fireflymedic

Here's some advice for you for medic class 1. Study hard - you'll be glad you did 2. Some people are intelligent, some are ignorant - learn who's who fast and stick with the intelligent ones - they'll teach you something 3. Keep the number to the suicide hotline nearby (we joked through class that we had it on speed dial on all our phones and we were each other's therapists - marriage, counselors, etc - sometimes we weren't joking !) 4. Have fun - you'll get more hands on time in class with some things than you may ever get again in your life as few departments have the option of clinical rotations to maintain skills. Soak it up, don't be afraid to ask the docs and nurses questions, they're a great resource. If you have a doc that's willing to teach you - take them up on that opportunity, do not walk away. Welcome to the forum and enjoy !

EMS - you mention that you were in KY for a time and if so, then you understand with the exception of the metro louisville area (which is still extremely cheap compared to most areas), directly in Lexington, or in Northern KY bordering Cincinnati - it is cheap to live here more comparable to suburbs in other areas. The more rural areas of KY are ridiculously cheap to live in as I stated earlier. Bottom line - you want to make better money than that - go get your medic - you'll be more marketable and alot of options. I'm sorry, but the good pay just isn't out there for a job that requires only 120 hours of education - some services still employing first responders and their pay level is almost equal (within 50 cents at most services). That's just how it is kid, sorry - we all gotta start somewhere. Get in, do a good job, work your way up, get your medic and get on with a good service - they are out there !

Like others have commented - you fail to figure in how cheap the cost of living there is. When you can rent a four year old three bedroom house that's very respectable for $450 a month just outside your area ummm - can you really expect to make that much? Twenty four - twenty eight thousand a year goes a whole lot farther there. WV's pay is notoriously poor across the state regardless of location - so here's a suggestion - don't work there ! Go where the money is. Most of us that are making decent money now have paid our dues at the lower paying services and yes, the better paying services in that area are not going to hire a new basic. That's just the way it is. Also I don't know where you went through school (though I have a suspicion) and if so, CPR is included in class. Every state has a standard and you can either shut up and meet it or gripe and walk away. The choice is yours.

Ummm lone - I said I'd try it. I didn't say I'd dress that way, and well I think AK will verify you don't want to see me dressed like that - not my style. I'm no heffer, but I'm not a size 2 either and well - I don't think too many would care to see my "smiley face scar"

Sounds like someone is trying to go after you from the sounds of it - lay low and just see where it goes. If you haven't done anything wrong, don't worry (I know easier said than done for sure !). Someone is trying to flame you over probably some minor incident at work - I did notice the postings but overlooked them as an immature idiot. Good luck to you and I hope everything works out okay for you !

You cannot possibly tell me that taking an RN from a hospital environment onto a scene with no experience in dealing with the differences there makes them perfectly adapted to the scene environment. I'm sorry, but the occasional jump on a truck when you have a skill that a medic's not familiar with or allowed to do due to protocols doesn't qualify them as ready for prehospital environment. If that was the case, then heck, let's just do away with paramedics and let RN's run the world. It's just like taking a medic and putting them in the ER - yeah, they can do it, and may do well at it, but it's a different environment, and having some hospital experience is helpful. That's why even if you are a medic in this area, most require you to go get your CNA to work in an ER so you have a concept of the differences. Both can adapt to another environment quite well - and I'm not saying a nurse can't. I know many float between floors as needed or even do the travel nursing thing at different hospitals. But I don't think it's out of the expectation to ask them to have some prehospital experience as at least a basic to understand teh differences out there. As I said - both have their place and work well together. It's not one is better than the other - a well versed critical care medic can be a huge assest to a program and the same qualifications apply. Obviously Nellie Nurse from Community Hospital that doesn't do much is going to be no more qualified than Peter Paramedic who works only transport ALS. However, you put a skilled ICU RN (ADN or BSN regardless)- give them prehospital experience, and take a knowledgeable critical care medic and put him in the ER for experience, and you've got a damn good team that one would be hard pressed to beat IMHO. Just something to chew over.

