New Content

I agree 1000%. It has infuriated me for years now how they are literally dumbing down EMS. Here in Hawaii they took our 18 month program for Paramedics and shortened it to 11 months. They made the cardiology and pharmacology sections “self study” and cut an entire rotation of internship out. It’s almost impossible to fail the program. One student had failed some rotations but then passed anyway by the instructor. After many years of frustration I finally understand why they are doing it. They want the fire department to take over EMS here across the state, and making the training easier and shorter will make it easier for the fire department to get their guys through training. Guidelines for care will Be shorter and easier to follow. They recently forced Pulsara on to the ambulances and made it mandatory to use. Only a fire based system has the extra people on scene to sit and type into a device and take pictures. They are also discontinuing our prehospital ability to transmit 12 lead EKGs which significantly reduces time to the cath lab. Even worse, we are now limited to 10mph over the posted speed limit when responding to and transporting patients. This will nearly double the time it takes to get someone to definitive care. All of this while taking away medications and skills needed by the medics for their patients. We have a broken system here in Hawaii that needs to be fixed but the department of health has zero interest in it and those running it are unqualified and refuse to take any input. We have zero voice on the national level and decisions are all made based on the bottom line while patients suffer and die. Meanwhile fire departments have seemingly bottomless bags of money and support from local, state, and federal government. Fire based EMS is NOT the gold standard and does NOT fix the issues, even if they all try to convince everyone that it is. EMS is not just a ride to the hospital. We are abused by the public, and many stakeholders and treated like taxis. We need to fix it and save our profession.

gas chamber exhaust is permanent for thousands of years (since 1945)

i just did today, i got a 76. my class of 14 took it, only four people passed. the next chance is in two weeks i believe. it was a hard test, medical was my weak spot. i cant say any one section you should hammer home but make sure you are confident in obstetrics/neonatal, i saw a great many questions on that, as well as cpr, ventilations and airway. you got this! (if you haven't taken it yet)

Older with more aches and pains doing transfers. 🤮 Patients are getting fatter and fatter. Seems like most start out at about 275-300 lbs.

Blowing up my inbox today! I just let my EMT-B lapse. Haven’t used it in 3-4 years, and didn’t do any CE in the last two. Probably a good thing there isn’t. Can’t imagine what these kids today would be doing with it. 😂😂😂😂

Semi retired. Forgot this account was still active.

Not a Medical Director anymore, just running an EMS fellowship and teaching the fellows how to be medical directors.

I come around rarely no longer in fire or EMS but still buff it and send out an emergency alerts

Yup. Still around... Left EMS about 10 years ago to go and teach Nursing at a community college here in the Netherlands. Hi to all the golden oldies... Carl

I'm still around. Just about to hit 11 years as an ED nurse at my level 1 trauma center, work nights as a charge nurse. Still love emergency medicine though I joke it's kinda like Stockholm syndrome at this point lol.

Yo. I'm back. I'm an EMS medical director in a "big" city and an ED doc, so living the dream. How y'all been?

I'm still around, not doing much with ems anymore these days, I taught for a number of year but now not bedside nursing anymore.

Been a long time! Hi all!

Wow , been like 15 plus years ….. still here just haven’t been on

As others have mentioned, every state has its own regulations, as does every hospital. I can give you some insight into work for an EMT as an ED Tech vs. EMS: my son is an EMT(B) and found a great job as an ED tech in a busy hospital. There they trained him how to do IVs and was just selected to be trained on ultrasound-guided IV insertion for the hard sticks. He does splinting, EKGs, straight blood sticks, and occasionally urinary caths, so his scope of practice as a B is in *some* ways wider than when he was riding the bus. His salary is roughly the same as when working EMS; his benefit package is a bit better. Hours are better; three 12 hour shifts weekly vs. 24 hours every three days. The pacing and physicality of the work is surprisingly similar - instead of hauling Strykers with bariatrics through fields he sprints over with a Lucas to help with compressions when a code is called on a medsurg floor. He says it is nice having MD-level care right there, all the time, when things go deep south, and an hierarchy that appreciates his work, although he misses some of MacGyvering of field work. He definitely has enjoyed a better dating life surrounded by 75% female nurses in the ED than by 85% male coworkers in EMS, but misses some of the guy-bonding in EMS. Opportunities as a hospital ED tech vary by both state and by hospital policy, but at least in rural Virginia ED techs are in short supply and are a welcome addition to the ED team.

*blowing dust off my account* Poking in. Is there not a chat room anywhere anymore?

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge of transferring from Nremt to NJ ems? And is there a way to fill out and submit the EMS 64 document online?

Rat is back. I couldn't get a link to get into rat115, so I had to start a new name. 🤫 Tonya

I haven't been on the City in a l-o-n-g time. Because of cardiac issues, I've been out of the EMS field since late 2021. I'm going back to school and am working one a research paper for one of my classes. I'm working on a paper about access to mental health care for first responders. If you would be willing to take this research questionnaire, please follow the link below. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeF7gFjwT655fUu_YCwz_gndgl6S8XE794f5eOVuz2IwvZ5nA/viewform?usp=header Thank you! Tonya

For all the older folks on here.... It's rat. I lost my login info under rat115, so I had to change my name. How's everyone?

Massachusetts just passed a law that EMT’s A’s and Medics can no longer work in a hospital (except a hospital based EMS service) or in a walk in clinic/doctors office. You can not do private hire events like football games or set medics unless you are on payroll and assigned by your service that is a MA Licensed EMS service or Fire department. So look at the state laws before trying to work in an ER clinical setting.

Yup the OG “Medic One” still here since 2005. Good old days with Dust, we had some great online chats and the old days of video chat

Still here.

I I had a seizure, this is in Deltona, FL, for some reason the cops came. NEVER before had the cops showed up before the EMT in the past. Now when my dad was dying of cancer and I was taking care of him on hospice. We've had to call 911, There was a DNR. and he was on hospice. MY dad was my world, at the time my mom was in a mentally Facility because she had a break down watching him die. He was diagnosed with cancer and in 10 months died. I was upset telling them to take him to the hospital. He didn't need to be resuscitate anyways. I never threaten her or got violent in any way. WE got into an argument. she told me "she would fix" me. I didn't know what that meant. After I calmed down, remind you 4 days prior on Thanksgiving 22 my brother in law of 25 years died in our home, they came up from polk county n at 330am he was found unconscious pronounced dead of an overdose sometime later, before they took my dad to hospital in tears I apologized.(6 days later my dad died) Next day after seizure, I had psychosis. Never had before in my life. I had an addiction to pills for 15 years but have been clean 8 years now. since 2018. Volusia cty police showing up first. There officers need to be trained on how to handle people having seizures and psychosis. I have no memory until two days later waking up in Halifax mental part. When drug test came back clean again urine and blood, they were ready to release me. The police were violent with me, my family even trying to tell them. They lied to Halifax why I was being backer acted, they treated me awful. HOW CAN I FIND out why Volusia police comes out when 911 is called for me?