LisaO925

There are 5 on Youtube, and a 6th one out there if you look for it. But the first two are the best. I laughed so hard watching them I had tears last night...

My prayers are with his family at this time. May God keep you close......

Amen

I'd rather have dirt amoebas than the water amoebas. (There's a reason why I ask about hot springs in the scenarios).

There was a fascinating show on Animal Planet last night about parasites, worms, and other critters found inside the human body.

This one man pulled out X amount of feet of a tape worm outa his rectum after eating a fish that wasn't cooked all the way on a camping trip. :shock: His poor wife! lol He called her in to "see it" as it was hanging out his bum. He then started pulling, and pulling, until it couldn't come anymore (the head was attached) and then made her cut the thing. And without missing a beat, he calmly described as "it somehow went back inside".. :shock: :shock:

That's true. That's what the FD says though too, they have to be a bit crazy. Everyone else runs from a fire, they run too it.

Like the toilet seat thread, I would give anything to see the pics of that..lol Most people would be grossed out at the visual. I would kill to have a call similar to that once I start working. Then, to take it further, I would want to be in the OR when they remove the seat..

Some of the stories my teachers tell, and laugh at (which in turns makes us students laugh) would probably shock most 'normal folk'. The stuff that interests me, fascinates me, and makes me laugh makes my husband do double takes at me. But I can find that if I shared that same story with someone in EMS, they don't look at me like I am purple. I guess you just have to have some sort of mentality for even wanting to go into this field.

The problem with the question of "can you tell me what brought us out here today?"is that it might be answered with "I hope your ambulance!" or guessing Ford, Chevy or another make of ambulance chassis/power plant.

ahhhh got it.. thank you!

It's amusing that your instructors actually believe that the general public has the slightest clue what "EMT" means. Do any of them have any field experience?

Yes, 1 teacher has been a Paramedic with a San Francisco Fire department for 4 years now. With a total of 10 years in the EMS field. The other has been in EMS for longer (not sure the exact length) and is a field supervisor for my county and has been for the last 3 years.

In class running the assessments, I cant ever seem to find a comfortable approach either. They want us to say, "Hi, my name is xxxx, I am an EMT, can you tell me what brought us out here today?"

When I had to do my first medical assessment infront of the class I said, "Hi, my name is Lisa, and I am going to be your EMT today. Can you tell me whats going on?"

I thought I made that up..lol I see atleast one of you uses the that too..lol

Im a joky kind of person. I love humor, esp. sarcasm. I usually don't ever joke with anyone, or "let up" unless I can tell they would be okay with it. I see what I get first before I give any out.

What happens in quarters, stays in quarters!! :wink:

EMS job ad - 18 to 35 year old male with clean bill of health, no glasses or contacts, all original limbs intact, must be athletic, BMI no greater than 16. Must have perfect immune system to avoid all viruses. Must retire by 50. All others need not apply.

Well, Im screwed then :shock:

As an EMS manager, I would say she's....o-u-t of here! Sorry, she is under a one year probationary period (which means, I can discharge for no reason). I don't need a reason, and why should I increase my risks and liability?

I know, it sounds cold. So be it. It's a business and that business involves lives (both patients and employees). It's called risk management, she's a risk and I managed it.

Life sucks, but in reality she has known she has problems (even before Dx.). Choosing a highly stressful profession is not a wise decision, but I did not choose it for her. Do her a favor and direct her to another profession.

R/r 911

Unfortunately, thinking about this all over again, I would have to agree. Only given the fact, that in looking around in my personal classroom yesterday. Out of the 45 of us there, only 10 want to be just Emt's / paramedics (not fire). So, without knowing any of them personally, and just looking at numbers here. If this happened in my area, there are atleast 10 waiting to possibly take/fill her spot. Someone without a hx of suicide or even any mental illness.

Not to be rude, and the thoughts are nice but let's be real. Is the employer going to pay her while she gets her poop together? I agree with AK if a possible desk job is available, that would be great.

