thrutheashes

That was an oversight in my post. I was off work due to a fractured bone in my left foot. And since I've been back have been having a hard time getting back into the swing of things, as per my first post.

Hey all. I'm writing because I feel like I am in a slump. I just returned to work after a 2 and a half month absence, and I in all honesty have been having a hard time getting my head back into things. I have yet to do a run report that I am happy with, am having a hard time getting myself motivated to do our hall duties, and am in generally feeling blah. I don't know if this is depression, a demon I have battled before, or something else. This does have me concerned, because I love my job, and just don't know which way to go, just want to get it rectified before impacts my patient care. Thanks for letting mr rant.

Definitely sounds like the town I live in. We bought our house in October, and when giving directions to locals,I still have to reference the house by the previous owners in order for people to have half a clue as to where I live. The sad part......I live right behind the hospital...............

I fully agree with there, Mobey. We need to take some responsibility ourselves. That's why we en devour to keep our maps fully updated, and new hires get oriented to our area. However that only goes so far. One of the first, and most frusterating calls I had working for a service was a cardiac call. They had beautiful directions. However they substituted west for east, and we were half a county the wrong direction before we/dispatch/the caller managed to get things straightened out and get on the right path. this despite having the directions confirmed four times, and requesting for the legal land four times. This was all on an industrial site. They should have had that information readily available. They didn't. And no one thought to run outside and check the sign on the flipping bldg. Our already crappy response time, as they were in a spot near the edge of our response area, was turned even crappier because they did not know where they were. The patient did not survive. would he have survived had our response not been more than doubled due to lousy directions?? Who knows. Mobey, you and paramedicmike both have valid points. However why can we not educate the public on the importance of knowing or having ready access to this information. Not only for us, but for other emergency services as well. Yes breakdowns in communication will happen. But are we doing everything we can if we see the problem and don't try to educate people on it?? That's the whole purpose behind this thread. Not to bitch and gripe about crappy directions and people not knowing where they are and expecting help. It's about trying to figure out what we can due to educate the public on the importance of this issue, and try and keep the crap directions and "I don't know my legal land, but turn at the burnt out field" sort of comments to a minimum. To be honest, if we only reach 10% of the people in our area, it would make a change to our calls.

I thank you for correcting me there. However, that does not take away from the point I was trying to make. We are only as good as the information we have, and if the info we get is incorrect, it doesn't matter much about the technology. A lot of people can save everyone a lot of grief just by knowing their address.

We all know that rural EMS has it's challenges. The shifts where absolutely nothing happens. Followed by the shifts where you don't stop moving. Some challenges are easier to deal with than others. But the challenges of trying to help people help themselves has become a sore point with me lately, and it' s due to issues that I have dealt with off the job, however if dealing with them on the job the consequences could be disastrous for the pt's. While ferrying my sister's friends all over the country side, I've been asking for range road numbers, or township numbers, and instead I get the typical "turn at the red barn (conveniently repainted white), turn at he rock, first house on left in the second driveway on the right." Confused yet?? For providers who grew up in the country, and are still working in rural, you are definitely a rare breed, and have some idea what I am talking about. For the good chunk of providers that come into the boonies to gain experience, before heading off into the nicely organised city, you are confused as hell. And after dealing with the third or fourth such interaction such as this in under a week, it got me thinking, if you don't know where you live, how do you expect people to come help? Sure, home phones are supposed to be tagged with Legal Land descriptions that show up with e911 systems, however as one of my colleagues found out the other night, they are not always up to date. Cell phones can be traced via gps.......if the phone is tagging enough cell towers. In december I had pleasure of responding to someone who kept giving the wrong address in town, was calling from his cell phone, and when 911 attempted to gps the phone, it was showing 3 miles away in the middle of a field. So GPS is not the most accurate way either. So ruling out telepathy, how are emergency services of any variety, expected to make their way? Yeah, the directions work most of the time, when it's good visibility in the middle of the day. However at 2am in the middle of a blizzard, I dare you to find those same landmarks. I am looking for ideas for a public awareness type campaign. Something to get people thinking about knowing their locations. So far I'm thinking magnets/stickers with a place to write Legal land descriptions or street address's and directions on it. If anyone can come up with any constructive or different types of idea's please let me know. Thanks, thrutheashes

That joke is completely, totally, and utterly horrible.....I love it!!!!ROFLMAO

Well despite the obvious American references in the song, I think that it can be equally applied to politicians anywhere, US, Canada, anywhere. Because, let's face it, politicians, and morals do not go hand in hand!

and let me guess......you were reprimanded for being on scene too long?

