FarNorthMedic

Will do I should change my name now...no longer "Far North". I'm now back home in Sudbury. What a different service and city since two years ago (for the good that is).

Northern Ontario here. Originally from Sudbury, moving back within a month to start ACP education/training. Where I am now in the "far north" on the James Bay coast is Northern Ontario, after living here I can't figure out why people call Sudbury (let alone Muskoka region) Northern Ontario. Northern Ontario starts in Cochrane IMO ...almost a little vent there LOL...

Here is my 'ghost' event. Now I am a really scientific person so for me to experience and say this is quite odd. On December 1st 2004 we were paged out for a VSA. To make the code story short we saved a 61 y/o female patient. The previous year this ladies sister had died in the same town almost in the same loaction as our VSA call. (approx. 500ft away). Now at the hospital our VSA patient started to come to. She kept looking to the door and grabbing out. Many family members were present I thought nothing of it. Once she started talking again she said her sister was standing behind me and my partner looking at her. Her sister then walked backwards out of the room and not seen again by our patient. Ok so I was thinking maybe a neuronal firing of some sort due to hypoxia/anoxia, acidosis, etc... In my mind fair enough. Now on December 2nd, the same partner and I were at the hospital filling our water jugs (unsafe town water so we use a purified source at the hospital). The filling machine is in a back room with two door, one to the kitchen, the other to the hall way. The room is approx 12ft by 6ft. Dishwasher, filling machine and a shelving unit in the corner beside to door to the hallway. OK now the weird stuff....BOTH doors were CLOSED. My partner and I are standing there talking about how the patient said she saw her sister, at that time I look towards the shelve and their is an old women standing there looking at me and smiles...my partner saw me looking at something in a blank stare so he turned to look. I kind of shrugged it off, smiled back and turned towards the bottle being filled in the machine. My partner looks back as well. It then hit me the doors were closed and nobody else came in with us. I looked back and she was gone. I asked my partner if he saw the lady standing there, which he did. I ran to the door opened it looked down the hall...nobody?!?!?! I asked my partner what she looked like and what she was doing. He descrided her exactly the same and said she smiled at us. The doors did not open at anytime. I have tried to come up with explainations of what happened but can't come up with anything that fits...all I can come up with is "Thank-you".

I would be interested in going to the UK from the list you made. I'm not 100% sure on their full operations but I believe they have MDs on the ambulances. I remember seeing a show about international EMS systems one time and there was a MD on board....also from the same show never work in South Africa :shock:

Yes actually...change the Paramedic program to a four year degree with option to leave at PCP level, ACP level and finally the fourth year degree choice. Not sure what to do with CCP level...maybe degree plus two years ACP or something along those lines. And once coming out at the various levels have a "sign-off" system where the student/new medic rides third until the crew and/or base hospital "signs off" on their performance/competency. If you're serious I'd be all over helping your projection, hire me What would you prefer over the shifts we run now? I'd like to see 8hr shifts personally....to have the "regular job" style of getting home before the evening is gone and depending on which rotation, possibly weekends off. But the current way is cheaper to run I guess

I know this topic is a few days old but I wanted to add something. Even though this # of Bars issue is quite minor I think we all agree that there should be some kind of uniform system in place within the province. I was doing a medivac transfer with two medics with two strips on their epaulettes....to me I was thinking "oh Primary Care Paramedics with expanded scope...neat..." I asked them they said they were both Advanced Care. Yet from Canadian Helicopter (or the OAA now) the CCPs have four, ACPs have three, and Primary Care (only in Moosonee and Kenora) have one stripe. Why does everyone not use the same system. My situation with PCP+ didn't change anything compared to them being ACPs but still nice to know. Maybe if the Ontario ever gets a college we'll have a province wide system that sorts out all minor and major issues with reciprocity....even Saskatchewan has a college now...lets get this going.

It all comes down to motivation and making it habit. I've been into bodybuilding since highschool. I don't think I'll ever see a stage for it but "I'm bigger then the average bear" (for those yogi bear fans LOL). I found it very hard to keep training when I first started working. After a while the new of the job wears off and you begin to have things in your personal life go back to normal personal life things. I started finding ways to incorporate bodybuilding back into my life. I do train in the mornings before shifts like a few other have stated. The other part is eatting right and for me that means LOTS! I'm the partner that brings more food to work then we have equipment in the trauma bag LOL. You can find different meals that don't spoil, or if you're stationed at one specific base pre-cook things on a day off and bring it in. Working out is only half the battle, it's eatting right on the road that will make a huge difference. Also if you don't drink a lot of water start. I found once I started drinking about 15-20 glasses a day I felt more awake and lively. It takes a while to find ways to brings things back to normal as can be, but if you keep motivation you'll find ways. BTW I do on-call 12 hours shifts after my on-site 12 hours and still manage to make it work. Work is not a priority when I'm at home until the second that pager goes off. I go along like it's not there. Some of my partners sleep in uniform or sleep on the couch in the base during on-call, and I still end up making it to the ambulance quicker or the same time (takes time to get pissed off at the pager I guess LOL).

CPR - Check Pockets and Run

In my area there are no street names, house numbers or highways to get in. The GPS would think I'm driving through the forest :?

I've seen doctors fight over which meds to push first, shocked the hell out of an asystole for around 5-10 minutes (might have been for the RN students sake I guess ), and even one saved with a quick precordial thump. Code teams are usually pretty good from my experiences, but until they get there it can be a mess and some heated times.