Just when I thought I had seen it all - there's this PETA wants to roast KFC in ads on city fire trucks By CHARLES WILSON - Associated Press Writer INDIANAPOLIS -- An animal rights group figures if KFC can use fire extinguishers to promote its chicken in Indianapolis, it should be able to denounce cruelty to the birds on city fire trucks. People for the Ethical Treatment for Animals made the $7,500 offer in a letter to Mayor Greg Ballard after the fast-food chain announced a deal this week to help pay for fire extinguishers and smoke detectors for the city in exchange for advertising on them. The ad proposed by PETA shows a plucked and scalded chicken alongside the taglines "Chickens Are Burned To Death At KFC" and "Boycott Cruelty." PETA claims many KFC chickens are scalded to death during processing at the slaughterhouse. A spokeswoman for the mayor questions the propriety of placing advertising on public safety vehicles. So here's my question is this what Indy fire will be sporting this fire prevention season? ONLY YOU CAN PREVENT BURNING DINNER

I'm with JWade on all things considered experience speaks far greater than any piece of paper ever will. I would want a partner with more experience any day to help deal with the funky transport drugs you might see, and some of the conditions you deal with very little prehospital. Good ICU experience is vital to a good team. That being said, there very much is still a place, and I think will be a place for a long time for paramedics in the flight environment. Even if they go with dual RN's - most likely some prehospital experience will still be experienced as you cannot take someone from the hospital environment, and throw them with a critical scene situation and expect them to function well. It's an adaption process. Not to say they can't do it, but RN is focused towards hospital care which is great for IFT's and Paramedic focus towards scene and prehospital care. Both have their place and function within the team. Don't forget that when you're having your peeing match over RN vs Medic. One is not better than the other, it's just different.

Nice to see you are warning others about a potentially concerning school, however as many others have noted - it's rarely the ones that pass that have the issue. It's the ones that fail and then the people in charge view you as a disgruntled student and don't give your statement much warrant. If you are going to complain about a program, do so early in the program, so it can be properly investigated before you get too far into class. All that being said, it is still possible to learn despite bad instructors, it's just going to cost a bit more and you'll have to put forth more effort. Unfortunately, so many medics are desiring to be spoon fed, and not willing to put out the effort. They want to know only what it takes to pass the class. However, I hardly think that a warning is a reason to join the board, nor would I have it be my first post. That ventures on the edge of being unprofessional. As others commented, multiple threads and discussions address this program. But since you're here, welcome !

After recently going to a conference that had representatives from the board - there is no immediate plans to discontinue the NREMT in KY. So if you plan on coming here, better study up !

Every person's needs are different and they should set a standard, and an issue amount for boot purchase (ie they all have to be the 9 inch boots and given $150 for purchase). They are not given anything over, and only reimbursed the amount that the boots cost, so if you buy a cheaper pair you are only given what you paid - no excess. However, every person's feet are different and some require wide boots, narrow boots, etc - and it is a safety concern if a person that requires a wide is forced to wear narrow boots or vice versa. I don't think it's too much to ask to have employees maintain uniforms with a set amount. If worn out prior, then they should be able to be replaced as neccessary.

There's a few that do know how to handle guns (aka public servants) that have done similar actions

Sorry...

Funny thing is, oprah had this on her show once with Dr Oz talking about the benefits of the activity for improving agility and strength - especially core muscles because that's what you have to have to do all those maneuvers. Looks like fun to me ! I'll just almost anything once so long as it doesnt kill me

Are you ground or air based and are you much the fan of propofol ? We rarely utilize due to issues with maintaining adequate sedation in transport environment, potential for hypotension, etc. Typically for transport, we'll switch to versed - though the quick action of propofol makes it great for procedural or in hospital sedation (especially those that require daily wake ups) as it's quick on, quick off.

Protocols like that are more liberal for a reason in flight. This guy comes up and causes too much of an issue or starts affecting the pilot - down we go and it's not a pleasant parking job. Also, not like you can just say "Pull this thing over" - little different ya know? That's why I say - it's just as much for their safety as the crew's. There have been incidents of patients doing some truly insane behavior while in flight and when you're that far up, the safest thing for all involved is a tube and a vent.

Thanks terri, Since she does want to be transported, I'm going to treat for pain (as long as she is maintaining her airway and doesn't become unstable) - if pain is controlled by my measures, I'll transport without L and S, if not, then I'll transport with - however, I don't want to jostle this lady around too much as there could be other things going on. Where is she saying her pain is - and with thorough assessment, I'm going to treat as needed. Another thing to note is if there are multiple hospitals to choose from, I'm going to ask her choice of hospital and make sure DNR accompanies. Chances are she has been dealing with a specific hospital and they are aware of her condition and wishes. Again, DNR is not do not treat - treat what you can as it may not be related and if not, you stand to miss something that could have easily been fixed. She may have something as simple as a UTI (those can be darn painful !), or even just be constipated from the pain meds. Either of which could be a fairly simple fix. Don't just automatically assume that because it's pain and she has a terminal issue it's related to that. Very well may be, may not be. She's chosen to go to the ER, so get her there as comfortably as possible, do a good assessment, and let the docs give her the option of treating/not treating. That's how I'd do my job !

