medicgirl05

Poor Dwayne, it must really be hard for you to have no boobs to look at.

I use my boobs to my advantage all the time! I get all kind of special favors and treats just for being a woman. For instance, being a female I am smaller than all my partners so they always elect to toss me through windows when doors are locked and crawl into cars for prolonged extrications. I am also usually left to do all the emotional duties, death notifications and such....yeah, I totally get special priveleges due to my boobs. NOT!!!!

I'm not saying that I agree with the policy. The supervisor that tries to enfore the policy is the same one that signed for delivery of the gift basket.

It was initially written that we could not accept anything worth more than $20. Some people screwed that up by asking if you accepted a $1 soda 21 times would you be breaking policy?

Our policy is written that we do not accept gifts(water or food) from anyone for anything. Our response to the offer should be that the person offering can make a monetary donation that is a tax deduction so that it is clearly stated as to the purpose of the gift.

At one mans residence I fell down a flight of stairs while trying to carry a patient down, resulted in no detriment to the patient; and the family sent a rather nice gift basket to the office. Nobody bothered to return it.

If we are responding to a fire standby my partner and I often stop at a convenience store for a case of water and gatorade that I pay for out of my pocket. Our firefighters are volunteer and I think it is important for them to know they are taken care of. Plus I'd rather they keep themselves hydrated than me having to hydrate them.

I agree with you Patton, I think this is a fine line. I have only accepted something twice that I can recall.

1. We were in a HOT welding shop on a HOT day with a deceased man waiting for the JP to come from BFE when a family member brought me a bottle of flavored water. We knew the family a little and she had gone all the way to the house to get the water which was quite a hike for her. She brought water for my partner and I and since she went to that much effort to get it I felt it would be rude to refuse. So I took it and drank it and it was disgusting.

2. We had just determined a patient to be DOA and when I talked to the man's wife and asked if I could do anything for her she asked me to drink coffee with her as she usually drank with her husband and didn't want to sit alone. I made a pot of coffee and sat with her while we waited for the funeral home and her family to arrive. It was more about the companionship but the coffee was her excuse to get that and I'm not sure how anyone could refuse an old lady grieving the loss of her husband.

I have been told by county officials that since we are paid we should not accept things from patients, however I think there are times when it actually benefits the patient or family and that is more important to me.

As a follow-up, the MRI showed a broad ruptured disc with an annular tear at L5-S1. I tried 2 steroid injections with no success. I am now scheduled for a microdiscectomy to remove the extruded disc material. I am currently back at work but dread every shift which is not normal for me.

Thanks everyone for the input!

In response to mattmattmatt, our supervisor explained to us that if there is a wreck involving 2 employees from 2 different convenienve stores it could be argued that the employee who gave discounts got preferential treatment. Of course, we are a rural service with very limited resources.

Thanks Schulz.

The degree in Emergency Health Sciences is from University of Texas, which is a very good school. I think it will translate into any medical career rather than the degree in paramedicine.

Well I think I would wait...just to be on the safe side.

Others may not agree.

OK...so it sounds like we are not going to wait for the police....

I would proceed with extreme caution and make sure my partner was in front of me.

Are we at the point that I can ask what does the patient look like? Or are we fixing to be hauling A** back out the way we came?

I see.

They are rather common in my area. Actually the whole call so far sounds like a few that I've been on!

I like the idea of a literature degree. I just want to ensure I choose a route that will benefit somehow in the future. I think I could ACE the classes in the Emergency Health Science curriculum and I would love the program but I'm not sure how wise it is to invest money and time in a bachelors degree that won't be helpful in the future.

Thanks for the input!!!

Arctickat-Would you continue to enter with the information presented and knowing that police are 1 minute out?

Or was that sarcasm?

It is not only the guns that are alarming, it is also the alcohol consumption and the PTSD book. These combined make for a possibly dangerous scene. If the police are 1 minute out that shouldn't make much difference in patient care...better to be safe than sorry.

Yes we have lots of people with guns, however they are not usually in clear sight. When they are in sight we ensure that the patient isn't within reach of them, either by removing the gun from their reach or removing the patient from the scene.

