wrenEMT

There wasn't this option so I put BLS provider with pain relief. Only reason I put that is because there wasn't the option of ALS provider with pain relief. I will say one thing I have sympathy for those in pain but there are some instances that the people are either faking or it's a pain that you can't give relief to. ABD pain being one main one. I did have one medic tell me that since in our protocols it says that any pain rated over a 3 you can give up to 100 mcg of Fentanyl. I said well wouldn't that defeat the purpose of being taught over and over again in medic class you don't give pain meds to abd pain because it can mask what is really going on in the expansive space that is the belly? he said since the half life of Fentanyl is only 30 min it's ok to give since the patient doesn't normally see a doc for more than that in an ER. But I interjected again with. If in a severe case you might be sent to a shock/trauma room which gets a doc in there in approx 10 min. So you just masked the pain that could help dx what is really going on in your patient. No answer I believe if you have pain meds use with discretion because there are those that will fake with the best of them to get what they want and if you think you patient is really in that much pain then go for it. There is no point in making them suffer There is also my partner's philosophy.. Now that we have pain relief we shouldn't always use it.. mind you he has been in EMS for 25 years when everytime you wanted to give pain meds you had to call medical control and ask.. and most of the time you were denied.. it sucked but that is now his philosophy even now that he can give pain meds he doesn't always see the reason.. maybe it's because for so long he couldn't he doesn't think about giving them either. pain meds have their ups and downs.. and some that have been around since the beginning of EMS will tell you that they didn't always have the chance to give them so they don't now.

I think put that way then it would be considered attempted murder.. By definition according to law it's attempted murder, and if multiple people die of that then it would result in serial murder because the person knowingly put other people at risk and in the result of that risk caused their death. So my answer is Neither!!!

i just got called yesterday about one of my fellow EMT's wanting me to go down there to help in the efforts in Louisiana. Told him if anything I would try my damnedest to help out in anyway I could.

Can't tell you the name of the medic but one of my friends just called me to let me know it was one of the guys that used to work for him.

I check out my truck from stem to stern every day. I have been screwed before as well when I have listened for to people that had been on the truck the prior day. O2 is out on the cot, jump bag is missing something, or the truck just wants to start. So I check everything off, the combitubes, BVM's, monitor, all the fluids, on the truck and in the truck. Everything I tell you everything. I can't always count on the people that were on the truck before me so I never trust them when they say, "everything is good.. we restocked this morning" good for you I say, I'm still gonna check it out

I have touched a patient in the same way as most others.. hand holding a sick person, someone that was about to die and even let a family member and/or patient cry on my shoulder. But I also have NEVER EVER thought of touching someone in any other manner than for compassion or comforting. I answered no.. but the reason is I of course didn't read the question you asked with the poll spenac.. bad me..

unfortunately for me here in indiana we get hot ass weather and HUMIDITY THAT KILLS.. well at my service we still have to wear dark blue BDU Pants, and light blue polyester crap shirts.. Ever see Mallrats by Kevin Smith.. yeah Mr. LaFours.. that's my uniform shirt with a white tshirt underneath.. kill me man.. I want to die most of the time in the summer.. only protection I have is underarmor that keeps you cool in the summer and warm in the winter.. other than that I just drink lots of water and hope I don't pass out from the heat.

Flyleaf "All Around me" and Seether FMLYHM HAHAHA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJysCsutnwE Just look for Bugs Bunny Opera man.. I have to say Marving the Martian.. and Chilly Willy the Penguin I still know all the words to his opening song.. I love that lil guy Right now though I am addicted to Family guy and Stewie, and a bit of Timmy from Fairly Oddparents thrown in.. it's having a kid that does it I swear

Thank god there are only like 3 hospitals I go to with codes.. and one with badge only entrance, which sucks, but I deal.. The codes that we do have are all the same though the 911* 911# or even 0911 not a big deal to remember them.. just have to remember which one goes to which I don't like writing things like that down so I don't lose them. Most idiots could figure it out, but I don't want that one retard that didn't have a clue of what the code was finding out because of me.

i'm glad to say most of the time I don't need a patient's signature unless I am getting a refusal. And all the nursing facilities I go into I normally have to get 2 signatures.. medical necessity and one on my report, but I just point and they sign.. In the hospitals it's pretty much the same.. Point and sign my report, I never ever had an issue getting a signature.. I HAVE had an issue finding the damn nurses though.. that sucks.

at my private service you have to ride for a minimum of 3- 12 hour shifts.. then after that if they are not competent.. we have a lil test for them to take, then you must do another set of 3-12 hour shifts, most of the time that's all we need since we are a basic only service right now. But even there, there are a few people that aren't as intelligent as a rock with moss growing on it. Some of them have still stuck around I don't know why and I have never gotten a straight answer from the higher ups but it's mainly because it's not hard to do transport and i don't argue. I do argue with those emergent runs that you actually need to use skills with, like a cardiac arrest or even difficulty breathing..

