WolfmanHarris

Wow! Hospital staff helping outside the walls?! I'm impressed given that I delivered a baby on a drive up they sent into the garage and ran a traumatic, entrapped VSA in the parking lot all in the last year. That being said, depending on the exchange between all involved I may have had my feathers ruffled a bit in the same circumstances. Our working relationship with ED staff is generally good and I'd likely have offered a hand and then cleared off.

Interesting. Was this based on any particular concern or issue?

I like that quite a bit, it covers the weight range for larger children better than the pedimate, unfortunately, looking at the specs it has the same shortcoming. With a low end weight limit of 5kg it doesn't capture the neonate pt. population. This has been the area that in the past I've found is most difficult to secure in the vehicle and where I usually have to strap in their own childseat using the stretcher belts.

Thanks for the explanation. Sounds like an interesting project. A few ideas to consider for you: - How to properly and safely restrain Pt.'s that are below the weight requirements for current devices (pedimate, etc). - Perhaps an add on strap or device for safely securing a childseat to the stretcher. - Maybe a small pedimate designed more for newborns.

Ferno pedimate, childseat built into captain's chair in pt. module, or for those falling outside the minimum weight restriction for those devices we secure the Pt.'s child seat to the stretcher. If spinal motion restriction is required I'll either use a KED, pad and tape void space in a child seat, or pad and strap as appropriate on the LSB (my service does not carry pediatric specific boards). Call me cynical, but for a first post this comes across as having an axe to grind. "Most medics confirm..." Based on what? What sample size? What area? "...which should NOT be tolerated." Is there a story here?

It's like you read my mind on this one, apparently it's policy at one of the three hospitals we frequent that Nurses in emerg will only provide their first name. One of the medics from the service to the north of us had to write an incident report and was getting the info for those involved in the continuity of care and was told by triage that policy was to only give out first name and that from their anything else would need to be an official request. As for being a public servant, with EMS being municipally run third service under the greater umbrella of our public health care system, I am a public servant.

I'm just over an hour away in Peterborough.

My ID that I wear on my uniform has my first name and badge number. My badge and ministry ID are in a wallet and have my full name on them. There is no reason for anyone to have my full name as any inquiries will be directed to the service or MoH and my OASIS number is all they need. Heck the address of the call and date of service is more than enough. Certainly I don't feel any huge concern about the risks of having my last name known by a Pt or family, but I see no countervailing need to have your surname visible.

We work 12's. We have stations that we deploy out of, but use a dynamic deployment plan that sees us moving to other stations to cover them off. Sometimes that means making tours of a half dozen stations all night, sometimes it's just cover off one for an hour and return depending on demand. All of the stations have a crew room with couches, tv, a kitchenette (sans stove) and kitchen table and chairs as well as an office with a desk and computer. Back in the Ministry of Health days the rule was we could "rest" but not sleep. That's has sort of continued since the download to the Upper Tier Municipalities (counties) so while we do sleep whenever we get a chance at nights, we only have a sofa per person, not beds. I know one service (Hamilton) has beds in their stations, but ironically they're so busy anyone I know who works there says they barely see them. A few medics have brought in cots or mattresses to keep in the locker room. Long term I'd love to see us negotiate some improved facilities, but we're a small part of our bargaining unit so I don't have high hopes.

Which program?

It's funny, I'm coming up on a mere two years on the road and my study habits have started to slide. It's not a lack of intent. I carry a new journal or text in my bag all the time. But I'm finding I'm spending less and less time studying. Part of this is work related; I've recently moved from spending about half my time at slower stations to being full time out of one of the busiest stations in the region. Down time is now few and far between and with it my opportunities for truly effective review. I've recognized this and have tried to study more at home but here in lies my problem. I have awful work-life balance. I have student debt and have bought a home; as a result I'm working as much over time as I can while not having work be my entire life. I have been actively trying since I left school to focus more of my time on non-Paramedicine pursuits. I've actively tried to spend less time on the forums, to keep my mind off work while at home and to pursue other interests and as a result my studying is now haphazard and without focus. These aren't really excuses but I am understanding how quickly these habits can become permanent and why so many of our colleagues don't study unless it's time for CME. Thankfully that still means four full classroom days and two self-study packages a year, but it's not enough. For those of you who still study regularly, what approach do you use to organize yourself? I can read journals all night and get some great info on the cutting edge science of our profession, but at the cost of reviewing basic information I've started to loose. I can go back and review the core material but don't really know where to begin and fall prey to the "I know this" mindset that leads to skimming and poor reading comprehension. Anyone found something that works well?

