ut-napishtin

Hello, I am looking for documentaries about EMS. I've done many internet searches but have found virtually nothing. "Level Zero" was really the only one I managed to stumble upon, but it was short and not very in-depth.

If anyone has information about or links to EMS documentaries, I would appreciate it.

Hi everyone. I've wanted a career in health care my whole life, and I've waffled quite a bit in terms of deciding which path to choose. This fall I chose to enroll in a CNA course and I am loving it so far. Over the past few months, however, EMS has become more and more attractive to me, and I'm considering enrolling in an EMT-b course that is going to be offered in my town next year. I've done a good deal of research (in fact, that's how I stumbled across this site) and I have had some good conversations with the president of the local EMS provider, but there are still a few things I would like to have cleared up.

First, some background-- in this neck of the woods, if you say "BLS ambulance" or "private ambulance company," people will look at you as if you have two heads. It's basically all ALS, hospital-based, dual role 911/IFT. There is only one hospital in the whole county and, hence, one EMS provider, which runs from five bases scattered all over the place answering a good 5500 calls a year. Even though the pay is lower than the national average, EMT's (even basics) are held in high regard, and the utmost professionalism is expected. And I probably don't need to clarify, but this is rural EMS.

That aside, here are some questions I have.

Do you ever regret becoming an EMT?

What is the most enjoyable part of your job?

What is the least enjoyable?

Do you hold a second job?

Have you ever felt that your EMT-b course didn't prepare you enough for a certain situation?

What would you change about EMS if you could?

What is the most productive way I could spend my down-time?

Thanks in advance.

One more thing from the Sidelines

There are a good many people angered by this show. Let me ask this.

Do you think that there was an outcry when that Garbage collector movie with Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez was playing at the movies. Was there outrage by garbage collectors?

Was their outrage by the police officers regarding the police acadamy movies?

Was their outrage when Charlie Sheen played the pilot in those stupid military movies?

Was their outrage when Ben Stiller put out that piece of garbage just recently about the military? What about the submarine movie with Kelsey Grammar and Rob Schneider?

was their outrage by the firefighters when Roxanne came out and showed the firefighters in that small town looking like total idiots?

I don't remember if there was.

Every profession has been butchered by hollywood and it's all to make a buck.

And there was hardly any outrage when the parody's of the serial killers were shown in Scary Movie 1, 2 and 47.

And then who can forget the portrayal of male gigilos in Bruce Bigalow, Male Gigalo. I didn't hear anyone from the male gigilo community expressing hatred over Bigalow.

Are we the only ones who were outraged by our being portrayed wrong?

I'm not entirely sure that you are making fair comparisons here. Ours is already a highly misunderstood profession. A "serious" show about EMS with the mistakes, drama, and inaccuracies of Trauma only further this misunderstanding with the general public.

I cant believe this uppity group of wackers is willing to piss on this show. The latest attempt to bring our profession to the publc and there willing to step all over it then try and support it.

You should leave this forum. We are professionals.

As with the previous two episodes, I watched the first two minutes before turning it off. And, sadly, I am left with the same question that has been in mind since the pilot...

What the f*** is this sh**?

I always teach to think for yourself, using your education and intelligence to develop a plan that is appropriate for your patient and their situation, instead of getting blindly bogged down in mindless, blanket "one size fits all" protocols that are not beneficial to him.

A c-spine wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing in the case of a femur fracture. If the patient experienced enough force to break his femur, the spine could very well be damaged.

I learned that off Trauma.

Hasn't everyone?

I remember when they were introduced in the mid 70's and we all wished we could have them, but were still stuck tying cravats onto Thomas Half Ring splints instead because our employers were too cheap. But between around 1978 and 1986, the Hare was all I ever used anywhere. Then the Sager came out and pretty well took over. I applied a buttload of Hares and Thomas Half Rings over the years though.

I've always been taught that femur fracture = c-spine. If it's strong enough to break the femur, the trauma docs want the patient immobilized until a CAT scan is done.

But I digress.

This may sound very strange, but usually I just keep telling myself that I'm going to fail anyway, so what? No pressure. Paradoxically, this relieves my anxiety and helps me perform better. I wouldn't use this as the first course of action, though...

Obama has been president for only a few months, known for only a few years, and has really done nothing but argue with Republican senators and add on to our national debt.

Why does winning the Nobel Peace Prize suddenly lose its significance?

The comment about the Hare Leg Splint is what got me laughing. By the way, has anyone actually used one of those?

A reality show ALWAYS works best for misunderstood professions such as ours. I loved TLC's Paramedics, though a few EMTs were... mildly incompetent.

Speaking of which, can't find the darn show on DVD anywhere, looks like they didn't release it...

I work in a very rural area, but my ambulance company covers 2,763 square miles and answers 5500 calls a year with seven 24 hour boxes (each at a different base). It actually used to be five companies, but they were all merged into a semi-hospital, semi-private organization. No shortage of calls, that's for sure.

I watched the first 30 seconds of the show before profusely vomiting all over the rug. I then proceeded to drag myself to the bathroom before succumbing to unbearable dry heaving. I desperately reached for my drug bag and gave myself a shot of Narcan. In the face. I then found the strength to rip myself from the floor and stumbled into the bathroom, frantically wetting myself as I entered into renal failure. I gave myself a triple dose of epi to stay awake as I spent the rest of the night trying to scrub the images of "Trauma" from my mind.

Don't think I will be watching it again. Would much prefer to be doing ipecac shots with the guys.