shira_emt

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.

No my department doesn't have a dress code so to speak. I'm IDed as an EMT and a member because we are issued jackets that have our department's number on it and the star of life. About the only think we can't wear is dresses (which I have seen) and really really short shorts or skirts. I'm done having this conversation. I've been having it for over 3 years now. The ones that are against the volunteer service are going to stay that way and the ones that are for it are going to dig thier heels in. In my opinion there is no right or wrong answer. I'm moving on to another topic now, ya'll have a nice day and stay safe out there.

I was going to reply to a post on here, but thought better of it. I was angry at the time and my reply was pretty harsh. So I deleted it. I am a volunteer myself. And yes I have showed up on runs in my PJ's. My OSU fleece PJ bottoms as a matter of fact. But I don't think the woman who ran her car into a tree really cared what I was wearing. She was just thankful that we showed up to help her. Honeslty if you are having an active MI do you really care what the EMT and medics are wearing? I know I wouldn't. I know the topic title is EMS and professionalism. Do I think I looked professional in my PJ's? No of course I didn't. Was I thinking about how professional I look when I was trying to take care of my pt? No I wasn't. I got my job done, dropped her off at the ER and went home. I have read most of these posts (there's a lot) and I have listened to my b/f (emaxray) talk about volunteer vs paid. Is no one thankful for volunteers? I know I was when I was in my MVA. Had it not been for the volunteer FD and EMS I dunno what would have happened. I volunteer because I want to make a difference in people's life. If my department goes paid, great. I know it's not going to, but that isn't going to stop me from helping people. I'm not going to argue with anyone anymore about this, it's pointless. I'm not going to try and change anyone's mind. I do it because I want to. There are some that refuse to volunteer because they aren't getting paid, Okay suit yourself. However, I will rarely agree with someone who is totally against volunteer systems, I've seen them save too many lives that otherwise would have died waiting. But I've heard pt's dying because it took the volunteer system too long to get there, or they didn't get maned. I see both sides, really I do. Back on the topic of professionalism, at one point in time my department had jump suits. They were lovely, lol. navy blue with reflective stripes everywhere including down your backside. I guess that way when you were bent over on a MVA scene the cars coming could see your butt sticking up in the air. But a couple of years ago they did away with them. I happened to like those things because, if you wanted to go in your PJ's no one ever knew because they were covered up. Plus if you got yuckies on your it was on your jump suit not your personal clothes. Plus they were more professional looking, instead of my OSU PJ's. There is my 2 cents, take it or leave it, really doesn't matter to me Shira EMT-I

Don't start with me on that EMSxray.

I'm sorry but I disagree with EVERYONE being a medic. I don't want to be a medic, it's not that I'm to lazy or to stupid, I just don't want that extra responsibilty right now. I don't agree with taking away the volunteer system. I am a "jolly volly" as I have been called more than once. The town I live in (like most volunteer systems) can't afford to go paid. If it wasn't for us "jolly vollies" they would have no one. Unless you count the private services who will charge you an outragous amount. I don't always agree with the way a volunteer department is ran. However, I started in this field as a volunteer and I'm proud to volunteer my services to my community. I know by saying that, that I just start an argument. Emaxray and I have had this argument more than once. I know of some people that running volunteer is like their hobby. Okay that sounded kinda bad. You know what I mean. We even had a doctor volunteer on our department. He enjoyed doing it and if it was a BS run (flu or streap throat, etc.) he referred them to his office at no charge to them. Let the argument begin.......I will aplogize in advance.......... I think that we can make EMS more professional by making sure our basic students understand that it isn't all about lights and sirens. The older ones I'm not sure what to do about. But when I was a bacis student all I wanted to do is run lights and sirens. I realized really fast that it's about people and trying to help them. I had an instructor tell me once that EMT and medics are like ducks on a lake. On the surface they appear calm, cool, and collected. While under the water, no one can see how they are paddling like mad to stay afloat. I'm not sure if that makes any sense to you all, but it does to me. When students go to EMT-I or Paramedic school I think the instructors need to remind them that they wear boots not sandels. They wear a uniform not a white robe. I know a lot of EMT-I's and Medics that pass the test and automatically start thinking they are God and they are going to cure everything. When in reality that isn't true. Although I do agree with the earlier post about instructors. They should have to go to school longer than 2 weeks to become an instructor. My friend's medic class had 20 different instructors in it and they were mostly STI. No wonder most people failed. That is my two cents....... if anyone cares lol

Yes please keep the humor coming..........I laughed so hard I cried! I look forward to the next post lmfao!!!

I want to thank you all again for replying to my post. After speaking with my best friend of 10 years, who is also an EMT, I've figured a few things out. I guess it boils down to the fact that I lost my first son back in September of 2002. He was a stillborn at 24 weeks. I will never get over losing him. After talking to my friend for over 2 hours, I realized that after that run, those feelings that I never showed at my son's funeral all came flooding back. All this time I thought it was because I lost a patient. It was, but more so than not, it was because I had lost my son. I didn't post that in my blog because I didn't think it was related to my problem. When now I realize it is. I had surpressed those feelings for over 3 years until that day. I understood what the mother was going through losing her own child. Since posting this I have come to terms with that. Amazing enough 4 years after his birth, I am just now truly starting to grieve for him. When the ER doc pronounced her dead, it was if I had lost my own child again. In my mind I could save him (his cause of death is still unknown) only if given the chance. However, I wasn't, I couldn't even if I tried and that's life. I was given the chance to save a little girl that day and I didn't. HOWEVER, I now realize that I did EVERYTHING I could possible do for her. I wasn't just grieving over her, I was grieving over my son. Weird though, it took complete strangers and one very special friend to make be realize that. From bottom of my heart THANK YOU!!!! And yes I am a very strong person. If my son's death did anything to me, it was make me strong. There is no greater pain like losing your child. I'm sorry for putting you guys through this post and not telling you everything. But like I said before I didn't realize that was the issue until after I posted it. Again, Thank You.

