I volunteered here in the USA on the ambulance service as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), can I get similar training in SDQ (Santo Domingo) to volunteer with the Dominican people as a EMT? I am not sure if there are any volunteer rescue squads in the Dominican Republic similar to the USA. With a USA passport, would I even get a legal certificate to be an EMT in the Dominican Republic?
- Thread starter live_for_life
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I volunteered on the ambulance service as an EMT, is a similar possibility in SDQ?
Most EMS in the DR is provided by BLS ambulances from the local fire station or clinic. Most of the fire stations, although staffed by career firefighters/EMTs, do supplement their staffing with volunteers. An absolute requirement for membership is fluency in Spanish. All other training is informal with no certificarion requirements.
Some of the clinic ambulances provide ALS care, but under the direct supervision of a physician. The DR is much like the US was back before the 1980's. The Dominican medical doctors feel ALS procedures are limited to their license to practice and beyond the abilities of registered nurses and EMTs. In the US in the 1970's and early 80's even registered nurses couldn't administer ALS drugs or defibrillate a patient without direct supervision of a doctor. That is the state EMS is in in the DR.
This is very sad to hear that ALS procedures are really not practiced in ambulances in the Dominican Republic. In the situation of serious trauma, there is the concept of the golden hour known as the hour to start to receive definitive medical care such as IV therapy, medications,defibrillation, or intubation. I guess a medical helicopter in the Dominican Republic just does not occur for something serious like a car accident.
More like thrown in the back of a truck and hauled to the hospital by the neighbors.