All female EMT corps to hit Brooklyn streets

[AFS1970 504]

I saw this story recently and had to wonder, while I admit they seem to have found a niche market in EMS, is this really the sort of thing we need to be doing? I remember (way back when) in my initial EMT class discussions on being sensitive to such concerns as part of the medical ethics section of the class. I have to wonder if being there to serve only a specific subset of a specific isolated community is in keeping with the idea of EMT's being there to help anyone who needs our help. I have to wonder if this isn't going backwards, just a bit.

The female crew of Orthodox Jewish EMTs was created to serve Hasidic women uncomfortable with male EMTs in situations such as child birth

[SRS131EMTFF 471]

Backward, maybe. If it helps get women in medical emergencies to the ED that much quicker and with better care, then not so much.

Just so long as they play nice in the sandbox and dont go screaming up and down the tristate area in unmarked flycars from 40 miles away like some other nameless religion associated agency/organization.

[latemedic39 4]

So , where is the. Con for the area , the doh certification for the flycar and the comment are they available to just the Jewish community ? I love they can do whatever they want whenever they want and circumvent all rules and regulations and hide behind religious beliefs

[latemedic39 4]

Backward, maybe. If it helps get women in medical emergencies to the ED that much quicker and with better care, then not so much.

Just so long as they play nice in the sandbox and dont go screaming up and down the tristate area in unmarked flycars from 40 miles away like some other nameless religion associated agency/organization.

[latemedic39 4]

Get to the hospital quicker ? You can't swing a dead cat in NYC without hitting an ambulance !!!!!!!!!

[SteveC7010 58]

So , where is the. Con for the area , the doh certification for the flycar and the comment are they available to just the Jewish community ? I love they can do whatever they want whenever they want and circumvent all rules and regulations and hide behind religious beliefs

Just so long as they play nice in the sandbox and dont go screaming up and down the tristate area in unmarked flycars from 40 miles away like some other nameless religion associated agency/organization.

In regards to these issues, I've often been tempted to call up the BEMS reps for my area and ask them if it would be OK if we operate our ambulance services and fly cars in the same manner. I'd really like to hear their side of the story of the double standard.

[AFS1970 504]

I also wondered about that fly car, it had no star of life, did not say EMS or Rescue or even First Aid on it. Just the fairly generic word Emergency which I have also seen on utility trucks in NYC. I am guessing there is some regulation that is not being met but that is just a guess. Since they are only providing first responder services and the story said they are contracting with a nearby transport service (anyone want to take a guess?) it seems that they are not really getting anyone to the hospital quicker, although they may be providing care quicker.

While I understand the idea that she doesn't think her next door neighbor should see her in such a position, if her next door neighbor is an EMT then that is part of what he is trained for. Years ago in a RIT class I took with one of our female members. Most of the students could not bring themselves to get close enough in training to do some of the rescue methods on her. The instructors went over that with us and basically said if you can't get over your modesty in an emergency someone may die. If I were part of any of the EMS services that cover that part of Brooklyn I would be somewhat insulted that they thought so little of my ethics.

[EMT111 149]

While I understand the idea that she doesn't think her next door neighbor should see her in such a position, if her next door neighbor is an EMT then that is part of what he is trained for. Years ago in a RIT class I took with one of our female members. Most of the students could not bring themselves to get close enough in training to do some of the rescue methods on her. The instructors went over that with us and basically said if you can't get over your modesty in an emergency someone may die. If I were part of any of the EMS services that cover that part of Brooklyn I would be somewhat insulted that they thought so little of my ethics.

I guess I'm not sure why you're getting upset over the fact that this is an all female volunteer corps. This is a culture that places much more importance on modesty and separation of male and female than most cultures in the U.S.. Now yes, every EMT, male or female, gets all the same training to handle any emergency we come across, and we all conduct our selves in a professional manner. However, some times people are just comfortable with care providers of the same sex. Think about it this way, your a middle age man, you walk into the urologist's office cause you're experiencing erectile dysfunction, you walk into the exam room, and the doctor's a 29 year old woman. Are you really gonna tell me that you'd feel just as comfortable talking about your ED to a young woman as you would a man? Also, anyone one who is going to call this corps is most likely also going to be calling Hatzalah, who are the same culture, and are going to understand. Plus, isn't making the patient comfortable part of any EMS job? Finally, I don't think they're trying to question anyone's moral, rather they are just looking for someone who understands and follows their wishes based on their religion and culture.

[AFS1970 504]

I am not upset, I just wonder if this is advisable to limit care to such a small segment of the population against everything we were taught in class. I understand the cultural issues but this is worthy of discussion.

Think about it this way, your a middle age man, you walk into the urologist's office cause you're experiencing erectile dysfunction, you walk into the exam room, and the doctor's a 29 year old woman. Are you really gonna tell me that you'd feel just as comfortable talking about your ED to a young woman as you would a man?

Lets use that example, if I were to start a male only EMS service, I would probably be fined by the federal government for not accepting female members. If I were to say I was only going to treat male patients, I would probably not get the required licenses.

What if I formed a male only VFD and said we would only put out fires at homes owned by males, because they were more comfortable seeing male firefighters?

[latemedic39 4]

Has nothing to do with it being a all female group the problem is the lack of proper certification for everything !!!!! I say good for the ladies if they are interested in helping the whole community not just one specific group

[SteveC7010 58]

I guess I'm not sure why you're getting upset over the fact that this is an all female volunteer corps. This is a culture that places much more importance on modesty and separation of male and female than most cultures in the U.S.. Now yes, every EMT, male or female, gets all the same training to handle any emergency we come across, and we all conduct our selves in a professional manner. However, some times people are just comfortable with care providers of the same sex. Think about it this way, your a middle age man, you walk into the urologist's office cause you're experiencing erectile dysfunction, you walk into the exam room, and the doctor's a 29 year old woman. Are you really gonna tell me that you'd feel just as comfortable talking about your ED to a young woman as you would a man? Also, anyone one who is going to call this corps is most likely also going to be calling Hatzalah, who are the same culture, and are going to understand. Plus, isn't making the patient comfortable part of any EMS job? Finally, I don't think they're trying to question anyone's moral, rather they are just looking for someone who understands and follows their wishes based on their religion and culture.

I'm not having any problems with the religious and cultural issues presented in this discussion. What nags at me a bit is why Hatzolah hasn't taken steps to deal with this in some way a long time ago. I don't pretend to know the rules around Hatzolah membership, but it seems to me that even if they don't allow female members, they'd have recognized the need and importance and helped a female team into existence to work with them.

Please understand that I am not being critical of any of these squads, but more trying to better understand the entire situation and not just one point of view.