ambodriver

If you look hard enough, there's a video out there somewhere of several AMR crews (Massachusetts, I think) that were joyriding in the snow, dragging some of the personnel behind one of the ambulances on a chain of backboards.

This reminds me of one time we had our regular asthma guy (20ish y/o male, mild resp. distress, no other hx.), and I put the scope on the bottom right lobe and heard wheezing with good air flow. So I stopped and threw him on a neb. My partner blew up at me for not listening to all the fields before giving the neb.

Spenac, was he right?

p.s. for the record I always use the scope on bare skin---my preceptor in school made sure I learned that good habit.

EMT? I thought this tread was abut medics, any monkey can be an EMT, hell most monkeys can be medics too..but can they be a good one? A solid education can help this but isn't 100% neccesary. Especially the way EMS is setup today.

lol what i was trying to say is that being an EMT-B for just a year and then becoming a paramedic just is not enough experience on the basic level. I had a very intelligent instructor tell me a good paramedic comes from a good EMT.

People say a lot of shit in EMS and the above quote doesn't really say much. Experience is experience, a year on a private as a B won't teach you shit. I did that for a year and took medic and now work 911. How are you going to tell us how to be a good medic when you aren't even a medic. That's baloney. Good medics are made by being articulate, curious, hard-studying, critical thinking and a lot of common sense. Skills are learned and practiced but theory and medicine are studied, learned and applied. Any amount of experience as a basic MIGHT help you learn some cheesey skills like backboarding and obtaining V/S, but the power of the Paramedic lies in advanced assessment and understand of the physiological aspects of emergency medicine, not being a tech monkey.

I like it the way it is here, Fire Department based, with single role medics.

The is the stupidest topic ever on these forums.

A better idea is to just set your profiles to private so no one can see them except who you designate. This is if you choose to put half naked pics up of yourself. If you are a hot girl, please don't think twice about doing this. That is all, thank you.

Dude. 20 calls, per truck, is a single shift for us.

haha we run as many calls a night than he does in a day, crazy.

but hey if he likes it more power to him. I'm not a EMS hater!

Granted it wasn't the best use of grammar and/or complete sentences but I was able to figure it out at least.

Exactly. Put it in a bag of D5W and let it flow.

It's not like we're in a big hurry to get it in. Actually, I prefer my patients unconscious. That's fewer questions I have to ask them and then write down in my PCR.

ziiiing

Funny how I understood the first post. The nitpicking here is crazy.

I don't think its wrong. It's insane how the EMS field is driven by lawsuits and litigation. Makes me want to pull out my hair.

that was probably a very "special" officer lol.

by the way did you notice how there was a swarm of hatzolah members who assisted with the rescue of passengers off the us airways plane that went down on the hudson.

they rescued people off the water in their POV boats with lights and sirens? Sounds like a FD gig to me, who else has the manpower or equipment?

I can't believe there are volunteer wackers in NYC....never heard of this in Chicago, it's absurd.

ha ha ha

Hopefully, A & P I & II were pre-requisite classes. The BS in Emergency Medical Science should focus more on management. I wouldn't consider it BS. I also have my degree and will be starting my BS in the Fall. Frankly, I'm looking forward to it.

No, they were not, and neither was his paramedic program. The program I went to had a long list of requirements including A&P I + II. It's crazy how things are different one program to another.

Instead of just getting that BS in paramedicine why not just become and RN or major in biology. I think its a lot more relevant.

We had a student who was doing the BS in paramedicine. It was bullshit, the required classes did not even include Anatomy I and II but focused on classes like EMT-P and B lead instructor classes and EMS management. What a crock of shit if you ask me.

And yes, I already have a degree so no bashing me about it.

Treat, then assess? We've got multiple hands on scene and competent providers should be able to multitask. I don't see anything wrong with performing a quick H+P and assessing the situation before the drugs go in. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that it should be required.

I also disagree that IV access is contraindicated by active seizures. Of course you should always balance the potential risk to your own safety, but you can get lines on a lot of these patients. Not everyone seizes the same way. It can be done and usually it is of value to have access in place for these patients.

Agreed, I will usually always try to get the IV, and from my experience its possible in most patients.

