paramedicmike

The thing weighs what? 120 pounds? Is the lift feature going to be offset by the back injuries of just trying to move the thing into and out of residences? I don't know. Just wondering out loud.

Nate and anyone else who works with this, how easy is it to maneuver once it's out of the truck? Into and out of a residence?

It the extra weight worth not having to lift anymore?

Just curious. That's all.

-be safe.

I read this today and thought, "this sounds awfully familiar."

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/02/02/D8FH2EU01.html

I wonder how he got to his jumping point? And I never thought about it, but how did he get outside? I can't imagine the windows open that far if they open at all.

-be safe.

I have a lego ambulance that a GF bought for me. That doesn't count, does it?

-be safe.

Anne Arundel or Queen Anne?

Free falling is the fun part.

It's landing that hurts!

-be safe.

If your religious beliefs conflict with your job, find a new one.

Ditto. It should have become apparant early on in your education that there could be circumstances that might conflict with whatever religious views you might hold. If you had a problem with it then, it's not going to get any easier. Find a new job. Health care whether it be on the street or in a hospital is no place to try and make a statement regarding whatever religious beliefs you hold.

Yummymedic,

Yes, there is a procedure known as either a female circumcision or female genital cutting. Commonly seen in parts of Africa and the Middle East, it's usually argued by those who endorse it as a religious practice. Worldwide, the position is increasingly becoming one of barbaric abuse and a violation of womens rights.

Google it. You'll get all sorts of info.

-be safe.

I do not see the logic in not taking a few seconds to speak to your pt.....

That's because there is none.

Take the three seconds to say "Hi. I'm skinut2234." Then, depending on how they present, ask their name or ask what's wrong. It gets you off to a better start with the patient. It also provides you with a function of your assessment. If they can talk back that tells you a lot. If they just give you that 1000 yard stare and keep forcing themselves to breathe that tells you a lot, too. The only time when this might prove to be a waste of time is if they're unconsious or dead in front of you.

I would rather arrive on scene and have you tell me "This is Mr. Jones. He's been having trouble breathing for an hour. We just got here and that's all I have." than arrive and have you provide me with a rushed set of vitals but not be able to tell me the patient's name or what's wrong.

I'm with Rid. Talk to this medic. Be professional. Stand your ground and don't back down. By posting this and asking, you know what's right. Maintain this position. Don't become like your partner. That does no one any good at all.

Good luck.

-be safe.

You haven't said why you're so intent on working. So why are you so intent on working while in school?

I can gaurantee you that as a freshman you are going to be quite surprised by how much work you're going to have to do as classes continue. And don't expect to be able to do homework while working. Not only will you not have time but the bosses tend to look down on that kind of thing.

If you need to maintain a 3.7 GPA then you should probably hold off until everything else falls into place school wise. Then, once you have an idea of how much work school is going to require and what kind of down time you'll have you can better budget for some sort of part time only job.

You need to decide which is more important. School or work. If work is more important then by all means, drop out and concentrate on a dead end job.

And yes, I have been to college. I have faced the same decision you are right now. I learned the hard way that school needs to come first. Once I learned my lesson, the rest of school became much more easy with which to deal.

Good luck.

-be safe.

School first. School second. School third. Taking care of you comes in fourth, fifth and sixth. Then school for eight, ninth and tenth spots. Work comes in somewhere down around 412 or something.

An ER tech job is a short term thing. An education will last you a lifetime and will get you further than this job ever will.

If you absolutely must work, find something that's easy on your schedule and will not take time from school, homework or the down time that you'll need to decompress (just as important!). If that means something other than working as an ER tech, well, then do something else.

That's great you want to learn all this stuff the job can teach you. But that's not going to get you anywhere for the long haul. Concentrate on school first and foremost. Worry about the other stuff later.

Did I happen to mention that school should be your first priority?

-be safe.

Reminds me of the Simpsons episode where Homer buys an old Caddy ambulance and fixes it up. He's driving some OD/attempted suicide to the hospital, siren wailing, window down, arm draped over the back seat and is asking the patient questions. When there's no response Homer says, "Hmmm...not the talkative type, eh?" and then screams on down the road.

Mmmmmmm....super donut.....Mmmmmmmm....beer.

-be safe.

Paul,

you and I have talked about this before. How about sharing with those who didn't get to eavesdrop on the conversation who Dr. O is, where he can be seen for quick reference, resus rates and why Dr O promotes such an agressive treatment.

BTW, now that the autopulse study has been halted, can you talk about your experience with the device yet? Or is this still hush-hush?

-be safe.

Don't die trying. That'll only create another patient, piss off your partner, wreack havoc with having to call in additional help not to mention all the paperwork your supervisor will have to fill out.

Bad juju all around.

-be safe.

Isn't this the same topic as this thread?

http://www.emtcity.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3194

-be safe.

Police K9s *are* officers. They are referred to as the handler's "partner". They work for, and in conjunction with, the police. I'm glad to hear that the K9 should pull through.

I agree that, at a minimum, the driver should be charged with a hit and run. He hit an officer and left the scene.

There was a story floating around in my area about a medic who worked a dog pulled out of a house fire. Transported L&S to the emergency vet clinic. Dog still died but there was some good, and predictably humourous, publicity out of it.

