ambodriver

Life as a paramedic is what you make of it. Just like the life of anyone working any kind of job.

There are a lot of services that pay shit. Non-emergency and for profit ambulance services.

A snapshot of my life as a medic. I work 24 hours and then im off for 72. I make a good wage and will retire with a pension.

ymmv

I usually get into a room immediately, most times I place patients in the waiting room and give the triage RN a heads up.

When I worked on the privates we could wait an hour or so. Pretty stupid.

Yes bring something to the firehouse on your first day.

Don't do dunkin donuts do bakery donuts.

Don't listen to paramedicmike he just wants to put ya down. Good luck and keep an open mind. Ask a lot of questions and don't be cocky. Wash some dishes and read your books.

Make the call to DCFS, I am sure you already have since we are mandated too. (At least where I am from)

After that drop it. You cannot get involved emotionally with this shit. I know some people don't want to hear me say it...I know I am not liked here, but you have to separate. Or else you will go crazy.

If you are questioning the tube, and you cannot confirm it just pull it out. What's wrong with bagging? So many medics have this ego about ET tubes its pretty sick.

imagine being the first in on something like this.

makes you appreciate the retarded easy fever/sore throat calls we get.

It could be something like this.

I hugged my toddlers today.

RIP kiddos

Most useless parameter in emergency medicine....

whining about this? Get over yourself, and drive me to the hospital mofo! I don't wanna miss lunch....

I think he was joking on that. Ive heard other medics make similiar jokes with NaChl.

Ive heard the arm drop test isnt all that effective. Especially if the patient is experienced with the test.

Are you referring to arm drop on the face or the crotch? Ive heard about both of these tests. (Having never seen either one done I dont know if its just a joke or if its an actual test)

Never tried crotch drop, i usually go on the face. Are they getting on to our trade secrets?

Well, whoever put it to you like that is an asshole. Like the private services, FD's also have assholes.

The privates are a good starting point to learn the ambo and the ins and outs of the equipment etc.

911 is another beast.....when I have students with no private experience I always cringe. I hate having to teach the stretcher/stair chair and the courtesy that is expected from the young guys in this field.

Don't dwell on it. Try not to argue with preceptors even if you have a big disagreement. You'll turn out just fine: this isn't the field for the thin skinned.

Good luck

arm drop test can rule these out.....

Then get everyone out of the room and tell 'em to get up and walk to the ambo!

I have built a disconnect between my patients and I. I Think this job opens us up to what really happens in the world, that things go wrong and sometimes nothing you can do nothing, on the job or off the job. Sometimes I think about the most tragic patients (kids etc) but it is just a reaffirmation of how cruel the world is and that are really no rules.

So far the "stress" of trauma and tragic events has not effected me in any sort of detrimental way.

The video: It was interesting but too slow and too many pauses...I think to catch some drama, I would have sped it up and go to the point more quickly. I'm no Tim Burton though, thanks for sharing. I can relate to the guys who always talk about EMS/Fire/Trauma, very annoying. Some people use this job as an identity i,e, zero to hero complex.

Thanks for sharing,

and although i may have fanned the flames I have clearly stated there are 0 volunteer oppurtunities to do 911 in the Chicago land area.

The ER would be your best bet...contingency part time with no required hours. The new childrens ER is hiring paramedics, not sure if you have the cert yet. They pay around 20 bucks an hour or so.

Good luck

Don't matter where you are from, your in in the windy city now, and we don't have volunteers. In order to be a CFD medic you have to pass the whole process, medical, physical, PAT abd then gruel through the academy. You come out tough and ready for Chicago. No volunteer is going to do that. Your best bet to do what you'd like is to work a part time job at an ER. I can't say I reccomend working at a private.

Comparing EMS in Chicago VS NY as far as career goes, there isn't a comparison. NY is an obvious cluster fuck. God bless those FDNY medics though. I heard some don't even have firehouse, that they post on corners in their rigs....and that mutiple agencies work 911 including volunteers/scabs who steal jobs. Yikes.

Good luck.

......wow

Let them honor their dead however they choose. Absurd to even bash this.

Volunteers are unheard of in Chicago. Why not just a part time job with a private? You will be a taxi cab taking people to dialysis.

If you really want to hone "skills" work in an ER.

I'm not sure why'd you volunteer your time instead of getting paid for it. To me, that is stupid.

Chicago doesn't take voluneets. In order to get hired you have to test and go through there academy. Why would thy let a joe schmoe off the street to work for free when it is a career department? It's silly to think about.

Chicago FD/EMS pays extremely well and offers good benefits. To become a Fireman you'd have to test, and there won't be any testing soon. To be a Paramedic you'd have to get your name on the paramedic list (be a paramedic first)...that list won't open for another 5+ years.

Good luck

source: Chicago Paramedic

I'm a big fan of the walk to the ambulance, unless the extertion from the walk will make the pt. worse off. Or if an injury prevents walking or (safe walking).

I do work in a high volume inner city area though, if that means much.

