Laura Anne

I don't think anything that was stated proves that the care provided was inadequate. KED or no KED, this person had injuries/complaints of pain that would have had the same results if he was placed on a KED. You took a person from a sitting position in a vehicle to a supine position. Did you pad the voided space under his lumbar region where the pain began post splinting of the body? Have you ever seen a patient with stomach pains IE: Acute AP, kidney stones, cramps? Their abdominal muscles are tightened up in response to the pain so they naturally curl up in a ball to reduce the 'tightness'...rigidity and guarding started after those muscles were expanded via placing person supine. Correct me if I am wrong peoples. Also, like stated above, I feel the KED board is a wonderful tool that isn't used a much as it should, even by myself~ :roll:

Thanks! Hope this helps you out a bit.

'Learn one, do one, teach one....'

I, as well as many posters on this thread have made clear, do believe in a minimum of a 2yr assoc degree in Paramedicine. I'd like to see the EMT-B program in my area be upgraded to a college level program with pre-reqs of A&P I, Eng Comp 101, Math 110, 1st aid course, as well as a Health and Wellness course prior to being capable of enrolling in any EMT-B course.

After this is accomplished, I'd 'wish'* for a 2yr minimum of exprience before interviewing for a spot in the Paramedic Program. Perhaps gaining the proper level of education combined with the experience (although 2yrs is a short) would better equip a person mentally as well as physically for their career in this field. Years of experience definitely improves one's standing from an educational aspect due to the simple fact that each and every patient/client you encounter is a learning experience. This cannot and should not be the only criteria for someone calling themselves 'professional'**. You have to have the basic fundamentals of medicine, quality class time to obtain all the required knowledge, and proper education/understanding to fully encompass and enjoy the career of being this special type of medical provider. In doing so, one can not only learn from past mistakes, but pass on their PROPER*** knowledge and understanding from years of education and experience to the Paramedics of tomorrow.

* I use wish because it's something I strive for in my region

**Professionalism is a proper understanding of all that encompasses you and your career, not 'street time in the ghetto' alone

***Ignorance only makes our progression stagnant in this field.....be humble, get a clue, or get another career.

Hmmm, as an EMT on a medic unit, it was an unresponsive.......turned out to be a cardiac arrest. Jumped right into doing CPR and cracked the ribs. I was freaked out a bit. My first call as a medic was a hanging. She hung herself hours ago, so it was deemed a class 5. I ended up taking care of her frightened puppy....lil fuzzy ankle biter. Poor thing was shaking its lil butt off, so I carried him around until the detectives got there.

LOL..... 8) Everyone has those days of not being hukid....including myself! :wink:

Holy Freaking FUNNINESS!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just played that at shift change and had everyone rolling! Thanks!!!

Didn't everyone chastise me enough for name calling and lack of professionalism before in another forum?? Seriously, I think this conversation can be better discussed w/o all the negativity.

If you're a true patient advocate and are compassionate towards the feelings (emotional as well as physical) you'll state what you're going to do to your patient for your own safety, your crews safety, AND the patient's safety. Even if a patient is altered, I'd verbalize my treatments, regardless of them understanding/verbally responding to me or not.

Battery

A battery is the willful or intentional touching of a person against that person’s will by another person, or by an object or substance put in motion by that other person. Please note that an offensive touching can constitute a battery even if it does not cause injury, and could not reasonably be expected to cause injury. A defendant who emphatically pokes the plaintiff in the chest with his index finger to emphasize a point may be culpable for battery (although the damages award that results may well be nominal). A defendant who spits on a plaintiff, even though there is little chance that the spitting will cause any injury other than to the plaintiff's dignity, has committed a battery.

http://www.expertlaw.com/library/personal_..._battery.html#3

I also watch what I say because I have had the experience of patients expressing the fact that they knew/heard everything going on when their level of consciousness was altered.

Lastly, I'd like to know what your protocols are for a patient to be incapable of refusing care. Where I am I can think of reasons being age, level of consciousness/ altered mental status, under the influence, or under the custody of either Pd or another guardian of sorts. Perhaps this is another post starting, or has this topic been completed already?

