tcripp

^^ Yes, they do!

I hope I'm not hijacking this thread, but I have a story of a thank you. At the end of a call (refusal at that), I asked the patient if there was anything else I could do before I left. The elderly lady looked at me and asked if she could give me a hug. Her daughter (whom I believe had some slight retardation) looked at me and wanted to know if she could get a hug too.

ABSOLUTELY! What a way to end a late night call for an elderly woman with hugs all around. (FYI, there is zero sarcasm in that.) To me, that was the best kind of thanks.

Kyle, what are you doing with this random information?

Funny - I saw the comment where you told us you and your wife were off to have a baby but were holding off telling us the gender until after the birth. I kept looking for the update and just figured you were keeping it a surprise. ha ha

Congratulations! She's beautiful.

So here is my question to you, do you feel that there is a point where job pride becomes a hero complex? Do you think that people NEED to thank you because you save lives?

I'm not sure if hero complex is the right word for it. When I think of hero, I think of Batman/Superman/etc who do what they do without expectation of gratitude. Of course, I can't figure out the right word(s) for it. Egomaniac? Egoistic? Egotistic? I do hear what you are saying.

No, I don't think we should expect people to thank us. HOWEVER, it's feels awfully good when they do and reminds me that helping someone is the reason I got in to this business in the first place.

To add to this, when I was a volunteer, it was easy to accept the thanks. After all, I was doing this on my own time and, occasionally and at my own cost. Once I went paid, it was harder to accept the thanks. As Happiness wrote, it took me a long time not to look to the floor and blush.

Teachers, cops, firefighters, EMTs, Paramedics, soldiers.... there's a reason these are called THANKLESS jobs.

If someone feels the need to be thanked for their job, perhaps it's time to move on to something else.

Agree with you 100% - and that's the reason for the + post.

I am thanked all the time by my patients or by the family. It took me along time not to look at the floor and blush. Now I just say your welcome and thats that. Patients are just sometimes just polite and want to say it.

When it becomes expected is the time that person should be out of the profession

Agree with you 100% - and that's the reason for the + post.

A little redirection and a little old, but here is a link to a thread sometime back regarding the same question.

Since I am one of those who has not been afraid to use my name and pic (because I feel I am more credible when I sign my name to my post), I understand your question and your concern. Yes, I feel that I have to be very careful what I say and how I say it for fear that my employer or co-worker will take what I post and use it against me.

I want/need a place where I can come in here and post for legitimate feed back and it's a shame that what could be educational can be construed as improper.

At the same time, I'm afraid that if I don't use my real name, I'll be construed as a troll and then I'm not gaining the information that I am seeking.

Too much of a gray/grey area, and not sure how to get around it other than just being very cautious.

Dfib - too funny.

Toni

(edited to sign my name)

4200 per year / 350 per month

950 sq miles / 4 units

approximately 23 calls per 48 hr shift / roughly 6 calls per unit/shift

some units run more than others but it's not predicable, so that's the best I can give you and we rotate stations every month

Last shift, at the busiest station in our county, we ran 1 IFT and 4 911 calls / total of 8 patients

Versed will do that with or without the MS. Well...that's what I've been told. (giggle)

I CHOSE to read up on the drug because I want to know what it does, how it works etc., and I will get my PDR out tonight and read some more.

You should be commended on taking the steps to read up on the drug and not just accept the directive to use it. (Well, you don't have a choice but to use it...but at least now you will understand the why.)

This is the difference between EMT-paramedic and Paramedic.

That's an interesting situation. Not sure how I feel because I'm not sure if it's happened yet. But, I will let you know if/when I'm faced with it.

But, I'm guessing I would feel the same.

My rule of thumb is write it down as good as you would embelish it when you tell your friends!

Love it! I'll be borrowing that one in the future! (Thanks, in advance...)

Toni

As we don't have lorazepam on our box, we do use midazolam as a secondary medication for seizures. It is used IV if refractory to diazepam and IM if we can't get a line. As systemet writes, they all share the similar properties, so you shouldn't be worried.

However, if you do have lorazepam on board, have you asked if that can be used as another resource? If so, what reasons have they given you for not? Why do you carry it in the first place (what are the indications as per your protocols)?

We have a patient who apparently responds better to the lorazepam than the other benzos, but we don't carry it on our ambulance. So, we are in the discussions of having it added to our drug box as another option.

So, what is the problem with photography?

What is your service policy in relation to photography?

Do you take pictures at the scene?

Responding without reading any other posts...so forgive me if I repeat someone else.

What's wrong with photography? Some people don't have the common sense God gave them to remove identifying information before they decide it's okay to share them. Other's don't understand the appropriateness of sharing. And the rest, well, they do it right.

Policy? We do have a policy that states minimal photos can be taken at a scene with significant MOI to be used in sharing with ER / flight crews. At no time is photo taking to be priority over patient care. Photos will not be included with our reports. All photos should be destroyed once their purpose is served. At no time are we to post our pictures.