WOW TRTEMT. I think you said it all right there. I've never had someone put it like that before, thanks.

Hmm ok. We don't have the problem of diverting. There is only one hospital for the entire county and it has 8 beds in it's ER. God love these smalls towns.

Thank you all so very much for your replies. I did indeed seek professional mental health this past summer, for this reason and a few personal reasons. The company I worked for at the time didn't offer me CISD because.......well I'm not sure why really. The owner did ask us what the call was when we came back to station. We told him and his only response was "oh ok, clean your truck so you can take your next run". My partner at the time and I still keep in touch, so that helps. I want to thank ridryder911 for the link. I didn't know that they had done so much research on CISD and the cause and effects of it. It was a very interesting article. Thanks to everyone again. Shira NREMT-I

I was wondering if the more experienced medics and EMT's could help me. In October of 2005 my partner and I had a call for an eight month old "non-breather". At the time my partner was a 5yr medic and I was a 4 yr basic. As we pulled up to the trailer park a woman carrying a life less baby came running up to our truck. As we stepped out, she handed my partner the child. The child was extremely cyanotic. We bagan CPR on her immediately. My partner intubated her, and started an IO. We had a non-EMT (observer with a CPR card) with us as a ride along. He was doing compressions while I was bagging the little girl (we had a Sheriff's deputy drive). Somehow when I listened to breath sounds (to make sue the tube was good) I heard air movement in both the stomach and lungs. We pulled the tube and continues to bag her with the ambu bag, we got better perfusion that way. We continued CPR all the way to the hospital. She was showing asystole on the monitor the entire trip. Shortly after arriving at the ER the doctor pronounced her dead. This is where my problems started. I have always said that the first rule of EMS is that people die, even the little ones. That was my first ped. code, my only ped code. It almost ended my EMS career. That run changed me. My partner and I have talked about this run on more than one occasion. Since then he has quit the company and moved on the better things. He is still a medic and a damn good one. We had had a string of bad runs that month, codes, bad MVA's, ect. This one was the roughest. It got to the point where I didn't want to come to work. The company I worked for at the time didn't do any CISD. They could have cared less about our mental well being. As long as we made them another buck (private service). The child had a shirt on that had heart shaped buttons on it. When we cut her shirt off, the buttons went everywhere. I found one while we were cleaning the truck after the run. I kept it. I placed it on my bathroom counter and everyday while I was getting ready for work I would look at it. I guess to remind me that we can't save them all. However, after all this time I still think of her. The autopsy said it was SIDS, but we noted bruising all over the child's inner thighs, and back. I still think it was abuse. But my opinion means nothing. We documented the bruises. But............... Is this normal to still feel this way after over a year? I function fine. I still run volunteer in my hometown. I still work private service just for a different company. But when a call comes in for a child choking or a child ill, I begin to panick a little thinking it will happen again. I know it will one day. EMS is unpredictable. I know that. I love my job, I love what I do. I love helping people, and in my opinion I'm good at it. I still have dreams of her face. And yes I still have that button. The only thing I regret is not knowing her name. You expect older people to die, but not babies, childrean, or kids. She has forever changed my life, my way of thinking. I still think of her and I begin to question myself. What could we had done differently. I know I shouldn't. But what are you do to? Does anyone have any advice to give me on this topic? I would appreciate anything you have to say. As long as it's not "grow up, shit happens, grow some balls, etc." This is very serious to me. I say that because I have had medics (mostly men) tell me that this is why women don't belong in this field. They are assholes. I really don't need to hear that again. Thanks for your time, Shira EMT-I

OMG I laughed so hard I thought I was going to pee my pants. Love both of them. I really loved the "Call me an ambulance driver and I'll call you a candy stiper" LMFAO!!!!

I have seen some uniforms that have lime green plolos. I like the color, however, I think if you work in a city (I live in southern Ohio AKA no man's land) lime green may act as a big target. Speaking of city EMT's and medic's.....my hots off to you for being able to work under such stress. My ADD kicked in again....sorry. I'm going to stop talking now lol

I wish my volly department was anywhere close to you all's. It's strictly volunteer. We have no "on days or hours" it's whoever shows up, shows up. I only live about a block away so I'm usually the first one there. I sit and I wait and wait and wait. Hoping that another person will show up. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. I have been known to go on runs in my PJ's.....I know how unprofessional. Hell the pt was just happy that we got a crew to get her out of her car that hit a tree and telephone pole. Note: thorn bushes really like flannel! Just in case you were ever wondering......... Until next time.....stay safe.

congrats!! Really it's the I-99? In Ohio we are taught the I-99 for intermediate but we are tested on the I-85. Which is nothing more than a NREMT-basic test again with some acid based balance questions thrown in there. Which I totally disagree with. I took a 130 hr intermedaite class and was taught to push drugs, I'll be the first one to admit that is wasn't enough time. We didn't spend enough time going over the drugs nor the cause and effects of them. Anyways, that is a whole other topic within it's self. CONGRATS again! If you really want something, nothing is out of reach. Good luck!