Jeepluv77

I've always said I was a medic when talking to people outside the medical field. To the average person there's not difference between and EMT-B and a Paramedic. We're all just "the people that work on the ambulance" and it's not worth it to try to explain the difference. To most you'd be speaking Greek and would have to then delve in to what every bit of terminology means. As for working "on" the ambulance, we work IN it, mechanics work ON it, but I don't nitpick over that either. Now, if I went around telling medical professionals(who presumably know the difference which would make it misrepresentation) I was a medic that would be a little bit different. So, I've chosen to identify myself as "an EMT-Basic and Paramedic student on hiatus". Which is true because one of these days I'll make it back to school to finish the second half of my Paramedic training. It's on my bucket list at this point.

What I'd like to know is where did he get his licensure? Is it even valid? Because I know of no schools that allow you to do clinicals/fields in full Muslim attire. Sorry, but that would raise huge red flags for me to look in to his education and registration and potentially report him to the Office of EMS for further review/validation. And, if he wore the unifom for school/clinicals/fields then there's a precedent of not following said religious beliefs by this person. All that aside from the already stated fact of him having presumably dressed in said manner at the interview and being made aware of policies pre-hire.

I've heard it said around here, by EMT's/Paramedics themselves, that EMS really stands for "extra-marital sex". It's really quite disgusting. I don't even run rescue and I already know way too much about "who's done whom and where". At least in this area, we can't blame the reputation on the TV shows.

Between the OP's screen name and the situation I can't help but think this may be in my area. Unfortunately, a lot of people in the medical field here are deplorable at best. But they get the job done at least to a minimum level and patients(or families) often are afraid to speak up for fear of retribution. Few, if any, nurses would be fired for this around here. The good nurses tend to get burned out quickly picking up the slack and don't typical last long in the acute care or inpatient setting. The nurse in question would most likely be given a "stern reprimand" and that'd be the end of it. I don't think that this belongs in "Funny Stuff"! Would have been far more appropriate to place it in "Patient Care" perhaps to discuss ways of fighting against this type of mistreatment of patients.

Years ago my then 13 month old son had just been stepped down from PICU to Peds Ward after having been overdosed to bring him out of status epilepticus. His second day there he went back into seizures. I pull the nurse call cord. No one comes in or answers. The monitors are going nuts, his SPO2 reading drops to 24, I'm trying to keep his arms from wrapping through the crib bars while he's turning blue, and no one comes in. So I run out to the nurse's station. The only nurse in sight is on the phone and I ask her to please hurry. Told her my son is having a seizure and needs help. Her response? "Oh, he'll be okay. They always turn blue. This is an important call but I'll be there in a minute". I had to stand in the middle of the hallway and scream for help before anyone came. He ended up being overdosed again and sent back to PICU. I filed a complaint. I never recieved any follow up calls on it and was told they "couldn't release her private information" when I called back about it. Two months later he was readmitted. The same nurse was still there. As was his assigned nurse from that day, the charge nurse, and his doctor. They had all been on the ward when it happened. This is just one example of the terrible standards medical staff around here are held to. I've seen similar and worse cases time and time again during clinical and field shifts in all of the hospitals in the area that I've been at.

I'm guessing you've already tried a Facebook/MySpace search? I can ask around and see if anyone may know a way to get his email address. All military members have a military email account. PM me his name in case someone is able to help out. They probably won't/can't give you the information but they could maybe send him an email with your information and that you'd like to contact him.

Thanks for all the ideas! I can't sending anything fresh made or pressurized. If they're underway when it arrives it will literally sit in the heat for weeks. It'd be a lot easier if I knew when they'd be gone and could time it but, of course, we can't know ships movements. He still hasn't told me anything he wants. It's been a rough go of it lately though. I found this thing at a gas station, though, that says you get it wet and wrap it around your neck and it's supposed to keep you cool for hours. Sounds like fluff but I got one. Figure if it works maybe the family support group can get together and send enough for everyone. They're $5 each and I don't have $150 to spend, though, so I'll have to find help with it somewhere if the whole crew's going to get them. Ideally, we'll come up with enough to get them all two. They use their blue cami's, coveralls, and digi cami's so they'll need tan and navy blue one's to really be effective. Hopefully this can go somewhere though.

