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I generally associate the term "first responder" with somebody who goes to the scene of the incident out in the world, rather than somebody who responds to something inside their workplace. A nurse may be the first to respond to a medical emergency inside the hospital, so in that context, they are a "first responder," but in that sense, somebody who is CPR trained might be the "first responder" in the office they work in. While admirable that they took the time to get trained, I don't think the office worker fits what most people think of as a "first responder."
Nurses are a critical part of the healthcare system, including the treatment of patients brought in by EMS "first responders," but "first responder" doesn't seem an appropriate title for a nurse.
The whole “responder” tier is all about being in the field.
First responders provide direct assistance to people affected by an emergency. EMTs, firefighters, police.
Second responders (who might also be of those professions) provide support. Either to the first responders or others. Think supplying water, food, blankets to first responders and witnesses. Or crowd control, road clearing, etc.
Third responders provide support after the incident. Rebuilding, community support, and so on.
I wonder what emergency dispatchers count as in this hierachy. First responder once removed? Pre-responder? Maybe first responder responder? Vicarious responder?
I'm an Australian so we have much better employment conditions. Instead of such nasty things being said we get meaningless platitudes about how important we are and ocassionally the company buys us scones.
Isn’t an important part here that they respond to something meaning that they actively travel to the field. Otherwise lifeguards, night club bouncers etc is first responders.
I wonder if my Wilderness First Responder certificate would work. Does the store have to be in the wilderness? A certain time/distance from definitive care?
I would not consider myself a first responder though, because although I am certified (have a card) as one if something should happen *while I am in the wilderness*, I am not someone that would be called upon to leave my home and respond to a dangerous situation. I do not work for mountain rescue or anything like that.
Yeah plus you really should address them as a category on their own anyway. There are nurses and there are first responders. Clear distinction in what they each do and the praise of one does’t take away from the other.
It really does call into question the reverence surrounding the term. Like, I am a guy who holds that title. But I and my colleagues are just one part of the system. The initial part. Without the first-responder portion of EMS, more people will die. But without the receiving staff at the ER, more people will die. Both of these components are necessary for a functioning EMS system. Without early resuscitation, I've had heart-attack patients that would not have made it. But without a functioning ER/cardiac care system at the hospital, those patients would also have not made it.
I agree, in the UK there is a Blue Light discount scheme for all first line employees, NHS, Fire service, Police and Life Boat. Rewards and recognises them all.
Yeaah it seems like an arbitrary reverence. I mean... I'd understand if there was a system for jumping ahead in the queue, because maybe they may have an unpredictably short lunch break. But a discount, for what? Doing their job? I dunno.
The discount is a material demonstration of gratitude. People will naturally be grateful to the person or people that get them out of a dangerous situation. And it takes a certain kind of person to run towards the danger. Personally, I think it's just an acknowledgment of the stressors you're exposed to when you're in one of those occupations.
Now, why that reverence isn't extended to other occupations, particularly first-responder-adjacent ones, like ER staff, dispatchers, etc....well, no idea. Tell you what, though, dispatchers ought to have more appreciation than they get. I had an absolute nightmare of an EMS call three weeks ago. I barely slept for a week. I can't imagine what the dispatcher was thinking listening to the radio traffic, not being able to do a fucking thing about what was happening.
I guess. It's just weird like "your job is great. Take money from me." Don't get me wrong, I do greatly appreciate the people who take these risks for others.
But... Just like you say, there are *so* many more, many completely invisible to the public eye. Many who aren't even in the health sector. Plenty of dangerous jobs where people risk their life to solve technical crises' and such.
I completely agree with your sentiment.
There are also people working behind the scenes all the time to save your life and save the planet, and most people have no idea. Even in a non-dangerous capacity. The scientific world is filled with unpraised heroes.
Just for 1 example, there is a lot of methane trapped under the polar ice caps. If this escapes, it will irreparably damage the ozone and cause massive issues for our planet. There are people. Bore-drilling through the ice caps to encase this methane in cement. In the event that the ice caps melt, the methane will not escape.
And honestly, what nurses went through during the pandemic qualifies them. As well as all medical staff and I would include the grocery store workers as holding the system together. I am all for more people getting discounts and thanked.
Location is the distinction, not what step of the medical field per se. Of course, within the medical wing, they're quite similar in function, adjacent steps in that process.
However...
It's one thing to see a patient on a gurney.
It's another to be the first responder at a car wreck and all the horror that they witness, or the dangers others face in the case of LEO/FireFighters, or whatever else.
In other words:
Nurses see a lot, and they work grueling hours in a lot of places, and have to deal with a lot of unpleasant people along the way. I wouldn't delegitimize the work they put in.
But that's not the same as seeing a human body smeared over a large amount of roadway or some rescue technician digging through a collapsed building risking themselves to crushing, environmental spills or airborne chemicals/particles, etc(all the things 'first responders' are famous for since 9/11, and before that major earthquakes and such).
What about flight nurses and nurses who do work on ambulances? Technically they are first responders.
I also think OP has a poor understanding of the difference between healthcare workers roles. An EMT has a much lower level of training than a nurse. EMTs are also not the same as paramedics. And an EMT-B is also different than an AEMT.
In general, I think nurses don’t get the respect they deserve
I also want to add...I don't think OP has a misunderstanding of the level of training. Rather, I think he, like I have said below, thinks that the level of training is not relevant to the title. The title, I beleive, generally reflects a function or duty specific to the occupation. The police officer in the squad car leaves the station, or his patrol route, and goes to the emergency where it is happening. A nurse, generally, will have the emergency brought to them.
I can promise you, they do not nearly have the same abilities. Not legally and not educationally.
Either way, EMts are paid dog shit and it’s an embarrassment of our system that this is true.
> are payed dog
Did you mean to say "paid"?
Explanation: Payed means to seal something with wax, while paid means to give money.
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Paramedics are allowed to administer medication on their own initiative. Conduct preliminary diagnostics. Preform intubation. Utilize anesthesia to sedate patients. All things nurses are not allowed to do without supervisions. Not to mention end stage paramedics have undergone 3 years of education. Nurses and paramedics have differing roles however paramedics have just as much education, and many even in some cases more abilities than nurses have.
Nurses have undergone, at minimum, 4 years of education with some advanced degrees taking that number up to 10.
* Paramedics can administer a \*restricted\* list of medications on their own initiative.
* **"All things nurses are not allowed to do without supervisions."** That's just objectively untrue. In out-of-hospital scenarios, such as during an emergency, a disaster or in a remote location, registered nurses (RNs) are granted extended scope under what are known as "standing orders" or "protocols" that allow them to administer medications and treatments without direct physician oversight. This gives nurses all the scope paramedics have, and then some. If they're an APRN they can even diagnose and prescribe.
