Just Plain Ruff

Codeine, sulfa, iodine and penicillin allergy - the patient is over 65 years old. allegic to meperidine, hydrocodone, ketorolac and ibuprofen - and they know the actual names like ketorolac then they are drug seeking. If they are allergic to all pain meds except hydromorphone- drug seeker

i would have fired him too. There is no reason to take pictures of the patient unless it is for patient care purposes and cell phone pics are not allowed. It also sounds like they were taken without the patients permission and I believe you need a photo consent to take photos but that may just have been all the services that I worked at in the past. How is the service to know what those pictures were used for, how do they know that these pictures were not immediately sent off to whoever and their uncle. picture policy or not, you don't take pictures of patients without their permission nor do you take them with your Cell phone. You use a company provided camera which your company should have available in each unit to document damage to vehicles for trauma surgeons and that kind of stuff. If the patient in the pictures was in any sort of exposed way, and you know what I mean and a picture on a cell phone was taken then that is just wrong. there are other ways of going about this and taking pictures without the patients permission is not the way to do it. Sorry bout your buddy but he was wrong, and he suffered the consequences of his actions. I'm sure the emt in the back was a dumb ass but your friend was a dumb ass for taking pictures without the patients permission. sorry.

Lone, don't cancel your prostate exam quite yet. YOu and Terri are the two oldest members here and I don't think Terri qualifies for a prostate exam.

I think they answered the question appropriately they say that you need to develop protocols to address this in conjunction with working with your local legal eagles and local law enforcement. It is impossible and implausible for the state of new york or any other state to define this at each jurisdictional level. The answer "call law enforcement when in doubt" is probably the best you will get from the state. But we aren't really gonna take Dog and his kin's word that they are licensed bounty hunters are we and let them ride with us to the hospital right? I certainly hope not. the best advice is to work with your jurisdictions law enforcement and your companies attorneys to develop a specific action plan to handle just this type of scenario. If we go on assumptions and assertions of the bounty hunters then we all are on a slippery slope. personally, I'm calling PD to verify that they are who they say they are. If not I have not done my job by protecting my patient until I'm satisfied that the right thing is being done.

and it also works for ambucabs, I mean taxi cabs

true true but to see a kid arrive on his bike to take care of me would be disoncerting at best. It reminds me of the line from 40 year old virgin, "I hope you have a big trunk, cause I'm putting my bike in it" the ems version, I hope you have a big outside compartment on the ambulance because I'm putting my bike in it. I can just see it now, an ambulance with a bike rack on the front.

MaC's Suck, Vista Rules just kidding But don't you wonder why these computer OS's by M$ keep coming out. I have always thought it was a conspiracy that Microsoft doesn't seem to do anything to really stop it. They could if they wanted but I think that the majority of the hackers and virus writers are employed by Microsoft in a dark end of Area Vista and the hackers are writing all these viruses. Microsoft then just sits back and enjoys the benefits. To continue on the conspiracy theory, Microsoft owns all the antivirus companies and they watch their profits increase by more purchases of antivirus programs. Make money both ways.

here is a email that I received from a tech supervisor at sprint. He urges not to open any email with the CNN top 10 in the subject May be just another variant on these emails that we ALL Know not to open but just in case. "You all don’t need to worry about following the info below – just don’t open email with the heading in red below. The rest is IT related fixing. Sprint is being subject to a malware threat XP AntiVirus 2008 transmitted via the email regarding the Daily Top 10 from CNN Actions: Update the master ticket of 6816359 with the asset tag of the affected system. Use the information below to clean the system. Manual AntiVirXP08 Removal Instructions: Unregister AntiVirXP08 DLL Files: %ProgramFiles%[RANDOM NAME]MFC71.dll %ProgramFiles%[RANDOM NAME]MFC71ENU.DLL %ProgramFiles%[RANDOM NAME]msvcp71.dll %ProgramFiles%[RANDOM NAME]msvcr71.dll %ProgramFiles%[RANDOM NAME]shlwapi.dll %ProgramFiles%[RANDOM NAME]wininet.dll Stop AntiVirXP08 Processes: Antvrs.exe AntiVirXP08.exe Find and Delete these AntiVirXP08: AntiVirXP08.exe Uninstall AntiVirXP08.lnk %ProgramFiles%[RANDOM NAME]MFC71.dll %ProgramFiles%[RANDOM NAME]MFC71ENU.DLL %ProgramFiles%[RANDOM NAME]msvcp71.dll %ProgramFiles%[RANDOM NAME]msvcr71.dll %ProgramFiles%[RANDOM NAME]shlwapi.dll %ProgramFiles%[RANDOM NAME]wininet.dll %UserProfile%Application DataMicrosoftInternet ExplorerQuick LaunchAntivirus XP 2008.lnk C:Documents and SettingsAll UsersDesktopAntivirus XP 2008.lnk C:Documents and SettingsAll UsersStart MenuProgramsAntivirus XP 2008Antivirus XP 2008.lnk C:Documents and SettingsAll UsersStart MenuProgramsAntivirus XP 2008How to Register Antivirus XP 2008.lnk C:Documents and SettingsAll UsersStart MenuProgramsAntivirus XP 2008License Agreement.lnk C:Documents and SettingsAll UsersStart MenuProgramsAntivirus XP 2008Register Antivirus XP 2008.lnk C:Documents and SettingsAll UsersStart MenuProgramsAntivirus XP 2008Uninstall.lnk C:Documents and SettingsAll UsersStart MenuProgramsAntivirus XP 2008.lnk %ProgramFiles%[RANDOM NAME]database.dat Remove AntiVirXP08 Registry Values: HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareAntivirus HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREAntivirus HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionRun?Antivirus? = "%ProgramFiles%AntiVirXP08Antvrs.exe? In addition, callers should be instructed to update their virus software and perform a scan of their hard drive. John C. Tye | Supervisor

