EMTizzle

You know Dix, you got something here. I think I'll join in. I am overweight and would like to slim down, everybody around me seems to be losing their weight and apparently I'm the one finding it. My Friends lose a pound and I gain a pound, so this is what I will do. I will start back going to the gym I joined and use my membership for once. I have been on a weight loss program since January and have lost 10 lbs but I haven't been exercising with it so that is what I will do. Thanks for the motivation DIX!!!

I read the posts about the nurses being nasty, but how about those docs. Now I have to admit, more often then not, they are all for us and will support us and go to bat for us. But then you got those glorified er docs who have been watching far too much er (the television show). Not only do they treat their patients like crap, but they treat us like that too. I remember this one lady doc was sitting at the desk twiddling her thumbs (literally). I needed to get some supplies and all of the nurses were busy, I walked over and told her "scuse me mam, but could you point me in the direction of the supply closet". She rolled her eyes and sat up in her chair and pointed at her name tag and said, "look I'm a DOCTOR OK, I don't know where the supplies are" now notice I said that she was a lady doc. Well I said that because, as I tell this story I know NOW that she is a doctor, at the time I didn't realize it and if I did, I would have asked one of the overworked nurses. I found out when she showed me her name tag. I gave her a geez lady I'm sorry look and headed to the rig. I told my buddies what happened and they all but fell on the ground laughing, they told me that you never ask the doctors anything at this particular hospital but to sign off on the sheet and get out. For whatever reason the doctor's at this particular hospital hated EMS and made sure to let them know it. My AIC told me, no matter what she did, every time she bought a pt in, the doctor questioned her care, if the person was in COPD the doctor yelled about her bringing the pt in at all, even though they had a O2 sat of 89 and pink froth around the lips and altered LOC. And that has actually happened. I don't understand the American healthcare system right now, the govt., and private insurance is cutting money from programs everyday, which makes it harder and harder for the doctors and the nurses to do their jobs. Instead of raises they are getting sued and more pt's to take care of. Here in VA more and more volunteer rescue squads are beginning to charge for care because the counties that they are located in are pulling more and more money away and the people living in these counties are giving less and less, yet expecting more and more. So our hands are tied in a major way for EMS and through the hospitals. I think the other topic of nasty nurses and my topic on nasty doctor's is just a symptom of a bigger problem. The American healthcare system is getting ready to go belly up and before we know it we will end up with socialized medicine. you think doctor's and nurses are nasty now?! I think these days will be fondly remembered as the good ol days, in just a few short years. phew....ok now I'm climbing down off my soap box.

Ok, once upon a time there was this guy name Hitler, and his doctors thought that they knew the definition of "quality of life" . It has been decided by Terry Schiavo's medico's that her "quality of life" is such that , she should be starved to death to bring an end to her miserable existence. Well folks not to sound like chicken little, but Hitler began his medical programs just like this. First it was extermination of violent prisoners, then it moved on what was considered by Hitler to be undesirables such as: Elderly, disabled, mentally retarded, homosexual, and last but not least Jews. This whole situation is a hornets nest that allows doctors, hmo's, hospital's and other "bottom liner's" to start making more and more decisions on who lives and who dies. It's really scary that the "quality of life" definition changes almost daily, what is considered good "quality of life" one day is considered poor " quality of life the next". I think the ethics went out the window when the doctors decided to starve the woman to death. Dehydration is no better, they might as well shoot her, what! too messy a death? Well lets just call a spade a spade, in the Hippocratic oath (it should be called Hypocritic oath in this case) physicians vow to first do no harm. Well if you feel that it is harmful to the patient to suffer, ending the suffering by causing what could be three weeks or 7 days of pain (whether starve or dry out)and more suffering, is clearly nonsensical according to the oath, Terry Schiavo is the poster child for what the trend in our nation will become. Will the nursing home administrators start pulling feeding tubes of the clients that can't pay through private insurance? Citing "quality of life" as the issue. I tell you what either way the case is deadly and I feel that if her life is precious to her family and they are willing to take care of her, and she is responding to family like they say, then I say, screw the husband (who ended up with another family anyway) and take her home and feed her. The next time I see or have to pick up a drunk on the street, I certainly am not going to smother him in the back of the ambulance because of his poor quality of life. As long as he's got life in him, let the good Lord decide.

