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This is why the ratings system is SO STUPID!! The guy asked a question. Just because you don't like the question doesn't mean you should hit him with a negative point!! It's supposed to be QUALITY OF POST... everything was spelled correctly, and this is a grand teachable moment if the idiots who knee-jerk would give us a little space and not goon it up... Please, anyone reading this, take a moment to give the kid some positive points to bring him back up to neutral rating... he's only got one post in here. Let's not run him off before he even gets started... Wendy CO EMT-B

I agree there have been a bunch of people being jerks and rushing to give negatives yet they don't post why.

Wow, -4 reputation with only a single post.. Harsh, guys! I believe I saw that T-Shirt for sale at the JEMS Conference, but nowhere else after that. Your best bet might be to just make one.

I have. They're called FD stand-by and rehab. But other than that, I agree with you.

Ah, you too should go away. Here's why .... No, they are not. I have not been to a "boring" or "bullshit" call in my life! Anybody who says that shows a lack of understanding and empathy with your patients and a wider perspective of people's needs in general. It's also likley to rub off on how you come across and talk to your patients. I've been to jobs where you can tell who I am with just doesn't care, doesn't want to be there, honestly just doesn't give a fuck. It is sooo obvious by the way the Officer speaks, how they act, what they say and the bitching they do about the job afterwards. Sure I've been to jobs where as the person is speaking all I can think is wanting to shout "stop saying things!" at the top of my lungs and crawl back to bed but I won't let it show. Doesn't matter how tired you are, how much food you haven't eaten, how much your body aches, how many jobs you've done that you consider to be stupid and a waste of time; your callers have called YOU because they have very real needs be they medical or otherwise and YOU have a duty to try to help that person with thier problem. I went to a job the other night which you might consider "stupid". It was a girl about ten who had a high temp and was a bit chesty because she had tonsillitis. It was a simple job, give her a bit of pamol and see you later sort of thing; no drugs, no lights and sirens, no cardiac arrests. Didn't require an Intensive Care Paramedic and flashy stuff you see on Trauma. The crux of this job was that the mother had called us because she couldn't get down to the after hours pharmacy and her kid was sick, as a parent she was worried about her child because she was sick. To me that job is not stupid, it's not worthless, it's not bullshit, it's not anything like that and if you see simple, unexciting jobs (perhaps like this one) as being boring or bullshit then go away and come back when you have gown up. Little simple jobs (perhaps like this one) are about meething people's needs and showing them you care and will help in whatever capacity you can because this person is in some situation they cannot deal with (which might just COINCIDENTLY be slightly medical in nature) so the LAST THING they need is YOU coming in with the attitue of "this job sucks, I can't be bothered dealing with it and want to go back to the station and watch telly!".

I have given notification several times when I work an arrest and obtain medical control for termination. I put myself on the same level of the patient, i.e., if the patient were seated, I would kneel near them before I began to talk. I calmly describe that when we arrived their family member did not have a heartbeat and was not breathing. I then explain that what we did, such as medication, breathing tube, CPR, defibrillation, etc. I do not go into gory details, but I make sure that the person I'm talking to understand how hard we worked to save their family member. I then tell them that I spoke with a physician at XX ER and he agreed that everything that could be done had been done and that we should cease efforts. I offer to answer any questions that I can, or obtain any outside support that they may need such as additional family or clergy. Of course, the above only works for me if the family is not hysterical to the point that I feel we are in danger. As of yet, that has not happened to me. Most family is so busy grieving that they want comfort more than they want to fight. It's a delicate situation, and something they do not teach you how to do. I really feel that a large part of my job involves social work, not just fancy medications and toys. I'm there for a patient, and I'm there for family when I have taken care of the patient. I am a big fan of requiring sociology and psychology for paramedics for this reason.

I do a lot of digging on here to try and find different things to learn about. As a newbie, I thought this was a fun string to read. I would have never thought about trying to find this specifically, so it was a nice surprise.

nvrmind

I think we are missing a few facts from a brief Yahoo article. This probably wasn't one of those come into the ER, CT shows you are paralyzed for life, let's pull the plug situations. I can almost guarantee that this case involved the hospital ethics committee. These are made up of MD/DOs, JDs, bioethitists(sp??) and anyone else that may be interested. There were probably several exams to decide if this woman was competent. There were probably several meetings of the ethics committee with some of these involving going over legal cases to look for precedence. I can guarantee you that this was a thought out and researched decision. My feeling is that you cannot force treatment on someone who does not want it (as long as they have the capacity). She said no vent and to do that against her will is assault/battery.

Hi all, I didn't know where to put this. So here goes. I am looking for a particular Paramedic/ EMS/ EMT T shirt. The writing states something similar to; We don't deserve to be called Heroes but then we don't deserve to be vomited on either. I have searched but I still cannot find and would be very grateful to anyone who would be able to help. Thanks for your help.

I'm so happy that none of my classmates wear crap like that. Heck, I probably have the most wackerish non-club shirt at school, and the only reason I have that one is because a shirt saying "I'm not a doctor, but I'll take a look at it anyways" has a certain bit of irony for a med student.

I'll walk a crackhead in a ny sec