Last, but not least.... -5 points to all not using the 'SpellCheck' button. It's difficult to take a post seriously when yer knot huked awn fonikz. :roll: 8)

I went back and reread the article in reference to the last few posts. Just wondering..... it said he has an Altered Mental Status. How altered is it? Is it altered due to an injury/illness; dementia, previous stroke which very possibly be due to the A-fib hx, or is it just because he is hypoxic? Regardless of the altered status and capability of deciding legally of the treatment rendered, I'd still do my best to provide some analgesic of some sort prior to cardioversion if that's what the patient was to receive. Even if this was my loved one who was altered due to some sort of illness(Alzheimers) and I was the POA, I'd like them to have some management of their pain/distress. As compassionate as this sounds, I do understand the choice of cardioversion w/o sedation and could not fault someone if a patient was this critical.

Also, I wonder how compliant this patient was with his meds, if he took any and how often. After all, he had severe COPD, emphysema/CHF and still smoked.

WOW.

Sorry Dustdevil. It was the link post on tniuqs' post.....oops. You can tell I was really awake that night. First, I post under PRPG, then I mix you peoples up.....*sigh*.

:roll:

I am honest.

I admitted to being wrong.

I am unprofessional. :roll:

I won't post again.

Sorry for speaking my mind.

Even to you, Shira.

OK, so once again my computer automatically opened up to PRPG's account because it was still logged on this computer....sorry for the mix up on the repsonse above...

Yes, I was rude, but not until I was accused of being unprofessional. Delay patient care due to someone who I don't deem to be acting appropriately during my call is delaying patient care? I still don't understand that one. Ultimately, I am responsible for not only my own actions, but the actions of others on my team/scene. It's my choice not to have someone represent me or my profession in that manner. It would not be a delay of patient care, but perhaps she didn't understand this due to different system management. Therefore, I can see where she'd get the idea of having to wait around. But I would never jeopardize my patient's well being and I don't like being acused of doing such. This quite frankly infuriated me. If people accuse me of such fallacies, then yes, I will stoop to their level of idiotic comprehension and make them see and feel what I felt. Is it a case the pot calling the kettle black due to the fact that I openly pointed out I was acting unprofessional RIGHT UNDER the quote you got from me? Did you not see it? Wasn't THAT also an example of what I asked of her also in the quote above? To be adult enough to learn from mistakes, point out where you went wrong, apologize and take credit for being unprofessional... and move on???? That's what I did and I will do it again.... sorry everyone for this very long and ridiculous thread. But hey, you want to read only what you want and quote only half of what I wrote, so be it.

Oh and the name calling thing? Well....I call a lot of people nicknames.... pumpkin, hun, sweetie, toots, fruit cake, cheesy poof butt, barbie, jerky boy, PAB(punk azz biotch....yes, that is a compliment), sparky......ohhhhhh the list goes on and on...... just how I talk. It's all in how you take it. I guess you gotta know me to know what I mean by my names.....oh well, c'est la vie!

National Registration's concept is what I want, not necessarily the entire kit and caboodle... I'd rather have a bit more across the board regionally, if not nationally, for some sort of protocols. Naturally, due to different regions having a diverse array of climatic, cultural, and types of income(s), it is not going to be the same everywhere. That's just down right impossible. But, I don't think (or at least hope) there's a region, climate, culture, etc that would disagree with the issues at hand here. Also, a little bit more state/regional funding from our lovely government would be greatly appreciated so we could provide areas with no EMS to equip themselves with better rigs, buildings, supplies, uniforms, etc so that people aren't left without help for so long. By regionalizing or nationalizing the EMS family, we can help out our brothers and sisters. Why are their down falls of the current National Registration? How come we, as the bastard children of modern medicine, can't pull our strengths together and come up with a proper solution? Why are we hear on a forum, always discussing the need for change, yet have not found the right path to follow? As I stated, the concept is a good idea, like many things in the history of man. Where do we tweak the problems and go on 'the right way?'

How is she NOT going to take that personally? She wasn't the intoxicated one I spoke of earlier. I was done arguing the paid vs. volunteer thing and just had examples to support why I don't think volunteer agencies help in professionalism. I am still waiting for some others to give some good examples where volunteer agencies DO promote professionalism. SSG G-Man was one on my count..