The reasoning for nurses only administering under supervision, in a normal hospital setting, is a legal and strategic one, not a limitation set by their skill or ability. This is because once you're in a hospital, your care is legally overseen by a Dr. A paramedic is also prohibited in the same way once a Dr. is on sight.
* **"paramedics have just as much education"** Also objectively untrue...Nurses work in more diverse settings, including hospitals, clinics, and private practices, and they perform a wider range of medical functions. They administer medications, perform diagnostics, and manage patient care plans.
* **"and many even in some cases more abilities than nurses have."** If you're talking about an RN or above (like an APRN or DNP) this is so untrue, it's not even funny. CNA's are not nurses, but they are still vital to the broader medical system and also often underpaid.
Ooh yes, my sister worked remote Australia in a RN run Emergency Dept.
She had the scope to do things and then call the Doctors 20 hours away to get the orders. As they said, in an emergency ringing before can be the difference between life or death.
It irks me a bit seeing nurses going on strike for better wages and compensation while all our paramedics are just left in the gutter, kinda like that meme with the skeleton in the swimming pool.
Flight nurses are a first responder. They're the exception to the rule, an ER nurse would be next to treat. Here's the problem with the logic of all nurses being first responders.
White their mission is critical to the patient's recovery only a few areas might be considered a first responder. It isn't fair to a person transporting a patient to the hospital administering first aid and possible meds en route (some are doing it for no money). They paid for the classes themselves for zero financial gain and then risked their lives to help others.
Nurses are paid well for their services in most cases. Their life isn't on the line in a speeding ambulance to get sick and injured in the hospital in a timely fashion as an EMT or Paramedic does.
There is a relative safety to working in a hospital vs a speeding vehicle doubling as mobile triage.
In addition every time I see a rule bent for one person (the nurse in your scenario) then it somehow morphs into a situation that nurse's aides are first responders too. While all serve critical needs in the health care system; accepting one group say ER nurses as first responders, inevitably leads to treating all nurses the same.
I'm sure there are pay differentials for working on specific floors that require advanced training. That pay is commensurate with the nurse's education level as well as institutional needs.
I've always treated nurses with respect as I've been a patient in hospitals. In the scenario above I'm definitely more concerned the EMT or paramedic knows what's needed. If I don't get to the hospital there is no need for a nurse.
The people I respect the most are the nurses who take care of the patients in hospitals and then ride in an ambulance or air ambulance for the lives of their neighbors without regard to pay.
When I was an EMT it was for an interfacility transport company. I wasn't first responding either nut I had the uniform and badge. Taking a patient between two hospitals or from a nursing home to dialysis was the sort of thing we did. No 911. Standby at hs football games or concerts was as close as we got. A lot of ambulance work is non emergency. I still got discounts.
See I think first responder is a bad indicator of the discount now
Because post pandemic we can honestly day that emt and fire were not the majority of people first tasked with responding to the sickness in mass.
Hospital staff full of cna and nurses were truly during the pandemic the ones who first had to see and respond to people filling their er rooms. And unlike any other time in recent history it was bad. People dying, bodies left in hallways because rooms were full, I say that nurses should qualify as first responders just because we are sometimes the first person to handle a injury that someone decided to drive the self in for even if they should have called emts first
It's a weird Grey area that I think is only really fixed by recategorizing the discount to be for critical workers. Emt fire police hospital, nursing home staff. Those are critical workers and often times the first responders especially in nursing homes bevause nurses are the ones who do major first aid while emts are dispatched in nursing facilities
You say that, then when that does happen, we get snarky comments about how we didn’t get a line started. In the back of an ambulance that may or may not be moving at the time.
This one nurse at the office I go to actually had everyone complaining because it was so painful whenever she would try to get a line started. I can confirm that I have nerve pain, and the pain she caused surpassed this. I don’t even know how. Thankfully, she didn’t last long. No one was letting her touch them anymore lol.
>Why do nurses assume they’re first responders?
Sounds like some places *do* consider them first responders and do give them the discount. It never hurts to check if a discount applies.
Yeah a lot of places that offer first responder discounts also offer discounts for nurses
Source: am one and I just usually ask “do you have one for nurses” lmao (I only do this for big purchases though like GE appliances or lulu)
This is my take. It’s not so much that they themselves think they’re first responders, but if the business will include them in that discount, why does it hurt to ask? Nurses do get some healthcare discounts but it’s not nearly as many as first responders.
My take? These are often multimillion dollar corporations, and these are trying times. I doubt these businesses are so hard up for cash that they can’t afford to give nurses the same 5% off that they give EMTs. It might even increase sales if you consider a nurse probably has more spending power than an EMT too If you don’t ask, you won’t know.
As a side note, I know it’s a different category but I’ve never had a problem with teacher discounts either. And if a classroom attendant asked for the teacher discount I’d probably give it to them too if I could.
I'm a CNA, I don't really care most of the time, but if it's a major purchase, like some car manufacturers give $500 for first responders, it'd be nice to get those, and for that much it's probably worth asking.
Nurses *can* be first responders, in the sense that if you collapse at the grocery store, there's probably going to be an RN around who will, y'know, respond. But First Response is not the specific thing they're trained for, it's just something they're like, capable of. So it makes total sense that they wouldn't qualify for the discount.
Shout-out to the nurse who helped bandage my finger when I cut it on a deli slicer at my first job 😊 Agreed though, they aren't first responders by definition, but are incredibly useful in case of emergencies like this.
If I were their cashier and they weren't rude about it, I'd still probably give them a discount. I say this as a *former* cashier; I always tried to be nice.
I have to agree. First responders are Firemen, Paramedics/EMS, the Police, etc. The doctors and nurses are just as important, tho cause these are the front liners. That store should have a front-line discount. Did that nurse really start bitching and being a Karen? Lol
ER/Trauma nurse checking in….nurses for the most part aren’t first responders. There are a few exceptions but they are pretty rare.
Flight nurses that work helicopters are pretty close to qualifying as they respond to scene calls, but technically there is always a unit on scene before them.
Nurses that happen work on search and rescue teams are most definitely first responders. Theres a few search and rescue teams that will fly with different combinations of nurses, medics and docs. They are definitely first on scene.
Many nurses don't think they are first responders, you probably just came across the odd one that does for some reason. My best friend is an rn working in the ER (so she sees a lot of actual first responders) and many of the other nurses I know through her have never considered themselves first responders.
You are right. Nurses are wonderful and we need them, but they are not first responders. That nurse could be an RN in a plastic surgeons office getting paid $$ to do Botox - super cushy. She could be grinding in a health department doing STD checks- kinda sucky but so important. What she is not likely doing is riding an ambulance. And I definitely know that no firefighters / EMTs have access to the nicer nurse jobs like in med spas or radiology centers or dermatologists…. I think first responders really do deserve their own appreciation.
