certification versus licensure

[jedge168]

North Carolina currently only certifies paramedics, etc., and there seems to be a big push for licensure. I was wondering for those of you that have licensure, what benefits and drawbacks have you found to it?

[BURNSEMS]

Cert vs Lic is a Hot Topic in our State also, It all depends on what benifit YOU want to get out of it, in our State you have to have a Degree, to recive a Lic, you only have to Pass your EMT-P Class and the State Test to get a Cert, many oppose the Lic here for many reasons the biggest being Further Education. I am for the Lic I feel too many persons skate by and then provide less than optimal Pt care. Its up to you, in our state a Lic will mean more money and Job advancement as the Lic takes hold and this is already occuring in some areas, it will also mean better Management capabilities in Corporate E.M.S. Ladder, I am not familure with your state but a Lic needs to raise and further your career not be another piece of paper, I am all for Proffesional Development and Futer Progress no matter what it is Called... Just My Opinion

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Here today for a Safer Tomorrow

[Ledbelly]

From Texas here too, same as Burns, and although a new medic as of May 99, I have been FF/EMT since 85. I was encouraged to go ahead and license when we took the initial cert test, so I did. I got the feeling originally that the license was, if nothing else, to help gain a measure of respectability (from RNs, etc); ie-the amount of CE and even monthly training we put in was not recognized by some. (And I managed to set off a nurse during my clinicals...she wanted to know what my purpose was in being a medic student and working clinical at nursery...sure I could give injections but SHE was licensed and if I was going to do that, why didn't I do her rounds for her too...it was hard, but I didn't get into it with her) (and she was the only one I met who had a chip on her shoulder)
Originally, licensure was going to relieve you of some of the CE hrs and exempt you from recert test every 4 yrs; the final version, as I understand it (and not well I might add, too many revisions...too new at this)we are responsible for half as many CE hrs as a medic who is certified only, but still must take test. Other than that, I don't know about advantages (other than if I meet that nurse again, I'll give her a piece of my mind! "I got your license...!" http://www.firehouse.com/interactive/boards/wink.gif) As Burns mentions though, I feel it does promote a degree of profesionalism and does validate our commitment, training and role. When the push for licensure 1st began, it seemed it would really promote our job and its importance to others in the medical field and maybe that tweaked a few noses along the way because it doesn't seem to have the "weight" it started with.
My vote is for it though as it does advance our end of the profession.

[This message has been edited by Ledbelly (edited September 13, 1999).]