Jeepluv77

Okay, if finally ready to start running rescue. However, I'm having trouble deciding on an agency. My options are as follow with the pros and cons as I know them. Any input would be much appreciated. 1.) Volunteer agency(local)- Pros: in my city so I know a lot of the area; once I'm registered as an EMT-I will be able to run on the zone car for my paramedic fields; huge agency meaning great opportunities for network; safer than some of the other cities in the area... Cons: takes longer to be released at each level than other areas; I've been told there is a lot of "red tape" but this has never been elaborated on; a lot of different stations to choose from making it a very difficult decision(each has it's own pros and cons); generally takes years to get a paid spot which can only be had at paramedic 2.) Neighboring city(still volunteer)- Pros: shorter time to be released on average; one is on the same safety level as my local; quicker time to actually running; I can self schedule my fields starting as soon as I'm affiliated... Cons- one city has more dangerous territory but quicker promotion to a paid spot with paramedic; unfamiliar territory; longer travel time to and from; EMT-Bs only run as third man 3.) Private transport company- Pros: paid beginning at EMT-B; good way to get into better paying hospital based jobs... Cons: hard to get a spot and could take a long time; pay's not great starting out and some say it's not worth it; no "street" experience in the process I'm sure there's more I'm missing. I'm an EMT-B right now(still). I'm not sure when I'll be able to finish my EMT-I but I know I'll have to repeat fields and clinicals because I'm going to miss at least on semester. Any ideas?

This is sad to read. I really hope this man is able to find solace somewhere. It's ridiculous to require a certain brand of boots. It sounds like there had already been problems with the boots before his accident. The agency should probably look into providing some form of compensation before this hits court because they'll be wiped out at that point. I guess we're blessed here to where whatever footwear we choose as long as it's within regulations.

Happy birthday, Spenac!

Thanks for all the suggestions. I have forwarded them on and she is really looking into seeing a chiropractor. I've been trying to explain acupressure too. I use it a lot for arthritis in my back(left aspect of T12 and L1) which causes occasional bouts of sciatica. It is still mild and doesn't usually cause problems but on long road trips i generally have to tuck a small soda bottle behind my back to keep my back from spasming. As far as acupuncture, she's keeping it in mind as a last resort before surgery but you aren't going to catch me volunteering for a ton of needles being jabbed in me. Motrin and soda bottles work just fine. P.S.- Kate, I was shocked to read you have EDS. I have a clinical diagnosis of Marfan's and it's always interesting to meet someone that knows what it's like living with a connective tissue disorder. Thank you for sharing that bit of personal info.

I'm hoping to pick the brains of some of the brilliant people here. So thank you in advance for any suggestions. My mother-in-law is having problems with sciatica caused by a herniated disk. She's gone to pain management/physical therapy with no relief. I know there has to be something she can do, short of surgery, to at least take the edge off the pain. Any ideas would be great. They've done trigger point injections, excersizes, pressure points, etc. I don't believe she's seen a chiropractor. She does have MRI and X-ray she can take in if that might be a viable option. Thanks again.

I hope all goes well, Ruffems. My thoughts will be with the three of you. Can't wait for the update!

On my third ambulance ride we were running L&S and preparing to make a right turn onto a road that tends to be busy. We came to a complete stop before turning on the red. A guy behind us apparently decided we weren't going fast enough(I'm guessing he's the type to make a "California stop" and charge out there) so he actually cut to the left around the ambulance and turned right onto the road directly in front of the ambulance. Thankfully, the driver saw this idiot just in time to avoid plowing through him. I was dumbfounded. Since then, I've been more observant of how other drivers react to emergency vehicles with lights/sirens running. It really is pathetic how many will refuse to move, trail them through red lights, cut them off, etc. Add to that the fact that everyone pulls all over the place instead of everyone to the right and it's a disaster.

The long and short of it is that I use it to teach my children as a last resort. I don't use it for other people's children or for adults. Now, I will pull another child or an adult out of harm's way, but it's not my responsibility to discipline another person's child. You take it up with the parent and let them handle it. As for adults, I'll tell them flat out and bluntly about their mistake. They shouldn't need shock value to learn it. If they do and they're a medic, get them off the truck. In your scenario about being about to administer a wrong med: #1 That's why I won't be released when I first get out there. #2 If I'm about to kill a patient and hints haven't worked, call me out. Please. You need shock value, there you go. Why? Because I'm an adult, not a 7 year old. This is one of those topics that we can debate forever and I really don't see either of us changing our veiws. I know what works for my kids. I only have to use it maybe 3-4 times a year, if that. Which is exactly why it's so effective. It's not like I'm caressing them or otherwise being inappropriate, nor would I ever do so. And, yes, we've had that talk on what is inappropriate, the fact that those rules apply to anyone including family, and what to do in such a situation. Not only sexually inappropriate but if someone causes them pain in any way.

Ruffems, well said. Peacefully is the operative word there. There are plenty of racists that no one even realizes are racist because they keep their mouths shut and I don't agree with them any more than I do a KKK member or neo-nazi. As long as they don't actually harm anyone then they really pose a bigger threat to themselves than to society. There isn't going to be a huge uprising against black people because some moron is walking around in a white sheet. However, that moron in the white sheet has put a target on their own back. Hence the term moron.

The best psychologist/psychiatrist in the world won't understand it unless they've been there before. I'd bet this woman has had some major emotional trauma sometime in her life and, instead of dealing with it, has let it beat her down. The really sad part is that there are almost always warning signs but people are usually too wrapped up in their own lives to notice. If they do notice, they generally don't understand the need to find help for the person, which can often be difficult in and of itself. I'd really like to see a bill passed to make it easier to seek help for loved ones suffering from mental illness. They often won't/don't get help themselves because they either don't realize how sick they are or think nothing's going to work.

