scratrat

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/09/man_shoots_intruder_son_ends_u.html My gosh...where do I begin... A shame really. But here's where anti-gun activists get their reasoning. You didn't think you should maybe find out who it is?? Identify yourself as armed? Something?? Kid looks pretty scrawny...you probably didn't need to resort to firing a weapon. Shame he has to live with that for the rest of his life. No, I wasn't there so I guess I shouldn't be judgin but geez

Good for them!!! The gubment says I haven't deserved one in 3 years.....

I don't remember where I got that one from Dwayne. But my mother does stained glass, so she made a nice frame for it and I printed it on nice paper. It looks sharp. I'm not a poem person, but that one I really liked.

I WISH YOU KNEW WHAT IT’S LIKE…. I wish you knew what it’s like to give the ultimate sacrifice. To risk life and limb for strangers who care not for your life or their own. To risk contraction of disease and illness that could rob precious time with my family. I wish you knew what it’s like to be solely responsible for someone’s life, Even when you’ve not slept in two days, Or to know that a bad day or a mistake Could leave a child without a parent. I wish you knew what it’s like to see the horror on a mother’s face Who’s just seen her dead child’s mangled body, Or to look in the face of a father who will never hold his children again, And to know that the children don’t yet understand That their father will never take them to the park, Toss them in the air or see their first school play. I wish you knew what it’s like to look into the face of an old lady Whose husband of 50-plus years has just passed away, Leaving her alone and scared, Or to have to explain to her that there is nothing that can be done. I wish you knew what it’s like to be obligated to save the life of the drunk Who just crossed the median and struck a car head on, Killing a family of five, Or to have him tell you that he doesn’t care. I wish you knew what it’s like to feel the emotion As you attempt to save the battered infant from the certain death Her abusive father had destined her for, Or to know that if you display your human emotion, Your job will be on the line. I wish you knew what it’s like to contain these emotions for the sake of the family, Or to look into the eyes of your child and weep inside For fear of losing them to a freak accident or a drunk. I wish you knew what it’s like to wish it would all go away, But it doesn’t. I wish you knew….but only for a second. Because I don’t want you to know what I know. Stephen Paine, MICP Author I WANT TO TELL YOU LIES I want to tell that little boy his Mom will be just fine. I want to tell that dad we got his daughter out in time. I want to tell that wife her husband will be home tonight. I don’t want to tell them like it is….I want to tell them lies. You didn’t put their seat belts on, you feel like you killed your kids I want to say you didn’t….but in a way, you did. You pound your fists into my chest, you’re hurting so inside I want to say you’ll be okay….I want to tell you lies. I can see you’re crying as your life goes up in smoke. If you’d maintained that smoke alarm, your children may have woke. Don’t grab my arm and ask if your family is alive. Don’t make me tell you they’re all dead….I want to tell you lies. I want to say she’ll be okay, you didn’t take her life I hear you say you love her and you’d never hurt your wife. You thought you didn’t drink too much, you thought that you could drive I don’t want to say how wrong you were….I want to tell you lies. You only left her for a moment, it happens all the time. How could she have fallen when you thought she couldn’t climb. I want to say her neck’s not broke, that she will be just fine. I don’t want to say she’s paralyzed….I want to tell you lies. I want to tell this teen his buddies didn’t die in vain Because he thought it would be cool to try and beat the train. I don’t want to tell him this will haunt him all his life I want to say he’ll forget….I want to tell him lies. You left the cabinet open and your daughter found the gun. Now you want me to undo the damage that’s been done. You tell me she’s your only child, you say she’s only five. I don’t want to say she won’t see six….I want to tell you lies. But I have to tell it like it is, until my shift is through And then the real lies begin, when I come home to you. You ask me how my day was, and I say it was fine I hope you understand, sometimes….I have to tell you lies Author unknown

Well, now you scared me a little more...I got the CBT results the next day. The psychomotor still hasn't posted. It's going to be 12 months on October 11 for the CBT and so I was getting nervous that I may have to do it all over again......ugh..... The NREMT website says 3 weeks, so I don't know that I can even call....

If you can't laugh at yourself, your idiosynchrocies, etc....DO NOT SCROLL DOWN!! Well, I had more but I can't upload any more apparantly. Any way to insert them into a post??

Yeah, it seemed a catch 22. It was nice for the citizens to be guarenteed a higher eduated professional on every single call, but after 2 years working there, I think I could count on one hand the number of tubes I had!!

lol....that's HILARIOUS! Enjoy one for me! I did the CBT and it also shut down in low 80's and I passed. So I think you're good. How long did it take for them to post the psychomotor skills part on the website?? I'm DYING waiting for them post even though I was already told I passed. In the oral station, I had a girl, 7 years old struck by a car. BAD shape, head injury, needs intubation, blah blah. I had a helicopter with a 2 minute ETA from the get go. No radials, weak carotids. I played for real and had this chick loaded in the bird within minutes! The proctor was actually the medical director from the hospital I was testing at. He tells me to good ahead with report and I did. (Remember, I already have 12 years as a paramedic and was just getting my national back). He then asks about vitals. I was like CRAP!!! Then I matter-of-factly told him I didn't have time for that given the circumstances and quick transfer to the bird. I thought I failed!! He still passed me!