Depends on the area you want to work, but in this area (and almost all that I'm aware of) they require the RN's to have at least their EMT basic. Several of the better programs require dual medic and RN with 3-5 years experience in each. Flight is a highly competitive environment and the more you have going for you, the better your chances. Typically, RN's make more and there are several programs that fly dual RN so it's not like it would be useless, and if you have your medic, then you are even more marketable as you can fill either void if qualified. The comments that others have made regarding education standards are so true and RN's definitely have a more in depth knowledge of medications than your average paramedic. There are some terrific critical care programs out there for medics, but as JWade said, you may have to be willing to go out of state to further your education. Also, as a medic when your body can no longer handle the job, you have extremely limited options - it's either education or management or retire. Pretty much it. An RN has alot of different things. In the flight environment, you will deal with alot of medications that you will likely not see on the streets, even as a critical care medic. Having the knowledge of these drugs is invaluable and a great experienced ICU nurse can be of fantastic benefit to you. All of that being said, being a medic is fantastic, and if the prehospital environment is what you love, go do it, and go PRN or part time with somewhere as an RN or vice versa. You'll at least be able to live decently off an RN salary, whereas a medic you'll likely be working multiple services. Good luck in whatever you choose.

That would be my question exactly. If so, ask the person what they want done and ask for copy of DNR (and EMS DNR if required by your state). Treat with comfort measures, and don't get aggressive. However, I wouldn't withold oxygen and things - Do not resucitate does not mean do not treat ! Provide pain control, oxygen, what you can without exceeding the person's wishes. Do I feel the need to rush to the hospital? Probably not - I would go without L/S unless company protocol dictated otherwise. All that being said, it may be related to something completely different, and if it is something that you can correct, by all means do so !

Common sense should prevail in these situations, unfortunately, it's rare that it does.

Shhhh dust - you weren't supposed to tell about that ! Met grandpa with a shot gun when dispatch gave us wrong directions, arrived at a gate that said no tresspassing (which the house we were supposed to show up at had the exact same - a green gate with a no tresspassing sign and we were told "just open the gate and go on in"). Pulled up to the house and grandpa grabbed the shotgun next to him pointing it at the ambulance. Let's just say I saw my partner drive faster in reverse that day with comments our elderly pt should never have heard than I saw him drive going forwards. Wanna work my area?

I'm with Herbie - every place has it's own unique challenges. I took you into some of the areas I worked and you'd be lucky to get the people to say two words to you once you opened your mouth because they knew you weren't from there. I love rural EMS for a number of reasons and I have no desire to move out of it any time in the near future, but I did flip sides of the fence to urban for a year just for kicks and giggles to see how I'd like it and how different it was. Boy was I in for an eye opener - big difference there ! Going from 45 min to do what's needed to 5 min to the hospital is a different animal. I didn't care much for it, but I've had people from the city come ride with us and they can't stand it. it's just a different animal. Good thing we have all different types of people because otherwise we wouldn't have all areas covered. I encourage students to ride in both rural and urban just to see what the differences are and what is a good fit for them. Makes you appreciate your own more when out of your comfort zone, but makes you grow both personally and professionally.

While I agree to some extent that yes, not all psych patients are aggressive - the potential to be is much higher. They are obviously not thinking clearly at that point, thus why you were called in the first place and are transporting. There have been numerous times that a patient wasn't expected to be a problem and became one enroute for a variety of reasons. If I don't have PD I AM going to have an extra set of hands, I'm not doing this by myself. It's mine and my partner's safety above everyone else's. If you have been contacted for a psych patient (or even a suspected one) in this area, PD always goes first and evaluates the situation. My former partner was shot in the head and his partner killed because PD didn't go check it out first. Nobody thought it was going to be a problem. Now a good EMT is dead and a compassionate medic is out of EMS completely. Sad. Unfortunately, it took this to happen before this department chose to make corrections to their system (granted it wasn't for a psych call, but the man had an extensive psych history which now automatically flags in the system and PD is sent with). However, the reason you are being called is they are not thinking properly. If they are at the point they are willing to hurt themselves (even if just for attention) are they really thinking clearly enough to not want to hurt you in the process? I'm not entirely convinced. I'm with flight-lp - especially in that environment - it's not safe. If I'm expecting a problem, or you start to give me one, I'm going to take measures to ensure everyone's safety - including yours. Another good thing to pursue is a defensive tactics for EMS class - there's some people connected with Dayton that do a pretty decent one and I'm sure they are across the country. It's not how to legally beat the crap out of a patient, but rather if all crap hits the fan, how you can at least keep yourself reasonably safe until you get help from the guys with the guns. Bottom line - make sure you come home at the end of the shift 'cause you aren't effective if you are hurt or dead.