2022 /EINPresswire.com / --“This isn't just a problem within our little EMS sphere. This is potentially YOUR problem; you just don't know it yet,” said Julianne Stevenson, EMS Advocate and founder of Sterling Credentials .
A long-time paramedic, educator, and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) education program director, Stevenson sounds the alarm to the public about an issue that is more than“insider baseball.”
At issue: with a decades-long staffing crisis coming to a head, a proposal is afoot to roll-back educational requirements for students entering the field of Emergency Medical Services (EMS).
The proposal is open for public comment until AUGUST 17, 2022. Stevenson has explained her position and asks for the public to support her cause in convincing the NREMT to reconsider in her opinion piece, “Why You MUST Support EMS Now”.
“We're historically bad at public relations,” she said.“That is half our problem—we haven't helped people understand what we do and how critical emergency medical services can actually be.”
According to Stevenson, EMS has progressed over the decades since its inception in the early 70's. Initially,“ambulance drivers” only transported ill or injured people. Now, the various levels of prehospital medical practitioners bring the capabilities to provide a broad range of life-saving capabilities.
“We like to say, 'we bring the ER to you' which is why you shouldn't always expect the crew to immediately leave for the hospital. There are only 2 of them and one has to drive. If your loved one is critical, you do NOT want a single person trying to maneuver in a moving unit to accomplish the 5+ critical things which must be done. If they stay on scene, there are multiple people helping and there is plenty they can and will do,” Stevenson said.
“In general, if someone in cardiac arrest has any chance of being resuscitated, it happens in the field,” she added.
For example, several services across the nation now administer whole blood in the field. Stevenson states that is a treatment“we only dreamed of” when she entered the EMS in the late 90's.
“I understand that employers are trying to stay staffed and they are pressuring their state officials, but reducing education is a 'cure' which could actually make the staffing issue worse in years to come. They're looking at the wrong end of the problem. Instead of trying to create more warm bodies in a time when nobody can find enough workers, they should be looking at why their service is a 'revolving door' and address retention. It is not a quick fix, but it is an effective one,” Stevenson said.
She reiterates her call for the public to get involved. Stevenson said it is likely that state officials are likely responding to employers and possibly legislators in pressuring NREMT. She says the people actually served must weigh in.
“People don't care until they need us,” Stevenson said, adding,“and by then, it is too late.” Read her additional comments and learn how you can have your voice heard at “Why You MUST Support EMS Now.”
Julianne Stevenson
Sterling Credentials
+1 888-846-5431
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