Kind of the same thing here. Code after code, never a save....then one night it worked! I grabbed for a pulse check and sure enough A PULSE! I said to my partner ".....ah, now what?!?!". This isn't what is supposed to happen :? Everything went perfect that night except that 'reassuring' comment. On a side note the women is still living over two years later and still comes to visit us on her birthdays and december 1st (the day she coded).

I know I was being sarcastic with it. I think they're pretty useless. If you're going to inflate any cuff in the oropharynx it should be preventing aspiration not aiding it. If you have a patient with one of these "toys" in and the patient starts to vomit you will cause damage if you rip it out. If you don't have a 10cc syring readily available to deflate the cuff the vomit will look for an easy place to go

EXACTLY!!! I couldn't agree more! There is a problem throughout the works when a PCP can't even use the LMA as opposed to an oral or nasal airway. I say LMA because it is not a controlled act as it does not pass the larynx. Better then an oral or nasal airway any day of the week, and still no push for it. From my BHP....."Before we touch IVs we need to worry about advanced airway procedures".....well.........????? I think ultimately the aim is intubation but if you put up an oral airway verses the intermediate a/w the answer is clear. Oh wait lets just put an inflatable cuff on the oral airways........?!?!?!? :? Now where with the vomit go Again agreed. Just more clinicals and even a longer probation period as a third would help this "BLS before ALS" issue.

At my base we have one 12 hour days shift 0800h to 2000h followed by 12 hours on call shift. Our call volume ranges from 75 to 150 calls per month. This is for a population of only 1800 people. Lots of violence and a very very unhealthy population. Also a lot of "taxi" runs between the "good ones". Zach get going on the bachelors. Also you base may have workout equipment. I bought a bowflex, pretty amazed with what it can actually do. And as hard as it may be I have done more networking from my fly-in only community then I probably would have done in a larger EMS center.

Get yourself any courses you can....take PALS, NALS, ACLS, ATLS, programs put on by base hospitals...anything. I took a 12 & 16 lead ECG and thrombolytic course while I was still in PCP classes. It was actually mentioned once or twice with employers.....even if I'll never do a 16 lead ecg or push a thrombolytic with land services it still shows motivation and iniative. It's becoming dog eat dog in Ontario for PCPs. Also in Ontario you no longer need PCP experience to take the ACP program. Now saying that you probably won't be received very well with senior medics if you haven't done a single day as a PCP before going ACP. My opinion is very mixed on this. Some PCPs have it from day one and probably could do very well as an ACP right off the get go. On the other hand I've worked with some very very bad medics who should never even say the words "advanced care".

Only a few that I know of Muskoka is private (family run for a very long time now) DSSAB areas like: Sudbury-Manitoulin Algoma Superior North Nipising (who recently started ACPs) etc... Many county services: Hastings Peel Leeds Grenville Essex-windsor etc... and some under hospitals: West Parry Sound Ambulance Service James Bay Abulance Service Niagara I believe is still Hotel Due (spelling??) etc... James Bay Ambulance is the only service left with 100% funding from the provincial government. Sorry just some late night FYI typing Cheers

Now keep in mind 136K isn't a whole lot when I payed out $45,000 in tax. Cost of food is extreme here with a 4L bag of milk costing arounf $15. Fly-in only so to get out with our only providing airline is just over $1000 without a seatsale ticket. I fly out 2-3 time per year only. I live to work I can't get away from work. I'm on my day off now but I already had to deal with work issues once today as I'm acting supervisor for the time being. Sleep deprived constantly. As posted above, if you break it down to the hours spent dealing with work and taking from having a normal life it would equate well below reasonable We have full staff now with 4 full-timers and one part-time, but even so I still don't have a whole lot of time to myself.

I made 136K last year. I was one of only two medics in the community for a huge portion of the year. I ended up working 64 days in a row at one point (24/7) I'm slowly coming out of being burnt out. I'm making my plans to leave very soon. Money is great but there is so much more I miss by living in this isolated community. I live with a pager on my side up here. Even on days off I usually get called in for lift assists, or back up crew for safety (police rarely respond).

Zoll M series had a tendency to roll away on me LOL. The LP 12 just plops over and stays. I used to love the Zoll M series but now I don't think I'd go back to them after the LP12

I drive a 700cc Triple Yamaha SXViper Snowmobile LOL...Where I am everything is within 5 minute walk or use the spare ambulance as allowed in our service. We have no roads out of here only a winter ice road for 2 months in winter, planes, or a barge for cargo supplies in summer. When I fly out I rent SUVs mostly

Fire Department....I wish. Their truck doesn't even run anymore they show up with hoses and pumps in the back of a 1/2 ton truck now. I don't think they get paid either. BTW this is a first nations reserve in northern Ontario (fly in only) with the population of around 2500 and very unorganized and run down. Police services are only during the day time (0800-0000) then you're on your own....hmm....can we say secure scenes??? As for us we run 24h EMS with 12 hours (0800-2000) on site with a 2 minute mobile time and night on call with an 8 minute mobile time. With only 4 medics working here....burnout hits you fast. We do about 80 calls per 2 week pay period, mostly drunken fights and substance abuse with medical calls usually only gall bladder problems and diabetics from the unhealthy life styles. I did how ever even with a 8 minute mobile time get a cardiac arrest save on a 61 y/o F pt, and now she's still alive with no neuro deficits. Best part is the save was on Dec. 1st and she was home (after medicvac) 2 days before Christmas. Anyway this turned into more of a rant then anything...