BronxMedic

In Queens, good unionized private 911s to work for include Jamaica Hospital, Flushing Hospital, Brookdale, St Johns and Mary Immaculate (Caritas), North Shore LIJ (though you may have to do some transport shifts there), and I believe Booth, but I'm not positive about the last one. And I'm sure I'm leaving out a couple. If you have limited experience, your best bet in the privates is to apply as a per diem. They're much more likely to give you a shot and evaluate you rather than offer someone new a full time slot. That's how I got into 911 as a new medic. I put in a resume, and about a month later they called and offered me a per diem slot on a probationary basis. I made a point of signing up for as many open shifts as I could, and ALWAYS said yes when they called at the last minute with an open shift they needed filled. After 6 months or so, they offered me a full time slot, and I was more than happy to leave my transport job.

It's a huge problem where I work. I have two frequent fliers in particular who waste our time on a regular basis, meaning at least 3 or 4 times a week. Both of them always come over as ALS calls. One guy claims chest pain from the pay phone in front of the liquor store whenever he runs out of booze and money. The other guy lays down to sleep where ever he happens to be. Instead of calling it in as a drunk, well meaning bystanders inevitably call it in as an "unconscious", making it ALS. I've listened as arrests in my area are assigned to a unit with a 15 minute ETA while I waste my time dealing with these assholes. We really should be allowed to refuse transport to these malingerers, but with parasite lawyers just dying to sue, I've resigned myself to this unpleasant part of the job.

The fact that Mom's breathing problems only occurred on the same day and at the same time he had an appointment was a pretty good indicator. I'm sorry if I was unclear. When I say treat I mean give her a full ALS assessment. She had clear L/S, no SOB, a normal ECG and a SPO2 OF 99% on RA. There was nothing that could be treated because there was nothing wrong with her. And I apologize if I came off as a cynical asshole. I have no objection whatsoever to treating frequent fliers. I have one gent in his mid 40's that calls at least once a month believing he's having an MI. The slightest muscle twinge has him rushing to call 911. I have a mental picture of his perfectly normal 12 lead memorized because I've seen it so often. And every single time I take it every bit as as seriously as any other chest pain call because, who knows, maybe this time he IS having an MI. He is a hypochondriac, and dealing with them is part of the job. The other jerk is a different story, however. He's abusing the system (and his mother) to score a free ride. And although I always try to maintain my professionalism, it really pisses me off. :evil: That's a pretty good suggestion, and probably would help. You as well.

I had a guy that called in his 80 year old mother as a diff breather twice a month. We'd haul all our gear up the stairs to the shitty third floor apartment, and every time Mom seemed fine and would deny all symptoms. Her son would insist that she was wheezing and gasping before we arrived. Since she was over 65 and a little batty, we couldn't RMA and had to tx every time. Of course concerned Sonny Boy would want to come to the hospital with Mom. Finally, an ER nurse clued us in. The skel son had ongoing dental work in the hospital's dental clinic, paid for by Medicaid of course, but didn't want to take the subway or pay for a cab. So whenever he'd have an appointment, he'd call 911 for his Mom's "breathing problems" and get a free ride. By the time he was done, she'd be cleared for discharge and the hospital would call a private transport ambulance to take her (and Sonny) home, where a couple of EMTs would have to carry her up the stairs to the shitty apartment. So that's one 911 medic crew, one BLS transport crew, and a couple of thousand dollar ER visit all courtesy of Medicaid and the American tapayer. Every single time this asshole had a dental appointment. :x When I retire, I'd love to take a job investigating this sort of thing and arresting abusers. I'll do it for free, just pay for my gas.

ART- Assuming Room Temperature AGA -Acute Gravity Attack. Usually associated with with ETOH. FDGB- Fall Down Go Boom. See above. UBI- Unexplained Beer Injury. Self explanatory.

That's the truth. The other day I saw an EMT with the letters EMT-D on her patch. I'd never heard of it before, and thought it was some new intermediate level. I was curious and asked her what the D stood for. She said "Defibrilation". To her credit, she seemed a bit embarrassed. My 11 year old daughter passed a CPR/Defibrilation course, yet NY State has seen fit to gives a new title to EMTs for knowing how to use an AED.

The worst are the tiny bluetooth ear pieces. People will look right at you while having a conversation, and when you assume they're talking to you and respond to what they say, they look at you like you're an idiot. I guess I'm old school, but I'm just not a phone guy. My typical cell phone conversation lasts about 45 seconds, and I've never come close to using all my minutes. I worked with a new partner recently who yammered on his phone every minute we didn't have a patient on board, even responding to jobs. I just can't understand people who feel the need to talk that much.

I'm a NYC 911 Medic and I've never witnessed hazing or any of the other other "stupit" (sic) behavior you describe.

There's always at least 10-15% of any FD class that comes from EMS. The vast majority of people I've known who have moved from EMS to firefighter here in NYC have been EMT-Bs. In fact, I don't personally know any Medics who have made the switch. I believe that's because Medic school is such a large commitment of time, money, lost salary during rotations etc, that most people who go through it are in it for the long haul. There's also the fact that Medic and EMTs are on equal footing when it comes to the firefighter exam, so why go through all that time and expense if you just want to become a firefighter anyway? This isn't to say that there aren't extremely dedicated EMT-Bs, I work with tons of them. But there were also at least five people in my EMT-B class that were only becoming EMTs to give them a foot in the door to become firefighters. As for EMTs I've known who've crossed to the "dark side" :twisted: :wink: , none have become blatant assholes, but there is usually a bit of tension. When I run into them on jobs, they'll give me a nod or a quiet "sup?", but usually no more than that. In the "us against them" world of NYC EMS and firefighters, they're definitely "them" now.

It's true that Transcare runs EMS in many of the voluntaries, especially in the Bronx. They have Bronx Lebanon, Montefiore, and Einstein to name a few. I worked for Transcare as an EMT-B, and they should be avoided like the plague. They are profit-driven corporate healthcare at it's worst. They cut corners at every opportunity, and have no respect for their employees. You're better off with voluntaries that run their own EMS like Columbia Presbyterian or even the Catholic hospitals under St Vincent's. I've found them to be less restrictive than working for FDNY, although you are still working under FDNY supervisors, and most pay better too. I now happily work for a voluntary, though I won't say which one. I've seen people get jammed up for things they thought were said anonymously in forums. Overall, I do have to agree that NYC isn't the best place to work EMS. The lack of both salary and respect can be frustrating at times in a city where firefighters are worshiped as America's heroes and consider Paramedics and EMTs to be "ambulance drivers". I personally know a FDNY EMT-B crew who needed a facilities break and found the ambulance bay at the ED jammed with buses and supervisors on a busy night. Rather than add to the crowd, they decided to try the firehouse around the corner. After ringing the bell and respectfully asking to use the bathroom, they were denied. The firefighter who answered the door told them that civilians weren't permitted in the firehouse, while his idiot buddies laughed in the background. Frustrating, to say the least.