on Your Continuing Education
Perhaps you’ve already heard, starting July 1st, 207 EMT’s in the city of Boston will begin serving suspensions ranging from 45 days to 9 months for falsifying their training records and claiming that they had attended continuing education classes that they had not.
Now, to add a little bitterness to the whole thing, a few Massachusetts EMT’s have come forward to say that the suspensions are unfair. Instead of taking the suspensions with grace, serving the punishment and feeling fortunate to still have a certification, they are coming forward with some comments about the usefulness of continuing education.
Terry Urekew, an uninvolved bystander in the whole debacle, chimed in with this quote, “Give everyone a $100 fine and community service. Don’t take someone’s livelihood away from something that has no impact on whether or not we are better EMTs,” You can probably guess that a guy who writes a website with the subtitle, “Medicine moves fast…keep up.” is going to probably take issue with Terry’s assessment of the usefulness of keeping up on medical education. You’d be right.
Then there’s Kim, the state EMT suspended for nine months who protested, “The refresher course just repeats everything. We didn’t put you at harm.” Uh, well, yes Kim, good point. But you didn’t not…not, put us at…safe? Bad grammar aside, Terry and Kim are glossing over a few important points about what they did.
If any of the Massachusetts EMT’s are still reeling in confusion over the unfairness of all this, let me offer up a few points of clarification for you.
1) You lied and cheated
There were two significant wrong-doings here folks. First there was the continuing education that you didn’t receive; The updates on protocols and changes to procedures like tourniquet use and CPR that you decided weren’t really critical to your understanding of your job. But then, there’s also the fact that you lied.
You work in a job where the community places great trust in you. They invite you into their homes when they are weak and helpless and they need to trust that you are morally sound. That means, when you say something, it’s true and when you do something, it’s proper. This was your greatest failure. Not your lack of knowledge but your lack of an appropriate moral compass.
2) You disrespected the EMT’s who work hard and follow the rules.
24,000 EMTs in your state managed to complete the requirements of continued certification without fabricating their training records. They followed the rues and respected the process. When you unilaterally decided to forgo your troublesome C.E. requirements you disrespected all of them.
This idea that, since you got caught cheating the system, you should be slapped with a small fine and allowed to continue is insulting to the EMT’s who could have also payed a little money to not go to classes but opted to follow the rules instead. Your punishment needs to be stiff enough that the EMT’s who worked hard can feel rightfully vindicated for following the rules.
3) You disrespected our profession.
This one burns me the most. I’m just astounded at the hubris in your statements. It’s as if you feel like everything you needed to know about medicine was covered in the 140 some-odd hours of your EMT class and now you shouldn’t be troubled with additional knowledge and skills.
What harm could possibly come from allowing you to continue in your work unhindered by advancing knowledge and skills? Well, quite a bit actually. The knowledge you were given barely scratched the surface of emergency medicine. You’re an EMT. You should be hungry for more knowledge. You should be eager to learn more about the medical challenges you’re bound to face in the future.
Perhaps you think your punishment was unfairly harsh. I disagree. I think the system that you continue to openly disrespect was unusually kind to you. The next time a news reporter calls asking for your your opinion, you may want to try, “No comment.” as a response.
What do you think?: Were the Massachusetts punishments unfair?
I don’t think the suspensions are unfair, but I do hope that they are being made to attend needed CE and recert classes during this time without pay as well. They should consider themselves lucky for suspension only. I know many organizations that would terminate for this offense.
The suspensions are completely fair. Even as a volunteer in NY I’m Required to take certain Continuation classes every year to keep myself listed as an acting EMT, otherwise I wont be allowed to ride.
I have always heard from instructors that each class teaches them something new. Because of college I ended up taking a Firefighter 1 class 3 times in 2 states. I learned something new every time. its the same with EMS classes
I have seen this question posed on a number of sites and each time I answer it I get more and more angry just thinking about it. I would have to say that the punishments were unfair. Unfair to ma and every other EMT who does the job and all it entails , including recertification. They should have all been fired. PERIOD ! I don’t know what it takes to recert in Mass, but here in Pa it’s 24 hrs in 3 years, or 8 hours a year, or 1.3 hours every other month or just over half an hour a month. We all cry that we dont get the respect that Fire does yet we want a bye in training 1/4 of the average time that they do. I was appalled when Pa decided to provide a grace period for those who can’t get those 24 hours in 36 months. I don’t believe in letting them challenge the tests either. If they cant get 24 hours in three years don’t give them an easy route, make them retake the entire course, start from scratch.and if it happens again they’re done. Go home you lazy ….Arrrrggggjhhhhh!!!!!
I’m going to say that yes, the suspensions were warranted and deserved. That each are lucky it wasn’t a revocation.
HOWEVER………. The impact upon the private EMTs losing their entire paycheck is vastly disproportionate than the impact upon the firefighters losing just a percentage stipend for the cert. Perhaps if the punishment was to be equal to the circumstances the FF certs too should have been suspended.
I am a mass EMT – I just get a job replacing one of these 207. I have a couple clarifications, and some opinion.
To clarify: In Mass, you are required to get 28 hours of continuing education in each two year recertification cycle. In addition, you are required to take a CPR for HCP course and a 24 hour refresher course. These EMTs who were suspended did not take a refresher course, but they did get 28 hours of continuing education and the CPR courses.