Can we not attempt to be complex enough to embrace our delicious vengeance (I'll admit to hooting and hollering at first) while still recognizing the danger of doing so?

I think the point is not that we shouldn't or that it isn't sometimes necessary to take a life, only that we should be careful in making in something we celebrate and relish. And of course there's Dusty's approach. Much more satisfying, but unfortunately my poor conflicted bleeding liberal heart still feels the need to moralize like Captain Picard. Damn this upbringing on Star Trek followed by four years of philosophy (2.5 if measured by effort).

That's hit on most of the extremely conflicted feelings I've had since the announcement. Certainly I have absolutely no sympathy for Bid Laden or his cohorts, supporters or even his family. Yet I find myself lamenting what we may have lost, or the door we have opened in our collective psyche. The part of me that insists on believing in the ideals of a system that constantly shows it fallibility regret that we will not be able to take the morally superior road and grant Bid Laden due process. The pragmatic, utilitarian part of me recognizes the extreme impracticality and increased risk of attempting to have a trial, not to mention the fact that the Pakistani intelligence community can't be trusted and that a law enforcement operation would have destroyed the secrecy required. I don't regret his death. I don't believe he deserved better but perhaps we as a society did? Like I said. My idealistic side and my pragmatic side are running head long into each other on this one.

Forgot to repost the letter here before I deleted it but Globalmedic is sending another single member for a week long deployment next week to facilitate the delivery of a consignment of aid.

I very rarely do CPR, that's what FF's and the Lucas 2 is for. I have in the past had wrist pain though. What you're describing sounds a lot like the random shoulder pain I get from time to time without much rhyme or reason. The last came when I picked up the airway bag on a call. No pain during the tiny lift but for the rest of the day I had sharp pains shoot through my shoulder when my arm was in certain positions. No stiffness or problems with range of motion, just pain. I chalked it up to a pinched nerve. Thankfully it didn't last.

We've only seen the draft directives and unfortunately I wasn't given a copy I could take from CME. The changes to the PCP directives aren't huge, though the language felt more restrictive than our current base hospital directives (CEPCP). The ACP directives were full of patch points where they didn't exist before. Currently ACP's patch for pronouncement, chemical restraint, dopamine (in non post-arrest situations) and cardioversion. Proposed directives had them patching for quite a bite more including adenosine. I wish I could provide more detail than that, but it was almost a year ago that I read through them. Certainly the medics weren't happy with them and even our own Base Hospital isn't a fan and voted against. But progress marches on and the province is hell bent on seeing us all on one set of directives.

And I'm ever so looking forward to the big leap backwards that will be the new and exciting standardized Provincial directives. And I STILL get flack from other medics every time I tout the benefits of the College (if done right, not like what I've heard about ACoP).

If you really want to work in BC you'd be better off going to ACP school and then applying.

Ya if you wanted use to believe it you should have created a new account. I didn't believe you'd post something like that without references. On the topic of pranks though, I played a great April Fools prank on my wife this morning. I got up early, changed the time on her clock ahead two hours and then went downstairs. Came up awhile later, woke her up telling her she was late for work. She starts running around trying to get ready in 2 minutes and is half way downstairs when she says "Why do I smell bacon?" I'd woken up early, changed the clock and then made bacon, pancakes and tea before waking her at her usual time.

