Know your public: the importance of the EMS provider in community and media relations.
In the hundreds, and even the thousands, of hours that are spent in EMS training, none of the time is dedicated to community relations and public information. You have learned how to provide a service, but not how to sell the product. We relate to stories about physicians who were unsuccessful because of a poor "bedside manner." The patient's perception of you has very little to do with your score on the final exam or the terminology used as you explain an illness. You are judged by the same rules by which store clerks, telephone operators, waitresses and all others in the field of public service are gauged everyday. You may never do great things, but you can do small things in a great way. Just calling 911 is not enough to save a life. The very idea that we can get everywhere in the nick of time to snatch victims from the jaws of death is a fallacy. You most be concerned with the training provided for the lay public as you are with your own continuing education. There is no better way to make your service more effective than to train your entire community to save lives. There are many reasons why you should know how to deal with the media. A strong relationship can be formed simply by knowing how to make their job easier. Following the golden rules for news releases and interviews help us all appear more professional. The career of an EMT is in metamorphosis. You have been accepted by the patients you served and your fellow members of the medical community. Now you must continue to evolve as practitioners; your skills must change to meet the demands of modern medicine, and your knowledge base must continue to increase as new information becomes available. The one thing that must remain the same is your total commitment to patient care.
Silvester
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EMS Consultants, Inc., Mobile, AL, USA.
D001364:Awareness; D018672:Community Health Planning / Q000458:organization & administration; D003159:Community-Institutional Relations; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006266:Health Education / Q000458:organization & administration; D008402:Mass Media; D011641:Public Relations; D014481:United States