First off....sounds like you did a great job on this call.

Good work!!

Second, I also would not have given the NTG, I don't see the benefit in this situation.

Again, great job!

Sorry? Are you fucked in the head or are you actually serious? I can't tell through the extreme fail it's just too strong mate!

Of course the service dogs are properly trained.

Lets not worry about it? Would you not worry about taking some other essential piece of equipment for the patient? Would you not take Grandpa's wheelchair?

Hey calm down there. I don't give two shits what ya think when you talk to me like that.

My reasoning is sound and nothing you are saying will really change my mind. I'm not taking a dog in the back of my ambulance. I don't know how that dog will respond to me. It doesn't speak english....

I'd call PD/Animal control with my radio. I hardly see how this is such a big deal. The dog won't be doing him any good in the back of an ambulance in an emergency.

I'm not taking a dog in my rig. Who knows how that dog can react? I don't know anything about this animal, is it properly trained etc etc. What if it goes berserk while I'm starting an IV on the pt., thinking I'm harming him? Find someone else to transport the animal. If you called 911, and have a true emergency, lets not worry about your dog.

If it wasn't a true emergency, take a cab, and your dog to your doctor.

I'm not trying to be mean. I understand these service dogs are a great help to people, however in a 911 situation wo gets in the rig is up to the medics on scene.

edit: I'd have PD transport the dog

I would have to be convinced that the palpitations and nausea are in fact from some sort of arrhythmia. Any of the antiarrhythmics we would give in this case could potentially complicate the picture or worsen the arrhythmia. I would not give an antiarrhythmic in the prehospital setting for someone with palpitations and nausea. If the patient's pacemaker has an AICD function, this would make me even less likely to administer an antiarrhythmic drug. The history is complex enough (and complaint ongoing for long enough) that I am shying away from wanting to "fix" the problem right away. I know that's not the question you asked (which Bieber answered very intelligently), but the thread has strayed into treatment territory.

'zilla

i concur. If the patient in this scenario is normotensive as you said I would shy away from any medicine based treatment. Too much could go wrong.

As far as determining whether the above pt.'s rythm is VT or not, a 12 lead could help paint that picture.

I'd be looking at axis deviation and other suggestive signs in a 12 lead.

I never understood EMS's fascination with helicopters. I live in a very large city, a chopper is never needed on a scene. I did do a ride on one though while I was in school. I almost shit myself, so scary! Yes, I'm a bitch.

I have to agree crapmagnet, private services are the wave of the future, as the economy worsens. AMR and RM can usually provide EMS at half the price of county services who pay people to sleep.

are you being sarcastic? The paid to sleep stuff is such BS. My all time record ins 28 calls in a 24 hour shift. Wanna come do ride time with me and see if you can even hang?

You know man, we all get that you have your deep seated Liberal hatred of the privates, but if you want to be taken seriously you should really make some effort to support these types of statements.

Dwayne

I work an 8 hour shift every few months for a private to be part of a different system and too see how things are over there. The nursing home residents who frankly have no reason to be in the nursing home. The so called pysch facilities with felons living in them. The so called pysch facilities where the same pt. population gets sent out for pysch. evals once a month.... It's obvious fraud. And yes I hate privates, but that is only because of my experience with them in this area. Maybe they are better elsewhere.

The nursing homes sends the pt. out for a pysch eval. because a pt. acts up. I went to a NH where the RN/LPN/volunteer/whatever at the desk told me the pt. wanted to "kill himself". When I walked into the room the pt. had an obvious mental impairment and couldn't even talk. These pts get shuffled around for a profit.

The ambo company profits

The doctor the pt. gets sent out to profits

Having them leave the facility makes the medicare timer restart so they profit as well.

It is soooo blatant and obvious it makes me want to vomit.

Yep, pretty stupid statement all right. I work for the evil empire in a flagship division and I am proud of it and them. We are an example of unparalleled professionalism and fiscal responsibility that is enforced by the market. Unlike fire departments who are now at the mercy of city councils, and volly squads at the mercy of vollies, we keep doing what we do. I will be the first to admit that a high degree of scrutiny by regulatory bodies and the public are absolutely necessary to keep the profit motive in check; but hey, our country is founded on a system of checks and balances, and when it works it is a beautiful thing.

Transparency in operations would prevent a lot of this BS.

Do you work for superior ambulance based in elmhurst il? That is the evil empire in this area. They don't do any 911. They do inter-facility transports. Turnover is high. Pay is just above poverty level. Benefits are horrible and there is no pension. While I am sure there are many good medics at superior, 911 response (which is fire based around here) generally runs circles around their crews. They have an in system medic school where people do their ride time on the privates, never doing 911 responses. You can works 5 years from Basic to Medic and never work an arrest, never intubate anyone or never work on a peds. pt.

I am glad you are proud of your work. I'm sure you are a great medic, however the widespread fraud that private ambulance companies in this area commit (as described in most above) is sickening.

Fraud is the norm for all the privates in the chicago land area as well. It's pretty sick