My spouse and I are volunteer EMTs (just about to take our national exam, after completing our class work, labs, and clinicals) We trained in Fairfield Bay, along with several other students in outlying communities, being certified as volunteer EMTs. Several students had a problem when doing required clinicals at O.H. A few women on the ER staff were incredibly rude to us, and made our clinicals extremely unpleasant/difficult. The first night I did clinicals, I wasn't allowed behind the desk, I had to sit in the open hallway, and all the staff except for the RN, glared and refused to speak or interact. The Fairfield Bay volunteer ambulance brought in an elderly cancer patient. The staff behind the desk (NOT the RN, but the lower staff) were severely trash-talking the Fairfield Bay EMTs. They actually verbalized "Those idiots are going to end up killing somebody." These rude comments were clearly heard by everyone in the ER area, (patients included). I could not see where the Fairfield Bay EMTs were doing anything wrong. I worked with them for 6 months, they are very competent. The second night, Ms Ragland treated me with open contempt and tried to make me sit on a spindly camp stool for the duration of my 12 hours, thankfully someone else gave me a chair. I was treated extremely rudely all night, again. Ms Ragland appeared to be the leader of this ugly attitude. I was actually warned by another member of the staff that Ms Ragland had a personal problem with the EMT students doing clinicals at O.H. Last night, our ambulance responded to an elderly woman in distress, we transported her to O.H. Our driver and one of the other EMTs took the patient through the doors, while myself and the other EMT closed up the ambulance and put away our oxygen. When we went to the door it was closed and we couldn't get in, even after pressing the intercom. We walked around to the ER patient entrance to ask the staff working the window to please let us into the ER, as we had the patient info clipboard. Ms Ragland was working the admissions desk, and when we asked her to open, she displayed open contempt toward us, and flatly refused to open the door. She rudely told us "I am on the phone with I.T., get someone else to let you in." My co volunteer, lead EMT explained we had the run.sheet, but still she refused entry. She was very disagreeable, and my co volunteer EMT was very upset. We left the ER Admissions, because no one would let us in, we walked back around to the ambulance entrance, where our other EMTs realized we were outside, and let us in. Each time I have responded to an emergency as a volunteer EMT, and have gone in to Ozark health with a patient, whenever Ms Ragland is on shift, she is openly contemptuous and rude. I spent 30 years working in a professional Corporation in Dallas-Fort Worth, and during all those years, I never had any co-worker behave in such a petty, unprofessional manner. My husband and I are volunteering our time and efforts to help out our neighbors when they are in need, as are all of the other volunteer EMTs in the outying communities beyond Ozark Health. We don't get paid. When the emergency occurs, we drop whatever we are doing, and we roll. We do not deserve to be treated with unprofessional, open contempt by Ms Ragland every time we deliver a patient to O. H. Whatever her motivation and personal feeling toward volunteer EMTs, Ms Ragland's displaying this open contempt in a corporate environment toward volunteers who are helping their community and doing their jobs is completely unacceptable, and something needs to be done. Ms Ragland's unprofessional behavior shows lack of concern for patient well-being, as well as contempt for fellow professionals. I will write a letter of formal complaint to submit to O.H. administration. We plan to be volunteer EMTs for many more years in our community, and we wish to be treated with common courtesy. TWYLA CLENNEY.