You say he "just got back". Is that meaning within the past half hour or so of the call or was that several hours ago? What meds is he supposed to be on? I'd definately check his blood sugar, look for skin tenting, JVD, and tracheal deviation, place a line, and get lung sounds and ecg. If lungs are wet I'd go to CPAP and, if my service carried it, consider Lasix. What is his normal activity rate and, as mentioned before, were there any polyps removed? I'd try to rule out a PE in the absence of wet lung sounds while headed to the hospital, especially if they removed polyps or if he's normally sedentary. Also would attempt to rule out MI although I'd have a lower level of suspicion for it. Was he sedated and intubated? If so, I'd like to think they gave him some fluids as well which would make serious dehydration less likely. What meds were given on discharge for pain and inflammation?

Ain't that the truth, CBEMT! I think we may actually be worse off now. I won't go too deep into my political views but I will say Obama is the biggest joke in the history of the United States. How does someone with almost no political experience, or any other credentials of any kind, become President?

Thanks doc and mrs! Sorry it took so long for me to get back. Been one of those weeks. Always sign in here with the best of intentions and get sidetracked. Anywho, these are all great ideas. And, mrs, one of those links had ideas for theme packages. I'm going to present the idea at the next family readiness group meeting and see if we can send one together to the whole crew. I can only imagine what we'll come up with, though, as this crew is a little odd. Some of the gags they pull are just nuts. I think I'm also going to try to send one really awesome prank-type thing for him to use in each package. Seems that's how they pass the time. I have pretty much zero imagination so it's going to take some research and any suggestions for that are welcome as well. Pretty much as long as it's safe, doesn't cause any damage, and would not prevent them from from preforming their duties as needed(keep in mind they are a Patrol Coastal so they could go hours and suddenly have to board). No body is overly sensitive so it doesn't need to be "politically correct" either. Thanks again, everyone!

Just thought I'd share this since it actually made me laugh. Wow.

http://www.thequoteblog.com/category/geroge-w-bush/

Thanks, armymedic. He's on a p.c. crew. They spend part time underway and part in port. He's decided he wants to be on the boarding team. So, when they're in port, he'll be training for that I think. I know he's getting a lot of new qual's too so he'll pretty much be training when he's not working or standing watch. He does get horrible foot problems over there so I've got him the medicated Goldbond foot powder. In the 9 months between deployments his feet still hadn't healed before he left this time. I'll have to try the one you mentioned. I've got three boxes ready to go. I'm excited to send them. I'm trying to make sure there's enough for him to share of food items.

Thanks Doc and tniuqs. I actually bought three pounds of Swedish Fish(candy) for them. I figure that'll be enough to share. This crew has an unnatural obsession with Swedish Fish. You have all given me some great ideas. I'm going to send as much snack items as I can. In addition to not having access to much for long periods, they are now getting even less time to eat. He's standing 6 on 6 off watches every single day now in addition to his normal duties as an engineman and trying to make various quals. They haven't had a day off since they left. Figure the least I can do is send some provisions for them. Thanks for the support to all of you! This has been the roughest deployment I know of on both sides of the globe. It's nice to know people still care. I definately will send him a link so he knows you guys appreciate it. And, guys, thanks for your service, too!

RIP Retread. I'll never forget your exuberance in the chatroom. Days that I thought I'd never figure out ECG's or didn't know if I could do this job with some of the calls I got. You always reminded me to take it a day at a time, breathe, take a break from the ECG books, and then start again. And that those hard calls that feel like we can't do this are exactly why we do it. Thank you for all the guidance you gave me and the laughs when I needed them most.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the family.

