To Educate or Not to Educate: An Economic and EMS Role Confusion Conundrum

Recently I was called out by individuals on various social media channels because I haven’t weighed in publicly about the importance of postsecondary education for EMS providers. Although I believe that pursuing higher education is an important piece of a successful progressive career, I’m not ready to “take sides” as to its mandatory requirement for all of our traditional frontline EMS provider roles. For those who advocate for formal education, the evidence is strong. A postsecondary education provides a foundation for skills development beyond what we learn in EMT and paramedic school, such as helping us develop critical-thinking skills, challenging us to strengthen our emotional intelligence, helping us improve our financial and business acumen, and teaching us skills that make us more astute in our selected specialty and better-informed citizens and consumers, all desirable traits that have value. Furthermore, there’s research and evidence that suggest that individuals with postsecondary education make a higher wage and some in EMS believe that having degrees will also garner us more respect at various tables—not sure on the evidence on this one. Although I’ve personally pursued both postsecondary and postgraduate studies, I’m not convinced that these items would have helped me earn more respect or a higher wage when I was in a primary clinical role as a 9-1-1, transport and ED practicing paramedic. Rather, these tools have helped me to form a foundation ...
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Training Columns News Administration and Leadership Source Type: news