I'm going to make this short and sweet since I'm about to get ready and go into work. But yes if you take the mandatory classes at college level such as math, english, anatomy and physiology, and communications classes then you are eligible to get your associates but that depends if the college around you offer that. Because here my Medic Instructor is doing just that he has been a Medic for about 15 years and wanted to get his associates degree so they have it that all he had to do is take his "PreReqs" and he would be able to graduate. Needless to say he is graduating with his own Medic class, and getting the same degree as we are. Associates in Paramedic Sciences. Now to continue on to be an RN you would need Microbiology, Advance Social Science (Abnormal Psych or the like) Advanced Physiology, and a few Nursing classes including clinical time. This time if you take a full class load will take approximately 6 months instead of the normal year and half or 2 years. Since you already have a knowledge of pt assessment and care you don't have to take as many classes. I'm currently finishing up my medic classes right now. I am planning on going on to get my RN. I'm in an associates program for my medic so I already took care of the first part of that. Hope this helps a bit. Mind you, I'm talking about Ivy Tech in Indiana I'm not sure of where you are at so I don't know all the logistics of what your state might involve.

Never fails if we have a rider we normally don't run. But me being in clinicals I have had both kind of days I will go to a station and end up sitting and playing on my computer the whole time. Or even better I will be go to a station and I will run my ass off. Depends on the day. I said the nasty forbidden words several times the other day when I was riding out on my medic clinicals and I'll be damned they didn't work. But now that I'm about to go into work and work on the ambulance for pay I shall not even think those words because I know that I will get my ass ran off if I do. I hope that I will have an easy day but I don't even think that will happen. One day I even thought.. Hey this will be a semi decent day I won't be dead on my feet surely.. and my truck alone go 18 calls. I'll be damned to even think those silly words when it's me running the truck.. But trust me I have said it and nothing has happened, especially when I'm the student, but when I'm the tech never fails to work every freaking time.

i saw somewhere above that students have problems with personal boundaries.. One.. You can be wary of your own personal boundaries all you want but in our job we get paid to invade others personal boundaries on a daily basis. When you think of a patient that can't get out of their wheelchair or something like that you have to do a 2 man transfer from wheelchair to cot.. it's a bitch for those heavier patients but it can be done and I have done that alot in the last few weeks..only thing is I invade a person's personal boundaries to do that.. reaching around their chest/abdomen area to get them moved over to the cot.. and then my partner gets their legs.. How many people would be comfortable with getting man handled like that.. none of us but we have to make it our job to break through people personal boundaries to get information out of them and to be able to work on the effectively.. That is one skill that isn't really taught but it is learned if you want to be good at your job.

dopamine

I have had a couple crying moments.. First, I have a regular patient that I have gotten very close to she is like my grandmother, now. The reason I have been able to get close to this patient is part of my job is dialysis transport. The other day I brought her to dialysis and when I dropped her off she looked so bad but didn't want to go to the ER. She is her own POA so I had to listen to her. I had a feeling that she was going to go back into the hospital and possibly die this time. It made me feel like crap and since I couldn't do anything for her because she refused any other tx I cried.. It's hard to watch a patient that you care for slip away slowly and painfully. The other time was my first DOA, we got the call for possible code and when we got there we had all of our stuff in our hands looked at the patient and he had obviously been dead for several hours. Only thing that was upsetting for me was that the patient was approximately the same age as my step-dad which I'm pretty close with. After we loaded the patient up on the coroner's gurney and left scene we went back to station and just couldn't hold in the tears anymore. My partner asked me if I needed to go home.. I refused, I told him that even though it's the first time I had a DOA, I just needed to get used to it, that there will be more DOA's in my career I can't let this one effect me so much.. Although, even today I can still tell you the exact position of the patient and everyone else that was there when it happened.. And everything else that was involved in the incident it doesn't effect me nearly as bad when I think of it. I don't cry but it does have a sobering effect on me. I have had people die on me and those pt's still don't effect me as much as that first DOA..

