State of NJ - behind the times

[FFMcDonald]

I live in Bergen County NJ -- and have been an EMT since 1999.

I have friends from many other states that are EMT's, Firefighters, Paramedics - etc...

I have seen the paperwork that they have to fill out-- all required, and generated by the state. Provided to them by the State, and submitted to the state.

My Ambulance corps - and others in Bergen County - and I assume- throughout the state of New Jersey - all run with homemade call sheets to gather the pertinent patient information.

What is up with this?

Also -- I have a bone to pick with the state about Paramedics. All ALS in the state of NJ is hospital based. You need to be sponsored by the hospital based organization that provides ALS to even take a Paramedic training program.

Oh -- and the "State First Aid Council" - jeez -- get with the times. I know that everyone abhors change - but what about changing your name to "State EMS Council".

Anyone out there from NJ share my point of view??

[MesseyMedic]

I hear you and sympathize right along with you. I'm somewhat south of your area and have the same problems. I have been frustrated since the early 80's.
I don't think it is ever going to change. For me, I think it is time to move on. This state stinks!!!

[Bones42]

1) Anything the State of NJ tries to run will fail miserably. If you want to count on them being able to distribute and collect paperwork for every EMS Squad out there, you have far higher hopes for them than I. I have been an EMT since 1987. I have yet to make it through a recertification without the State losing paperwork on courses. You would think in this day of computers, they would be able to reliably track CEU's....but they can't.

2) No comment, never wanted to be a medic.

3) Walk down the street and ask people who comes to help them when they are hurt. Most of them will say the First Aid. If the biggest problem you have with the FA Council is their name, you are missing a lot. What have they done for you lately?

[njemt240]

I feel the pain. I've been an EMT since 1998 with my origianl certification from Illinois. I then move to NY and then to NJ a little over a year ago.

Compared to IL and NY, I feel that my hands are tied behind my back. IL was the most liberal state. We could carry our own nitro, albuteral, and epi and also use the combi-tubes. Moved to NY and we could carry epi and albuteral and asist with nitro if the nitro belongs to the patient. Now in NJ, we carry nothing. We can give epi, albuteral or nitro only if it belongs to the patient, otherwise we wait for the ALS unit.

I understand that NJ has finally passed law to allow us to carry/give albuteral, but who knows how long it will be until that law makes it into the EMT protocol.

With the ALS units....I don't understand why it is the way it is. What am I to do with a patient who is having a severe allergic reaction and needs epi, but the patient doesn't have an epi perscription and the ALS unit is 5+ minutes away?? I guess I could load the patient, step on the gas and try to intercept the ALS unit.

NJ as I see it is a very conservative state and I wish it would hurry up and catch up to what EMT's in other states can do.

Also, what's with NJ EMT plates that say EMT-A????? EMT-A hasn't been around for a while!

[firemedic53]

New Jersey has a great EMS system for the 1950's. The idea that hospitals are the only entity qualified to do ALS transport is ludicrous. The system where we operate is light years ahead of NJ.
Cross-trained paramedic-firefighters with transport capability....wouldn't have it any other way.

[codeblue81]

njemt240, You were carrying your OWN nitro, epi-pens, and albuterol in IL? The first thing that comes to mind is where you were getting them. Now dont get me wrong I know alot of MDs but I bet they aren't going to issue me a Rx for them to carry around.

Second of all I've been an EMT-B in IL since June of 2000. I just tested out for the EMT-Intermediate last night. The thing that I can't figure out is what system you were working out of to carry YOUR OWN drugs. The last time I read up on the state EMS act epipens, nitro, and Albuterol inhalers were to be "assisted" drugs if the pt. had a Rx for them and you recieved online orders to "assist" with the treatment.

Now combitubes are a system-by-system issue. In SAMIC, the EMS system that I am affiliated with, comibtubes are just now supposed to enter the protocols for the EMT-Basic. Since the state has revoked training new Basics on ET intubation and the LMA has been deemed unreliable for EMS field use the comibtubes are becoming really popular.

code_blue81

[CollegeBuff]

Codeblue, I think he meant that the SERVICE can carry the drugs. I hope I'm not mistaken.

As for me...

One state-created, printed, delivered, and collected EMS run report
Two levels of ALS assistence available, lower level (EMT-Cardiac) includes IV, cardiac meds, manual defib, ET
Epi by pen or ampule, with or without pt having a script
Albuterol
Nitro assist
EOA
ET by seperate certification (I'll be taking the class in March)

Just another RI Basic..... :D

[njemt240]

codeblue81....CollegeBuff has it right...it was the service who carried these items, not me personally.

To add some clarification.....
When I lived in IL, I was in the Rockford area. In order to administer those drugs we as EMT-B's had to call in to the ER and get permission from the physician. I left IL at the end of 99 so maybe things have changed.

I think if the patient already had their own perscription then we could administer without physician approval....don't hold me to this.

Another odd thing about NJ, there is no middle level between EMT-B's and paramedics which sucks because before I left NY I was thinking of becoming an EMT-I.