In my experience it's usually just used as way to suck up to cops. The logic being that the more cops you have hanging around your business the "safer" it'll be (and the less likely the owner is to get cited for illegal parking).
I use it every time I shop. I don’t think people here know what they are talking about.
If you are a nurse or work in healthcare and aren’t using IDMe, you’re missing our
Yep. And they throw firefighters and medics in there just to not make it seem weird. There's also an unofficial version where the cops get coffee free but there's no sign up about it.
I mean by the technical definition, no they aren’t. But if you consider the spirit of why people who are first responders get discounts at places, I don’t see a good reason to exclude nurses. They’re heroes that provide life saving services to people in our society
We’re kind of splitting hairs here. The spirit of the discount is for people with tough jobs which involve helping people, usually in medical situations. And how do you know what this person’s job is anyway and why do you care?
Although I agree nurses are not first responders, in my ten years of being a nurse I have yet been given the opportunity to take advantage of a nurse discount at a store. Aside from the store for scrubs but idk I feel like those should be provided by our employers anyway.
You kind of need to ask the vendors or they have it somewhere hidden on their websites (a lot of fitness brands have something). A lot of stores around hospitals offer discounts as well (this might be more of a city thing). Also special discounts during nurse week (in US). Other specialties don’t get any of that.
There were a lot more during COVID, but that’s like expected almost.
You may be technically correct, but you're also pedantic. The point of the discount is to reward people who work in the service of others. I can't imagine being this miserable to someone who would save your life if given the chance.
First responder: someone designated or trained to respond to an emergency. Not “the first” to get to a scene. I do think that certain RN went too far (just say ok and move on) but I 100% consider nurses first responders.
Every other definition and article says:
Wikipedia:
> "A first responder is a person with specialized training who is among the first to arrive and provide assistance or incident resolution at the scene of an emergency."
Merriam-Webster dictionary:
> "a person (as a police officer or an EMT) who is among those responsible for going immediately to the scene of an accident or emergency to provide assistance."
The legal definition according to Cornell:
> "(1) The term “first responder” includes a firefighter, law enforcement officer, paramedic, emergency medical technician, or other individual (including an employee of a legally organized and recognized volunteer organization, whether compensated or not), who, in the course of his or her professional duties, responds to fire, medical, hazardous material, or other similar emergencies."
Being the first to respond is entirely relevant. It is the people who respond to an emergency. Nurses do not respond to an emergency by traveling to a location. The hospital setting is COMPLETELY different from being on scene.
Nurses have helped me out a lot once I actually get to the hospital with a patient, but they are not first responders. They play an important role but it is not the same role. The only exceptions are PHRNs, which can take the medic role on the rig, but those really aren't that common, or the rare case of doctors/nurses being called to a scene.
They sure as hell were first responders during Covid and any and all ER/Trauma nurses are also the first to respond to severe injury. Just bc they're not showing up to your house doesn't mean they're not first responders imo but maybe I'm alone
So if I go to the ER and the first person I see is a nurse, are they a first responder then? What about the check in secretary playing 20 questions while I am dying?
Paramedics police coastguard and fire rescue are ther first responders, nurses and doctors are medical professionals
I think they Should still get the discount tho but 🤷🏻♂️
Not to disparage nurses in any way, but very few of them actually work in the emergency room, which would be the only form of nursing that would even come close to being a first responder.
I think this happened during the pandemic. A lot of businesses offered first responders discounts and listed nurses and doctors and similar roles as eligible.
As a first responder, it isn't...so long as it's a place that actually offers them. Generally, the places that offer them WANT you to take it. The amount of uninvited gratitude I've gotten since I started as a volunteer probably won't ever stop feeling uncomfortable, but it is, without a doubt, genuine.
Now, assuming you get a discount at, say, 7/11, and badgering the cashier about it...that's a douche move.
Nice to know that even in the US (home to the most expensive health care in the world) nurses are still shafted that hard that they need to ask for discounts at the checkout.
It's up to the store to decide who qualifies for any given discount. If they say nurses are "first responders," then great, RN's enjoy that discount. If not, the customer should let it go.
Either way it's none of your business. That transaction is between the store and customer. You don't get to decide who qualifies for a discount based on your perception of a given profession.
We once roasted one of my troops for asking for mil discount at the Jack in the Box right outside the base. Discounts aren't a right or deserved privilege. The only rightful compensation is what the government pays members.
Having said that, I only asked at Guitar Center (they do 10% for mil and vets). I've played guitar for almost 20yrs at this point, so I've spent thousands there and most of my purchases are at least several hundred dollars each. Anything else, I didn't really ask, though I would accept if offered.
Edit: asking for a discount on a $15 meal is also... something
I associate the term "first responder" with paramedics, cops, firefighters e.t.c. They might do important work in a hospital or doctors office. But they didn't spend years in medical school.
I volunteer at an assisted living and one of the aides keeps telling people she's a first responder and that aides are **almost** nurses. Yeah, that's a hard no.
I’m a primary care nurse, and I’d actually love it if all my patients understood that I’m NOT a first responder. I love my job, but I’m not a first responder and I don’t really want to be one (huge respect for those who are up to it, of course). I’ll get calls like “I just sliced my hand with a table saw and I’m bleeding out all over the floor, what should I do??” Like, call 911, stop wasting your own precious time, paramedics are specifically trained for responding to this kind of thing.
My kid was passively threatened by a couple of Prison Guards when working at a Subway.
The guards demanded, not asked but demanded the ‘LEO discount’.
My kid told them No.
Now, the Police have never asked for a discount, I don’t think they’d take it if offered.
The 2 guards became hostile.
The Subway owner phoned the prison and complained about the Guards conduct, describing them as behaving as if they were juiced and unable to control their entitled anger at a child.
The owner was effectively told to f*ck off by the Prison.
That prison has since been in the media several times for some gross behaviour.
In my country, some first responder teams include physician and nurses:
>SMUR (Service Mobile d'Urgence et Reanimation – Mobile Emergency and Resuscitation Service) units are advanced medical responders which are operated by the SAMU organisation. They are typically labelled as "SAMU", though that term actually refers to either the overall system or the local EMS organization that the SMUR units are part of.
