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preacher-medic

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Everything posted by preacher-medic

  1. Could be hazardous to your health if while you are knelt down doing CPR and the patient's large dog gives you the "cold nose" or starts humping you.
  2. SoldierMedic13, I joined the national Guard in July 1999 (I already had 10 years active duty Air Force and wanted to finish my retirement). I had received my paramedic license a couple of months prior. I went in as a combat medic and stayed until our detachment (128th Medical Ambulance Co Det 1) went away because of unit realignments throughout the State. I and several of my medic buddies cross trained over to Signal otherwise it was a two hour drive one way to attend drills. Because of our background, our company used us as casevac crews for the four day convoy from Kuwait to Iraq. Fortunately we were never attacked on the way up. First) Never stop reading and studying. You will need ceu's to keep your license current through National Registry but not only that, it will keep you abreast of new techniques and theories about the field. If your unit will send you to classes relating to anything in EMS, volunteer for it. Second) Always be aware of your soldiers' needs (from the most simple to the most complex). A hot day in the field may require you to check on every soldier for hydration and encourage him to drink fluids. He may have blisters that need treated. You may have to assess a soldier that is sick and or in pain. Keep accurate notes in case he has to be taken to a medical facility. Constantly check on your troops. When they know you care about them, they will come to you occasionally with problems (even emotional or personal problems because they trust you). Third) Use your resources. Don't be afraid to ask for help or to ask questions from more experienced medics. Teach your troops as you treat them so that they can realize the importance of taking care of themselves if they can. We kept a copy of the 9 Line in our kevlar but we also had written it with a sharpie in the top left corner of the windshield of our humvee. We were able to see it plainly as we called in our report. Fourth) In combat you are allowed a wide range of practice (as long as you know what you are doing and it may save that soldier's life) when working on your soldiers. Fifth) As long as you have the desire to be the best combat medic you can be....you will be. Good Luck!
  3. Back in the "real" old days a youing upstart gunslinger would attempt to pick a fight with a seasoned infamous gunslinger known all over for his quick draw. What the kid didn't realize was that if he killed the older gunslinger, he would become notorious as the man who killed him. Every upstart would then be gunning for him. No matter how fast the kid became, there was always going to be someone faster. Relating this to the EMS field, there are always going to be better medics than we are. We shouldn't compare ourselves in that way. Each of us have our own talents and abilities that make us the good medics that we have become. I have seen numerous (unfortunately too many) "cocky" medics that are so highstrung and egotistical that they would not turn a scene over to anyone other than their own fire service resulting in turmoil on the scene. I have heard derisive remarks made from FF medics to private ambulance services responding. After the particular FF medics assessed the patient, packaged him, and finished on the scene they would yell over to the private service to bring their cot. (The reference was to "cot jockey"). No one wins when this happens. We are professionals and should act accordingly. The way we conduct ourselves is of utmost importance. If we act and see ourselves as professionals others will see us as professionals also. I have never worked as a FF medic but have spent most of my time in a private owned ambulance service running 911 calls and transfer calls. Transfer medics / emts develop certain skill sets that include aspects of nursing as well as those taught in EMT and Paramedic school. When the FF medics actually transport, it is usually a short distance to the local ED. The Transfer medics/emts actually have a more involved transport with patient contact that can take hours. The medic must be alert to patient changes over the length of time and treatments given must be documented accordingly.
  4. Hello Everyone, from Alabama. Medic 433, it sounds like our rocking chairs are pretty close to one another ! LOL.
  5. I have been in and around EMS since 1973 when I enlisted in the Air Force as a corpsman. We had a six week school at Shepherd AFB in Wichita Falls, TX. Two weeks of the school involved basic emergency training. We even had a field exercise for extrication and mass casualties. There were no licensure agencies in those days. We received a certificate of completion that showed the areas of our training. As we continued up the chain we received more emergency training. Our certificate allowed us to advance to an intermediate level. We were working in the ER and occasionally made ambulance calls on base. By the time I had ten years in, our level of training allowed us to challenge the state RN exam. (I didn't, shoulda, woulda, coulda). In 1981 at a different base, we took an official EMT Basic course and traveled to Ol Miss for the NR. The problem was that since it was military sponsored, we never learned how to obtain state licensure to keep our license current. Mine expired by the time I left the Air Force two years later when I had ten years. I got out to pursue a ministry degree and obtained a BA in Bible and Ministry, but my education has been piece-meal. I finally obtained a state license and NR in 1989 while working part time with the local ambulance service,fulltime with the local 911 service as an EMD and as a vocational minister. In 1996, still working part time with the ambulance service, I received my EMT-Intermediate license and figured that was as far as I would go with it. I was still preaching and working too. A couple of years later one of the co-owners of the ambulance service asked if I would be interested in going to medic school. She would pay my first semester tuition but the catch was that she wanted me to watch over her young son that was also going to attend. Long story short, we finished together and became NR-EMT-P's with state licensure. A few months later I enlisted in the National Guard as a combat medic and after ten years retired with 20 years service and one year of combat duty in Iraq, I finally finished a Masters of Divinity degree. I said all that to say this: adrenalyn is part of the job, take it as it comes. Don't over do it! Too much of it will cause you to burn out. You will grow old before your time. Although I didn't plan it, it seemed that when I started to have symptoms of burnout I enrolled in EMS classes. It revitalized my enthusiasm for the job and helped me to pace myself. Never turn down an opportunity to obtain more training, whether online, recert classes, or going back to school.
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