In REFERENCE TO EMPLOYMENT: chipmunkemt_98 I agree with you on this, but my big problem wasn't getting hired it was just simply trying to volunteer. I had to go waaaay out of my way to find a place were I would be accepted and even there, out of all the members we have there are only 4 African Americans that I know of (including myself). When I asked why this was, I was told that when they first started their organization "women and blacks" (that's a quote), were not allowed. Now that they are allowed it's hard to get them to volunteer because they figure why volunteer to help out an organization that didn't want you in the first place, when you can get paid by someone who does? As far as volunteer service turn downs, I was later told by some of the African Americans on the paid services that this happened to them, all they wanted to do was to volunteer a little after they got their certification to get their feet wet. No chance, they took one look at them and turned them down flat. Funny thing though, the same agency that turned me down,(and most of them) sent flyer's to my house begging for volunteers and money to keep them going. (a real head scratcher!!) Me being a good christian, sent funds to them, now ain't that something!!! :?: :shock:

I volunteer outside the city of Richmond approximately 45 minutes away. This place is located in the south east of VA. As far as the Confederate flag and the volunteer fire dept. story, I was told this by one of the guys that has been in that area for a long time, it is rural so anything is bound to happen. It is not unusual to see a big ol' truck rolling down the highway with a big Confederate sticker on the window and a red fire dept license plate thing on the back(personal vehicles). Makes me scratch my head (really). I don't want to get into the significance of the flag and it's history so I will just leave it alone. It may not offend everybody but it offends enough, I think if you are going to be in the helping business, you definitely can't be involved in the hurting business. Can you imagine a fire fighter that has a swastika tattoo going into the home of a Jewish person? How bout myself, what if I go into the home of a white person wearing a Malcolm X hat? Some of this stuff is just plain common sense. However I am aware some people just don't have any.

I have never been called a racist....but I have noticed a disturbing trend in my area. The bigger badder volunteer agencies regularly turn down applications from other ethnic groups(by that I mean anything other than white). The paid ambulance services have a large amount of diversity which is good because in the city there is a large amt. of African Americans, Latinos, Asians and others. I am African American and I was turned down by one of the largest volunteer agencies in the area. No reason was given, I was later told by a couple of friends that the same thing happened to them. It has gotten better but in some of the more rural areas of VA. there are still fire and EMS companies with the Dixie flag either waving in front of the building or prominently displayed on the fire truck. When the people see that driving up in their yard, they are bound to think the worst. Remember EMS personnel are usually lumped in the same category as uniform officers by the majority of the population, so they are seen as enemies not hero's by many. This area has had several publicized incidents of racial profiling, and police brutality that has made the actions of a few losers reflect badly on everyone, including EMS. Just recently a rural county in our area decided (once again) to try to make one month out of the year "Confederate History Month". Once again racial tension is rising and people nerves are getting strained. What is normal for EMS now looks highly suspicious, here is an example: I went on a call in the city(when I was riding along) and there were shots fired and a dispatch went out that said there were possible injuries. Well we went and staged, because PD was either picking their butts or their noses (who knows). This nearly incited a riot and pissed off the people in the area. They see two white people in the front of the ambulance, (I was in the back), representing the only hope for their loved ones to get help and they're just sitting there. Naturally this can be horribly misconstrued as racist, even though we know it is clearly not. However the racial tensions and escalating crime have made a public relations mess for all concerned. Because of this I think EMS personnel should go out of their way to treat everyone the same. NO MATTER WHAT. I have seen EMT's treat drunks, frequent flyer's and fakers terribly, they even go one step further in classifying young black men as thugs not knowing that when you least expect it, the wrong person is going to see this and run with a wild half story that will spread like wild fire through the community. Reputation DOA. Guys and Gals do unto others as you would have them do unto you! it's just that simple and if it isn't ......Find a different line of work