Do I take pics? Yes, I do. I have used to show the ER/Flight crews. Additionally, our ePCR has a feature where we will draw the scene of the accident. I use the pics to help me recall visually the scene so my drawings are fairly accurate.

So I should add to my expectations for first aiders: as soon as ambulance arrives, hand over and step back unless specifically asked to assist further on.

Instead of asking them to become passive in their care (stepping back and waiting), have them ask "What can I do to help you?" You know, a friendly reminder of "I'm here and can provide you another set of hands..."

Toni

This is the only part I disagree with. The whole, "You must stay together no matter what happens" puts so much pressure on young relationships.

I understand what you are saying, but I don't believe that you must stay together no matter what happens.

You beat me. I'm gone.

You cheat on me. I'm gone.

You do me wrong. I'm gone.

I just think that for the other things, most of it can be worked out. And, it's the "'til death do us part" part that reminds me of the vows we gave before God and our family/friends.

Of course, I would never hold it against anyone else who decides that they couldn't work things out. Just don't expect me to attend another wedding where the same vows are said again.

Side note, through all the ups and downs we've had...my heart still goes pitty-pat.

Unfortunately I did not get the opportunity for CISD because I was not an employee, it was just my last ride along to graduate,

Thank you all so much

I missed that part. Talk to your instructor and program director. If it's like my instructor from two years ago...I know they'd still offer an ear and a shoulder.

I apologize to both of you if you felt i insulted you. that was not my intention.

Insulted? Absolutely not. I was just trying to see the other side of the story or, better yet, ensure the other side was seen.

I for one knows that none of us are perfect.

LOL ... I am not afraid to admit i have been saved several times...

Me too...

I will say that those times are getting fewer and father between ...

And, it's usually followed by, "Well, you're the paramedic..."

I am wondering if I belong here, am I to soft or weak to be in this field?

I just passed my NREMT this week and wonder should I pull out?.

How do people process their emotions?

There is another thread from someone wondering the same thing. I'll tell you as I told him/her.

1. Only you will know if this really is for you, but before you bail, give it some time.
   
2. TALK TO SOMEONE. This is a start, but you need more personal interaction. Find out if your service or local hospital has a CISD. If not and you are of faith, find clergy. If not, PM me and we can talk.
   
3. Everyone processes their emotions a little differently. My recommendation, in addition to talking to someone, is to make sure you are eating well, exercising and getting enough sleep. Turning to drugs/alcohol/smoking are not smart choices...IMHO.
   
4. Humor is a good way to help get through most of this. It's truly why we do have black humor in EMS. In an effort to tickle your funny bone, http://www.thelunati...ems/rules.html.
   
5. And add these thoughts to your memory bank. (1) Remember why you are here...it's to help people. (2) And, people die. It's a fact of life. My tag line used to read, "I don't save lives, God does. I'm just here to give him time to change his mind."
   

I hope this helps. And, we are here for you.

Toni

Love it, Jake! The other thing I forgot to say is that we take to heart the "til death do us part". I'm the one who cooks for him and puts his vitamins in the little holder...

For the record...I've figured out how my system works. Hoping that maybe we, collectively, might be able to change how new cadets are viewed.

But, I think we can all agree that is not the reason it is not being done, we are keeping the information private to protect ourselves from lawsuit, which is where I see it as a selfish act.

But, are we? No fight here, but how have you determined that...we do it to save our asses?

I get the whole lawsuit-phobia thing, but just on a human level, can someone explain why "not reporting errors to the patient/family" is the RIGHT thing to do (and I mean after investigation, not the medic telling the patient at the time of error) ?

I like the question, but am going to turn it around on you. Would you really want someone showing up on your doorstep telling you that they are the reason why your family member died? I mean, what purpose dose it serve other than to ease the conscience of the person delivering the news.

If you were to show up and inform me that because of your actions, my husband is dead...NOTHING has changed for me. He is still dead. I could sue you...but he is still dead. I can forgive you...but depending on my state of mind, that probably isn't going to happen for a very long time. So, now you've done nothing more than provide me with feelings of hate and disgust when I probably should be grieving my loss.

You, however, will walk away knowing that you did the right thing by telling me. Your life will forever go on as normal and without guilt because you have done the right thing. You will sleep at night and will eat well because you have done the right thing.

My world will be worse off for the news.

Just my two cents.

Taking this from another thread so that that one doesn't get hijacked...and thanks to flamingemt2011 for the segway.

I am what the corporate industry would call a type a personality. After spending nearly 30 years in the corporate world, I am of the mindset that there are always better ways to do things, sharing of best practices is a good thing, and the only thing constant is change. I then enter the world of EMS.

As a new hire (cadet) last year, I found myself always questioning why things were being done a particular way and making recommendations on how to change it to possibly make it better. LOL, this also included typos in our documentation, both internal and external. What I didn't know is that, as a cadet, my comments/suggestions would not only be met with deaf ears but much resistance.

How does your service handle suggestions for improvement or questions of "why" without saying, "it's the way we've always done it."?

Toni