I actually kind of like the chase car concept. I moved to Florida for a bit and they one one paramedic and one EMT on every truck. The pro to that was EVERY call was guarenteed a paramedic. The downside was you were dispatched to everything, including the stubbed toe. In that system, we did a LOT of training, but I still think my medic skills were lacking due to lack of volume of critical calls. But back here, you are (supposedly) only dispatched to life threats so you're theroratically sent on more critical calls and thus your paramedic skills are put to the test I think.

You leave the Villas out of this!!!

OMG....how long does it take them to post your info on the web????? I know I passed but I want to see it in black and white!!! Well, color, or whatever their website is........

DFIB....exactly my point. Albeit a cesspool, we are certainly no thrid world country. Well, if you exclude Jersey City, Trenton, Camden and so forth . In third world Africa, sure! They don't have much else to go on so I can understand, Any port in a storm. But as Island EMT pointed out, a squad that has 6 calls a month always owns a ginormous building, three $150k Braun ambulances decked out with all the bells and whistles incuding fancy features and equipment, and yet not ONE is trained properly to use anything other than the bells!! I don't get it

That's exactly true. This is one weird state. An EMT and nurse can never work a day and do CEU's and keep their certification. A paramedic that does not actively work loses their certification after 6 months. It seems that is in line with the NREMT though. I seem to notice they do the same thing, although you can request "inactive" status. If the ambulance is "licensed" (usually meaning they bill), they are required to meet certain standards and possess certain equipment on the truck at a minimum. They are closely followed by the State and can fined for infractions at any time. There are instances of licensed providers doing stupid things, but by and large, they are under much more scrutiny that a non-licensed First Aid Coucil (FAC) volunteer ambulance. Like I said, volunteers have their place, but there is NO reason that they shouldn't be held to the same standards as a licensed providers. I mean seriously, the FAC does not require that ANYONE even be certified!!! How can you justify someone calling 911 for an emergency and having four people show up who aren't even certified by the State to provide healthcare services??? It simply blows my mind!!! As it should be!! Again, no reason to hold them to a lesser standard.

N.J. Assembly committee approves bill regulating EMS services First, I'd like to say sorry to any volunteers out there because I'll probably hurt your feelings. It's ABOUT TIME!!! We have this lovely little thing called "The First Aid Council" aptly nicknamed, the First Grade Council here in NJ. They “regulate” these first aid squads and volunteer entities. I don’t know about other states, but here in NJ, a volunteer agency is NOT required to be regulated by the Department of Health. This means there are NO requirements that ANY responder even be certified. You get a circus show of 10 responders to a scene and NOT ONE is a certified EMT. Even after becoming a paid paramedic, I continued as a volunteer EMT because I actually did enjoy it. Know why I left?? I was tired of being the only one who responded on my duty night for the little old lady who fell out of bed. Then in reverse, magically the ambulance would be filled with 18 people who could be on scene of a car accident within 45 seconds of dispatch. You don’t pick and choose you calls. You respond to everything. This bill is more geared towards providing uniform training for all service providers. In essence, it probably will wind up disbanding some volunteer squads because people don’t want/feel the need/can’t afford/can’t pass/etc the EMT course. If that’s the only collateral damage from bill, so be it. Sorry for the soapbox, but volunteers in this State are a JOKE! Some have their place. But by and large, they pick and choose which calls they want to respond to. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve also dealt with volunteers that responded all the time, without question, within minutes. But these were usually the same two people. When they took vacation, it was back to no response and mutual aid. Is it like this everywhere or just this cesspool???

A paramedic book, maybe..

I can see the point that he made a bad decision. HOWEVER....some food for thought 1. He did not identify the family or location so it's not a HIPPA violation. 2. It's free speech whether a policy exists or not. You can't have a policy in direct violation of your Constitutional/Amendment rights. That's like saying your employer has a policy against allowing you to vote. WITHIN REASON, mind you. 3. That family photo is quite interesting. I guess I'll leave it at that.

Freakin hilarious!!! She's got your number! You know, you said a key phrase in there. If this continues, and you feasibly can't leave the job, the words hostile work environment might do the trick. If he's got a single brain cell, he should back down. If not, there's a nice federal statute with his name on it!!! Where the hell do you guys come up with this stuff??? :lol:

I don't understand how, in this day and age, we continue paramedics) to have unrecognized esophageal intubations??? We have lung sounds, ETCO2 monitoring on most, if not all monitors, and other devices. How can you not recognize a tube placed in the esophagus? I get that occasionally, you may intubate the esophagus and get near normal readings on the ETCO but it has to be infrequent. I never found it to be a terribly difficult skill unless the patient was just ungodly fat. Even then, my paramedic partner was usually able to assit me or place the tube themselves. I can think of one time where we just could not tube for NOTHING. Instead, an LMA was placed. It wasn't the best, but it worked!