Thanks, guys! I would never have thought of something like toilet paper but it makes sense. And, Dwayne, I'll definately take that advice. I figured guys wouldn't want stuff like that but if he'd like it I'll send it. He and a few of his buddies have a thing for old slapstick so I've got some DVD's of Abbot and Costello and The Three Stooges for them. I figured it's one of those things he probably doesn't even realize I picked up on as it was mentioned in passing while we were on the mess decks hanging out one day. I make sure that I try to include something in every email I send about something that day that made me think of him. I'm still in that stage where little things, like seeing a lifted truck or hotrod we'd admire together, will choke me up but I don't tell him that part because I don't want to make him sad. Thankfully, when he's in port, we have Skype. Even though I rarely wear makeup I make sure my makeup's done and I'm looking my best when we're on Skype no matter how tired/frustrated/otherwise drained I am. Anything else I can do to cover all the bases, guys? Anything need to be stepped up or scaled down? He's one of those guys that won't communicate feelings, tries to put on a tough guy face, so I'm having to attempt to read his mind on this. Unfortunately, I think someone forgot to include my ESP.

They addressed that at the pre-deployment breifing, Richard. We are allowed to send them but were instructed not to include anything "sensitive" as they are subject to being opened and searched. I forgot to include, however, that we are discouraged from sending anything larger than a "standard sized adult's shoe box" so all items will have to be small. I'll be sending a package every 1-2 weeks while they're in port and every 4 weeks when they're underway so I'll be able to send a lot.

Happy birthday, Wendy! Hope it's been a great day for you!

My husband deployed with the Navy on July 6th. I'm getting ready to send out his first care package and I want to send some good stuff. They're in an extremely hot climate so it has to be things that won't melt or get damaged. I've got swedish fish because they don't melt. Pez because, not only do they not melt but they can be slipped in a pocket for a pick me up on watch(no dispenser because it's too bulky). A couple of books and DVD's. Some odds and ends for his uniforms. Now I'm looking for things that would be highly appreciated that neither he nor I may have thought of. Any ideas? I was told that wet wipes, which I was considering sending to help him stay cool, would leave a film on his skin that would irritate after awhile. Someone told me there are cooling wipes made for desert climates that don't do that but I can't find them. Any idea where I might get those? Any suggestions would be highly appreciated. Especially for items that can be shared because several of the guys don't have anyone sending anything. Thanks for any ideas!

Thank you for sharing this, Ug. When I was a kid I noticed my dad always smiled, nodded, or waved to everyone he could anywhere which was odd because of how my dad is. I asked him one day why. He told me that you never know when that gesture might change someone's life. As I've gotten older I've often remembered that and thought deeper into it. It's a large part of what made me decide to pursue EMS as a career. It nice to know what others understand the value of simply reaching out to make a connection with another human being. As you've related, a general kindness that doesn't take long to deliver really can help another get through difficult times. I'm so glad that your dad is doing well!

It's not letting me update my status. And, it's loading with errors. Guess that would be why. Any idea how I could change that?

Does anyone know if this story is true? Also, on a more serious note, how would this incident be dealt with by the fire company? There are precautions against smoke inhaltion, so would it be investigated to assure it was accidental?

Some people are just too stupid to make it as criminals. Now that's sad. There was a guy here several years ago that robbed a 7-11 wearing his workshirt. It displayed his name and the apartment complex he worked out.

Keep in mind, driver, that what goes around comes around. One of these days it'll be you or someone you love that needs that ambulance. I hope you remember this thread when that day comes and realize you have no room to complain if you have a longer than expected response time. You are a heartless jerk and a coward. One day your holier-than-thou attitude will catch up with you. I'll bet you get a kick out of tailgating other drivers, too.

I keep getting messages randomly popping up that say

"Unauthorized

Error 401(or 4 something)"

And it's taking forever to load, sometimes requiring multiple refreshes. My chat box at the bottom keeps giving me the little yellow error triangle. Technical descriptions here, I know. I think I cleared my cache. I don't know for sure. I deleted temporary internet files and cookies.

Congrats, Ruff! I'm so happy for your family!

<P>Thanks for the links, Croaker! I'm going to go read up on pastafarianism now. Hopefully that letter to the Board of Education will be in there on one of those links. I can only imagine the looks on the school board members' faces as they read it. <BR></P>

<P>And, thanks for the official Pirate Day Date. I'm programming it into my phone right now!</P>