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scratrat

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Everything posted by scratrat

  1. Not to beat a dead horse but.... You obviously missed a lot of what people were saying. No one said EVERY EMT sucks or anything like that. I came from an EMT job too. I would NEVER have felt comfortable as an EMT c/ something like an IO or LMA. I would have left that up to the medic. Maybe that's a bad thing on my part, but I was raised in a system where I knew my limits. Advanced care belongs to a advanced provider. I can't say I know your area, but my EMT school was 3 months long, 1 night a week. That was 10 years ago. Maybe it's gotten better, but I left that EMT program and learned nothing except a few anatomy things. I learned everything from experience and mostly from medic school. Medic school was actually a wake up call for my brain. You also mentioned the Combitube which I also think shouldn't belong to BLS, but if your medical director is comfortable with it., great! On that note, I think the reason most people are saying no to BLS being afforded these skills, is because BLS agencies USUALLY do not have a medical director, or rather not one who actually involves himself. Unless you work in a BLS/ALS joint system. I never had a medical director as a BLS provider. It was all State Protocols. I think what most people are saying is, not to discredit BLS, but how often are you going to be using these skills and tested on these skills? As a medic, at least where I am, you have to have x amount of successful tubes, otherwise you get remediation, x amount of successful IV's, x amount of IO's, ETC. Is your medical director going to update training at least yearly for all EMT's practicing these skills? Is every other BLS agency going to do the same? That's the point. Back in NJ where I came from, EMT's could basically kill somebody before the State actually stepped in and did something. EMT's could be dumb as a box of hair, but answered to NO ONE! They had no medical directors to answer if they screwed up, and only rarely did some BLS agencies investigate negligence on the EMT's part. I can't trust a program like that to give EMT's more to do harm to a pt with.
  2. Perhaps she's related to the 9 year old who set his genitals on fire with the lighter fluid?
  3. I voted on. I know I started out too at one time, but not with invasive procedures. After 6 years of being a medic and 5 at a basic level, i would never trust enough EMT's to allow it's use. Don't get me wrong, I've have worked with many EMT's who do a better job than my paramedic cohorts, but I've also seen too many blatant, stupid errors. Not knowing how to ventilate properly with a BVM (how can you use an LMa if you can't even use a BVM), not recognizing resp failure in the CHF'er who's on a nasal @ 4 lpm, not recognizing that the reason they can't hear the BP is because they're asystolic and probably have been for quite some time.... This stuff really happened. How can I trust that EVERY EMT is getting enough training AND retraining to ensure adequate skill levels? Especially when stuff like the above happens? On a paid squad handling a lot of calls too, not a small volunteer organization that doesn't get out much. Oh, and splinting the non-fractured arm! I swear to g**! That was my favorite.
  4. As a side note to your cat pictures.. Those are the neatest, most beautiful mountian pictures I have ever seen! The picutre right after the cat if magnificant! I just had to share that!
  5. They (FL) were surprisingly quick at returning my stuff so I could test. It shouldn't take too much longer. If not, I would call them. Believe it or not, you actually get a person on the other end, and for the most part, they can help you without a hugh problem. Take note : for the MOST PART!! :wink:
  6. I NEED THAT!!!!! That's a first!
  7. :shock: Now that's just funny. You gotta hate that distinctive 'click'. Also when PD swears the scene is safe but yet 4 of them are walking towards the apartment with guns drawn at the ready position....I'll be in the truck if you need me!!
  8. That pay is horrible! But on another note : I moved to Florida from New Jersey. All I had to do was send Florida something from my state that said my cert was in good standing. FL mailed it back to me stating I was allowed to take their exam. They are held at your convenience at different testing centers. I took the test, passed, and was handed a paper with my score on it notarized. i was then allowed to work in Florida. And FYI, most places down here won't even call you back if you are not already certified in FL. some will, but most won't. I'd take the test and get certified here, then start looking.
  9. Not to be vulger, but it's a direct quote But when you make the mistake of picking up overtime in dispatch, and the first words out of the caller's mouth is (cover your eyes) "my pussy on fire!". But at least you get to dispatch the unit and you don't have to actually take the call to hear the reason why it's on fire. Does that classify as a medical emergency or OB call???
  10. You know, I was thinking the same thing. Back in my EMT days, I remember little emphasis placed on these drugs. Here's when you can give them and that was it. NJ hasn't changed much since then either so I know there is still little emphasis placed on these drugs. I can guarentee only few basics would understand the appropriate times to administer them. Not to be offensive, I just know NJ doesn't teach Basics enough to safely administer a medication to a pt.
  11. First, I apologize to anyone I might offend. This is a late reply, because I just now found the blog. Whoever it was looking for a job, stay away from Atlanticare. They will only make you miserable. They became another MONOC, you're just a number to them now. You would hate it there. About the hospital based two tier system.....it sucks. And here's why. Having first hand knowledge, I cannot tell you the number of times we were on scene where we didn't need to be, and a call would go out right down the street. You couldn't take it because you are already commited. The next available medic unit is 15-20 minutes away. How is this a good system? It does not work. Yes, only 20% of dispatches are actually ALS calls, but most of the time BLS couldn't recognize this, especially since there is very little QA on an EMT level. "Well, since you're here you can evaluate", was the reply most often by EMTs'. Well that's effective. Let me hold your hand why the cardiac arrest goes to the hospital without medics on board. A system that works is 1 medic 1 emt. You are always guarenteed an ALS response to every call. You no longer have the problem of "ALS unavailable". As far as EMT-I's go, not in Jersey. I've seen too many EMT's with 10+ years experience who can't even operate a BVM correctly and you want me to trust tht person with a laryngoscope? I don't think so! Sorry, I just had to vent that.....I feel better now
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