HARDCORE CAP

How do you guys deal with deaths on the job?

Do you cry on scene if someone dies? Maybe a young kid.

Have you cried on scene?

Are you allowed to cry or tear up anyways... on scene or in the back of the ambulance when dealing with patients?

eh, personally i continually run the call through my head and ask what i could have done better and why the pt coded.

i haven't cried yet but most of the emotion i've felt has been for the family of the deceased

in my book, you are definitely allowed to cry on scene during a highly emotional call but people can't emotionally fly off the handle. you've got a job to do and you need to stay on top of it. I'm one of the types where when i become emotionally overwhelmed my mind turns into a blank slate and i miss things. I've learned to step back (not physically lol), take a deep breath, and re-evaluate but i'll still run into that issue every once in a while

I don't know what grady does. I just know that every system is different.

When asked if I enjoy my job I usually respond with "I LOVE my job." There are times though when I seriously question if I am cut out for it...After you try multiple times to help a person and they wind up succeeding in their suicide attempt, or after telling someone that despite our best attempts their loved one is dead, or when you get back to the office after an especially gruesome trauma....

I wonder if I am in the wrong field...maybe I should be looking into a new career...maybe I am just not cut out for EMS...I have been in EMS for 7 years now...is this a feeling that will always come and go? Is it something I should be concerned with? Does anyone else ever wonder if they are doing the right thing? If so, is there anything that helps you to know that EMS is for you?

Thanks!

Like others have said, if you're 7 years deep then you're definitely cut out for it. It seems to me you have stress related to events in the job and question your career due to your coping with such events. I'd say to find ways to vent or relieve that stress. Talking with a fellow crewmember about your frustrations, going for a wicked hard workout, taking some "you" time, etc.

For me, the majority of my stress comes from my employer, not the job. Sometimes it's important to discern between those two ha ha

if a patient is in respiratory distress I think that potential benefits of high flow 02 would outweigh the risk of not giving it.

this. not everything is black and white, you have to make a choice and stand by it per your reasoning. personally, i stand by the titration method. I want to prevent a hypoxic episode of 02 sat <90 and keep it approx 95%+

1. fix a patient on a spineboard against side movements? Our backboards seem to be a bit slippery and even if pinned down by a spider strap several body parts can slip sideways. Our modern vacuum mattresses even have a polster between the legs to stabilize them from all sides - how is this adressed in proper spineboard fixing?
   
2. transport the patient on a backboard in the ambulance? Is there any special hold or something like that? I don't trust a slippery thing simply put on a stretcher...it seems it can go ballistic any time since it could only be fixed with the normal patient straps on the stretcher - which are designed for a patient directly laying on the stretcher including a lot more friction between the fitting surfaces.
   
3. address the problem of lordose (the "S"-form of the spine), shoulder supporting, and leg supporting (the body is NOT flat!)? Is there a rule about filling those "holes"?
   
4. make a patient more comfortable for a longer transport? Is there a rule about padding the direct contact parts between board and skin (hip, shoulders, head)?
   

1. to impede movement, straps and padding. we use 5 disposable straps: two criss crossed over the chest, one at the hips, over the femur, over the tibia. if secured properly the legs shouldn't slip sideways. the arms usually have free movement. if you have the hips and chest down securely the body shouldn't move much or at all despite ambo maneuvers

2. at my company we do just use the gurney. backboard on the gurney then use gurney straps. it's rare that the backboard will slide, usually the pt weight keeps the pad compressed and allows the board to catch the lip of the gurney. most of our boards also have texture, not 100% smooth.

3. padding, padding, padding. sheets, pillows, bandaging etc. basically whatever works

4. see 3

the most valuable thing i've learned is to do research by myself and to consider others' advice but not take it for absolute truth

The reporter that got the pic of Jackson in back made enough money to buy several ambulances.

I think we are the idiots for riding in the ambulance for $10 dollars an hour (or for free, as youse guyz in NJ do it).

amen! i met a waitress at the local IHOP that made more than me hourly before tips

i personally don't trust machines. from what i've seen, little, if any get proper maintenance to remain accurate and on top of it i don't trust a machine to hear like a person can; to tell the difference between a random noise and a BP "thump". i agree that i'd like to see a study where it's IBP vs Manual vs Automatic

if i could change one thing i'd probably like to see more progressive, experimental thinking

i stay humble because i know my knowledge base compared to a medic is practically nil. i don't think i'm on an even level with a paramedic or even that i'm a useful part of the EMS system and i fully support those "straight to medic" ideas on this site. like dust said in the previous thread so un-politically correct , Bs are the "wetbacks" of the system. i usually tell people i'm a glorified ambulance driver. when i question a paramedic, i usually learn something in the process and it never ends up with any kind of hard feelings. i'll only firmly stand against them if i know beyond a shadow of a doubt that i'm right but that hasn't happened yet. why Bs don't get along with paramedics on this site, i have no clue. i love sitting around and listening to medics shoot the shit on different topics. i dunno, maybe it's because i'm new. so far i've embraced my place in the EMS field and look forward to medic school, after then i'll probably question medics more often and more firmly

i wasn't even born

i only read the first post but this is my stance on the subject. i'm fully behind getting rid of EMT certs and going straight to medic but i think the fresh medic should serve a probationary period of assisting a seasoned medic in the field and prove their competency over that time before becoming full fledged...like and half and half EMT/medic......from my point of view, EMTs seem to just be ambulance drivers and medic assistants

so in that situation it'd probably be best to escort the patient to the truck then put them in the gurney while in the vehicle?

Yeah, because none of us have ever had a patient jump off of our cot before.

i'm a super newb so that hasn't happened yet

looking at the video, the only thing that i can see really wrong is just not using the stretcher in the first place so the pt doesn't run off like that

Cool! I work part time for them, and my wife is FT for them, out of PM602.

werd, i'll keep a lookout then

Red/ white ambo, or blue/white ambo?

blue/white

What area of AZ do you work?

phoenix

I hope this is the right place to post this sorry if its not. So I just passed my national for EMT-B back in June and i was looking around for where i could apply. While looking around i found a small private Ambulance company no more than 5 min form my home. They only do Mostly IFT transports but i feel it will be a good way to get my feet wet. I spoke with the person in charge on Friday and was schedule For my ride along on Tuesday. Long story short i hope this will open up doors for me and i wanted to ask you all for any recommendations? or feed back. Thanks for reading

i just started a couple months ago and i can definitely, without a doubt, recommend doing IFT work to get your feet wet. I've put most of my skills into practice and continue to do so while along the way learning new things from medics, nurses, and doctors. experience has always been my best teacher....my only advice is not rely on all the technology around you. keep doing your vitals manually despite the fancy stuff around you....most of it will go wacky at one point or another

the free kind

"Butterfly" by Ophidian.......youtube it, it's good stuff

i prefer to judge people on their actions, not on their ability to manage their extra cash. tattoo have moved from the taboo to mainstream american culture so i don't hate on them. i don't really have any desire to get tattoos because a lot of older admin people still partially judge by body modification but maybe someday when i get exactly where i want to be, i might get a small symbolic one somewhere