This is going to sound downright Machiavellian, but how large is your department? How close knit is it? How new is she versus you? Have you considered the simple ostracization that can come from the group dynamic? If she's the new unknown and you're the older trusted colleague then you simply sharing your disgust with the rest of the crews could easily have her noticing the cold shoulder; and hopefully get the quiet message to shape up and know her place. Heck if you get really lucky, you could make her work life so socially void that she'll find other employment. OR... My approach is to let it go. Once. Let it roll down my back, assume that I've caught someone on their worst day and make sure that the way I act doesn't escalate anything. But as soon as it becomes a pattern, I call them on it and we discuss my and their expectations and problems. I had that happen with a semi-regular partner awhile back and while I wouldn't call us friends, we can at least work together now. Sometimes new people have no concept of the unwritten social rules of a station or service that we all hold so dear. Some people get the gentle correction ("Oh hey, the guy you're covering for tonight usually sleeps on that couch.") and some people don't and may need it explained. ("Hey, you're new here. Here's a few pointers that saved me a tonne of hassle when I started.") All of this though strikes me as issues that should be dealt with individually and don't warrant the involvement of a Supervisor until it affects service delivery. If you two can't get along a simple request (filed jointly even) not to be scheduled together may solve the whole thing without too much fuss.

Leaving aside the stupidity and irresponsibility, this is the sort of incredibly warped priorities that leave one wide open to burn-out and PTSD. Work-life balance folks. If you're putting the job (paid or volunteer) ahead of your family, you need to look closely at your life before you lose it all.

Might be like my employer in that some of the provided PPE while functional is not comfortable and yes, lacks the "cool" factor. I replaced my issued work gloves and eye protection out of pocket with ones I liked better than the lowest bidder crap we had.

I'm a trained (though yet to deploy) volunteer with GlobalMedic. Unfortunately due to my incredibly low seniority at work (no vacation time, no OT bank yet) and the fact that I just bought my first house and move in next week I am unable to even put in to go at this time. I have, however, been following the updates with baited breath. Below is an e-mail I received from GlobalMedic early this morning. I've reprinted it here for everyone's interest. The only redacted section are e-mail addresses (GlobalMedic doesn't need SPAM). "Hello Everyone, I would like to provide you with an update on GlobalMedic’s operations in Japan and the situation on the ground. GlobalMedic has offered the deployment of its Emergency Water Unit and Emergency Medical Unit, including the deployment of inflatable field hospitals and water purification units to the Japanese government. We have not received word as of yet regarding our offer but believe they will not ask for our assistance in a formal capacity. GlobalMedic has received over $100,000 from the public and private companies, and in the interest of good stewardship of funding, has decided to work with local Japanese partners to procure and purchase items to distribute in the affected areas in the North East of Japan that were hit by the earthquake and subsequent Tsunami. Currently there is a 2 person team on the ground in Japan. Initially this team was in Tokyo, but has moved its base of operations to Nagoya. The move to Nagoya was for two reasons, first, the supply chain for procurement of needed items such as blankets, sanitary napkins, baby formula etc is much stronger in Nagoya then Tokyo at the moment, and Nagoya is currently further away from Fukishima which is the cause of potential nuclear issues at the moment. We may expand operations into the affected areas to include the installation of Trekker water purification units and inflatable field clinics with local partners. This decision has not been finalized at this time. We may require 1-2 volunteers to deploy to Nagoya to assist with logistics in terms of the procurement of supplies and delivery to affected areas, as well as with the installation of Trekkers and inflatable filed clinics. Please note that no additional personnel will be deployed into Japan if GlobalMedic management feel it is unsafe. Please consider this a new call out for volunteers to deploy under the following guidelines: 3 week deployment timeframe, deployment initially into Nagoya and possibly into affected areas in North East Japan depending upon risk factors. Please email [Redacted] if you are interested and available to deploy. Please note that due to time constraints we will only respond if the deployment of a team moves forward and you are selected."

Under the Ontarians with Disabilities Act we are required to make all reasonable accommodations. As a result my service has instituted a couple of policies: - we transport wheelchairs and walkers. If they cannot be secured safely the transit operator sends over a vehicle specifically to bring the chair to the hospital. - we transport service dogs unless doing so would hinder care (cardiac arrest comes to mind due to number of people in the back and space). We carry a large sized dog seatbelt harness in all our vehicles and our Sup's and PRU's carry the rest of the sizes in case they're needed. If the Ambulance cannot reasonably transport the animal the Sup or PRU handles it.