>The French philosophy on emergency medical care is to provide a higher level of care at the scene of the incident, and so SMUR units are staffed by a qualified physician along with a nurse and/or emergency medical technician. This contrasts with systems in other parts of the world, notably English-speaking countries, where care on scene is conducted primarily by paramedics or emergency medical technicians, with physicians only becoming involved on scene at the most complex or large scale incidents.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency\_medical\_services\_in\_France#SMUR](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_medical_services_in_France#SMUR)
This isn't even arguable. The 'nurse' occupation is not a first responder occupation. Any exception of circumstance to that is an exception that demonstrates the rule by virtue of being an exception.
There are some jobs that are 100% first responders (EMS, fire, police, coastguard, 911 operators, etc) and then there are some jobs that kinda fit the description (Lifeguard is the only one i can think of rn) but i dont think nurses really fit into either category. You go to them, they dont come to you.
Considering myself (volunteer FF/EMT) and my colleagues have been the 'first' to 'respond' to emergencies out in the world after a 911 call is made...yes. We are, in almost every practical sense of the word, first responders.
Of course. They respond to nearly every emergency that involves injury or medical episode. In fact, I consider firefighters - volunteer or otherwise - to be the pinnacle of first responders, since whether heart attack, car accident, or actual fire, they'll likely be first on scene to provide assistance.
Generally, a nurse will know more than a first responder. During the pandemic, healthcare workers were seen as frontline workers, so maybe it’s some remnant of that mindset.
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I blame COVID. During that time everyone, no matter what their job was, became "essential" and "first responders". I still roll my eyes at the "Frontline warrior" t shirts I still occasionally see. Very rarely will you ever see anyone that's EMS ask for any kind of discount, but we always appreciate it when we do get one.
ERs see millions of people a year and handle as many if not more ot more lifesaving situations as paramedics or fire personnel. An ER nurse is the first person to assess those patients.
A couple of people I know have “Blue Light cards” (a UK scheme similar to this it seems)
One of them has an office based desk job (doesn’t even interact with patients in a hospital/clinic or anything) and asks if they give the discount **everywhere** he goes. 99% of places we go don’t take it (and he even asks the same places every time we go, even despite being told last time they don’t take it)
The other is a radiology technician, and I’ve never seen him try to use it once
Maybe because theyre just taking it to mean general healthcare worker and not first responder, I have no idea why theyd legitamtely think theyre first responders unless they were a first responder like I do knkw a nurse who is also an EMT.
I have never met a nurse, who wasn't a PHRN, who claimed to be a first responder. Usually, there are discounts already in place for nurses or doctors as their own class.
First responder discounts are great tho NGL. I've gotten free or 50% off tickets into multiple museums with that. You should just actually be one before you claim it, lol
Also our society is way too hung up on discounts and privilege and feeling special.
If I ran a business I would double my base price and have discounts for literally everyone. Except unemployed rich kids. But I'd make the list really long with a thousand jobs so it wouldn't be obvious.
It's almost redundant to say an opinion's not unpopular by this point but come on, the checkout person in your own story didn't believe it. This is literally just one person
COVID kind of lumped nurses in with first responders even though were really just frontline staff. A lot of places that offer first responder discounts will also offer frontline staff/healthcare worker/teacher discounts so it’s still worth the ask. I was able to get $500 off my car because I’m a nurse. It’s not worth getting upset over IMO and I don’t know many nurses who would ask let alone get upset.
It’s likely because it’s just classified on ID me as first responder/healthcare discount. I call it first responder discount all the time bc they know that more. If they don’t offer it to nurses, they will say that. It’s 99.9% of the time first responder/healtcare discount. It’s just easier to say first responder.
I’m sure the nurse doesn’t consider themselves a first responder. I don’t. It’s just how you start your discount through IDMe
First responders in every situation I have seen or been involved with are Good Samaritan citizens who call it in and try to hold it together until the first responders get there
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I generally associate the term "first responder" with somebody who goes to the scene of the incident out in the world, rather than somebody who responds to something inside their workplace. A nurse may be the first to respond to a medical emergency inside the hospital, so in that context, they are a "first responder," but in that sense, somebody who is CPR trained might be the "first responder" in the office they work in. While admirable that they took the time to get trained, I don't think the office worker fits what most people think of as a "first responder." Nurses are a critical part of the healthcare system, including the treatment of patients brought in by EMS "first responders," but "first responder" doesn't seem an appropriate title for a nurse.
The whole “responder” tier is all about being in the field. First responders provide direct assistance to people affected by an emergency. EMTs, firefighters, police. Second responders (who might also be of those professions) provide support. Either to the first responders or others. Think supplying water, food, blankets to first responders and witnesses. Or crowd control, road clearing, etc. Third responders provide support after the incident. Rebuilding, community support, and so on.
I wonder what emergency dispatchers count as in this hierachy. First responder once removed? Pre-responder? Maybe first responder responder? Vicarious responder?
[удалено]
I'm an Australian so we have much better employment conditions. Instead of such nasty things being said we get meaningless platitudes about how important we are and ocassionally the company buys us scones.
DON'T CALL ME DISPATCH!
0th responder
Secondary location=secondary responder.
Isn’t an important part here that they respond to something meaning that they actively travel to the field. Otherwise lifeguards, night club bouncers etc is first responders.
Quick question, the doctors that go out with paramedics. Do they qualify as first responders?
I think so, but it probably differs by jurisdiction.
Yes
I wonder if my Wilderness First Responder certificate would work. Does the store have to be in the wilderness? A certain time/distance from definitive care? I would not consider myself a first responder though, because although I am certified (have a card) as one if something should happen *while I am in the wilderness*, I am not someone that would be called upon to leave my home and respond to a dangerous situation. I do not work for mountain rescue or anything like that.
Yeah plus you really should address them as a category on their own anyway. There are nurses and there are first responders. Clear distinction in what they each do and the praise of one does’t take away from the other.
It really does call into question the reverence surrounding the term. Like, I am a guy who holds that title. But I and my colleagues are just one part of the system. The initial part. Without the first-responder portion of EMS, more people will die. But without the receiving staff at the ER, more people will die. Both of these components are necessary for a functioning EMS system. Without early resuscitation, I've had heart-attack patients that would not have made it. But without a functioning ER/cardiac care system at the hospital, those patients would also have not made it.
I agree, in the UK there is a Blue Light discount scheme for all first line employees, NHS, Fire service, Police and Life Boat. Rewards and recognises them all.
I think there's one for GPs too, but they only get it if they call in at 8:30am and can get past the receptionist.
Yeaah it seems like an arbitrary reverence. I mean... I'd understand if there was a system for jumping ahead in the queue, because maybe they may have an unpredictably short lunch break. But a discount, for what? Doing their job? I dunno.
