fakingpatience

I agree that they look sloppy and unprofessional, unfortunately that is what my uniform calls for. I was hoping to buy a better one then the one I was provided with so it could look a little better. Richard: Yes, uniforms are provided, but only a minimal amount. I usually work 4-5 days a week and the uniforms I have are starting to get worn out. I also want to be lazy and not need to do laundry so often, hence the need for more uniforms. I'm thinking that maybe Game changed the design/ make of their job shirts because everyone at my work wears them out very quickly, the sleeves start falling apart and random holes appear in the material I have seen a job shirt that is more of a fleece fabric which is more fitted (I am female) and looks better, I was hoping someone might know what brand that would be so I can get one.

Hello All My work uniforms are starting to fall apart and look unprofessional, so I am looking at buying some new stuff out of pocket. Any opinions on which pullover job shirts are best ? I currently have a Game brand one, and the fit was sloppy from the start, and the seems are starting to come apart. I am looking at this one from Blauer http://www.blauer.co...ce-Pullover/112 Or this 5.11 one http://uniformxpress...4-zip-job-shirt And If you've used a job shirt pullover and liked/ didn't like it please write here so I can get some opinions before I decide which to buy Thanks!

I work for a private company with a union. As a disclaimer, I should note that I've never worked for a different EMS company, so I can't compare it to anything but what I've heard. Most of this is about the contract, which our union negotiated with the company. I believe having a union and a contract go hand in hand. Pros: Management has to treat everyone equally. Equal rules. Everyone gets the same amount of call ins allowed before they get fired. Reduces favoritism. Your job is more protected, can't just be fired at will. Everyone is treated equally Cons: Everyone is equal. Doesn't matter how much you put into your job, if you come in, do your job without issue, you will slide by. No rewards for outstanding performance. Management likes to pull the 'its in the contract' card. Silly rules, where you have to play with words or find loopholes in the contract to get things done. They have to treat everyone equally. For example, we are ridiculously short on medics, always are, but the company won't support basics going through medic school either by helping with scheduling of work to get to class, or monetarily. They say that to be equal, they would have to help everyone with any school, and they can't do that, so they don't do it at all. I did hear that the union negotiated higher pay with this past contract, but we also lost a lot of freedom with it. (Sorry if theres any spelling issues, I'm having issues with my spell check)

I had a doctor tell his patient that she would get seen in the ER faster if she went by ambulance vs private vehicle while we were standing right there. So yes, at least some doctors are under that impression. Personally when people tell me they took an ambulance to the ER simply because it would get them seen faster, I love walking them out to the waiting room to wait with everyone else (with triage nurse approval of course). While not specifically doctors offices, I wish that more people would understand that there are more options then only going to the ER via ambulance or staying home (with going via personal vehicle or going to an urgent care being other ideas). How often do you guys run into the situation that doctors fail to tell their patients that they are being sent via ambulance to the ER? We have a couple urgent care places in our area that are notorious for that, and the patients are always blind-sighted when we arrive.

Mild distress as in she's anxious, or something else? Other Cincinnati stroke scale signs? Any aphasia? How long ago did it start/ did someone notice it? Any recent trauma? Any family hx of seizures? Was someone with her when symptoms started to get a good story of what preceded the symptoms (was it slow, affecting only one area first, or all at once, any seizure activity seen?) Are symptoms changing currently/ getting better/ worse?

NYS does not accept reciprocity from NREMT. They do however accept reciprocity from some states. I have no idea where FL stands in the eyes of the EMS council of NY; your best bet is to call the office and find out if they will accept a FL state EMT-B certificate to transfer over to NYS or if they will require you to redo some of your education.

Exactly! This is pretty much what I was attempting to say, but much more eloquent In my experience, "practicum" time in basic school is a joke, only meant to show you what a day in EMS can be like, not actually teach you anything or provide an opportunity to utilize what you are learning in school.

