On Sun, 23 Aug 2009 23:43:24 GMT, The Medway Handyman wrote:

A GP what?
don't think the IHCD paramedic award would even get you on the
undergraduate course to becoming a ?General Practitioner.

Equal to, not the same as. Which is just as well, GP's are all but useless
in emergency situations.

The IHCD paramedic award isn't yet aproved anyway. However, two years
fastrack course with EMA & Sheffield University, three months intensive
training with LAS, starting as an EMT, progressing to EMT 1, then EMT 2,
then EMT 3 with yearly intervals between each, tough exams at every stage as
well as accessments, then an 8 week residential course, then 4 weeks in
theatre.

Then you have 'done your bag' as they say and become one of the 20% of
ambulance staff who are actually paramedics not EMT's.

Should you ever be in an emergency situation, you will be much better off
with a paramedic than a GP any day.

Very true! My experience with GPs and even first aid isn't good - the
'nurse' (theatre sister) at work was v. good.
My last GF - an A&E doctor and FRCS - used to get a lift twixt Southampto
and Poole (with bike) in the back of an ambulance if the weather was bad.
She said that, in the event of an emergency call, she'd just get out, as
she couldn't do much more than the paramedics unless she had hospital
equipment.
--
Peter.
The head of a pin will hold more angels if
it's been flattened with an angel-grinder.