Freaknuggetz_chick

have a small star of life on rear window (lower left corner) and a magnet on other car trunk....i work rural, and when in town i take my own car to base to get ambulance, so they're handy in that situation. but i do have a star of life paramedic belt buckle!!!

i've worked in the patch as well. hated it. away from my husband far far far far far far far too much. serious boredome (althouh this allowed me to study). i lucked out, i got along with my crews very well. but alot of oil pigs are just that, pigs. they will expect alot from their female bandaids. you have to have the attitude and cahones to stick up for yourself, and mean it. worked for me, had alot of fun. oh, and you should like driving in mud, clay mud, with no gravel. sideways is fun! (i hated that part too). yes, the money is worth it, depending on what you are willing to sacrifice for it. 3 months in the patch paid for 1 year of medic school. i may have to go back part time to pay off my student loans. a couple of days here n there wont be so bad, for me, but never again full time. did i mention i missed my husband? and friends? another point: if you want to be an EMT because of the skills and technology and nifty things you get to do, then dont go to the patch. you sit in a truck. for weeks. however, thats just my opinion. think about what your goals are right now.... the patch may very well enable you to acheive financial goals much faster than, well, pretty much anything else! lol. before you jump in, whether to the patch (yes, they're screaming for people) or actually onto an ambulance service (also screaming for people, because most registered EMTs are in the patch), do some serious thinking and research. go on an ambulance ride-a-long, see what the real service is like.

well from the sounds of it, i am the only one here that did a 'zero-to-hero' program. yes, indeed, i am a medicine hat graduate. i found the program suited me very well, and it had plenty of places for people to opt out if they felt the absolute need to work at lower levels before getting their ACP (one went to nursing, some stayed at a basic level, a couple left entirely). with the design of the program, many of my classmates, including myself, students from the years ahead and behind me, were able to get jobs at the PCP level, while finishing off ACP requirements. i cannot underscore enough the benefits of PCP experience prior to ACP education and registration. sure, i had ACP education when starting as a PCP, but i learned alot in the time before i got my medics.....from being on car. also, i'm not sure how it works in ontario, but in alberta, if you find the right places, they will help you out with your ACP financially with a little commitment from you, as you work with your PCP registration between classes/practicum/etc. one word of advice: dont go on practicum where you work. dont repeat various levels of practicums at the same place. go out, explore. see different companies/protocols, rural vs urban. this will help you to find places you really want to work in!

i have heard good things about NAIT, fairly decent about CCEMS. Augustana and Portage, well you need to work with their teaching style, time frames, etc from what i have heard from students. as for ESA, i have encountered 2 people from there, and they were quite opposite in skill levels, but equally book smart (and schools can only teach you so much, skills truely come from being dedicated and time on car) comanche made a very good point......look at what you need to learn best, then find a school which suits you! good luck!

Hey there! last summer at the annual trauma symposium in Edmonton, Alberta, this was one of the topics, simply because there is so little information out there. I regret that i cannot recall the presenter's name at this time, but he stated he got alot of information from this site: http://www.suspensiontrauma.info/ basic overview: as you suspended, gravity holds blood lower in the body. since you are harnessed, you are unable to effectively move your legs to maintain adequate blood return. since you do not have adequate blood return, you torso and head are effectively hypotensive (these effects are far more profound in the unconscious patient). as blood pools, it stagnates, acidifies. when a patient is rescued, the LAST THING YOU EVER WANT TO DO IS LAY THEM FLAT!! even if you have to spinal your patient, ensure their legs are lower than the rest of the body (elevate the head, etc.; if no spinal precautions required, semi-fowlers, high fowlers, legs dangling over side of stretcher etc). if you lay the patient flat, the stagnant, acidotic blood re-enters regular circulation (this is known as re-flow syndrome, similar to effects of releasing a crushed/entrapped limb/body). this blood is essentially toxic. Hope this helps! also, google google google!!!

when i was on practicum a few years back my preceptors got pulled over and were given a warning. no actual ticket, but enough to prove that some cops are keeping an eye on us. and truthfully, we dont need to be speeding that much

simple: tell your boss to get pumps. otherwise, pt care is being jeapordized. starting and stopping ntg/dope drips?? c'mon! pumps arent difficult at all. except when they close and clamp your ntg line....i have an older pump, hates ntg lines.

i just recerted last fall. i found the team element really emphasized the leader being clearly the leader, and that he/she is aware of what everyone was doing. also, there is less confusion. you can only do so much on your own (although i personally know a medic who ran an acls code by herself in the back of a unit, drugs, tubes, compressions and all!) i found my course to still emphasize pharmacology, but as the old addage goes, you cant have A©LS without BLS first.