As far as the nasal atomizer---meh, i've never used it for seizures, narcan is another story though.

I can't believe the hate for these nurses on the radio. In Chicago, they are known as ECRN nurses. They write down the highlights of our radio report so the ER is ready and has the appropriate resources ready for the pt. They are also trained in our protocols so they can suggests something if you forgot it (hardly happens).

Yes it can get annoying when you have a new ECRN on the phone asking irrelevant questions but overall they are great to have. Most are on a first name basis with the medics, and we trust each other very much.

Oh yes, there are a number of ECRNs in the ER--they also have pts. Whoever is available to answer the call, answers it.

Wow, why do that? You are not going to have the same action as sux by doubling your etomidate dose. From what I understand, a single "normal" dose of etomidate has been shown to cause adrenal suppression. At one time, etomidate was used for ongoing sedation in ICU's; however, the practice was stopped and now etomidate is not to be given in follow up doses or for ongoing sedation.

I do not think anybody can argue the fact that adrenal suppression can occur with etomidate. However, I am not ready to convert to some other agent. I am curious to see what other studies find; however, when compared to the alternatives, I still like the advantages etomidate brings to the table. In addition, with the push to "stress dose" people with steroids, I will be curious to see how the whole etomidate concept pans out.

I have also been in at least two discussions about etomidate on flightweb.

Take care,

chbare.

In our system, if we RSI with Etomidate and there is a head injury we automatically goto .6mg/kg as opposed to the normal .3 mg/kg

Funny how everyone chimes in with "its disgusting" blah blah. Let them do what they want.

And no, I don't think I would make it a habit of going there, but if people wanna be fat let them be fat!

It's keeps us in business, doesn't it?

And no---I am in very good shape, so don't even think it!

-When you have kevlar vests behind your seats

-When you routinely run 20+ calls in a 24 hr shift

-You use narcan like water

-You get no love or thanks for your job

lol i should order these for the station as a gag gift

I propose all medcis under the age of 27 and over the age of 40 be lined up and shot.

Oh, and offer them a cig. too

That is all.

:roll:

thank you sir duke, and I will return the favor to you. Yes, many ER docs get bent out of shape, because in the end of the day, they do have liability for their care or lack of care, but most hospitals couldn't care less about the ER patient volumes, or how holding admitted patients in the ER for 8 hours, compromises their ability to treat patients well. They get pissed, they have no one to vent too, so they take it out on who they can -- emts, medics, nurses, and techs.

But before we criticize, lets take a look in the mirror. You are on your 20th hour of a 24 hour shift in which you have been slammed. You barely got one meal in your body, you have had no sleep, and you are on your 4th BS drunk call in a row. Is your tone over the radio to the dispatcher as pleasant as it was at 8am ? Is your tone and body language to your patients, FFs, EMTs, volunteers, patient's families, and nursing home staff, as professional as it was at the start of your shift ?

Being an ER doc is like being the only BLS truck in an ALS service. You get dumped on all day long. Other doctors dump their patients on you that they dont want to deal with, and you basically run a non-emergent clinic for drug-seekers all night long in the ER.

Also realize that many docs have never had a job in the corporate world or employment world period. They went from high school to college and medical school, where they were treated like crap and yelled at the whole time. They may not know any better, we do.

exactly, well said bud!

I've always thought the term to be a label based upon where you work. Never took it as an insult to me, my practice, or my organisation. I suppose I could have been wrong about that though.

Yes, I was under the impression a ghettomedic is either a person who 1) Improvies really well due to a lack of equipment, or 2) A medic that works in the ghetto.

I don't really see how people are getting all fussy about this though.

English please...?

This isn't an AOL chat.

You didn't understand that? Ok.......not going to edit it for you. I think if you look long enough you can figure it out. =P

I'm guessing you cannot drink D50, since if it infiltrates that is bad, causes tissue necrosis. So if it is above 40 and they are conscious and have patent airway give them the oral glucose.

:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:

I have never had someone drink D50. But picture this scenario, no IV access, no food anywhere. 1 amp of D50. haha. I guess I would t/p though b/c no food around would prolly mean I would be back soon.