At this point I'd definetely back out until police arrived to ensure the patient was unarmed. There is obvious potential for things to accelerate to a point I'm not comfortable with.

If the scene is safe, attempt to locate the patient...

What do you find? Conscious? Alert? Oriented?

Position of patient? Complaint?

Vitals?

That should get us started...

I've been taking classes at the local community college for years now and the time has come that I HAVE to choose a degree path. Here is the problem...I love my job as a paramedic, so I want a degree that will enable me to go further in this profession. I thought I wanted a degree in literature...but that just seems like a waste of time. There is an on-line B.S. in emergency health sciences that looks really interesting, but I'm not sure it would be beneficial in the long run.

Here's my question-What degree do you have and how has it helped you in EMS?

If you don't have a degree what would you suggest?

Thanks!

Interesting 1C. No, he wasn't stuck between anything. He had just kind of slid forward off the toilet and his arms and head were propped on the tub.

Ah. No I didn't look at his eyes to be honest. I walked in enough to inspect the scene but since he was obviously dead I didn't inspect as much as I maybe should have. He smelled a little if you know what I mean. ;-)

No evidence of foul play...nobody had been in the room...no blood in the ears, definitely not Battle sign.

At the risk of sounding like an idiot I'm going to ask...what's hifema?

Scatrat-very possible that the carotids were occluded due to positioning.

Thanks everyone for the input!

That policy doesn't sound like it has patient care in mind. Our policy is that we leave any equipment necessary with the patient...the nursing staff puts it in the EMS area and we retrieve it on the next run. If we are flying a patient we use a RAC backboard and disposable air splints when necessary. If we have equipment at a hospital we don't usually go to a neighboring EMS service usually drops it off at our office on their way through town.

For starters....

Is she alert and oriented?

What are her vitals?(pulse ox, pulse, BP, respirations, BS level?)

Lung sounds?

Medical history?

Complaining of pain anywhere?

The man's head was level with the edge of the bathtub. The rest of him was lower. Usually the blood settles in the lower part of the body, that's why I'm confused.

As for the autopsy results, it's hit or miss wether they will give me that information. I plan on calling in a week or so, but sometimes they say it is irrelevant for me.

The call came in from the manager of the hotel and I'm thinking she called 911 not knowing what to do. We were the first to arrive on scene. It happens pretty regularly that we are called to a very obvious DOA. I think it is just that the public doesn't know what to do, and the dispatchers don't either.

I recently had a call and felt a little stumped.

Call came out for unconscious patient at a local hotel. We arrived and found the patient DOA in the bathroom. No medical history, no meds in the room, and no family present. Patient hadn't been seen or talked to in almost a week so also an unknown down time. So we found him on the floor between the tub and toilet. It looked as though he had been sitting on the toilet(though there was nothing in it) and fallen off to hit his head on the bathtub faucet. There was about an inch of blood/water in the tub presumably from a small lac to his head. The wierd part is that his face was BLACK and swollen. His legs weren't black, just purple tinged at places. My partner thought maybe he was electrocuted but I didn't see any evidence of that. My only idea is that maybe he had a PE, but would that cause him to be black? I've seen people who had recent PE's and were cyanotic from the neck up, but never black. Any idea?

Great thread with great advice. The only thing I have to add is that I agree with others saying you should do clinicals. That may help you realize that other college courses may help you to better interact with people. English is a good idea as well as a medical terminology and A&P. With clinicals you will better understand the job itself, that's something that just can't be taught in a classroom.

At my basic course the paramedics that taught us all talked about their "saves" and bad calls. I was completely unprepared for all the hand holding I'd have to do until clinicals start. For me, I have more calls that dictate the use of people skills rather than EMS skills.

I just looked into the prerequisites at the local college. They require a medical terminology class and strongly advise taking anatomy prior to enrolling in the paramedic program. I'd have to agree. I have taken both those classes and wish I'd taken A&P before my paramedic program. I remember sitting in A&P and making connections to why we do things as paramedics.

I didn't know that colleges had any prerequisites for the paramedic program. I think that's definetely a step in the right direction!