That's exactly why I do it. Pinching them would hurt a hell of a lot more than the pop on the butt. Like I said, it's not about pain it's about shock value. I do not cause my children pain. And your question about would it be okay for someone to hit me on my butt to grab my attention, yeah if I'm about to do something that could seriously injure/kill me please do! I'd rather be popped on the butt than plowed by a mack truck because I walked into the road without looking. Those are the situations I'm talking about. Not "Oh, he wouldn't eat his cereal." or "He was being loud." Give me a break. I also never do it out of anger, but as a last resort to protect my kids. Now, a question for you? Would it be okay for someone to pinch you to get your attention? Oh, yeah, and as far my kids go I'm not just "someone." Let some one outside the family do it and see how fast they get knocked out. See how fast I'd take out a family member for doing it for any reason other than a true safety threat and as a last resort. By the way, how many kids do you have Mateo?

I agree with you, Terri. On both counts. And there is a difference between abuse and discipline. When my children mess up they get time out followed by righting their wrong, whether it's an apology, cleaning up a mess, petting the dog nice, whatever. I feel pretty strongly against full out spanking. However, if my children do something that seriously jeopardizes their safety or the safety of someone else they get one warning. After that, they get one single pop on the butt to let them know that I mean business. It works because it's rare that it happens. And the point is not to cause pain like a lot people seem to think. If you're causing pain you need to not even try it. The point is shock value from the sound and the sudden immediate correction. It gets their attention so they listen when I explain why they can't do something and afterwards I don't have to repeat myself. With three little boys you cannot have them running wild and not listening. As far as the leashes, I don't like these new ones out now. Even "disguised" as a backpack, it's a leash and it's demeaning to the child. When I was a kid my mom had one that went on my wrist. It was no different than her holding my hand, but as a child it still gave me a sense of freedom without me wandering off. I don't disagree with something like that, but it should be used to teach a child right from wrong as it was with me. Just instill the habit. Not as a way to be a lazy parent.

Being in a military area and tourist area, we get a lot of mva's. The number and severity jump during the summer. Severity due to dui because everyone can go party. Number because it's our beaches that draw the tourists and, obviously, they don't draw many in the winter. We also get an increase in assaults. Probably from the partying and increased gang activity in certain areas. As for me, I still don't get out much in the summer so I actually get injured/ill way less.

Only if you live in New York. Really though, it's awesome that he not only knew how to call but was also able to provide his address at age 5. It does make me wonder though, how do we have enhanced 911 here and New York doesn't?

He likes being dragged around by his monkey!? Even if that's true, what exactly would possess a mother to try that in the first place? From what I saw in that tape, she was moving at a good clip and having no trouble dragging him across a carpeted floor, so I find it hard to buy it that she's too sick to pick him up.

I wonder if she realizes the $70k she's asking for won't last forever and she's pretty much blacklisted herself now. I don't imagine many employers being willing to hire someone so eager to sue. Also, it would be interesting to know if she's applied for even one job on her own, and how many offers she's turned down because they're offering entry level pay to an entry level candidate.

Only one pound and he survived without medical support and was able to cry loud enough to be heard outside that box!? Wow. That's one tough baby. Incredible. I hope he survives and still has a good quality of life.

I'm wondering how I would go about finding a member by their real name. I know it's in his profile, because I remember seeing it when I was looking for someone else in the members listings. I recently found out he is one of my classmates partners. I don't want to put his name on here for privacy sake, just thought it would be nice to say hi to someone from my area. Any ideas? I can't remember the search criteria I was using when I found him.

Thanks for the laugh Mike! That's a good one! Needed that!

The way we learned it was A(airway), B(breathing), C(circulation), D(decide transport), E(expose). If it's a load and go, you do your rapid trauma/medical and get them in the truck. Find out if they will let you get a bystander SAMPLE/OPQRST while you're packaging the patient, if the patient is unconscious. That's how I've always done it. Vitals are always done in the truck on a load and go, whether medical or trauma. For stay and play, you can get SAMPLE/OPQRST and baseline vitals on scene as well as administering meds like epi-pen, oral glucose, first nitro, and first MDI. Then load and reassess for effect. Do they let you have the NREMT practice sheets? If so, read them several times. Including(especially!) the critical fails at the bottom of the sheet. You can lose a couple points but if you miss a critical fail you fail, even if everything else is perfect. From what I understand, the other certs are specific to your state and/or agency, but I could be wrong. BTW, what state are you in? It might help get more specific info from people in your area.

LOL! As usual, Dust, you're probably right!!

I'll bet it's not the trooper complaining. He's on downing coronas in a lounge chair and collecting a paycheck for it.

For the record, I've known breathing difficulty to be SOB. DIB is a type of ice cream sold in chunks coated in chocolate, but it's supposed to have an S at the end. Seriously though, I do understand where you are coming from Herbie. I'll try to keep it in mind as I don't think it's an unreasonable request. However, I also don't see just asking as unreasonable. Little bit of give and take I guess.

I searched the Texas DMV website and www.texasonline.com and neither one gave me anything. I did see that people operating emergency vehicles are exempt from holding CDLs but couldn't find where it said what you should hold. I'd call a fire station and ask. There are a few Texans on here, though, so maybe they'll chime in and give you a hand.

Hey, how come we can't have one of these here? Sim Man sounds pretty awesome. We have an old Laerdal one. You every try sitting that thing up or trying to feel a pulse in the same place twice? Not to mention the electronic voice that comes out of a speaker above your head at the "patients" foot... super realistic...