this was taken from a news article on the first page of the website. Quote from the story "Prior to getting his driver’s license, Cottle rode his bicycle to calls, and he said sometimes he would make it to the location before the ambulance. " Just where is the ambulance responding from that a kid on a bike can make it to the call before they get there? Plus what was the patient's response when they saw a 16 year old respond to their house or a wreck on the highway via bike???? http://www.citizensvoice.com/articles/2008...843166_fea1.txt Me thinks the ems agency needs a couple more ambulances to be available for calls.

Here's one motto I heard. In God I trust, for all others NCIC Trust but verify I don't trust anyone but those I do I know how far I can throw them.

this really isn't protected health information I don't believe in this circumstances. You should ask them at the camp about this but since this is integral in the care and well being of the children in your charge then you need to share it with the kitchen staff. The parents are sharing this with you and they expect that it gets relayed to the kitchen staff. If you were given this information and took it upon yourself to not let the kitchen staff know this information because it was "protected health info" and the kitchen staff cooked something my son was allergic to and you knew it then I'd be really pissed. In this instance you really aren't working as a health care provider but as a camp worker and I don't think privacy applies here. It is commonly expected at camps and day cares that allergies are freely and openly discussed because this is important for the day to day care of the child. At my son's daycare on every cabinet for everyone and God to read there is a list of each childs allergy even if they are not in that classroom as their permanent classroom. No telling where the kids will end up during the day so I don't think you have anything to worry about. Just make sure you have a good grasp of the camps rules and regs.

And don't forget, the choice church pews went to the highest bidders or highest tither's in the congregation. I believe that John Adams and some of his family were in the first or 2nd row of the church. I can't remember exactly where I heard that Adams and his family sat but it was pretty close to the pulpit.

but when it's your time to go it's your time to go, no matter how many lights, sirens, air horns and reflective vests you wear. I wholeheartedly welcome the additional regulation of the vests but really it's a crapshoot out there. We can mitigate the risks as best we can but in the end, it's the hand of God or fate if you believe in that and if it's your time to go, then nothing you can do to keep your time from coming to fruition.

I watched my grandfather go thru the prostate surgery and then chemo for prostate cancer. He was 69 years old or so. From there on out it was downhill but he did live 30 more years so I don't know whether it was a good thing or not but he suffered from associated symptoms throughout the years after that surgery. Does the benefit of this testing outweigh the risks?

I sort of disagree with dwayne, I bet if you ask 75% percent of the public if that guy whos over there wearing a EMS uniform is an emt or a paramedic and I'll bet you will get the answer Paramedic. It's not the certification that we have to worry about people misconstruing(sic) it's the overall perception that we are all paramedics or just ambulance drivers. I would say that outside of our circles - ems, police, fire and hospital that the majority of the public consider us paramedics if asked. I think that if you ask the next 10 people you meet on the street while in uniform if you are a paramedic or a emt they will overwhelmingly say paramedic. It's not educating them as to us being paramedics, rescue 911 did that, it's educating the public that there are different levels.

Actually I see where you came from. All she did was ask him to move because she said his tattoos offended her. He became the verbal agressor. She did nothing to him. Actually she said to the flight attendant that she would move and let him stay there but the guy had already started down the road to getting himself kicked off the flight. Had he have not become the agressor and begin to spout some words that were uncalled for short of saying what they were which I'm sure you can guess. He actually said that the Nazi's didn't go far enough. (that was his least offensive statement) I'm sure she had an issue with him getting on the plane yet we do not have that choice because anyone can fly. Please don't think I was offended by your questions. had the guy have gotten up and moved or allowed her to move then he would have made it to Baltimore but he went down a different road thus sealing his fate.

