chipmunkemt_98

First of all, this child was in a juvenile lock up system, which is not like a major Maximum Security Prison. She screwed up, as obliviously many people do, or we would not have a justice system like we have in the United States today. But none of this is important. What is important is this: The kid had a medical complaint and it WAS NOT examined as it should have been. Now, since you want to be an ASS about the money thing, lets get it on bud. Are you saying that because someone doesn't have money or because they are a criminal in a penal institution, or maybe because they live on the street that they don't deserve medical care??? Just what kind of Medically trained person are you??? ANYONE who says that medical care should be denied because of the money thing needs their licensure REVOKED, if you have one. I HAVE NEVER REFUSED SOMEONE MEDICAL CARE because they had NO MONEY. Who cares, if they are hurting, they are going to get care. Sure, your paycheck may evolve around collecting money for caring for patients, but I think I might be able to take a cut in pay if I had to make sure that people who didn't have money could at least get medical care. Hell, if I were a Doctor, I think I would not charge a penny if a person didn't have the money. God, what a bunch of morons.

I don't care what she did or how she acted in the past! This child had a legitimate health complaint, and as a mother of three children and a Paramedic, I know EVERY complaint made should be acknowledged not ignored. I have NEVER treated a frequent flyer on the ambulance any different than a new patient I have just met. EVERYBODY, NO MATTER WHAT THE COMPLAINT, SHOULD BE EVALUATED TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE! This is what lawsuits are made of!!!

The county in which I live, which provides service (the place I used to work) has gone downhill. Used to, you would be guaranteed at least one Paramedic on every truck, if not two. But, because everyone quit or has been fired, the service has gone to using Intermediates a lot of the time. My husband, however, still works there and is the ONLY MEDIC that I would allow to touch me. Knowing full well that a Paramedic can give more meds and perform more treatments, I hope that if I have a problem, he is on duty, not the Intermediate. Also, if this is the case, I will call the neighboring county EMS and have them come meet me at the county line if I have too. With that said, the service I used to work at has hired a couple of Paramedics in which I question their ability. I have worked with one of those Paramedics who scares the hell out of me. She gave a small child 10 mg of Valium for a seizure and I had to bag the child to the hospital (four blocks away) while we had a First Responder drive us in. She also felt it was necessary to use combo defib pads on a patient who was involved in an auto accident that was still breathing with a pulse and responsive! This woman scares me. I only hope the state reads some of her reports and sees what an idiot she is. The other Paramedic is questionable, as some of her skills are not very good (observed her on a couple of calls). It took her three times to pass her Paramedic test, and she did so with a 70. In fact, the other service she was working for had determined that she was not very good and let her go so she came here.

First of all, Diazepam, AKA Valium, is not used for pain management. It is a benzodiazepine sedative hypnotic/anticonvulsant. Demerol, AKA Meperidine, on the other hand, is used for pain and is an opoid analgesic. We have both Demerol and MS on the truck, as well as Nubain, for pain, per Medical Control. When giving Meperidine (10 to 25 mg IV) and Morphine Sulfate (per protocol, 2-3 mg IV initially), I have encountered patients who experience nausea with both, and have given 12.5 phenergan to counteract the nausea.

The State EMS no longer requires them on our units. I have only used them once in my 7 years in EMS.

I think you did what needed to be done, in the long run. First question, though...Did you call him in and talk with him about what he was doing wrong, giving him write ups over his performance? ALWAYS write up when possible, but the NO CALL, NO SHOW in itself calls for termination. Remember that it is not a you against him, but you making the service a better place to work, and serving the community better than it was being served. Folks seem to forget that EMS IS CUSTOMER SERVICE and you can't provide good service when no one wants to do their job or causes friction with the employees.

We all do here. I have seen times when we all crawled off into the lake to rescue a patient who had ran their car off a bridge. Firemen, EMT's, and Law Enforcement were all side by side pulling the patient out of the partially submerged car, and we worked well as a team. Our "Rescue One" has all the extrication equipment for MVC's. But we EMS personnel also trained in use of the tools, from pneumatic extrication to use of regular hand tools such as crowbars and saws to get patients out. It is really great to be able to help in this fashion, especially when you can't get in to your patient who is squashed like a lemon in an aluminum can and is still alive and talking to you.

I've not really had a problem with a Doctor, ever. The two larger towns that I used to transport to showed a respect for EMT's that was amazing. They listened to what you had to say and asked questions about the patient. We had one doc at the local hospital who thought that she was God's gift to mankind because she had a perfect figure. One night, when one of the choppers came in to pick one up, she took her scrub top and tucked the bottom through the collar and made sort of a shortie top out of it, which to me was unbecoming of a Doctor, as well as flirtatious toward the all male crew on the bird. I sometimes think she missed her calling for Harry Hines Boulevard, but she really is a good doctor when she doesn't have a mirror or a young studly around.

Actually, it is very interesting reading.

Thought I would give you something else to ponder on. Here is a bit of information in analyzing this case on a legal aspect which I found on an ABC website: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Schiavo/story...0336&page=1 http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Schiavo/story...0336&page=2 (This is from page 2) "In November 1992, almost three years after Terri was stricken, Michael sued the doctor who treated her. He was awarded $1 million — $700,000 of which was earmarked for her care. " (Hmm...with her gone he would have a little money, ehh?) "Michael, now 41, lives with Jodi Centonze, a 40-year-old resident of the Clearwater, Fla., area. According to reports, she occasionally accompanies Michael when he visits Terri. Michael and Centonze have two children together, a fact that the Schindlers have cited as proof of Michael's lack of devotion to his wife, a charge that Michael angrily denies. " (Someone to spend the money on?) Why doesn't the guy just divorce her and go on? Could it be the money?