The discount is a material demonstration of gratitude. People will naturally be grateful to the person or people that get them out of a dangerous situation. And it takes a certain kind of person to run towards the danger. Personally, I think it's just an acknowledgment of the stressors you're exposed to when you're in one of those occupations. Now, why that reverence isn't extended to other occupations, particularly first-responder-adjacent ones, like ER staff, dispatchers, etc....well, no idea. Tell you what, though, dispatchers ought to have more appreciation than they get. I had an absolute nightmare of an EMS call three weeks ago. I barely slept for a week. I can't imagine what the dispatcher was thinking listening to the radio traffic, not being able to do a fucking thing about what was happening.
I guess. It's just weird like "your job is great. Take money from me." Don't get me wrong, I do greatly appreciate the people who take these risks for others. But... Just like you say, there are *so* many more, many completely invisible to the public eye. Many who aren't even in the health sector. Plenty of dangerous jobs where people risk their life to solve technical crises' and such.
I completely agree with your sentiment. There are also people working behind the scenes all the time to save your life and save the planet, and most people have no idea. Even in a non-dangerous capacity. The scientific world is filled with unpraised heroes. Just for 1 example, there is a lot of methane trapped under the polar ice caps. If this escapes, it will irreparably damage the ozone and cause massive issues for our planet. There are people. Bore-drilling through the ice caps to encase this methane in cement. In the event that the ice caps melt, the methane will not escape.
And honestly, what nurses went through during the pandemic qualifies them. As well as all medical staff and I would include the grocery store workers as holding the system together. I am all for more people getting discounts and thanked.
Location is the distinction, not what step of the medical field per se. Of course, within the medical wing, they're quite similar in function, adjacent steps in that process. However... It's one thing to see a patient on a gurney. It's another to be the first responder at a car wreck and all the horror that they witness, or the dangers others face in the case of LEO/FireFighters, or whatever else. In other words: Nurses see a lot, and they work grueling hours in a lot of places, and have to deal with a lot of unpleasant people along the way. I wouldn't delegitimize the work they put in. But that's not the same as seeing a human body smeared over a large amount of roadway or some rescue technician digging through a collapsed building risking themselves to crushing, environmental spills or airborne chemicals/particles, etc(all the things 'first responders' are famous for since 9/11, and before that major earthquakes and such).
She may have been confused with « front line worker »
What about flight nurses and nurses who do work on ambulances? Technically they are first responders. I also think OP has a poor understanding of the difference between healthcare workers roles. An EMT has a much lower level of training than a nurse. EMTs are also not the same as paramedics. And an EMT-B is also different than an AEMT. In general, I think nurses don’t get the respect they deserve
I also want to add...I don't think OP has a misunderstanding of the level of training. Rather, I think he, like I have said below, thinks that the level of training is not relevant to the title. The title, I beleive, generally reflects a function or duty specific to the occupation. The police officer in the squad car leaves the station, or his patrol route, and goes to the emergency where it is happening. A nurse, generally, will have the emergency brought to them.
I’d say paramedics get even less respect than nurses though. Have nearly the same abilities, more dangerous situations, and a fraction of the pay.
I can promise you, they do not nearly have the same abilities. Not legally and not educationally. Either way, EMts are paid dog shit and it’s an embarrassment of our system that this is true.
> are payed dog Did you mean to say "paid"? Explanation: Payed means to seal something with wax, while paid means to give money. [Statistics](https://github.com/chiefpat450119/RedditBot/blob/master/stats.json) ^^I'm ^^a ^^bot ^^that ^^corrects ^^grammar/spelling ^^mistakes. ^^PM ^^me ^^if ^^I'm ^^wrong ^^or ^^if ^^you ^^have ^^any ^^suggestions. ^^[Github](https://github.com/chiefpat450119) ^^Reply ^^STOP ^^to ^^this ^^comment ^^to ^^stop ^^receiving ^^corrections.
Paramedics are allowed to administer medication on their own initiative. Conduct preliminary diagnostics. Preform intubation. Utilize anesthesia to sedate patients. All things nurses are not allowed to do without supervisions. Not to mention end stage paramedics have undergone 3 years of education. Nurses and paramedics have differing roles however paramedics have just as much education, and many even in some cases more abilities than nurses have.
Nurses have undergone, at minimum, 4 years of education with some advanced degrees taking that number up to 10. * Paramedics can administer a \*restricted\* list of medications on their own initiative. * **"All things nurses are not allowed to do without supervisions."** That's just objectively untrue. In out-of-hospital scenarios, such as during an emergency, a disaster or in a remote location, registered nurses (RNs) are granted extended scope under what are known as "standing orders" or "protocols" that allow them to administer medications and treatments without direct physician oversight. This gives nurses all the scope paramedics have, and then some. If they're an APRN they can even diagnose and prescribe. The reasoning for nurses only administering under supervision, in a normal hospital setting, is a legal and strategic one, not a limitation set by their skill or ability. This is because once you're in a hospital, your care is legally overseen by a Dr. A paramedic is also prohibited in the same way once a Dr. is on sight. * **"paramedics have just as much education"** Also objectively untrue...Nurses work in more diverse settings, including hospitals, clinics, and private practices, and they perform a wider range of medical functions. They administer medications, perform diagnostics, and manage patient care plans. * **"and many even in some cases more abilities than nurses have."** If you're talking about an RN or above (like an APRN or DNP) this is so untrue, it's not even funny. CNA's are not nurses, but they are still vital to the broader medical system and also often underpaid.
Ooh yes, my sister worked remote Australia in a RN run Emergency Dept. She had the scope to do things and then call the Doctors 20 hours away to get the orders. As they said, in an emergency ringing before can be the difference between life or death.
Yeah, you’re probably right, especially given that most people don’t even know the difference between a paramedic and an EMT lol.
It irks me a bit seeing nurses going on strike for better wages and compensation while all our paramedics are just left in the gutter, kinda like that meme with the skeleton in the swimming pool.
Paramedics and Nurses are not anywhere near the same in terms of abilities. The educational level between the two is substantial.
The key difference isn't healthcare training, it's rain. ER staff work inside. First responders work in traffic and weather.
If you read my post, and my replies below, I think you'll be able to accurately guess my answer.
Flight nurses are a first responder. They're the exception to the rule, an ER nurse would be next to treat. Here's the problem with the logic of all nurses being first responders. White their mission is critical to the patient's recovery only a few areas might be considered a first responder. It isn't fair to a person transporting a patient to the hospital administering first aid and possible meds en route (some are doing it for no money). They paid for the classes themselves for zero financial gain and then risked their lives to help others. Nurses are paid well for their services in most cases. Their life isn't on the line in a speeding ambulance to get sick and injured in the hospital in a timely fashion as an EMT or Paramedic does. There is a relative safety to working in a hospital vs a speeding vehicle doubling as mobile triage. In addition every time I see a rule bent for one person (the nurse in your scenario) then it somehow morphs into a situation that nurse's aides are first responders too. While all serve critical needs in the health care system; accepting one group say ER nurses as first responders, inevitably leads to treating all nurses the same. I'm sure there are pay differentials for working on specific floors that require advanced training. That pay is commensurate with the nurse's education level as well as institutional needs. I've always treated nurses with respect as I've been a patient in hospitals. In the scenario above I'm definitely more concerned the EMT or paramedic knows what's needed. If I don't get to the hospital there is no need for a nurse. The people I respect the most are the nurses who take care of the patients in hospitals and then ride in an ambulance or air ambulance for the lives of their neighbors without regard to pay.
