emtmoira

If my basic was a RN or a doc that had IV skills in another setting MAYBE I'd let them but letting just a basic start an IV which mind you is an INVASIVE PROCEDURE WITH A HUGE INFECTION RISK IF NOT DONE PROPERLY that's just moronic. I'd rather have them push the prepackaged drugs that stick a needle in someone. That's not breaking protocols that's risking patient's safety!

Seen this before makes me laugh every time!

Between rescue, attempting to occasionally work and my seven classes I'm taking in order to graduate on time I try really hard to read when I have the rare free time but generally I end up falling asleep wherever I am (usually my couch).

I'm a new CSI addict, I can't get enough of it and I watch the reruns every time I'm near a TV to watch them, I like the Vegas ones just because but I love this show in addition to my Law and Order addiction.

Never used the paddles we only have pads around here on ambulances as far as I know. It would be cool to learn to use the paddles but hey a girl can wish she wasn't in rural backwoods EMS, at least we don't just jump people off car batteries (j/k never happened as far as I know)

I don't really break them persay but I've been known to have someone on my crew who is not and EMT-I (which are the ones around here who can do glucometer) but is a diabetic or a significant other of a diabetic do a finger stick on someone if I have like 10 other things to do. I don't really break protocols exactly just a little bit sometimes maybe perhaps.

Most of the people that I run rescue with I would trust with my life, but there are definitely a few that I would never let touch me. There's also this little joke being one of the younger (and somewhat attractive) females in our area that anyone that picked me up in an ambulance would find a way to utilize trauma shears!

Volunteer and full time undergrad student...my life's nice and busy. When asked my major I say technically it's biology but really it's rescue!

While people do need to learn I think that it can be more general when recertifying. Although I'm not ACLS or anything I just think that it's necessary to review in depth but not necessarily relearn everything. Of course I'm not speaking from experience it's just how I feel about recerting various certs.

We just got opticoms on our ambulance and we only have a few lights around our area that have the system in place.

I love them all but I think the "here's your sign" of Bill Engval is just so relevant to so many people!

It's sad to hear a fellow human being has passed away but I feel relieved that this struggle for this woman is over. I hope that this case makes a lot of people rethink the ways that they go about things and encourages people to make their requests known in writing. Rest in peace Terri and I pray for all who have similar situations.

I remember being taught how to use them and I remember being told the specific cases in which to use them but I'm pretty sure no one around here has used them in a long long time. I think they would qualify as the least used piece of equipment on the truck.

Most people say that a profession is something that you have to go to college for for several years and have a degree and yadda yadda. Well I'm about finished with a four year undergrad degree in biology and low and behold I'm planning on staying in EMS as my profession for a few years before I move on and try to get an RN or something. To me a profession is something that requires hours or training a special skill. I've worked many jobs running cash registers and folding clothes and just about anyone can really do those but with EMS you have to be the right type of person. I'd like to consider being an EMT a profession because it's more than just something that can be taught it takes the right person to really understand it. The skills can be learned by almost anyone, the way to work with patients and deal with high stress situations has to be almost innate and then developed from there.

I definitely need to work out. Because I'm 5' 9" and about 145 lbs I look like I'm healthy because I'm fairly skinny but when I walk up a long set of stairs with bags on my shoulder I definitely get winded. It's hard to stay in shape when all your time is spent in classes or on duty. One of the things I do is I can take dance classes for credit and that definitely helps me get back into shape a bit. Once I graduate in May I'm planning on doing a lot more outdoor activities to get in better shape, especially because I want to be a firefighter and I need to work on my endurance. So I think my point here is that even if you're not overweight or have the "EMS-spread" you can still be out of shape, because I sure am!