Well, after 12 years of "street" I managed to verbalize everything correctly and got my NREMT-P back. Somehow, I thought they were a little easier going this time around then I remember. Maybe it's old age...

Hey Fozzy, where are you going to be testing at? Philly?

Dwayne, yes, I have seen some of the medics that pass this thing lol. That's why I better freakin' pass it!! After moving states and getting settled, I FINALLY have my practical scheduled for September. I've been reading the sheets to remember to verbalize all the crap that I HAVEN'T done in 12 years! HA!!

Dwayne, I love you man! Scrat... P.S..I think I just peed a little...

"Ten Simple Rules for Dating My Daughter" Rule One: If you pull into my driveway and honk you'd better be delivering a package, because you're sure not picking anything up. Rule Two: You do not touch my daughter in front of me. You may glance at her, so long as you do not peer at anything below her neck. If you cannot keep your eyes or hands off of my daughter's body, I will remove them. Rule Three: I am aware that it is considered fashionable for boys of your age to wear their trousers so loosely that they appear to be falling off their hips. Please don't take this as an insult, but you and all of your friends are complete idiots. Still, I want to be fair and open minded about this issue, so I propose this compromise: You may come to the door with your underwear showing and your pants ten sizes too big, and I will not object. However, In order to ensure that your clothes do not, in fact, come off during the course of your date with my daughter, I will take my electric nail gun and fasten your trousers securely in place to your waist. Rule Four: I'm sure you've been told that in today's world, sex without utilizing a "barrier method" of some kind can kill you. Let me elaborate: when it comes to sex, I am the barrier, and I will kill you. Rule Five: In order for us to get to know each other, we should talk about sports, politics, and other issues of the day. Please do not do this. The only information I require from you is an indication of when you expect to have my daughter safely back at my house, and the only word I need from you on this subject is "early." Rule Six: I have no doubt you are a popular fellow, with many opportunities to date other girls. This is fine with me as long as it is okay with my daughter. Otherwise, once you have gone out with my little girl, you will continue to date no one but her until she is finished with you. If you make her cry, I will make you cry. Rule Seven: As you stand in my front hallway, waiting for my daughter to appear, and more than an hour goes by, do not sigh and fidget. If you want to be on time for the movie, you should not be dating. My daughter is putting on her makeup, a process that can take longer than painting the Golden Gate Bridge. Instead of just standing there, why don't you do something useful, like change the oil in my car? Rule Eight: The following places are not appropriate for a date with my daughter: Places where there are beds, sofas, or anything softer than a wooden stool. Places where there are no parents, policemen, or nuns within eyesight. Places where there is darkness. Places where there is dancing, holding hands, or happiness. Places where the ambient temperature is warm enough to induce my daughter to wear shorts, tank tops, midriff T-shirts, or anything other than overalls, a sweater, and a goose down parka zipped up to her throat. Movies with a strong romantic or sexual theme are to be avoided; movies which feature chainsaws are okay. Hockey games are okay. Old folks homes are better. Rule Nine: Do not lie to me. I may appear to be a pot-bellied, balding, middle-aged, dim-witted has-been. But on issues relating to my daughter, I am the all-knowing, merciless god of your universe. If I ask you where you are going and with whom, you have one chance to tell me the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I have a shotgun, a shovel, and five acres behind the house. Do not trifle with me. Rule Ten: Be afraid. Be very afraid. It takes very little for me to mistake the sound of your car in the driveway for a chopper coming in over a rice paddy outside of Hanoi. When my Agent Orange starts acting up, the voices in my head frequently tell me to clean the guns as I wait for you to bring my daughter home. As soon as you pull into the driveway you should exit your car with both hands in plain sight. Speak the perimeter password, announce in a clear voice that you have brought my daughter home safely and early, then return to your car. There is no need for you to come inside. The camouflaged face at the window is mine.

My wife was an EMT for years and has moved on to nursing. She has mentioned challenging the medic exam and doing that periodically more for the excitement and skills periodically. But she has also made it CLEAR that would never want to return to it full time. Dwayne, what we need is licensure instead of certifications. That commands higher standards, and hopefully, with that comes higher respect. That NREMT test I just took wasn't too bad, but I don't think it really tested ANY of my medic skills. It was actually easier than my original written test I think (The 150 question one....this one was only 82 questions for me). AND it had a WHOLE lot less senarios in it.

UPDATE: Well, I passed the written exam on 82 questions. I really wish they would tell you the actual "score" though. My wife just took NCLEX for RN last year and it's the same way. You have no way of knowing what your weaknesses were. But at least I can move on now! LOL. Thanks for the info ORMedic. I have found a YouTube video selection called "Nancy Caroline Paramedic DVD review" if anyone else is needing it. It seems to covers every station. I know what I'm doing after this long, it's just a matter of remembering to verbalize everything to the instructor and remember what they're looking for. I've been doing this long enough to where I never had to speak on calls anymore, my partner and I were a good match and just did what we needed to!! LOL. Guess I can't do that in there!!