Dear Exaxray,

I never once stated SHE was the one drinking. IF I did, please show me where. I threw together all the examples of unprofessionalism and never labeled anyone with it. She's taking it personally and she shouldn't. If she does, she'll never last in this field. I am known for my honesty....for being brutally honest sometimes, but none the less, honest.

I would like to see the education for all levels go up. Paramedic level should be an associates(2 year), make the Intermediate require the length of the current paramedic and the basic cover 130 hours. Use that "extra" time to go more in depth on the cause and effect of illnesses/injuries and the why of treatments. Then discard all the state certifications and National Registry the norm no matter where you are. (OK, that one comes partly from my dealing with the reciprocity issue right now :? ) If I am not mistaken, that was the intent of it's creation anyway. I know that here in Ohio, you take the registry test to get whatever card, but then you receive a state card and never have to do anything with registry again, which in my mind is just laziness.

Dear Emaxray,

It's a sad but true statement you just made. Why would they make the students go through all the training if they're not applying it all in the street? It's like the old saying, 'if you don't use it, you'll lose it.' Hopefully within the next 5yrs (ugh, cough,cough) there will be Nat'l Reg in all 50 states, or at least some sort of universal/ US mandated protocols/guidelines. Yes, I am a dreamer..... but hey, dreams DO come true! Keep working at it and don't let off, Emaxray. Push the legislature in your region to acknowledge these issues and make a change!

First off I WAS NOT the one that showed up to a scene and/or hospital drunk. Just in case any of you thought I was. Secondly I'm going to give that MI pt meds like ASA, nitro and morphine, like my protocol says. I can do more than just apply O2, start a line and defib. If you want to kick me off your scene for my apperance, fine. You can wait around 15 or 20 mins for another EMT to show up. Delaying pt care and transport. I don't always go on runs in my PJ's. I've done it maybe twice in the past 5 years. And when my department gets new shirts, uniforms whatever you want to call them, then I will wear them. Until then it looks like I'm going to go in my "street clothes". Yes I am your typical volunteer. I have only been with this site for about 2 weeks now and if you had posted stuff like this in the past, I wasn't around to read it. Maybe you should get all your facts straight before you start barking at other people. In the state of Ohio EMT-I's are allowed to give drugs. Such as D50, narcan, nitro, ASA, morphine, valium, albuteral, glucagon, etc. I can't do everything a medic can do for a pt., But I can do more than apply O2 and start a line. Personally I'm getting tired of having to defend myself and EMT-I's.

I think my favorite part of your unprofessional attitude is the simple fact that you don't seem to comprehend what the problem is like EVERYONE DOES ON THIS THREAD!!!!!!!!!! You're supposed to be a professional, so why aren't you just saying, 'hey, I was doing what I thought was best, but now see I was wrong and will not act that way anymore?' And as far as delaying patient care??? How am I delaying patient care? Maybe where you are running to the scene of an emergency instead of getting a crew together is the 'cool pajama party' thing to do, but where I am, we tend to BRING our ambulance, equipment, ohhhh and get dressed properly before we go on a call. It kind of goes hand in hand with the entire professional thingy.....is this ringing any bells yet, pumpkin? I am not trying to be rude, but it's a simple fact that you cannot grasp; the simple concept of professional attire and persona. Are you for real?? Seriously, were you born this stupid or did you just become this way?THIS is why I'd kick you off my scene.

Learn something from people who have been doing this in other regions and attempted to give you good advice....... stop your crying......... go back to school and get hooked on phonics and possibly a little Eng Comp 101...... oh, and stop blaming others like your organization for not clothing you properly. Please.

On a side note. I am sorry everyone for getting off topic here and having to hit below the belt. Yes, it is unprofessional of me and I know that's what this thread is about. Sometimes though, in our profession, slapping some common sense into someones face is the only way you can get through to them. We've all been there before, just most of us learn from it.. IS it the right way? Perhaps not the most subtle, but it happens.

SSG, like PRPG stated, you are the exception. You show the drive to want to better not only yourself, but your organization. THAT, in itself is worthy of a true professional. Kudos!