I had the unfortunate event of working with a great medic that had major Bi-Polar disorder. I could tell when they were off their medications. They literally cried about coming to work and the spontaneity of events. Although they were medically knowledgeable they were a horrible employee. I was able to detect their symptoms immediately and confronted them.

I highly encouraged them to leave the field as this is not conducent with their illness. As AK described it tends to help that they are in a stable and predictable and routine environment. Unfortunately, they attempted at several other EMS agencies and have failed as well. Now having a reputation...

Again, maybe we should recognize that this business is not for everyone. Alike other jobs that require physical and mental demands, we should empathise it is essential to have a well balance mental health as well. This should really be emphasized from the Basic level and especially as the responsibility increases. Sorry, we would not encourage students with severe osteoathritis and other illnesses to enter the field, why should we not provide the same information to those that have mental illnesses?

R/r 911

No, I wouldn't give her pay while she got the help she needed. In my perfect little happy happy world, after her Dr. gave her the ok to go back to work would she then start getting pay again.

I’ve found that repetitive questioning is common with trauma, and head injuries specifically. I know that doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone, but I seem to have noticed that the more “damaged” a person is, the shorter the questioning ‘loop’, as well as the time between it being repeated. Know what I mean?

For example, patient A hit her head on the floor after fainting. Approx. every five minutes or so a “loop” seems to reoccur. “What happened? Am I OK?, Who is watching after my kids?”, etc.. Until she seems content with the answers. Assessment continues until the ‘loop’ begins again.

Patient B, severe physical assault involving head and other areas. Blood/fluid in ears/nose/mouth/severe mandibular swelling. His ‘loop’ starts “Who in the hell called you a**holes!!!”, “Am I going to live?”, and repeats approx every 1- 1 1/2 minutes or so.

The more severe cranial trauma (Based on MOI, external exam and LOC) seemed to have the shorter loop, repeated more frequently.

These are just “seems to be” observations of course, as I’ve only dealt with 15-20 traumas involving this phenomenon, so I’m not pretending that I’ve discovered something factual, only something of interest.

So my question is; is there a cause/effect relationship, when present, between the length of time between the ‘loops’ and/or the duration of the ‘loop’ itself, as it relates to the severity of trauma?

Thanks for your time…

Dwayne

With my vast knowledge of text book reading ( ) from the past 3 months, I am going to suggest a control group experiment.

Take 10 individuals:

The first 5, hit in the head in a manor to create the textbook cranial injuries including, but not limited to, racoon eyes, battle signs, (and if your really good) some bleeding in the ears and nose.

The other 5, tap in the head lightly, just enough to create the "loop".

Write down your findings What you do with them afterwards is up to you

Sorry but the employee needs a new job.

Shoot, I should have read this first.

I wish the best for her, and her family.

This obviously is all personal opinion on my part, and mostly empathy as I try and put myself in her shoes.

I don't think she should be fired. I think that she should obviously have some time to off work to regroup, and get the help she needs.

I think that she should seek help from someone who not only understands her condition, but possibly, the EMS profession as well. That way she is given the tools for not only her life, but for her work too in order to properly deal with everything.

I believe that she should be allowed back to work when given the green light by her Dr..And that she should have to report to her employer, for a predetermined amount of time (like a year or so) to make sure that she stays with her treatments, counseling, medication(s) etc.

And then after that predertermined amount of time is up, have everything evaluated, and see how everyone stands at that point.

Nada on my car. My car isn't the type of car that would look good with any stickers on it. It would take away from its bad assness..

Wow, in a strange turn of events the thread is back on topic. Lisa, I have an employee who just started the basic class a month ago. I'll let her know. Which book are you using?

Oh I know huh.. This thread isnt making me slam my head on my computer desk anymore....lol

We are using the textbook and workbooks callled: Emergency Medical Technician making the difference by Mosbey Jems 2007 edition

The ones I roll my eyes at, like DCAPBTLS............