we have pretty standard rules for speeding 10km over the limit in town, 20 km over on the highways. now, on the other hand, many of us often go faster, but we are all very aware that being caught is easy grounds for immediate firing. also, all the local rcmp officers are aware of our limits, although they would never chastise us for going faster. interesting thing to note, our mechanic knows immediately when we've been abusing the units

i agree. i have been a volley. and loved it. and as a paid full timer now, i love it when there are volunteers at events to be first responders before i get there. matter of fact, i pretty much love everything about my job. and i love pretty much everyone. but, thats just me.

ventricular rhythm, decreased loc may be from hyperglycemia, BP still stable, i just took ACLS this weekend...next step: expert comsultation!! but as usual, i assume that the phones are down.... support ABC's, reassess q5min have combo-pads on and at the ready query fluid bolus for hyperglycemia; lets go 250, cautious with fluid overload. fax 12-lead (dont suppose there was one prior to the tachycardia?? hard to see elevation with tach) treat with amiodarone, 150mg over 10-20 minutes i would also like to know about fluid intake/output had there been previous edema in the legs in the last week or so? i agree with above comment concerned about sepsis. again, expert consult would be my best option at this point. what are the VS now? LOC Airway open? Breathing rate? SpO2? Pulse rate? can she answer as to whether or not she has chest pain? rhythm check? BP? reassess BGL? pull blood for labs in some services. JVD? Trachea midline? Lung sounds? abdominal assessment (colour, firm/soft, masses, bowel sounds, incontinence, pain?)

no PCP's up to bat yet...? tsk tsk

focusing on pt...head-to-toe trauma exam find anything? would still like some vitals to note if there are any values that are concerning to go with the repitive questioning. O2 tx, iv as per bp, spinal precautions since he is confused and we therefore cannot rule out c-spine....

woohoo! the ACP rumor mill is at it again. the CBT has been proposed to be ready with in the next 12 months for the last 2 years. and ACP is moving their offices to Sherwood Park (not a rumour, this was from Tammy Leach's last mass update). personally, i had heard the the skills testing was to be held in Red Deer, to maintain centrality and minimize travelling for those who are writing the exams. so glad i'm done!! good luck to all of you who are still running the ACP gambit!

ok, so sugars OK. i agree with squint: repetitive questioning sounds like concussion... but you still havent answered my stoke assessment. is there evidence of the car trying to correct/avoid ditch? (looking for evidence that pt was aware of the accident occuring... is the decreased LOC due to accident, or is the accident due to the decreased LOC? and witness stories?). nothing in ECG?? he's dead! hahahahaha where's the sheet AK? what are my vitals?? pt. needs transport, labs and CT at hospital. secondary survey: head-to-toe, ensure patent IV, lung sounds, unilateral weakness check, speech clear so far?, reassess vitals (BP, HR, RR, pupils - which i shoulda specified in primary)

ok, so buddy is confused. post MVC. minimal damage. considering confusion, difficult to rule out c-spine, so: approach, c-spine, standing take down. all-the-while talking, gathering history (what we can) etc. Hx: LOC? what happened? medications? allergies? PMHx? primary survey, secure patient. primary should include stroke assessment ALS so close, package and get prepped for ALS. Reasess, VS (including BGL in canada). high flow O2, IV (rate dependant on BP, or saline lock), minimum 3 lead ECG, 12 lead in back of ALS unit.

no patient could ask for anything more than that. be thorough, be confident. take 'zilla's advice and KNOW that even a crappy preceptor can teach you, even if only it's how NOT to be. its true, the world is full of horses, but the zebras do sneak up and bite us in butt if we dont keep them in mind!! Right now i am precepting for my first time. I'm still a student technically (I have my diploma, only 5 courses left for degree), and hope that i never have the arrogance of your Ice Queen!! part of the reason why i love this profession so much is that there are always opportunites to learn....new techniques, new research, new tools... Keep at it! you said nothing in your original post that would make me doubt your assessment. I am surprised that there is a charge for sPO2, but i am also a canadian medic, and not involed in billing! up here, every pt. gets sPO2 checked, and i would also check that ladies BGL too. Dust: sorry you've never met a decent female preceptor. They do exist.

we use fentanyl/versed for sedation and analgesia. lidocaine PRN with head injuries. Atropine with bradycardia and peds. succs for initial paralytic if needed. then roc for long term paralytic if sedation and analgesia not enough.

this is an oldie but goodie topic. everyone hates getting BS calls, especially in the middle of the night when we should be sleeping. however, working in rural ems, i often see times when personally i wouldnt call an ambulance, but the patient has no other options. i was involved in a call in which phoning 9-1-1 for a mild flu was the only way a woman could get out of a severly abusive and controlling relationship on a reserve. sometimes the BS calls can surprise us. that being said, for the arsehole who calls for a stubbed toe, with taxi service, we should be able to call MC to deny transport.

Hello, new medic, and new to the site. I work and live in northern alberta. have practiced and lived in southern alberta as well