Become a Paramedic in Two Weeks!!!

Those of you that know me probably consider me a bit of a skeptic. I am not prone to falling for every claim someone makes related to EMS training. Some of the advertising I've seen over the years touting new courses or methods of training has been down right misleading.

Yesterday I fielded a call from a 4-year degreed RN. The nature of her call was inquisitory. She wanted to find the fastest way to complete both her EMT-Basic training and her EMT-Paramedic training. She had found a two week class out-of-state for RN's looking for a fast-track to becoming a paramedic. The goal in this case is speed; not experience in the field, not experience intubating a variety of patients in a variety of settings, not a high level of competence based upon experiences over a period of time. No, this person wanted it fast and they wanted it with little interruption to their schedule.

I can't blame her. She already has much of the knowledge that a paramedic would need to pass the test. Sitting through hundreds of hours of didactic lectures and hundreds more of clinical rotations would be worthless, right?

I'm not certain that I have an answer to that question. Every learner is different. What takes one person 50 hours to master takes another 150 hours. These days, entry-level competency is the buzz-word de jur and there is plenty of evidence and support for this stance. I, personally, am a huge fan of competency-based evaluations that identify who is and who is not ready to face the real world as a paramedic. But there is one caveat that has been identified by many instructors as well as the National Registry of EMT's. The caveat is this: How do we measure this nebulous thing called competency?

Here's a few ways that it can be done now, before the NREMT identifies the best practices.

1. Perform internal testing for your team members. Just because they passed the NREMT practical and written exams, doesn't mean they actually meet your organizational standards. I can tell you from experience that many EMT's and paramedics that we hire can not pass our entrance exam. Others are unable to successfully complete our field training which results in their dismissal. These people are not entry-level competent based on our standards. So, set your standards and stick to them.

2. Get input from field providers and peers of the person in question. EMS is a small community. Whether it is a student or an EMT from another area of the country that your looking to hire; I assure you that you can find out who is, and who isn't, competent if you just pick up a phone or send an e-mail. Sometimes an employer will not want to divulge this information, but it can be discovered with a little work. Also, if the person has proven themselves a great medic or EMT, their prior employers will brag them up. A "no comment" answer from a former employer or supervisor usually means there were problems with the person.

3. Observe their real-life activities and actions. Entry level competency is too often based on what the person did in the classroom and what they know (test performance). But, what about how they act? If a person is a complete jerk, it doesn't matter how competent they are; you'll just recognize that you've hired a competent jerk. At the end of the day, jerks cause you problems and waste your time.

Faster isn't always better; but slower isn't real appealing either. Find the balance.

-Sherm