Ooooo that one I hate now! We have just started these lovely little lab excerscies called Round Robins. One TA or teacher and a group of students. You are given a scenario, and are to start the assessment, once you stop, hesitate, look confused, say "umm", or anything your nexted. Finally it was my turn to go up there, people were dropping like flies and being nexted left and right. I was nervous, but thought I was under control. I had to say, "I am not scanning my Pt. and palpating for DCAPBLSTIC." and then say each of them outloud. I went so fast, (IM not sure if it was nerves, or I was trying to prove I knew it, and impress the teachers??) that I skipped over P - Punctures!!! Teacher yells out, "NEXT, too bad so sad, but you forgot punctures" I was so mad at myself. I know I would have completed that damn assessment, but no, I had to get killed about 30 seconds into it :x

I have to agree. I dont ever see me saying that under my breath when I expose a Pt to look for anything that might be obvious, or common sense.

To jump around, and answer a few questions here....

No, I have not had any counseling, yet. They do require it, including, but not limited to a psych evaluation. Then the suregon and the psychiatrist both approve or deny you.

I am going to look into ALL forms of the weight loss surgery. I am one of those that NEEDS restriction. Obviously, I am not good enough on my own, otherwise I wouldn't be in this state I am in. So, I was hoping to use the surgery as a tool, and a not so gentle reminder that I do have to limit and restrict EVERYTHING! I am a quick learner, and hope it will only take one dumping episode to kick my arse..lol

If infact this does happen, it wont be till after May. So, I do have a few months to look into it more, and see what is right for me.

Thank you all for your insight.

I looked for anything having to do with this post, and couldn't find any in the archives.

As stated in the obese medic thread, I am not a skinny chick. I have been trying to eat healthier (ignore the Burger King I had on my way home yesterday from class, I was starving) and increase my excercise.

But, the more I learn about clots, strokes, pulmonary embolisms, diabetes, etc. the more I am starting to panic about my weight. Knock on wood, I am healthy so far. But, I am thinking about having Gastric Bypass after I complete my EMT class. I just changed our insurance (open enrollment for husbands union) from Kaiser to Blue Cross. I've contacted the weight loss program at the hospital that performs the procedure to get more information, and primary care Dr. reccomendations.

My long winded question is this: Does anyone know, or have any of you personally have had a Gastric Bypass who works in EMS. How soon after the procedure did they go back to work? How did they / you handle the strict diet, and constant dehydration demand in the field? Any problems?

I plan on graduating the class, and taking my NR ASAP, then having the surgery. Giving myself the summer to bounce back, and then start to look for work on an ambulance till January or February, and then going to Paramedic school early next year. But I have no idea if that will be too much of a demand on myself, and my body only 6 or 7 months after the surgery??

I know thats a question for my surgeon, but I was hoping for some real life people with different experiences on here (hopefully positive) post Gastric Bypass.

. Take this one back to your instructor.

How to remember the different types of shock.

SHRIMP CAN

Septic

Hypovolemic

Respiratory

Insulin

Metabolic

Psychogenic

Cardiogenic

Anaphylactic

Neurogenic

Actually, I am going to see if they teach it to me. The evil part of me wants to see where they are about that, and well, mostly I am just curious.

I will teach it to my group and decide after (If they don't mention it) if I want to bring it up in lecture and share it.

Yes, that one is an old one. I have used it and taught it. It is great for test taking purposes.

In the field, I can say I have never used it for treatment or diagnosis purposes.

While we are at it, let me give you another one I have posted before. Its been a few years but there are fresh crops here so we will rehash it. Take this one back to your instructor.

How to remember the different types of shock.

SHRIMP CAN

Septic

Hypovolemic

Respiratory

Insulin

Metabolic

Psychogenic

Cardiogenic

Anaphylactic

Neurogenic

Beautiful!!! I am so going to use that! Thank you thank you. 8) We will be learning about shock after midterms in two weeks!

We have lab and vitals midterm next week, and a written midterm the week after.

I forgot to add above that we also are using the Cincinnati Stroke Scale as well.

I have no idea why this assessment, mnemonic, chapter is the easiest for me? The few repeaters from last semesters class (If you don't have atleast an 86% after midterms in the class they sit you down and ask you to drop, and to take it again next semester. I guess in their eyes you are too far behind and will not be able to catch up) who say this is where they started to choke. But I picked it up pretty fast. So, then I started to worry about the shocks, and trying to remember all of them. But now, you have given me the SHRIMP CAN, and that makes me feel so much better.

