ladyemt51_2000

And BTW, did you ever stop to think your patient may have FTD (frontal temporal dementia) and that is why she is getting an attitude with you? Or perhaps she has been up for most of the night with no respite or support. I would probably have an attitude too if I had medics coming to my aid with a chip on their shoulder. Geeze people, do the job or get out of EMS. Do yourself and your patients a favor. You can't stand around and look cool in your uniform forever.

Riblet, I just spent the last 6 years watching my mother die of Alzheimer's disease. I lost her two weeks ago. We kept her at home. I quit my job to help with the caregiving, my marriage almost fell apart and my dad suffered healthwise. She was able to die at home. My folks had been married for 61 years this past June. I am now my fathers caregiver. Getting home health or placing a loved one in an ALF is not a walk in the park and can be very costly and emotionally devastating. And when you are dealing with two elderly people who are trying to go it alone, think if the implications. Maybe they have no family, they have family but they are not aware of what is going on in the home or they have family who don't give a damn, which is most likely. Caregiving in the home is a 24/7 job. And it is the most rewarding job I will ever know, besides EMS. So I am sorry if you have to run your BS calls and wipe grandpa's bottom because his wife is too worn out to do it. Too damn bad you have to be bothered to pick grandma up off the floor because her husband is too frail himself to help her any longer. You big bad paramedic, can't be bothered with such meanial tasks. Worried about not looking cool or being a hero because you aren't on a "cool" call? To that caregiver, you ARE a hero. Take your self righteous crap and your "it's not my job" attitude and stick it.

Wendy, I belong to this support group online: http://alzheimers.infopop.cc/eve?s=387101241 Great group of people who offer a lot of support to caregivers with loved ones dealing with AD. I know your Mom is in a NH but you are STILL a caregiver to her. AD is such a horrible disease and I feel for you for what you and your Mom are going through. Take care.

From a patient's point of veiw, I'll take Compazine any day. The Phenergan burnt like fire going in and I had one soreass lump in my backside for 2 months after I was treated for a migraine. Never again. Give me a bio hazard bag and I'll take care of it from there.

Courtesy of Google: http://www.usflag.org/flagetiquette.html

That video made me ill. I couldn't even watch but a few seconds of it. Nice way to start out here, NYC. Bravo :evil: Admin, please lock this thread.

I agree, Laura Anne. My religion is a personal thing with me. I say a silent prayer on calls, perhaps if my patient has requested (and yes, there is already a thread on that subject), ect. I am aware that others have different beliefs and I am careful not to enter my beliefs into the mix out of respect for those around me. I have really never considered my religion in regards to EMS. I keep my faith no different in the field than when I am not on a call and have never felt challenged or indecisive by it. I think that regardless of whatever/whoever a person believes in, morales and ethics remain the same. And while it is difficult to understand why some calls do no have the best outcome, I then turn to my faith for help in acceptance and peace. This job isn't easy and I am constantly reminded in order to be in this profession is indeed it's own personal blessing in my eyes.

What part of IL are you interested in?

Kyle, I was just like you when I was 16, a fresh new driver and didn't know my directions very well, let alone how to handle anything more powerful than my mom's Granada (ok, don't laugh:P). The first time I drove an ambulance was with a very calm Paramedic who took the time to explain to me the logistics of the ambulance and how to drive it. He took TIME with me and didn't make me feel like foolish. I hope you are able to be as fortunate as I was in finding someone who wanted to invest the effort I needed to learn. The directions come in time. Pay attention to where you are and where you need to be. I was lousy at directions and I do pretty well now (thanks to google maps:)) On the other hand, I won't go into the night I was taught how to drive a firetruck backward when I hadn't even learned how to drive it forward yet. My LT was walking right beside the driver side window screaming at me all the way in front of the rest of the dept (who were all men) and it was then I decided that if I could handle that little humiliation, I could handle anything. Best of luck to you. I think you have alot to be proud of this early in the game!

Any of the reports I have ever written were written in mind that anyone, including the patient (or LE, court officials, ect.) could read them at any time. I am mindful of that when I write a report and stick to facts and remain brief, clear and exact as to the call, treatments and any other pertinent information. As to circumstances, I believe a patient has full rights as to access to the documentation made of his or her treatment. Interesting enough, I was just reading a piece on AOL news recently about top 10 reasons why you should find another dr. and one of them was denial of access to medical records. I am sure I am missing a few valuable points so I will be interested in watching how this pans out. Great topic!

I might also add that this was a vollie dept so it was our choice. We didn't have an on call schedule either so whoever showed up went on the call. I don't drink much so it wasn't an issue with me. I also have a very low tolerance for alcohol so it takes less for me to feel the affects even though I have an "athletic build". We didn't get many calls either and I wanted to go on as many as I could so I made decisions accordingly. The rules were made before I got on the dept. I either follow the rules or don't go on calls. It wasn't up up me to question as to why those rules were put into place. 24 hours may have been excessive but perhaps there were reasons that decision was made that led up to that long before I started with the dept.

