Ironic timing DCFEMS article Washington Times

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Tuesday, June 9, 2009 


Some D.C. paramedics to be  retrained

About a dozen D.C. paramedics were ordered into retraining and  others have
been required to take course work, but D.C. Fire Chief Dennis L.  Rubin told
a city council committee that a series of poor performances  in
medical-knowledge tests did not require punishment or a major shake-up  in
the department. 

D.C. Council member Phil Mendelson, however,  called the results "completely
disturbing." 

The Washington Times  reported in April that dozens of the District's
paramedics either failed to  meet a minimum national standard on written
exams that tested their medical  knowledge or had mishandled basic 
lifesaving
procedures during videotaped  assessments. 

During a hearing Monday at City Hall, Mr. Mendelson,  chairman of the D.C.
Council's Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary,  took note of The
Times' report and questioned Chief Rubin closely about the  District's
emergency medical services and the test results. 

"Why  shouldn't people be alarmed?" Mr. Mendelson asked. 

Chief Rubin stressed  that the exams were evaluations that were meant to
guide the department's  training program and to improve medical protocols. 

He added that the  department's medical director, Dr. James J. Augustine,
recognized that the  tests showed a "generalized deficiency" in two areas,
including one related  to paramedics' reading of the electrical activity of
the heart. But he said  the workers were not in need of discipline. 

"We feel like we have turned  the corner, but we'll continue to provide
education to bring them up to  national standards, and we'll do it in a way
that's not punitive," Chief  Rubin said. 

Instead, he said, the paramedics were required to take a  two-day, 16-hour
course related to the heart activity issue, while 12 to 15  workers who 
still
performed poorly were forced to undergo remedial training.  

"I don't see a need to provide any kind of discipline," Chief Rubin  said.
"But we've made some significant improvements, and with a little bit of  
time
I think you're going to see a lot more." 

After the hearing, Mr.  Mendelson called the test results "completely
disturbing" in an interview  with The Times, but he likened the exercise to
rounds in a hospital where  there can be "a discussion of shortcomings to
improve skills."  

"You've got to be able to have a discussion of shortcomings to  improve
skills," said Mr. Mendelson, an at-large Democrat. "So it can't be  a
punitive process." 

The written tests - equivalent to the National  Registry of Emergency 
Medical
Technicians test for paramedics - were  performed last year at the Maryland
Fire and Rescue Institute (MFRI) and  taken by about 175 of the city's 250
advanced life-support providers. The  same 175 paramedics were videotaped
during a practical skills assessment in  which they were required to deal
with a cardiac arrest on a high-tech  mannequin. 

The Times obtained about 90 of the videotaped assessments and  95 of the
written test scores. On the written tests, only THREE paramedics  scored 70
percent or above; a passing grade for an entry-level paramedic on  the
national registry exam is 75. 

More than 75 of the 10-minute  videos were submitted by The Times to 
multiple
local and nationally  recognized paramedic instructors and quality-assurance
specialists, who said  they observed egregious health care violations. 

Chief Rubin said 75  employees still must be tested. MFRI then will provide
officials with a  comprehensive analysis of the results. 

Louis N.  Molino, Sr., CET
FF/NREMT-B/FSI/EMSI
Freelance  Consultant/Trainer/Author/Journalist/Fire Protection  Consultant

LNMolino at aol.com

979-412-0890 (Cell  Phone)
979-690-7559 (IFW/FSS Office)
979-690-7562 (IFWF/SS Fax)

"A  Texan with a Jersey Attitude"

"Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds  discuss events; Small minds 
discuss people" Eleanor Roosevelt - US diplomat  & reformer (1884 - 1962)

The comments contained in this E-mail are  the opinions of the author and 
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