Read much? :roll:

Anyhow, Lisa, this thread was not about mnemonics, and I apologize for it becoming sidetracked on that minor point. I did not intend it too. I only intended to simply say not to get too hung up on memorization, whether it be mnemonics or anything else. Practice is a working theory, not a checklist. You can memorise all the mnemonics, vocabulary words, NR checksheets, and everything else in EMT school, but if you cannot assimilate that information in your head into a coherent plan, you're wasting your time. So make sure that you are actually learning to use and understand that information, not just recite it.

To your credit, you are already doing exactly what I would recommend, which is to put extra effort into studying and learning the material. This thread was you doing just that, and I applaud that. Keep it up. I didn't mean to discourage that. Just giving you some perspective that -- if you take it -- will be helpful to you.

Thank you very much for your post Dust, you have put a big ole smile on my face. I would like to think / hope that when the time comes, and I am out in the field, the mnemonics will help guide and keep me in the area I need to be. It does help me learn to find the pieces, in an attempt to get the puzzle together to help the Pt. With how much I cram them into my little head, I know I will never totally forget them. But I can use them as a generic / gereralized fall back in the moments of brian farts (I hope those are not all too often)

To semi stay on topic, we have learned yet another mnemonic (I can hear the groans now ) for AMS/ALOC.

Now, I am just dying to know if anyone actually uses this at all? AEIOUTIPS

Alcohol

Epilepsy

Insulin

Overdose

Underdose/Uremia

Trauma/Thermal

Infection/Injection

Poison / Psych.

Shock/Stroke

And I have about a solid hand written sheet of paper full of questions and things I am to assess/scan for in regards to all of those.

Sooooooo, does anyone have that, heard of it, use it?

Believe it or not, I am not trying to be a drama queen, or attention whore. It is hard to hear on here with someone says how awful that something is that I am learning. Yeah, I take that personal, because its what I am given as tools. It shakes the confidence that I have, and then I feel weak. I feel like fingers were being pointed at me, because I am an extension of my school. I feel attacked because this is something so important to me, so passionate, that I am very protective of it. I make no apologies for that.

I should not have used the word "bashed" that was incorrect, and emotionally based, and for that, I do apologize.

There are a handful of people who took the time to PM me about all of this, who explained things better. Also, I decided to read the responses after my last post, and I thank you for those as well.

If I seem sensitive, obviously I am. I am not able to toss out any of what they are teaching me because others think they are stupid, and still pass this class. The other schools I have looked into around here teach the same thing! Changing programs will not change anything. I looked into this program, discussed it with people who are EMT's and Paramedics around here. My CPR instructor who is a Firemedic, and as far as EMT-B goes, they all had great things to say about my school.

*breathe* lol

Ya know what, nevermind....

I am done here

The few on this board that helped or are helping me, I will stay in contact with. I am honestly sick of this bashing.

I paid for my school, and I am doing what I can, what they tell me to, and doing what needs to be done.

I cant apologize if people feel my education is crap. It is what it is.

How would any of you feel if you were just as excited about something, (something you are working hard on) and wanted to be the best you could be at it. Just for others (from different regions, states, cities, generations, levels, etc.) to tell you its all wrong! It may not be what what you learned. It may not be right for you. But for my county, my NR, my school, and its what they want, and its whats needed for me to graduate.

I didn't create the program, and yes, I did sign up for it. But after meeting about 5 (of many) successful Paramedics that had infact graduated from that same class, it can't be all wrong.

Not many remember what it was like to be a medic. I mean, all Paramedics started somewhere, right? It doesn't matter the letters, the questions, or the school uniform I wear. It matters that I do, right? And that I do well, and I help people, save lives, and learn and grow with each call. And, thanks to this board, I will NEVER forget that I too was a medic once, and started at the bottom. I will NEVER slam anyone or look down on them for that, no matter what.

Be safe everyone...

Thank you for the time here