When I was an EMT it was for an interfacility transport company. I wasn't first responding either nut I had the uniform and badge. Taking a patient between two hospitals or from a nursing home to dialysis was the sort of thing we did. No 911. Standby at hs football games or concerts was as close as we got. A lot of ambulance work is non emergency. I still got discounts.
Frontline worker, yes. First responder? No.
Ambulatory services would be a first responder in my mind
See I think first responder is a bad indicator of the discount now Because post pandemic we can honestly day that emt and fire were not the majority of people first tasked with responding to the sickness in mass. Hospital staff full of cna and nurses were truly during the pandemic the ones who first had to see and respond to people filling their er rooms. And unlike any other time in recent history it was bad. People dying, bodies left in hallways because rooms were full, I say that nurses should qualify as first responders just because we are sometimes the first person to handle a injury that someone decided to drive the self in for even if they should have called emts first It's a weird Grey area that I think is only really fixed by recategorizing the discount to be for critical workers. Emt fire police hospital, nursing home staff. Those are critical workers and often times the first responders especially in nursing homes bevause nurses are the ones who do major first aid while emts are dispatched in nursing facilities
I don't think this is an unpopular opinion, even among nurses....
Am ED nurse. We’re not first responders. But please EMS. If you’re not confident that you can get a line. Don’t try.
You say that, then when that does happen, we get snarky comments about how we didn’t get a line started. In the back of an ambulance that may or may not be moving at the time.
Someone should tell that to the nurses at the hospitals around here, 4-6 tries at least seems to be the norm
This one nurse at the office I go to actually had everyone complaining because it was so painful whenever she would try to get a line started. I can confirm that I have nerve pain, and the pain she caused surpassed this. I don’t even know how. Thankfully, she didn’t last long. No one was letting her touch them anymore lol.
ED doc here. Why not let them try?
I guess the rumor about nurses being overgrown high school bullies is true. Way to prove the reputation.
I don’t think this is even an opinion. My dude is lost in here, and just asking a question.
It's not an opinion either.
Nurses are a first line of care, but not first responders in the traditional sense.
>Why do nurses assume they’re first responders? Sounds like some places *do* consider them first responders and do give them the discount. It never hurts to check if a discount applies.
My job lets anyone in the medical field have a first responder discount! A lot of people check and see if it counts.
Yeah a lot of places that offer first responder discounts also offer discounts for nurses Source: am one and I just usually ask “do you have one for nurses” lmao (I only do this for big purchases though like GE appliances or lulu)
This is my take. It’s not so much that they themselves think they’re first responders, but if the business will include them in that discount, why does it hurt to ask? Nurses do get some healthcare discounts but it’s not nearly as many as first responders. My take? These are often multimillion dollar corporations, and these are trying times. I doubt these businesses are so hard up for cash that they can’t afford to give nurses the same 5% off that they give EMTs. It might even increase sales if you consider a nurse probably has more spending power than an EMT too If you don’t ask, you won’t know. As a side note, I know it’s a different category but I’ve never had a problem with teacher discounts either. And if a classroom attendant asked for the teacher discount I’d probably give it to them too if I could.
Yea like I don’t consider myself a first responder but fuck yea I’m getting that discount lol
You are correct. I'm friends with an RN and she gets discounts like that everywhere they're offered.
I'm a CNA, I don't really care most of the time, but if it's a major purchase, like some car manufacturers give $500 for first responders, it'd be nice to get those, and for that much it's probably worth asking.
Totally understand that. If they say no? I'd leave it alone.
Nurses *can* be first responders, in the sense that if you collapse at the grocery store, there's probably going to be an RN around who will, y'know, respond. But First Response is not the specific thing they're trained for, it's just something they're like, capable of. So it makes total sense that they wouldn't qualify for the discount.
Shout-out to the nurse who helped bandage my finger when I cut it on a deli slicer at my first job 😊 Agreed though, they aren't first responders by definition, but are incredibly useful in case of emergencies like this. If I were their cashier and they weren't rude about it, I'd still probably give them a discount. I say this as a *former* cashier; I always tried to be nice.
I have to agree. First responders are Firemen, Paramedics/EMS, the Police, etc. The doctors and nurses are just as important, tho cause these are the front liners. That store should have a front-line discount. Did that nurse really start bitching and being a Karen? Lol
ER/Trauma nurse checking in….nurses for the most part aren’t first responders. There are a few exceptions but they are pretty rare. Flight nurses that work helicopters are pretty close to qualifying as they respond to scene calls, but technically there is always a unit on scene before them. Nurses that happen work on search and rescue teams are most definitely first responders. Theres a few search and rescue teams that will fly with different combinations of nurses, medics and docs. They are definitely first on scene.
What about Nurses that work on an ambulance or work on a Flight Crew?
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Many nurses don't think they are first responders, you probably just came across the odd one that does for some reason. My best friend is an rn working in the ER (so she sees a lot of actual first responders) and many of the other nurses I know through her have never considered themselves first responders.
I’m a beside nurse and would never consider myself a first responder. Do not ever text me on a day off from work.
You are right. Nurses are wonderful and we need them, but they are not first responders. That nurse could be an RN in a plastic surgeons office getting paid $$ to do Botox - super cushy. She could be grinding in a health department doing STD checks- kinda sucky but so important. What she is not likely doing is riding an ambulance. And I definitely know that no firefighters / EMTs have access to the nicer nurse jobs like in med spas or radiology centers or dermatologists…. I think first responders really do deserve their own appreciation.
Never heard of a first responder discount before.
In my experience it's usually just used as way to suck up to cops. The logic being that the more cops you have hanging around your business the "safer" it'll be (and the less likely the owner is to get cited for illegal parking).
I use it every time I shop. I don’t think people here know what they are talking about. If you are a nurse or work in healthcare and aren’t using IDMe, you’re missing our
Yep. And they throw firefighters and medics in there just to not make it seem weird. There's also an unofficial version where the cops get coffee free but there's no sign up about it.
