What’s Your Level of Professionalism?

As EMS providers, we have long wanted to be considered professionals in the healthcare field. Tired of being regarded as the “stepchildren” of public safety, we are eager to be recognized in the formal manner in which police and fire agencies across the country are recognized. So, why aren’t we? Granted, EMS is a profession still in its infancy when compared to police and fire agencies, and it has much room to grow. But who is helping it grow? Are you doing everything you can to see that EMS caregivers are considered professional? We all must take an active part to promote professionalism and it begins by looking in the mirror.

What Constitutes a Professional?

Webster’s Dictionary defines a professional as “of, relating to, or characteristic of a profession.” Professionalism is defined as “the conduct, aims, or qualities that characterize or make a profession or a professional person.”

From the beginning of EMT-Basic class, we learn about professional attributes: appearance, knowledge, skills and the ability to meet physical demands, as well as general interests and temperament.1

There’s an old saying, “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” Another is, “You only get one chance to make a first impression.” Which is true? Maybe both. I must admit, I have judged someone based on a first impression, only to be proved wrong. As the examiner at an NREMT exam, I was paired with a young lady in her final semester of high school whose hair was colored bright magenta. My immediate thought was that she must have lost a bet to have such loud hair. As we chatted between “patients,” she talked about her high school classes that had included physics and pre-calculus, and about her plans for the future. When I realized she was quite intelligent, despite her outlandish appearance, my opinion of her changed.

We must realize, however, that, to the public, a first impression means a lot. They don’t have a chance to get to know you. Just as you make a decision of “sick” or “not sick” based on your initial impression of a patient, they also have to rely on their first impression. So, look in the mirror. Are you the type of person you would want to take care of you or a family member? Appearance is a reflection of the job you will do and the care you provide.

Portray a Positive Image

When on duty, you are expected to respond to a scene in a complete uniform (or something similarly appropriate) because you represent the organization you work for. You are also representing yourself, your peers and EMS as a whole. Your appearance is an indirect indicator to your patient and to the public of your competence and trustworthiness to make sound judgment decisions.

I just returned from EMS?EXPO 2004 where, prior to the EXPO’s opening keynote address, NAEMT’s President, John Roquemore, showed a video of a commercial being aired by a well-known insurance company that depicts an ambulance stopping at an ATM so the patient being transported can withdraw some money to pay his bill. Roquemore encouraged EMS providers to contact the insurance company and voice their disapproval of the commercial, citing its insulting nature to the EMS profession. For years, the lay public has referred to EMTs and paramedics as “ambulance drivers”—a persona that we all have tried to get away from. We seek to be recognized as professionals, and many of the conference attendees showed their support of Roquemore’s stance with robust applause.

Why, then, do many of those providers discard the need to dress like professionals at such a conference? I have seen both dress uniforms and everyday uniforms as well, and commend those proud enough to want to be identified as members of the profession we all support.

Although my primary job is as an instructor, I work part time for a large EMS system that has a policy dictating what I will, or may, wear while on duty. I am also told that my uniform is not to be worn while off duty unless I am officially representing the organization. The aforementioned agency allows many uniform options: to wear a hat or not to wear a hat; a variety of shirt and pants styles and colors; leather belt with a buckle or nylon belt with Velcro; orange rainwear or yellow rainwear. Boots are fairly standard, with exceptions for medical conditions, but all footwear is black. Statistically speaking, all of the approved items allow the employees to choose from 144 different uniform combinations. During recent IST sessions, the agency’s director asked employees what they like and dislike about the current state of the system, what is wrong with the system from our perspective, and what can be done to fix it. One comment suggested there was a lack of unity and appearance, which is easily remedied by amending the uniform. An agency whose employees are all uniform in appearance while on duty conveys cohesion and organization. With so many individual uniforms in our agency, the appearance of cohesion is lost and the crew appears less professional.

But I’m Not On A?Call!

Visualize this: You are relaxing in your station, clean and polished in your uniform and ready to respond, when a local Girl Scout troop shows up unannounced and asks for a tour of your station and ambulance to see what EMTs and paramedics do. You eagerly invite them in and show them around, proud to show off your rig and tell them what you do. You represent your profession and your colleagues everywhere in EMS. Upon completion of the mini tour, they thank you and tell you they had no idea EMTs and paramedics could do all that you showed them. (They thought you were just an ambulance driv­er, remember?) After several days, your supervisor calls and tells you he received a letter of thanks from the troop for a job well done. He commends your appearance and your positive reflection on the profession. A copy of that letter will be in your file.

Now, visualize another scenario: You are attending a local EMS conference at a nice hotel. You are there to network, hear good lectures and get some good advice—the usual things you do at conferences! You are wearing a clean, pressed uniform as you parade through the exhibit hall and surrounding hallways with a fresh beer in each hand. Then, the local Girl Scout troop, on a weekend outing, walks into the hotel lobby. One of the first things they see is you, the ambulance driver, with a beer in each hand. Several days later, your supervisor calls and tells you he received a letter of complaint from the troop’s leader saying how appalling they thought it was that a uniformed member of a public agency was walking around the lobby of a hotel consuming alcohol, and how disrespectful that seemed. She added that she felt very lucky not to have needed your services during their stay. A copy of that letter will also be in your file.

Your appearance and your actions are noticed by the public and will be used to form their opinions of both you and your peers nationwide. Although many people are most comfortable in jeans and T-shirts, these may not be the most appropriate attire when you are representing your agency and the EMS profession. The public is studying you and your “Co-ed Naked EMS” or “Big Johnson EMS” T-shirt. Such apparel gives the public preconceived ideas about you. If you disrespect the profession with a sloppy appearance, you might also provide sloppy care.

So, what does your mirror say? Many of us need to clean up our act and portray the image we want. If we want to be recognized as professionals, we need to look like professionals. Does your image need polishing or a total makeover? If we all take steps to look professional both on and off duty, the time will come when we will be recognized as true professionals.

Reference

1. Mistovich JJ, Hafen BQ, Karren KJ. Prehospital Emergency Care, 7th Edition. Ed. Howard A. Werman, MD. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2004.