Some people don't like me or my teaching style. I'm not offended. We all have likes and dislikes. For example, I don't like country music, avocados, the New York Yankees or when people treat their dogs better than their own children.
No matter how hard we work as EMS educators, we will never win-over all of our students, peers, or coworkers. I have been blasted by peers for being too "radical". I'll admit that some of my ideas to change how we educate EMS personnel will make some old-school instructors uncomfortable. I have been accused of being too opinionated and even stubborn. Changing what we do in EMS education is a hard meal for some to swallow especially those instructors who want to keep things nice and simple. Safe and unchanging. Familiar and comfortable. Boring and flat.
Here are a few ways that I'd change EMS education (more to come as I think of them):
1. Get rid of practical skills testing as currently delivered. Memorizing skill sheets doesn't measure anything other than the person's ability to memorize the skill sheets.
2. You shouldn't have to be an EMT-Basic prior to starting paramedic training.
3. Test candidates should only get three chances to pass the NREMT cognitive exam, not six.
4. Instructors need to quit dwelling on hours and start dwelling on competency.
If you're an EMS educator dedicated to maintaining the status quo, you are not moving EMS education forward; you're moving it backwards.
-Sherm
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