Friday, July 2, 2010

Why did I pay 150$ for this Part Deux.

So. As everyone knows, I am going through trying to get my state changed from one to another. After being told it was a cake-walk, it became a nightmare. Here's an update on the situation.

Before I left my former state, I had a problem. My command physician left the country for a month...the same month I had to turn in my NR renewal forms. No command physician signature ment no Renewal. I called the main office of the NR and I explained my situation; how my command physician would not be back before I was going to move to a new state and that once I left my job, I could no longer use that physician on my paperwork. The wonderful human being on the other end of the line stated that, because all my con-ed hours were done and that everything else was ready, I had two years to get a command physician signature before I would have to take the written test all over again.

That sounded too good to be true, so I asked to speak with a supervisor. They stated that, yes, I had 2 years before I could be considered inactive and lose my registry status. I told them that, by the middle of July I would have my registry paperwork in and I'd be good to go.

Flash forward two months.

I go online, log into the Registry website, and I notice that, in the corner of the sign in screen, it tells you your name, your level, and your registry number. All I saw was my name. Nothing was in my con-ed files or anything. It was blank.

I call the Registry and this is the exact conversation that was had.

"Hi, I'm M. Trommashere. I can't find my information on your website and it says to call you, what's going on?"

"Oh, can you give me your NR number."

"Sure..."

"Okay, Ms. Trommashere. You are not a Nationally Registered Paramedic anymore."

" *long pause*...excuse me?"

"Yes ma'am. It says your registry expired on May 31st of this year, and you had a built in 15 day extension which passed, so therefore you have been dropped from the Nationally Registered Rolls."

"But your staff told me...*insert story here*"

"Correct, but you failed to get everything in by June 15th, so now you need to take a 48 hour National Registry Refresher Class, a new ACLS Class, PALS class, and CPR class. You also need to meet the other con-ed hours needed by your new state, then you must take a Practical Exam, then a written exam."

"Wait. Flag on the play. You expect me to do over one hundred con-ed hours that I have to pay for out of pocket, pay for a brand new ACLS and PALS class..."

"It has to be the actual class, not the refresher, the two day one..."

"A new CPR class which, by the way, if I can't do CPR by now, I'm giving my damn card to the dog. Then you want me to pay another 100$ plus travel expenses for a practical exam AND 150$ for a written exam. Lady, what are you smoking, because I want some."

"Well, that's why you have a job..."

I lost it. I'm sorry, God for losing my religion.

"I DON'T have a job because your bass friggin ackwards system has kept me from getting a job. I can't get a job in a Nationally Registered State until I have my NR numbers. You said I could use my numbers for two years until I got a command doc to sign it, but I can't have a command doc unless I can apply for a job, but I can't apply for a job with an expired NREMT card!"

"It's not my fault your card expired. We don't even know if you're a real Paramedic or not, so you have to take the tests."

"Why? Because I didn't hand you another grand of my money by taking the more expensive 'NR Accredited' classes?!"

"There's no reason to get upset..."

"Fine. Let me speak to your supervisor..."

" *dial tone* "

I know, first things' first, I never should've let my NREMT expire in the first place. It had taken me a while to build my refresher, and I was an hour short up until about a month before it expired, and even then, I had so much trouble TRYING to pin my command doc down to even sign the paperwork before she left that, when she skipped town I wanted to commit homicide, but back to the story.

She hung up on me. I had never been so angry at anyone before. The prospect of having to go back and do six months or more of work just to get my NR back made me physically ill. Since I live in a NR state, I have to have it to work. I sat down to a glass of wine and I went back to my phone call. I called back, and I got on with a supervisor. I calmly explained that I didn't want to play this game anymore, and that all I wanted was to be able to turn my paperwork in. The supervisor agreed that what I was dealing with was bull, and that the nerf herders in his office should've directed me to the paperwork to go inactive, which would have kept me from losing my damn mind. I now have until the end of July to get my things in order.

The fact of the matter is, the NR sucks! It's a big, money making scheme that forces hardworking EMT's and Paramedics to play FiFi the Circus Dog to keep their lively hoods. I can only imagine people in states who don't have easy access to a con-ed class, kind of like where I am now. Con-Ed is so few and far between that it's standing room only for their ACLS and PALS classes, not to mention any other "fun" classes. I think that, if I only need my NR just to get the job, and I don't need it to keep it, I'm not going to. I'm tired of feeding the beast.

I'm done.

~M. Trommashere~

2 comments:

  1. I understand what your going through. The National Registry should be just that.... national. I'm about to shell out $200 and jump through hoops even with my NR numbers taken care of.

    And as a side note, fyi if you need to retest the EMT-B random NR skill at the paramedic level it has to be redone at a NREMT-P , not at the less expensive and more common NREMT-B level

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  2. I doubt the system will ever be fixed as long as Paramedics and EMT's are willing to shell out hundreds of thousands of dollars every year chasing a pipe dream that is known as the National Registry. Glad to see you here, DialysisTaxi! Thanks for the comments and I hope to see you around!

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