Yes, this is true, some 'CHOOSE' their escape from the pain. What I was specifically saying is that hospice works with the patient and family to make the most comfortable choice in patient care during their last days. That Hospice DOES NOT MEAN DEATH SOON, but helps provide comfort and care geared for those who are terminally ill. For a final note, Advanced Directives are a good idea for everyone, whether you are sick or not. Who knows what will happen tomorrow? With these set directives, your family and your healthcare providers will know exactly what you want done for you in case something happens. As with Terry Schiavo, who really knows what she wanted?

I have to disagree on this one. I went to hospice net to get this, but it is very informative. Having had to deal with hospice on a personal as well as a professional level, it hits the nail on the head on what I have had to deal with: The Hospice Concept Hospice is a concept of caring derived from medieval times, symbolizing a place where travelers, pilgrims and the sick, wounded or dying could find rest and comfort. The contemporary hospice offers a comprehensive program of care to patients and families facing a life threatening illness. Hospice is primarily a concept of care, not a specific place of care. Hospice emphasizes palliative rather than curative treatment; quality rather than quantity of life. The dying are comforted. Professional medical care is given, and sophisticated symptom relief provided. The patient and family are both included in the care plan and emotional, spiritual and practical support is given based on the patient’s wishes and family’s needs. Trained volunteers can offer respite care for family members as well as meaningful support to the patient. Hospice affirms life and regards dying as a normal process. Hospice neither hastens nor postpones death. Hospice provides personalized services and a caring community so that patients and families can attain the necessary preparation for a death that is satisfactory to them. Those involved in the process of dying have a variety of physical, spiritual, emotional and social needs. The nature of dying is so unique that the goal of the hospice team is to be sensitive and responsive to the special requirements of each individual and family. Hospice care is provided to patients who have a limited life expectancy. Although most hospice patients are cancer patients, hospices accept anyone regardless of age or type of illness. These patients have also made a decision to spend their last months at home or in a homelike setting. ______________________________ So, hospice care is generally for those who are terminally ill. Some of the illness' most patients suffer from usually range from cancer, ALS, MS, Alzheimer's, AIDS, etc. Hospice is usually set up to provide care plans for those who are not going to make it past the next year or so, but I have seen patients who have lasted much longer. The care plans are not based on a patient improving day by day, but to make each day they have more tolerable. You DO NOT have to necessarily live in a hospice facility, but instead may live at home, in a nursing home, or even be in a hospital. Hospice DOESN'T mean DEATH, but does mean making foreseeable death more easy to deal. By the way, one of my best friends has MS. She has been in a nursing home for several years. Hospice took over on her care over a year ago, and she shows no signs of dying right now. Hospice helps deal with day to day care plans, and they check on her daily. She receives nutrition via peg tube when she cannot eat. She has a daily regimen of ROM exercises to keep contractures minimal. It doesn't seem like someone who was "dying" would have this in a care plan, but it is provided. I know that one day, she may just stop breathing (from the MS) but until then, she is given care to make her comfortable and hospice doesn't push the death thing.

Oh, my gosh, some of this is really true!!!

I have never been racist, nor do I plan to be. My children are Indian (Choctaw), some of my best friends are other than Caucasian. It is not the color of the skin, as we can all verify that we are the same on the inside. As for being treated as "substandard" races (other than Caucasian) were treated as in the old days, we definitely know that there is no difference in intelligence, no matter what skin color is. In fact, I have seen some pretty stupid Caucasians. I worked for two EMS services in the past where the supervisors or EMS Directors (they worked the streets) would comment on race. I was never so tired of hearing the "N" word or comments about Indians when we went on calls as I was at these places. When one of my former employers commented about my son, who had come to pick me up after my shift one day, I exploded on him. The boss had said that my son's paint's were baggy, and that his long hair made him look like a "druggie" and a "paint sniffing Indian". Strange, because my son was only 17, a good student in school, and on the football team. Needless to say, I quit working for the service, and called the Director a racist pig as I walked out the door. In REFERENCE TO EMPLOYMENT: I have to say this, though. There were many laws and rules that were put into place to protect those who felt they were discriminated against. These Civil Rights protect people to an extent, either by race or sex. I have seen these laws fail some and overwork for others. I don't like the idea that business has to try to full fill the "quota" for other races when they bypass those more qualified for the positions that may be Caucasian. I have seen several EMS/Fire news articles about services who don't have enough of one race versus another, and are bypassing those who passed tests with flying colors for those who scored less on the same test just because of race. There are some times that race should not matter, but ability of performing the job should.

My husband and three other medics from the service attended Critical Care classes 2 1/2 years ago. Needless to say, one medic failed the test, and only three became CCEMTP's. The three year period is almost up on the Critical Care training, and only one Critical Care Paramedic (my Husband) remains at the service. The other two quit. The one who failed is now the EMS Director. Needless to say, there have been NO classes for continuing education for this anywhere in the state that he could attend, so my husband will be losing his Critical Care. It is nice to get it, but the CE's needed aren't available around here.

Formerly worked as an EMT-B and EMT-P for several different county and city governments, but found the POLITICS to deep to wade through. I am now an Industrial Paramedic, working for a large company as well as working a second job doing bookkeeping.