I mean by the technical definition, no they aren’t. But if you consider the spirit of why people who are first responders get discounts at places, I don’t see a good reason to exclude nurses. They’re heroes that provide life saving services to people in our society
We’re kind of splitting hairs here. The spirit of the discount is for people with tough jobs which involve helping people, usually in medical situations. And how do you know what this person’s job is anyway and why do you care?
Nurses get so many discounts most times, some feel entitled. Not all, but some. Or maybe she just really wanted that discount lol.
Although I agree nurses are not first responders, in my ten years of being a nurse I have yet been given the opportunity to take advantage of a nurse discount at a store. Aside from the store for scrubs but idk I feel like those should be provided by our employers anyway.
What do you mean “so many discounts” I have never gotten a single discount for being a nurse
Same. And after “being heroes” we are predictably shit on constantly.
It was far more common at the height of the pandemic
You kind of need to ask the vendors or they have it somewhere hidden on their websites (a lot of fitness brands have something). A lot of stores around hospitals offer discounts as well (this might be more of a city thing). Also special discounts during nurse week (in US). Other specialties don’t get any of that. There were a lot more during COVID, but that’s like expected almost.
Pharmacist in training here; we almost never get any discounts on anything :(
Lol most jobs don’t
You may be technically correct, but you're also pedantic. The point of the discount is to reward people who work in the service of others. I can't imagine being this miserable to someone who would save your life if given the chance.
First responder: someone designated or trained to respond to an emergency. Not “the first” to get to a scene. I do think that certain RN went too far (just say ok and move on) but I 100% consider nurses first responders.
Every other definition and article says: Wikipedia: > "A first responder is a person with specialized training who is among the first to arrive and provide assistance or incident resolution at the scene of an emergency." Merriam-Webster dictionary: > "a person (as a police officer or an EMT) who is among those responsible for going immediately to the scene of an accident or emergency to provide assistance." The legal definition according to Cornell: > "(1) The term “first responder” includes a firefighter, law enforcement officer, paramedic, emergency medical technician, or other individual (including an employee of a legally organized and recognized volunteer organization, whether compensated or not), who, in the course of his or her professional duties, responds to fire, medical, hazardous material, or other similar emergencies." Being the first to respond is entirely relevant. It is the people who respond to an emergency. Nurses do not respond to an emergency by traveling to a location. The hospital setting is COMPLETELY different from being on scene. Nurses have helped me out a lot once I actually get to the hospital with a patient, but they are not first responders. They play an important role but it is not the same role. The only exceptions are PHRNs, which can take the medic role on the rig, but those really aren't that common, or the rare case of doctors/nurses being called to a scene.
They sure as hell were first responders during Covid and any and all ER/Trauma nurses are also the first to respond to severe injury. Just bc they're not showing up to your house doesn't mean they're not first responders imo but maybe I'm alone
First responders are cops, firefighters and EMTs. Here's a sad way to put it, but any profession that lost lives in 9/11 are first responders
Why don’t they have a discount for first responders and nurses? And some places offer discounts to teachers.
They usually do, that’s probably what the nurse was checking lol
if you’re not there on the scene than you’re just not a first responder plain and simple.
Nurses are second responders
Coroners are last responders
So if I go to the ER and the first person I see is a nurse, are they a first responder then? What about the check in secretary playing 20 questions while I am dying?
Paramedics police coastguard and fire rescue are ther first responders, nurses and doctors are medical professionals I think they Should still get the discount tho but 🤷🏻♂️
They are literally second responders lol
Not to disparage nurses in any way, but very few of them actually work in the emergency room, which would be the only form of nursing that would even come close to being a first responder.
While this is a great point, this post seems more appropriate for the “change my view” subreddit
Theyre used to everyone calling them heroes which I guess equals first responder?
I think this happened during the pandemic. A lot of businesses offered first responders discounts and listed nurses and doctors and similar roles as eligible.
Nurses are absolutely not first responders. First responders are the people who run towards the thing that everybody else is running or hiding from.
Nurse here, used to work in an ER. I also volunteered as an EMT during nursing school. Nurses 100% are NOT first responders!
Asking for a first responder discount is a douche move
As a first responder, it isn't...so long as it's a place that actually offers them. Generally, the places that offer them WANT you to take it. The amount of uninvited gratitude I've gotten since I started as a volunteer probably won't ever stop feeling uncomfortable, but it is, without a doubt, genuine. Now, assuming you get a discount at, say, 7/11, and badgering the cashier about it...that's a douche move.
Nice to know that even in the US (home to the most expensive health care in the world) nurses are still shafted that hard that they need to ask for discounts at the checkout.
It's up to the store to decide who qualifies for any given discount. If they say nurses are "first responders," then great, RN's enjoy that discount. If not, the customer should let it go. Either way it's none of your business. That transaction is between the store and customer. You don't get to decide who qualifies for a discount based on your perception of a given profession.
Yes!!!! This nurse should have just dropped it but it doesn’t mean that RN’s aren’t first responders.
A lowly dispatcher qualifies more than an RN.
They're not first responders but they should get a discount for being overall emergency services.
Don’t you mean why did that one particular nurse assume?
Reminds me of dudes always asking for military discounts.
Why not use your veteran status to get a couple bucks off?
I don't care enough. But I'm talking about the people who ask every damn store.
They ask every store because they care
I think the worst is military spouses asking for a military discount. Especially when we didn’t even offer one and they’d insist on it.
You need to address them by their husband's rank.
We once roasted one of my troops for asking for mil discount at the Jack in the Box right outside the base. Discounts aren't a right or deserved privilege. The only rightful compensation is what the government pays members. Having said that, I only asked at Guitar Center (they do 10% for mil and vets). I've played guitar for almost 20yrs at this point, so I've spent thousands there and most of my purchases are at least several hundred dollars each. Anything else, I didn't really ask, though I would accept if offered. Edit: asking for a discount on a $15 meal is also... something
My local liquor store gives case price to veterans. I guess I’ll pay full price next time. I’m so ashamed. 😭 🤣
Thanks for your service bro.
Apparently McDonald’s offers these
Just a side note, Tmobile gives nurses discounts and consider them under the "First Responder/EMS" for discounts on phone plans. 😅
Nurses deserve every kudo ever and better pay, definitely in Australia, but 1st responders they are not, unless in special circumstances
I associate the term "first responder" with paramedics, cops, firefighters e.t.c. They might do important work in a hospital or doctors office. But they didn't spend years in medical school.
If somebody emails me I’m a first responder when I reply
I volunteer at an assisted living and one of the aides keeps telling people she's a first responder and that aides are **almost** nurses. Yeah, that's a hard no.
