air.stump

IMHO most people with migraines go to great lengths to control their pain. If the list is long and contains antiemitics, beta blockers, NSAIDS, and narcs, etc.... then, my thoughts are that they have tried many different things to live with this aliment. I'm not picking on people with migraines, it's just what I've seen and experienced. I also ask about triggers and their history in dealing with the headaches.

Why is Nova Scotia an easier place to start?

ED, Bob Dole, good one, Doc.

What VentMedic said plus, 9. Don't' buy into the drama. 10. It's the patient's emergency not mine. Never stop learning and asking questions.

When a patient of mine tells me that they have a drug allergy, I ususally ask what it did to them the last time they took it. It is more a matter of curiosity than anything. During all this questioning, I have heard a few surprising things. One of my favorites is, "My mom is deathly allergic to it so I must be." I didn't challenge this statement, I just nodded my head. When I hear a long list of allergies, I just question more. It has been my experience that the longer the list, the greater the chance that a history of Migraines will be found. An older ER doc told me that most people aren't allergic to codeine. He said that the drug breaks down into something that causes a reaction and that the codeine is too small for the body to recognize it? Anyone else heard of this before?

As an EMT-P, you will get to skip ahead in training a few weeks but not that much. What Flight-IP said is true and helps. Another benefit is that a current NREMT-P cert gives you 40 extra promotion points.

I remember during clinicals at a burn center that the reason for recalculation of BSA is that there is usually an increase in % because the size of the burn increases during the first couple of hours. IV placement for IV access and fluids is important during the pre-hospital care but most significant burns received a central line during the initial workup.

The one thing that stands out here is what the nurse said and the lady that died in the ER waiting room. I can see that one happening again. There aren't any fakers out there only people that want a ride and people that don't want to train. All of them are patients to some degree or an other.

Yeah, what Sarge wrote. Combat Lifesavers (CLS) is all of what you mentioned and a bit more thrown in for good measure. There is a bit of IV therapy in there also. It only covers the medical / buddy aid aspect of combat care. Hope it helps.

DUI calls where the impaired driver is uninjured and the occupants of the other vehicle are. Any burn, I don't like the smell. The smell has a way of sticking with you for a few days especially the bad ones. I just deal with it at the time and vent / rant / talk about it after the call is over, with anyone who'll listen.

Life!! Life, do you hear me!?!? Give my creation LIFE!!!! Young Frankenstein

I fly for the military so, my salary is locked in until I am promoted. In the northern part of the state, flight medics get paid anywhere from 36k to 52k. It depends on who you work for. Our helos are maintained at standards that exceed most civilian standards but, we still have mishaps and that's here in the states. I can only imagine whats happening in the sandbox. I can take the easy way out of why I do it and say I was assigned here but.... I came from a ground unit and now can't imagine going back to one. This is probley one of the best jobs I have had in awhile. It seems to "fit" me better than anything else I have done. The flight part, that is. I am now trying to find a place in the civilian sector for when I get off of orders.

I say don't confront her. Instead, talk to her. The difference is that confrontation will make her throw up a barrier and close down all communication. Friends talk. It sounds like you have a decent rapport with this patient and a casual conversation about how she has gotten to where she is might help seek help else where. When I transport patients with an abuse issue, after about the third or fourth trip, I usually ask them why. Sometimes they get mad and refuse to talk about it. In most cases, they want to tell you how they got addicted. When they finish their story, I take the opportunity to advise them that there are alternatives to their life style. If you are wondering if it works, well........ Of all the times I have done this, I only know of one person that took steps to make a change. For what its worth.

What everone else said... AND Smile and show a bit of leg. Relax

I did the education thing backwards. In other words, I got my basic in the military and got my paramedic cert after the military. I then went back to school and started a BS in science. What I learned from the general education courses of the first two years, re-enforced and enhanced what I had learned in paramedic school. Things were crisper and clearer and made way more sense than following some cookbook set of protocols. Education is the key, everything else falls into place after EDUCATION is the standard for EVERYONE. toutdoors, I have a question for you. Are you going to your paramedic program because you honestly want to be a paramedic? OR Are you going to the program to be more competitive for the FD promotion boards? No dig, just curious.