Well said. But my 2 cents worth is that I learned to respect paramedics because I began my career as one. I put myself through nursing school by working as medic on private transport trucks. As my nursing career has blossomed, I find myself returning to the realm of EMS as an instructor. As far as I am concerned, my career has come full circle.
As far as the RN vs MEDIC debate goes, its going to continue because many nurses not exposed to medics have no clue as to what their level of training is. When I first certified as a medic about 20 years ago, we gave Bicarb as a first line ACLS drug...we've come a long way baby. And I agree with you that the argument does nothing but demean both professions. We are both struggling to be accepted by the general public as more than 'ambulance drivers' or 'bedpan attendants'.
The Flight Community is comprised of mostly open minds, in my experience, and it is this open relationship that encourages both professions to merge and function well as a team. My medic-partners are much more proficient at securing an airway, but I am much more proficient at evaluating lab values and adjusting our game plan on transfers. But, we both learn from each other.
Medics and Nurses can function well together if we step forward and accept the fact that basic Medic and basic Nurse are just that...trained to the basic level. The above average Medic or Nurse is the one who continues their specialized training and learns to be tolerant and accepting of all Health Care Team Members.