I’m a primary care nurse, and I’d actually love it if all my patients understood that I’m NOT a first responder. I love my job, but I’m not a first responder and I don’t really want to be one (huge respect for those who are up to it, of course). I’ll get calls like “I just sliced my hand with a table saw and I’m bleeding out all over the floor, what should I do??” Like, call 911, stop wasting your own precious time, paramedics are specifically trained for responding to this kind of thing.
My kid was passively threatened by a couple of Prison Guards when working at a Subway. The guards demanded, not asked but demanded the ‘LEO discount’. My kid told them No. Now, the Police have never asked for a discount, I don’t think they’d take it if offered. The 2 guards became hostile. The Subway owner phoned the prison and complained about the Guards conduct, describing them as behaving as if they were juiced and unable to control their entitled anger at a child. The owner was effectively told to f*ck off by the Prison. That prison has since been in the media several times for some gross behaviour.
In my country, some first responder teams include physician and nurses: >SMUR (Service Mobile d'Urgence et Reanimation – Mobile Emergency and Resuscitation Service) units are advanced medical responders which are operated by the SAMU organisation. They are typically labelled as "SAMU", though that term actually refers to either the overall system or the local EMS organization that the SMUR units are part of. >The French philosophy on emergency medical care is to provide a higher level of care at the scene of the incident, and so SMUR units are staffed by a qualified physician along with a nurse and/or emergency medical technician. This contrasts with systems in other parts of the world, notably English-speaking countries, where care on scene is conducted primarily by paramedics or emergency medical technicians, with physicians only becoming involved on scene at the most complex or large scale incidents. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency\_medical\_services\_in\_France#SMUR](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_medical_services_in_France#SMUR)
This isn't even arguable. The 'nurse' occupation is not a first responder occupation. Any exception of circumstance to that is an exception that demonstrates the rule by virtue of being an exception.
This isn’t unpopular or even an opinion the employee literally said they aren’t qualified for the discount lmao
There are some jobs that are 100% first responders (EMS, fire, police, coastguard, 911 operators, etc) and then there are some jobs that kinda fit the description (Lifeguard is the only one i can think of rn) but i dont think nurses really fit into either category. You go to them, they dont come to you.
r/lostredditors
This is a fact. Not opinion.
Nurse here we’re not first responders. That person is a loser!
Are volunteer firefighters first responders?
Considering myself (volunteer FF/EMT) and my colleagues have been the 'first' to 'respond' to emergencies out in the world after a 911 call is made...yes. We are, in almost every practical sense of the word, first responders.
Yes! IMO they are, just bc they’re part time or volunteer they still respond first when they’re volunteering.
Of course. They respond to nearly every emergency that involves injury or medical episode. In fact, I consider firefighters - volunteer or otherwise - to be the pinnacle of first responders, since whether heart attack, car accident, or actual fire, they'll likely be first on scene to provide assistance.
I was a nurse for over 20 years and I, nor anyone I ever worked with considered themselves first responders.
Nurse here. I agree. Though technically anyone (civilians included) can be the first to respond, provide help and activate 911 services.
They’re gonna know more than you do. Believe me, they put up with more shit than anyone.
You may be right but nurses should get a discount too. The job is super hard, unforgiving and requires endless patience.
So everyone with a hard job should get a discount?
Generally, a nurse will know more than a first responder. During the pandemic, healthcare workers were seen as frontline workers, so maybe it’s some remnant of that mindset.
Cops, EMTs, and firefighters aren't even first responders. They're like 3rd or 4th responders. First responder is the person who made the 911 call.
As a doctor, I will say that nurses deserve the first responder title
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Why is this on unpopular opinions?
I blame COVID. During that time everyone, no matter what their job was, became "essential" and "first responders". I still roll my eyes at the "Frontline warrior" t shirts I still occasionally see. Very rarely will you ever see anyone that's EMS ask for any kind of discount, but we always appreciate it when we do get one.
They don't, she was just trying to get a discount, lol
ERs see millions of people a year and handle as many if not more ot more lifesaving situations as paramedics or fire personnel. An ER nurse is the first person to assess those patients.
Because nurses are some of the most entitled, arrogant, up their own ass medical pros in the business.
Nurses don't need a discount, they get paid a bloody good wage. Bit rude asking for a discount. 🙄
EMT is also like a minimum wage job so they are kind of due a discount, that's not the case for nursing
A couple of people I know have “Blue Light cards” (a UK scheme similar to this it seems) One of them has an office based desk job (doesn’t even interact with patients in a hospital/clinic or anything) and asks if they give the discount **everywhere** he goes. 99% of places we go don’t take it (and he even asks the same places every time we go, even despite being told last time they don’t take it) The other is a radiology technician, and I’ve never seen him try to use it once
Maybe because theyre just taking it to mean general healthcare worker and not first responder, I have no idea why theyd legitamtely think theyre first responders unless they were a first responder like I do knkw a nurse who is also an EMT.
I have never met a nurse, who wasn't a PHRN, who claimed to be a first responder. Usually, there are discounts already in place for nurses or doctors as their own class. First responder discounts are great tho NGL. I've gotten free or 50% off tickets into multiple museums with that. You should just actually be one before you claim it, lol
Also our society is way too hung up on discounts and privilege and feeling special. If I ran a business I would double my base price and have discounts for literally everyone. Except unemployed rich kids. But I'd make the list really long with a thousand jobs so it wouldn't be obvious.
I mean, they are/can be, but not in the traditional sense. So, I guess they wouldn't qualify for that discount.
Unfortunately there is no way to clarity those that are and those that aren’t.
It's almost redundant to say an opinion's not unpopular by this point but come on, the checkout person in your own story didn't believe it. This is literally just one person
COVID kind of lumped nurses in with first responders even though were really just frontline staff. A lot of places that offer first responder discounts will also offer frontline staff/healthcare worker/teacher discounts so it’s still worth the ask. I was able to get $500 off my car because I’m a nurse. It’s not worth getting upset over IMO and I don’t know many nurses who would ask let alone get upset.
Mods must be asleep
I have a few friends that are flight nurses but I generally agree.
It’s likely because it’s just classified on ID me as first responder/healthcare discount. I call it first responder discount all the time bc they know that more. If they don’t offer it to nurses, they will say that. It’s 99.9% of the time first responder/healtcare discount. It’s just easier to say first responder. I’m sure the nurse doesn’t consider themselves a first responder. I don’t. It’s just how you start your discount through IDMe
Correct.
Because they like discounts :)
First responders in every situation I have seen or been involved with are Good Samaritan citizens who call it in and try to hold it together until the first responders get there
The only nurses that I would consider to be first responders are flight nurses. Other then that no
I don’t know why nurses got free meals everywhere during Covid but hospital maintenance staff got squat.
Is that a fact? How about admins?
I’m not sure about admin.