i took the no time to delay attitude.. I'm currently working as a basic for a basic company.. but about 4 months after I got out of basic class I got into medic class.. I have a very supportive family and very few friends but the ones I do have are supportive of my decision to put my life pretty much on hold to persue a career that will make me happy in the end.. I love helping people and have this thing where I gotta learn as much as I can about something I get into.. doesn't matter if it is coffee.. Starbucks was my last job LOL or if it's being a medic.. I love the medical field have wanted to be a doctor since I was about 5 yo.. So I get to be a street doctor.. At least I get the education I need to get me in the right direction of being a great medic. You always learn something new everyday, especially in this field. I do have the privilege of going to a 2 year college for my medic so I have a lil extra time to do clinicals and study time within that time but it still goes by REALLY fast and at times you doin't think you will be able to learn anymore.. then you go out on a call as a basic or a medic and you realize you really do know your schit Go for it.. if you really want it you will suceed.. if you doubt yourself too much you will fail, just have faith in yourself and you will do great, faith in yourself is confidence not arrogance.

we have one international ambulance, one newer mini mod I believe it's a braun, and 3 1995 I think mini mods.. that are a bit junky but I live with it.. they work most of the time.. This is the newest in our crew.. about 2001 I believe..

ok I have to say I have been swung at now 3 times by 3 different patients but I was quick enough to not get hit.. I have had a coworker manage to get a lil 90 yo woman that was very combative for some reason I haven't found out why.. but the lil old woman was able to fight so much they had to restrain her to a back board, only bad thing.. the 90 yo was strong enough to bend the back board damn near in half.. I will have to ask my coworker again what happened to get full details but I do know that a back board can be bent by a psych patient that is tiny and 90 yo...

I have 3 tattoos... On of a kick ass SoL on my right shoulder, heart with dagger and my son's name on left shoulder, and a celtic braid around my wrist.. My patients have commented on the wrist tat and all of them love it.. Several even thought it was a regular bracelet because it wraps all the way around my wrist. Most of the time though it is covered by my gloves so bonus on the placement

on the ACLS test I happened to get a 85% on it. I passed my practical portion with flying colors as well.. I only have the rest of my clinicals to do and get PALS in.. other than that I'm done I have already taken my final, and passed it with a 98%

no worries we all live in a pig stye of some sort during medic classes unless you have OCD... I know my apartment could use some deep cleaning

This questions was posed to me today, "why do we have Paramedics in Urban areas like New York, and LA, and Miami when the closest hospital is 3 minutes away, but when you get out into the sticks you have mostly basic services only. and ALS is miles and miles out? Wouldn't it be better patient care if those areas that have a transport time of 10 + minutes have ALS crew instead of BLS?" I thought on this and of course I agree that if there was a paramedic on those trucks it would give better patient care. But, there are those times especially out where I am in the sticks that most of the transports to the ER are basic runs but paramedics get sent to them. Most of the time the only thing a paramedic does around here if on a medical run is start a line, draw labs and possible give some albuterol for those cute lil old people with CHF or possible pneumonia. Drawing the labs is big here in my town. The nurses in the ER are a bit too babied by the paramedics and the basics get yelled at for bringing in a basic patient, without a medic because they wanted labs drawn. Of course there are those times when there does need to be a paramedic on board sure. We are out in the sticks and we have a patient circling the drain. Of course I'm going to call for help. Which is true for most basic services. Only thing I would have to say is that Urban or City areas get the same kind of runs as we do but in greater number. But most of the time, you have to think, the paramedic doesn't have time use any of their skills in that short amount of time. I mean unless you count those times the medic stays and plays because of a code patient or just wanting the chance to play with their toys and use some skills.. Very Happy On the other hand we have more time in the rural areas only because we have less hospitals and more time with our patients. Yet we are without the number of paramedics in our areas as in urban areas. What are your thoughts on this subject? PS I'm not sure if I put this in the right area, so if need be just move it to right area

I have to say that only 2 people were messing around in my class and one of them flunked out at the end of the semester of their romp in the sack. Everyone else is married. Most of the ones married have been in EMS for a while and their spouses oddly are understanding. I on the other hand have had issues with family as well I was divorced before getting into medic class so I can't say much. Though I have realized if you are in EMS most of the time you are either going to get divorced or not have a significant other for long if they aren't in EMS or they can't be understanding. Trust is a big issue. Why aren't you home right after your shift is finished, why did you schedule a clinical on your only day off this week. on and on and on the issues go.