Irregardless of where you live, if someone to comes me or my loved one's rescue in PJ's, flip flops, drunk, or under the influence of any other substance that will alter their perception, judgement, and SIMPLE motor skills.......WOW, I would basically GIVE you a reason for having motor function problems.......it'll start with my steel tipped boot up the butt. I find it to be not only unprofessional to show up in PJ's or whatever other outfits that aren't 'safe' depending on the scene, but you try to do an IV intoxicated? Talk about embarrassing.....HOLY COW. Glad you're not on my scene, I'd throw you off in a heart beat.... well, I dunno.... perhaps hand you my clip and make you stand there and look pretty..... cause that's all you'd be good for.

A few questions for someone to please answer for me....

1. Uniforms: Is it a law that, when on duty in the role of a provider, have some sort of level of certification/ licensure visible?

2. Uniforms: Does OSHA/ workman's comp provide some sort of regulations as to what need to be worn on a scene for protection, IE: fireman wear fire gear.... EMS providers wear steel tipped boots or blood resistant shirts/pants?

3. Duty: When off duty, if you act in the role of a provider, shouldn't you be SOBER? Just a few things that scream some sort of law suit via negligence? :shock:

Psst, Mediccjh?? Can we have chocolate chips cookies, please? They're my favorite.....

On a more serious note, I feel a true professional is not someone who has a higher level of training, but someone who shows their expert knowledge at the level that they hold. Next, I see a true professional as someone who wants to better themselves by continuing to expand their knowledge. A true professional does not do it for the amount of pay, but for the desire and love of the career. In my eyes, someone who shows they're a professional does not use scape goats, excuses, or bash another person in the same 'family' to make themselves look better. HELLO? Exactly who are you trying to impress by name calling? Certainly not anyone who takes this career with pride because by name calling and picking fights, you only make yourself look like a less of a professional. Last, I would see any medical responder of any level be considered a professional if their compassion shines through. This is not only for the patient, but for any family/bystanders as well as co-workers you come in contact with. Fire and Police consider themselves a 'family'.

Why can't we all just get along????

Ahem, sorry a bit Rodney King there.....

Thnx JPINFV......going thru a bit of a problem where I work. Let's just say, being the patient in a trauma room isn't much fun.......for all, please, please, PLEASE be careful when entering intersections.....

light snore.... LIGHT SNORE?!?!???!!?!? Are you kidding me??!!?

***watch out for collapsing ceiling tiles when HE inhales.....***

00:10-sleeping

00:11-sleeping

00:12-snoring like a wilderbeast

00:13-getting boot thrown at him from partner from across bunk room

00:14-whining from H/A he just got

00:15-admires partner now sleeping

00:16-partner still sleeping *winks eye....'giggle,giggle'*

00:17-sleeping

00:18-sleeping

00:19-sleeping

Can anyone here post the laws in Pennsylvania in regards to the Emergency vehicles running lights and sirens and using due regard while entering any intersection, either stop signs and/or traffic lights? It would be greatly appreciated.

As far as the post goes, I hope everyone was okay..... and I really hope both parties get severe remediation from their deptartments. I cannot say more due to the conflict in laws from state to state..... no other opinion w/o 100% facts first. Just my two cents!

Considering I am the only girl on my Platoon, I SERIOUSLY do NOT want to see thongs on anyone, for the love of God and all that's good. I just want a uniform that fits properly.....tired of wearing guy clothes. Mind you, I want to wear something not so 'snug'....but for some reason my platoon leader won't give me a new shirt. Light blue button down shirts and Navy blue long pants... no shorts here. Oh and let's not forget our badges..... :wink:

I think I'd need a furtherexplanation of the type of assessment performed before I could comment. Otherwise, it sounds like something that could happen to anyone. Even the ER Md missed it. Let this be a lesson to you.... never leave the station without your magical crystal ball and your X-ray vision goggles so you can find every lil thing wrong and know the complete history of every patient....

Seriously, like previously posted, don't fret. It happens to all of us. 8)

BTW, hello everyone.....I'm the FNG..... enjoy.