I agree with you mobey! I wouldn't worry about the ability to handle the job, especially if you have dealt with similar type situations in an emergency setting. What this guy did just strikes me as plain nasty, and without reason. I've always been a believer of pushing people slightly past their comfort zone, but this is going through that and throwing them right off the proverbial cliff. I would register a formal complaint with the school, at minimum. Do you know if anyone else was affected by this quack's slide show? Like Mobey said...a petition going to get this crap stopped is not out of line. Take Care Thru

I just want to say for the record that I do not support euthinasia, and I also know that if my own elderly family were involved I would hope to have everything possible done for them. The transfer yesterday just had me thinking from the other side. How much care is too much? Etc. Just food for thought. Thrutheashes

Hey everyone. I had a call today...ok, a transfer today....that got me thinking. Was was 92yoF query Abdo obstruction, going from a small tertiary care centre to a major facility for a surgical consult. All in all patient was in relatively good shape, only major exception being the pace maker implanted in the summer. That said the patient was in reasonable shape...for a 92year old. Her hearing was going, definite 1 person+ assist to ambulate, even with a walker. And this was before the questionable blockage. Cognitively she was ok, but according to daughter starting to go.This is the part that got me thinking. I got into EMS in order to help people, and I love my job. However I couldn't top myself from feeling horrible for this poor patient. Here she is, 92 years old, living in a nursing home, going to see a surgeon for invasive surgery. I know we can't, nor should we, deny the patient the care. But are we really helping her? Or as a medical community have we become so driven to preserve life at all costs, damn the consequences? All of that being said, let me play devil's advocate. We decide to reduce the surgcal interventions in seniors for the "good of the patients". How does medicine decide who they will help? Age? Weight? Predisposition to medical problems? Or previous medical problems? Or how about, better yet, social standing? I'm probably going to get called out on this thread, however I needed to vent, because, for whatever reason, despite the many geriatric transfers I've done before, this one is kinda bugging me. I know there is no right answer to this topic. Or an easy answer. However I would appreciate any thoughts or feedback anyone has. Thanks. Thrutheashes

I\m pretty sure the comedian Bill Engvall did a bit on this very topic. Something along the lines of his plane hitting a deer, him calling his wife and saying "honey, my plane hit a deer" and his wife responding, "Oh my God, were you in the air????"

I never ceases to amaze me the crap that people will make.....or buy.

I read an article here awhile back, I believe it may have been in Jems. Any way the article shed light on why a paramedic/emt crew is BETTER for pt care than a duel paranedic crew. Quite simply, it is a matter of roles. EMT strength is in the BLS call. The assessments. The silly little things like ABC's etc. Whereas paramedic strength is in the ALS calls, performing the invasive procedures, pushing the medications. The article pointed out that paramedics spend so much time learning all the new sklls, that the in a lot of cases BLS skills are lost. I'll see if I can find a link to that article and post it here later. All I know, though, is that what it said made sense. The cost savings are an added bonus, but in my opinion not the only benifit to a medic/emt car. edited to add link: http://www.jems.com/article/patient-care/back-basics-lost-art-bls-care

While I've always been of the opinion that needles of any sort are better to give than recieve, doing I.V's on someone else are way better than doing them on an IV arm. As well, yeah, you may get some bruising, you may get some pain, but it's all short term stuff....and it gives you a connection to your potential patient's, because you understand first hand the difference between a good stick and a bad one. You'll know how much it hurts if you have to fish for veins...vs. those who have just have practised on IV arms.

I think you are completely correct doc. And yeah, I find it difficut to believe that AHS will change thier policies for a few bone head politicians. However, what really gets me here is the complete and total lack of thought behind the purpose of the sirens, as well as the comparison to loud motorcycles. Som people just have no thought process behind ideas they have.