I think the answer depends a lot on your self, and how long you take to get comfortable with your skills. Personally, I will have been an EMT for 2 years before I start medic school in the fall. By comfortable I don't just mean knowing your skills, I mean being confident in yourself that you can handle a call and be in charge of everyone else on scene. I found a great volunteer place to start out with where I volunteered doing actual shifts (vs on call) w/ great people who were very experienced in EMS. I then moved and got a paid job at a different company. In both places I worked with medics, so in addition to using my BLS skills (both running BLS calls and assists on ALS calls) I got to see ALS calls being run, and ask questions of my partners afterwards. This exposure to ALS has helped me learn a lot more then what I simply learned in basic school, and is giving me a good foot up for medic school (I hope!). Also, when I started as an EMT, I was very nervous on calls and interacting with patients, now that is second nature, and one less thing I will need to worry about figuring out how to do when I am figuring out how to be a medic. As someone (I think Dwane?) said, if you are going to be an EMT first, it is important to look at the place you plan on getting the experience to make sure it is the kind of base you will be wanting to build upon.

Try and find a phone number to contact someone in the NV office. Some states allow you to apply for reciprocity based on special circumstances, which sometimes includes applying for EMT jobs in the area.

Would you have been happier if I stated that the comment by the poster came off as ethnocentric, or derogatory towards Haitians? Either way, the point was made, and I would respect yours much more if you had not felt the need to take to insulting me in your post. Also, STFU, really? I thought this was a professional forum...

Very cool tattoo! Any special meaning behind it? The design looks very pacific islander...

-1 for your racist comment which has no place in this forum. (Really, do you feel your post benefited from giving the CNA a race?)

It depends on what state you live in. In all states, you will have to pass at least a state test to become certified to be an EMT. Some states accept the NREMT test in place of a state test, some its in addition. EMT-B and EMT-1 (number 1) are the same I believe. Can't remember which states use EMT-1 EMT-2 and EMT-3 as names for their levels EMT-B is a lower level then EMT-I (letter).

In my two different systems we had different protocols In my old system bleeding control was 1. Direct pressure 2. Tourniquet/ quick clot (depending on location of wound) My new system: 1. Direct pressure 2. Pressure point 3. Tourniquet. BUT we don't carry and official tourniquets, so you have to make shift one... I believe the new research showed that a tourniquet for a short (I believe w/ in 5 hours) amount of time is actually not as detrimental as once believed to the pt, and so you might as well skip to that vs. attempting a pressure point.

Sometimes volunteer departments can be ridiculous to get into, with how slow their application process is. Case and point, I applied to two volunteer EMS agencies (one ambulance corp, and one FD) and a month later when my cert. transferred to my new state I put in an application to two paid EMS agencies. I got offered a job at both paid agencies before I heard back from either volunteer opportunity...

Troll? Post copied from one earlier in the thread...

Thanks everyone. It is nice to know just that other people have 'been there' and gotten through it staying in EMS. After much searching (because they don't have anything about it online) I found a sports team here that I will love practicing with, and that is sure to help me distress! I also am going to talk to the HR person at my work about a few of the personnel issues I've been having, because some people are making it miserable for me at work, and I am hoping that we can actually get it resolved (I have tried talking to the people and it got worse ) So hopefully things will be on the upswing here soon!

I thought I asked the questions after the calls, but according to what they told my friends (no one will say things to people's face here) I asked a few during calls. I know in my head that I'm not supposed to ask the questions on scene of a call/ around others, and as I said, that is one of the things I am making a conscious effort now about. Also, it has been more of the new medics, who are less sure of themselves that I have been annoying with it then the ones who have been medics for a while. Lonestar, I agree that I need to make friends outside of work, I am just having trouble doing that. I guess before now I was always in school, and my friends were either from school, a sports team, or one of my jobs. Now all I have is work, no sports teams or school, which are nice easy places to meet people, I need to figure out how other 'adults' find friends.

