paramedicmike

More can be found here and here.

I use a computer.

There's a phone number here. Why don't you call them and ask?

So why not just finish paramedic school?

CHBARE, JWade and Eydawn have offered the best advice so far. Stop talking for now (not permanently... just until this is settled). Get a lawyer who will work to protect you and your interests. Make sure Admin has preserved the information regarding the poster and the posts as they can be used in both your defense and any potential defamation legal action that you need to take against either the troll who's after you and/or your employer. This isn't about holding your head high and being proud. This isn't about just not working for your employer if they don't want you there. This is about self preservation and ensuring that your well established and good name is not dragged through the mud affecting any future ability of you to work in EMS or any other industry. Whoever doing this to you has already taken public action against you in an attempt to discredit, defame and fire you. Stop talking for now. Get a lawyer. In that order. Now! Everybody makes jokes about lawyers until they need one. You need one and you need one now. This isn't an issue of not liking them or not getting involved in a legal fracas. You have been involved in legal action whether you like it or not. Someone else got you involved. Stop being proud and take the steps you need to defend yourself. If you do not play this right this *will* blow up in your face and it will take a *long* time to recover. This isn't a time to be thick headed about things. Do it right the first time. And do it now. And you know you have the support of just about everyone here. (People who, coincidentally, aren't going to steer you wrong. So get a lawyer and defend yourself!) -be safe

...and deserves this and more.

This story identifies the two in question as dispatchers. Not that I'm arguing in their favor, nor do I think it excuses their behaviour of leaving the shop, but it seems they might not have been field personnel. There are three sides to every story. -be safe

I think you'll find this article describing no link between patient outcome and response times interesting. -be safe

Haven't seen this here before. Some may like, others may not.

Physical violence in the form of domestic abuse is funny? I must've missed that.

If I'm reading you correctly and you want the actual lenses to be prescription (as opposed to inserts), you're going to have to pay for it. Two hundred dollars is cheap compared to what you could pay. And I haven't seen prescription eyeglasses (much less safety glasses) for less than $200 that *don't* make you look like a bug... or worse. Good luck. -be safe

Places I work, or have worked, haven't carried valium in years. It's been mostly Versed that we've used/carried. At one point we did try Ativan with similar results to what Croaker posted. -be safe

Somehow, I knew this is where you were going with this...

I think you just did...

Please use this site in your search for a paramedic school. Take the accredited programs you find here and narrow them down to ones that offer/require college credit or, even better, award a college degree for successful completion. Good luck! -be safe

Funny how you're willing to blame everyone but the candidate taking the test. If a candidate can't pass after multiple attempts, the problem doesn't lie with the exam or the instruction. Further, it sounds as if you're bitter simply because you couldn't pass a test that was written at a level so that someone with even a minimal high school education could pass. It has also previously been established, right here in these discussion forums, that the cost of living in your area pretty much negates what might otherwise be considered an impressive salary. So knock it off already. -be safe

"An encounter"? This doesn't sound promising. Hope it wasn't as bad as that lead in let's on.

It is not an unvaluable resource, SA_Medic. Please don't misunderstand the approach that some of us are taking. Unfortunately, in the States, air medical transport has become a huge money making business. The drive to increase the bottom line has lead to a dramatic increase in available aircraft. With that increase has come increased pressure to take flights (flights = revenue). With that increase has come increased pressure on pilots and med crews to accept flights even in questionable weather conditions. With that increase has come a substantial increase in accidents resulting in the deaths of pilots, medical crews and in some cases, patients. The fact that a legal case like that described in the OP would even take place is only another sign that the system is broken and in dire need of repair. I further understand how it may seem silly for us to complain about the over abundance of air medical helicopters when you and others in the world can't even consider such a resource. What we're seeing, though, is that there is such thing as too much of a good thing. And it's been killing people rather than helping them. I hope this helps explain where we're coming from. -be safe Good question, Kev. For scene responses there are three ways we can be requested depending on the location of the ambulance requesting the helicopter. This is pretty dependent on the county of origin. One county to which we can respond handles all requests for aircraft through their 911 dispatch center. The ambulance requests the resource, the dispatcher then determines who is the closest available aircraft and makes the request through the aircraft's communications center. It is a multi-step process but from ambulance request to aircraft in the air usually only takes a few minutes. Another county to which we can respond requests aircraft based on provider preference. If the medic on scene says, "I need a helicopter. Send me XYZ aircraft." their 911 center will make every attempt to send that particular aircraft or another aircraft from the same provider. This process takes place regardless of who's closest. Yet another county leaves it up to individual fire departments (which, by the way, are separate from EMS departments which means that EMS has no say in calling for resources on an EMS patient) as to who their (the FDs) top three aircraft providers are. Should an aircraft be requested the county dispatch center will start with number one aircraft on the list and then work down depending on aircraft availability. I find this to be particularly stupid as in some cases the closest air craft is three miles away or less yet won't be called at all simply because the local fire chiefs don't like that particular organization. And yes. It is that petty. Does this help? -be safe

I only ask as I've witnessed locally more willingness to cooperate among med crew members than among management. I don't know if this stems more from the med crews approaching more from a patient care aspect than would management or not. My inquiry was based on curiosity only. Nothing more. -be safe

I wonder, P_I, if perhaps the spirit of cooperation you're witnessing isn't limited more to the medical crew interactions than it is managerial level interactions. Thoughts? -be safe

As a current flight medic in an area that is becoming increasingly saturated with aircraft, I recognized quite quickly that areas reach a point where no amount of cooperation between air medical services will, or even can, work. There is only so much mutual aid to neighboring services that will be tolerated. This industry is governed by greed. Missed flights equals missed revenue. I agree with the notion that we owe it to the public to provide the best service possible. But there is such a thing as too much. And when money is on the line the concept of "best service possible" always seems to become second to "most money possible". I'll be watching this one, too. -be safe

Sorry. I can't let this continue without pointing this out. It's grammar. -be safe

Too many helicopters.... Sad to see that this is really what it's come down to.

Agreed! Nice to see Dr Tober following through with this.