Kim is right – the refresher course really does just repeat everything. Usually with videos made in the 70s. Some courses are better, but many refreshers involve three days of eight hours of 70s videos, with the instructor pausing between videos to ask “does anyone have any questions about cpr?” “does anyone have any questions about drug administration?” You don’t learn about updates in protocol or science when you are literally seeing the same videos every two years.
Also, not everyone whose license has been suspended failed to take a course. The state investigation was a joke, and left some people with the same name as others getting suspensions, because OEMS failed to check EMT numbers. Most of them did fail to take the class, but many of them did not do it maliciously. The most common story i’ve heard (i’ve talked to about ten of the EMTs who received suspensions) is “I signed up to take a class, but never got information about it. Then I ran out of time.” I know of one person who signed up to take the class, realized it wasn’t going to actually happen, signed up AND TOOK another class, and still was suspended because her name was on the roster for a class that did not happen. i know of another who signed a list saying he wanted to be emailed the next time the instructor ran a course, and his name ended up on a roster, which means the instructor also forged his signature. I know of another who was approached by a supervisor and didn’t turn him down. Many of them did do something wrong, yes, but I think it’s important to put yourself in their shoes – if you, as an EMT who had been working three months, were assured by a supervisor that the refresher material was covered in the job, would you have seeked out another course? It’s easy to get self-righteous, but it’s also easy to make mistakes, and these EMTs made mistakes.
I have mixed feelings about the suspensions. I agree with everything you’ve said here (especially the point about them lying), but I also think there’s more to it. I can see how negatively patient care is being affected. These EMTs who were suspended are those who really don’t much need the refreshers. They are people who have years of experience and are using the knowledge every day on the road. They don’t need to do CPR on dummies, because they have been doing it on people in cardiac arrest monthly for years.
They are also the people who have lifting, moving the stretcher, taking patient histories, talking to patients, driving on lights and sirens, etc, down to a science. I know because I worked with them for a week before their suspensions, and watched them work. The company I work for lost 41 employees to this scandal, about 1/10th of the workforce. Those 41 have been replaced by people like me – rookies, no experience, almost no medical knowledge. I’m eager to learn, but I can’t say the same for all the other new hires.
In addition, our training was cut to 2/3 how the company normally trains, and our third ride time was with people who have barely more experience than we do. And because of it, patient care is suffering. Patients are being jostled more when we lift them, dropped on the stretcher, getting less accurate vital signs (or taking seven times as long to get them…), and dealing with the EMTs nerves in the truck when they should only have to deal with their own. New people got to learn, but it’s a shame we can’t learn from the best – many of whom were suspended. In addition, people are working 60-90 hour weeks to cover the losses. My partner today had been on for 24 hours when we started our 12 hour shift (and she had to drive all day because I’m too new.) My partner yesterday worked 52 hours of overtime on top of his 40 hour schedule this week. I worked 54 hours, and even I was falling asleep in the back of the truck on our long transfers. It’s just bad for patient care.
These 207 EMTs (and more to come on the next list, which is supposed to go back six years) made a mistake, and although it has far reaching negative affects, the punishment for these EMTs seems fair enough. However, the punishment for the instructors who sent in these faulty rosters is WAY too lenient. They should do time. In addition, the state should take this scandal as a hint that courses need more oversight – not just to prevent people getting credit for fake courses, but to prevent people from offering courses that are 24 hours of 70s videos.
The whole thing makes me angry, but not so much at the EMTs (because I recognize that, although I am an honest person, I could have easily gotten my name on that list had I been a couple years older) as at the system, the state, and the instructors.
But hey, at least I got a job out of it.
And then EMS staff wonder why surveys like the one released in our country put Fire-fighters as the #1 most trusted profession above Ambulance Officers (#2)… This, is the exact reason why, I’m surprised we got that with behaviour like this.
Anonymous, In case you did not understand the article, about 95% of the “E.M.T.’s involved in this scandal are firefighters!!!! Why don’t you go back and read the article again, and rethink your post. I don’t know what surveys you are reading, but for the past 10 years firefighter have lost a great deal of respect, and in some cases rightfully so.
Newemt, first of all,if your training is so obsolete, then do something about it!.. This is not grammar school, this is adult learning, and it is up to you to make sure you seek out and receive the education you need to function as an E.M.T. and that includes on your own time. Every spare moment you have, you should be studying emergency medicine. You will not be spoon fed this knowledge, however, you will be held accountable for lack of this knowledge. Being an E.M.T. or a Paramedic, there is absolutely no excuse for not completing the requirements necessary for your certification. To me they were just trying to get away with it, and in some cases get paid for it. you say someone told you they signed up for a class but did not get information about it….really!!! does this persons Mommy get them dressed every morning?!! Cut the BS…each and everyone of them should be fired and their tickets should be torn up and thrown away. If you do not have your heart and soul in pre hospital emergency medicine, then you do not belong in this field. There is no room for laziness in this field. Steve, I totally agree with you, this is a slap in the face of all us Medics and E.M.T.s who play by the rules, and give 100%of ourselves to benefit our patients. Newemt, if you want to succeed in this profession, learn everything you can, treat every patient as if they were your family member, and PLEASE do NOT listen to the BS excuses!! I know these are late posts, but I hope you read this and learn something from it…good luck