I'm not quite sure where to start this. Right now I am worried because I'm not sure if I am actually depressed, or if this will pass soon. Let me start at sorta the beginning. About 7 months ago I moved across country, the main reason was to get a paid EMS job. I have been working at my current EMS company as an EMT for about 6 months now. I love being an EMT, and EMS is something I really think I am passionate about and want to make my career, but not here. My current job is just that, a job, not a career. However, it is a really good set up to be able to go to medic school in the fall and finish next year, then move on. My trouble now is coming from my coworkers. I have a couple people I work with who I consider friends, but I have also managed to get people here who don't like working with me, and a few who strongly dislike me, and are consistently rude. My friends at work asked other people what their problem with me is, and basically it boils down to me being too assertive and asking to many questions. I ask questions so I can learn more, but I guess I am coming off wrong, and it sounds like I am questioning people's judgement on calls. I am making a conscious effort to change that, thinking even more before I speak, but I don't know how well it is working- it is difficult to change people's minds when they are already made up about you. Honestly, right now, while I know I need to hear constructive criticism, and what I can change, I need to hear what I am doing right. I am getting so frustrated being around people who dislike me, it is making me dislike my job (I am a person who seeks the approval of others...). I go out of my way to pick up overtime with people who I get along well with so I can have a good shift and remember why I like my job. But for the day to day, I constantly feel 'down' at work, and not as happy as I used to be. I think another problem is I really don't have a life outside of work here. I don't know anyone else (it is hard to meet new people outside of work when you just randomly move to another place!) so I am more invested in my job then most people here are. I guess I don't really know what kind of advise I am looking for, just wanted to get this out there to see if anyone had any words of wisdom

Off topic, but as I pointed out before, please please please use the correct term. It is Asian, NOT oriental! (sorry, it just always irks me when I see the term oriental used, I know it is not used in malice, but still...)

So, trying to get slightly back on topic, Wendy I also would have been uncomfortable with the skits. I doubt that your instructor had bad intensions, but acting out the skit as you said, reinforces the stereotypes. While it is important to point out some cultural norms, such as "religious muslims" (not, not all middle easterners) are typically very modest, or how many cultural groups have a different concept of time, different then our American idea of everything being at an exact time and punctuality essential. Perhaps they could have given you suggestion for how to deal with different issues that may come up while dealing with people of different ethnicities. Also important is learning politically correct terms for 'labeling' different groups. People don't typically mean badly, they are just ignorant of correct terms. Now that I have said that, I am pretty sure I have pointed this out before, but Oriental is NOT the term you want to be using, it is Asian.

As other people have said, one of the most important things you can do is to not be afraid/ to proud to ask questions! Find the person who likes their job, is competent, treats others well, and wants to teach, and stick to them. It might not be your FTO (hopefully you should have an FTO time), but having a good mentor when you start this job is essential. Look at it this way, there always has to be a youngest at the company. In your post it seems you recognize that you will be lacking some of the life skills others have, simply from experience, and honestly I would rather work with someone who recognizes their short comings than someone who thinks they know everything and are Gods gift to the world. I am the youngest at my company, but no one usually believes me when I tell them my age, because I don't behave irresponsibly like many 21 year olds. If you do go and party and such, don't brag about it at work, it will not get you respect from your coworkers. Someone said that your coworkers will be like a large family. In some companies they are, but honestly in some they are not. People can be mean, especially when you work together in a stressful environment like EMS. There will be people who have nothing better to do then hate you because you are new/ young. There is not much you can do about it, just try not to take it personally. Always take the high road if someone is being petty. Remember if you say something about someone else, chances are it will get back to them, so watch what you are saying and whom you are saying it to. One last thing. If you ever get that "gut feeling" on a call, trust it. It could be telling you the call isn't safe to go in without police backup, you need ALS even though nothing obvious is off, anything. Although you may not have a concrete reason for what your gut is telling you, you need to be aware of it, as it will keep you from getting into a bad situation more then once. Sorry for such a long comment. Good Luck! Let us know how your first week is going

So what happens when OLMC denies the RMA? Do they issue paperwork to put the patient on a medical hold? Who carries out the paperwork if the patient adamantly refuses? Do you do everything necessary including taking the pt using force into the ambulance? Do police get involved at place the patient in their custody? Not saying you are wrong here, just honestly trying to understand what happens if the OLMC says the pt cannot refuse. (sorry to hijack the thread)