Goodness I hope you don't think I thought you were uncaring. I must have mis-read your post. No offense was even thought of. She nicely asked the guy to move. There were over 60 empty seats on the plane yet the dumb ass refused to move. When the attendant talked to him he became irate and used some language that was inappropriate on the plane. The attendant was very nice but he got irate. He refused to move and in fact the attendant gave him more than one chance and he was obstinate. A second attendant came up while the third halted boarding so no-one else would see what was happening. Finally the captain was the one who ordered him off. Two troopers came on and escorted him off. I think they were troopers, I didn't get a chance to read their patches but the did say "connecticut" the guy could have easily moved yet had to play the victim. too bad so sad. It was fun to watch yet scary because this guy was 2 of me and I'm not a small guy.

so how are the roads in New Hampshire? I'm thinking of making a drive up thru New England to look at the fall foliage later this fall so I'd like to know if I take a rental car or drive my own.

Beautiful and I totally agree on the educating the public. I think the more that people are exposed in a community to paramedic level service the better educated they become but in all reality, the public will always look at us as ambulance drivers because, truthfully we do drive ambulances right? We can get thru to some of the people but we can't get thru to all of them. One step at a time. I find that those who really get offended at being called a "ambulance driver" are those I don't really want to work with. I find that they get offended easily at other things.

It only affects us if we allow it to affect us. I've been called ambulance driver, paragod, dumbass and many other names not fit to show here but I don't let it affect me. I know what my level of certification is and I correct people all the time but does it affect the job I do. NO. I won't let it. To me this worrying about titles and what Joe Blow public man thinks about me is less important as how my patients perceive me when I'm bandaging and splnting their broken arm. Or holding Mrs. Jones hand after her husband is found dead in the bed. At the end of the day, I hold my head up and am proud to say I'm a medic or paramedic or whatever I refer to myself and if I can do that then there is NO issue of names and semantics. If you let being referred to as an "ambulance driver" affect you then you are shallower than I thought (NOT directed at the most recent poster) but directed at everyone overall.

Government work at it's best.

there is a lot more to this story than I can put down here but suffice it to say she was a concentration camp survivor and the Die Jews tattoo sent her over the edge. Again, there is a lot more to the story and we had 2 hours to chat and I got a very very very good idea of what she went thru and I understood her concern. Yes I do fly a lot - over a million miles over the past 7 years. I spend 500-800 per week on airfare for my job. I need to write a book or short story on what this woman told me in our two hour flight. I actually have her address and phone number and she has mine. She was a wonderful seat mate. But to shorten this, she watched her entire family get carted off to the various gas chambers as well as 2 family members were shot in the head right in front of her. one got caught stealing another prisoner's bread and another got caught looking at a guard wrong. I don't think any of us on this forum, me included, can say we can understand what the jews and other focused groups went through at the hands of the Nazi's so good riddance to Mr. Skinhead. I need to stop writing and remembering what she told me, it makes me sad and teary eyed.

why are we getting bent out of shape over this? does this directly affect us as providers? Does it affect the job we do? does it affect training, response times, patient care? I say just leave it be and go on to things we can control as well as things that can be changed in our sphere of influence. seems like it's making a mountain out of a mole hill.

the question is, why did it take so long to get this mandated?

Great suggestion CB often times I've wondered what happened to that guy who got hit by the train, then attacked by the rabid possum and then who fell in the water and we had a cold water drowning, you know those types of patients. Also if you are going to provide food for an entire day make sure that you have set aside enough for the night shift crews as they always get the left-overs which if left out there can be some real bad side effects of food left out. continuing education - Topics related to EMS Offer a meet and greet and how about a tips and tricks from the ER that you wish that the ems crews would know. One thing your ER might want to offer is Gowns for the patients. As a former ER worker getting a patient in a gown after two iv's were started it's kind of a obstacle course. But EMS workers, don't let getting a patient in a gown distract you from patient care though. Sponsor a EMS/ER day where whoever can come can get together at a local park or community center for a get to know lunch and activities. Ride-alongs for nurses and docs. ER-alongs for paramedics and Emt's so each group sees what the other group does on a daily basis. It might just change your outlook on why the nurses get so pissed when you bring a really soiled patient to them or why you actually brought that soiled patient to them. (EMS sometimes cannot clean them up) Free stuff is good but it's gotta run both ways. If the ER gives free pens or coffee cups or whatever out then the EMS system needs to reciprocate and give a t-shirt with their logo on it away. A couple of years or giveaways from the ER with no reciprocation from EMS will end that practice real soon. If the hospital does ACLS or PALS and does not have EMS staff helping in the instruction then might want to re-think that policy. Free beer would be good but not required.