Dinosaurs and Pioneers: Surviving Change in EMS

Step back and take a glance at the landscape of EMS. You have a wide variety of experiences and a wide variety of opinions on where EMS is headed and how we need to get there.

EMS personnel fall into two categories: the dinosaurs and the pioneers. When you think about the history of the dinosaurs, you think about a group of animals or reptiles that became extinct because they did not adapt to the climate and the changing world around them. Now let us relate the dinosaurs to some of the paramedics that complain about the progression of EMS.

They hang on to the relics of “old school” medicine including jaw spreaders and bite sticks. They complain about new treatments and the ever-changing landscape of EMS. They will either evolve, or they too will become extinct, and we can read about them in the history books.

On the other hand, pioneers are a group of people that constantly move around and find the best way to survive. They were the founders of our country and traveled in search of a better life. They are innovators with a realistic approach to the changing world. They adapt and overcome.

Pioneer paramedics are the best in the business. They conquer new ground and find new ways to treat the patients. They evolve with the times. These EMS personnel are the ones that will last forever. There will always be a place for them because they know things will change no matter what.

Now when you think of dinosaurs and pioneers, you may assume age or years of experience come into play. That is part of the equation, but you can be a dinosaur and have two years on the job, or you can be a pioneer and have the experience of a 30-year paramedic. The classifications are a mentality.

All professions go through changes as research shows us the right way to do things. One related quote states “if you have been on the job for 30 years and are still doing what you have always done, you do not have 30 years experience, but rather one year of experience repeated 30 times.”

How does someone become a pioneer? How does one change from being a dinosaur? It can be as simple as opening up and looking at research to make decisions.

Let data drive your focus, and make decisions using statistics, not emotion. Decisions made with emotion may benefit us immediately, but will fail us in the future.

Today more than ever, research drives decisions in EMS. We have more paramedics today than ever doing research in the pre-hospital setting. We have to step back and evaluate what the research says and act accordingly. For far too long, we have been dependent on experience alone without incorporating a research element. We have to look at new techniques as opportunities to improve.

We shouldn’t look at the evolution of EMS as “change” we should look at it as “re-imagination” of our business.

I heard from a respected leader that in the 1800’s, stagecoach operators always operated from on top of the stagecoach. They did this to have the best view of the terrain ahead and to watch out for thieves that may want to raid the stagecoach.

The practice of operators riding on the top was universal in the design of stagecoaches. So when trains came along, and new technology was created in transportation, they placed operators on top of the trains.

In the early days of trains a high percentage of train operators died from falling off the train. The mentality of “we have always done it this way” did not hold true. They failed to do research to determine the best location for the operators and they paid the price with the lives of many workers. They needed to take the time to look at a better method of doing the same job.

That is no different than EMS today. We have to re-imagine the way that we have always done it. Riding on top of the train or performing EMS the same way we always have is no longer viable.

You have to ask yourself: Are you a pioneer that will do whatever it takes to keep up with the business, or are you a dinosaur that will slowly fade into the background as we move forward? This business is evolving and is being re-imagined. We have to use research and data moving forward to improve ourselves and improve the chances of our patient’s survival.

Drew Hooker is the Program Director at Motlow College in Lynchburg, TN. He has experience in both collegiate and service-based EMS systems administration. He has over 13 years of progressive EMS experience with a dedication to helping move forward progressive, evidence-based medicine. You can contact him at dhooker@mscc.edu