Our rules were cut and dried. No consumption 24 hours prior to a call. Little room for question or misunderstanding there. Now word on the street tells me the fire dept fills one of the slot of the pop machines with canned beer for their "training nights" (ambulance and fire are not combined). Judging from their performance on some of the calls I have been on with them, I wouldn't be suprised.

NYCntg, I can't imagine the frustration at having to carry so much stuff and on top of it having it be madatory to do so. Hopefully you will discover a solution or put together a mix of ideas to achieve your optimal goal. I don't have any advice although I know that is what you are searching for. I have worked for the 40 minute transport thumper rural vollie (gasp!) services and I have worked for private and hospital based services. Somehow I have managed to travel light and tend to use my cargo pockets for "stuff". I don't really hang alot of things off my belt as I feel awkward while working. I keep one pocket just for gloves, another for a small flashlight and cell phone and credit card and incidentals and the little slim pockets hold my pens and penlight and trauma sheers. BTW, thank you for the many years you have spent dedicated to EMS.

I live in central IL. Basically, unless you are a Paramedic, there is nothing worthwhile here. Hence, that is why I am in school for my paramedic. You might get lucky to get something in Rockford, the Quad Cities, or Chicago but even then you are looking at driving and not doing much if any patient care. Of course, you might get lucky and get a gig in Peoria with AMT as a basic. I don't have any information about he Springfield area. I had connections at SAA but not anymore. Or you might get on doing on call but the money is unreliable. Illinois is not known for outstanding basic employment. As suggestion, if you have decent employment in Cali, stay there, work as a basic and get your Paramedic and then come back. Don't mean to sound grim but I also don't want you to think you are going to come back to a surplus of jobs waiting for you.

I don't want to know only how to do something, I want to know the reasons and the outcome of what I am doing. I want to know it all. It's about job ownership and knowing all the realms of Paramedicine. In general, it depends on how much one wants to know their job and how affective they want to be at that job. When a person's life depends on what we know and how we use that information, I don't believe there can be any shortcuts and/or room for lacking in education.

Wow! Is anyone who is a basic starting to think this is more a site for Paramedics than for EMS as a whole? I come here to learn (I am in Paramedic class) but I get the feeling that basics are unwelcome here. I can't help but wonder if the new members who browse the forums see this thread and wonder the same. It would be great to get back to the sharing of knowledge this site was so well known for than the nastiness it has become. Sad.....

In IL it is a felony to assault an EMT or Firefighter while they are in uniform and on duty. I am unsure of the classof felony, however.

Being a bartender has financed many an upcoming Paramedic through school. The hours are flexible and it's easy cash. My daughter worked at Applebee's for 6 years and it carried her through school (she majored in Photojournalism). She also made $300 this past Valentines Day in tips. I took off a semester of my Paramedic class to get "ahead". Yeah, right. Now I am down one semester and had to actually quit that job because my boss was wanting me to do her job so she could go out and party. I had to make a decision that this next year and a half was going to be about me and me only. A difficult choice for someone who is a "people pleaser". I am planning on taking out student loans to compensate for work I will miss but to me it's worth it. The key is to find an acredited college to get into to get those loans. Do what you have to do, know your suffering and sleepless nights aren't going to last forever, and that you will have a Paramedic licence you can be proud of because you worked your tail off to get it.

My apologies. I have rescued a cat and a dog now who were dumped that are enjoying a copious amount of love from my husband and I. I get worked up over animals and the cruel treatment they endure at their owners hand. My apologies for taking your post too seriously.

Personally, I would dive right inand get all the experience you can get. You will never be comfortable with your skills until you use them. Will you be going on for your Paramedic? The sooner you decide and can get into class, the better you will be for it. Basics are a dime a dozen and more times than not, you will get stuck in the drivers seat than in the back doing actual patient care. During your ride time and clinicals, you were allowed to assist in treatment. This will not be so, in many cases, if you choose to stay a basic. So jump in, get your feet wet, learn all you can, and get back to class! Good luck to you and keep coming back here. You will learn so much!

There is no possible way I could grasp everything and feel confident in 32 weeks. I'm playing hell trying to absorb everything the way it is:) Bless that sweet little nurse though, she was nice enough. I have the feeling she likes her "9-5'er, weekends and holidays off" gig. Who can blame her?

Your cat didn't come back because he was "retarded", he came back because he loved you unconditionally, as animals will. Animals strive to make their "people" happy. He came back to try to please you and what does he get for his efforts but to be thrown like a football across the room. Nice. :evil:

As a side note, when sharing such opinions with one's peer's, be sure their sense of humor is compatible. I don't respect anyone, short of second guessing their prehospital skills, who don't respect my patient.

Something I am seeing a lot of in this thread and others is how we are viewing our patients. Stupid, retarded, ect. just doesn't set well with me (and yes, I have a great sense of humor). Of all the shirts that others posted here, the feeling that our patients are stupid and/or retarded makes even the tackiest shirt seem pretty harmless. And we wonder why we are not viewed as professionals.....