Description
- Abstract:
- 911 calls in Rhode Island span a spectrum of severity, the most serious being emergencies such as major traumas, heart attacks, and strokes. However, alongside these critical situations, there exists another use of emergency medical services (EMS). These calls often surround issues of substance abuse, chronic medical conditions, and mental health crises, all of which could be more comprehensively aided by resources outside of the EMS jurisdiction. This thesis seeks to dive deeper into this reality through the perspective of the EMS provider. Drawing from existing ethnographies and anthropological frameworks such as biopolitics, symbolic violence, and medicalization, I explore the motivations, experiences, and challenges faced by EMS providers. Through my fieldwork and my own experiences as an EMT, I examine the role of EMS providers within the broader healthcare system and the implications of EMS in addressing health disparities. My findings reveal EMS as a stabilizing force in the US healthcare system, particularly in addressing primary care and social service needs. It is evident that the over-reliance on EMS for non-emergency medical needs underscores the shortcomings within the broader healthcare infrastructure, highlighting the need for systemic reforms to address the underlying issues.
- Notes:
- Senior thesis (AB-ScB)--Brown University, 2024
- Concentration: Anthropology
Access Conditions
- Use and Reproduction
-
- Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
- Rights
- In Copyright
Citation
Sheth, Selena,
"Stabilizing the System: An Ethnographic Exploration of Emergency Medical Service Providers’ Role in U.S. Healthcare"
(2024).
Anthropology Theses and Dissertations.
Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library.
https://doi.org/10.26300/xy3c-ee56