And yeah. I'd like to see him try and drive off after going head to head with a moose. Like running into a brick wall!

-be safe.

"...by the very people he liberated."

ungrateful bastards.

-be safe.

That's "Mr. President" to you.

Below me has no idea where the brake pedal is on their ambulance. :shock:

-be safe.

THE HEALTH OF MY PATIENT will be my first consideration; <--------- !!!!!!!!!!!

I will not use my medical knowledge contrary to the laws of humanity; <-------- !!!!!!!!!

When you say you were sworn in, what does this mean? I've worked municipal jobs in the past and have been sworn in in the sense of a government employee. But I've never been made to swear to anything similar to what you've just posted. Honest curiosity here.

I don't think the condemned inmate is a patient regardless of what you're doing to them. Starting a line in this case doesn't really constitute medical treatment. Just like starting a line on me right here and now wouldn't constitute medical treatment. It would still be an invasive procedure...but it's not a treatment simply because there's nothing to treat.

But you're going to argue against that and this particular discussion will go around and around.

Next, you wouldn't be using your knowledge contrary to the laws of humanity. The current law of the land is that the death penalty is permissable. Further I would argue that there are circumstances where allowing or assisting in the death of another would show respect for the person.

Gotta call...finish later.

And are they, in fact, patients? They have no complaint. They're not physically sick. I don't think they meet the requirements of being a "patient". They're simply inmates condemned to die.

Just another thing to think about.

-be safe.

Morgantown?

What kind of transport time to the closest facility were you facing? That may have played a role in the decision to run everything in the residence.

Sounds like it went as well as it could have, though. And as I'm sure you know there's only so much that could've been done.

How do you propose the expanded CPR training? There are many others who would like to see this, too.

-be safe.

How about this...you're not searching a patient at all. You are conducting an assessment. While you talk to them, you're assessing their mental status. While you are touching them, you are assessing their physical status while at the same time assessing (on a certain level) their ability to cause harm by use of a weapon. Don't use the word search. Don't even think about it. You are assessing your patient.

However, there is no such thing as a hands off assessment. You cannot assess a patient without physically coming into contact with them. As such, conducting an appropriate assessment will result in a de-facto search of the patient. No assault. No battery. Assessment only.

If they object, you stop and get the police involved.

An EMT instructor is not necessarily the best source of information regarding legal matters. For legal advice, consult a lawyer. And just because an EMT instructor said it doesn't mean its true.

And Kev is right regarding the possibility of you getting hurt on the job. If you operate on the street the same way you've been arguing here you're opening yourself up. Experience in a (unnamed) public safety capacity may or may not be beneficial to you. Things in EMS are done differently than in other places. As such, it requires a different mind set and way of thinking. One of the best ways to get it is through hands on in the field experience.

While I'm glad you recognize that scene safety is important, I don't get the sense from your postings that you have a solid grasp on what it really means.

Get some experience in the field as an EMS provider. I think, after some time on the streets, you'll think differently than from what you've been posting and future posts will reflect that change.

-be safe...and don't get killed.

He didn't say he did L&S on all transports. He said that on all the transports he does the family doesn't follow the ambulance. Did you read the question he was asked before you replied?

-be safe.

I hear you that lawsuits are common, nowadays, but in this case, the patient can actually say you were violating the law, and he'd be correct.

PS These is based on laws in my state, as best I know them, not taking into account any case law that might exist that I'm not aware of.

What state are you in and what is the reference to the law? What law would I be violating to search a patient? Do you even know what the law is in your state? Because you've just admitted you don't know the law.

How is my saying, "You don't have anything on you that could hurt me or any one at the hospital, do you?" while I'm feeling their pockets, waist band etc a violation of the law?

People keep saying it's a violation of the law but no one has provided any kind of verification. I'm not a cop. I don't work in a law enforcement capacity. Therefore, there is no unreasonable search taking place.

Further, if it comes down to my safety versus the feelings of a psych patient regarding a pat down, my safety and the ability to go home at night will always, each and every time, come first.

If you can't provide a reference, then please stop arguing the point. Because until you can provide that reference, you're just blowing hot air.

-be safe.

The simple answer, is that you CANNOT LEGALLY put your hands inside of their pockets. Doing so would be a violation of their Constitutional right against an unreasonable search.

How so? We're not law enforcement therefore it wouldn't constitute an unreasonable search. Unreasonable search and seizure accounts for situations regarding law enforcement. The worst they could do for us is try to get us charged with pickpocketing.

Most departments have a contingency for this type of event written into their SOPS, so, depending on your department, you shouldn't fear disciplinary action for your choice.

I was going to say the same thing Dustdevil did but he beat me to it. All the places I've worked for have nothing to address this.

-be safe.

If the state would provide " fair & speedy trial.. then the cost could be down. I do not see the need for automatic appeal if was like I had given situation. Volunteer admission and videotape of murder. Cases like that should not be given the right for appeal. The guilty already have more rights than the victims they have killed...

Be safe,

R/R 911

Well, we have this thing called the Fifth amendment to the Constitution. It has this little clause regarding due process of law and how no one will be deprived of life, liberty or property without it.

I will agree that the rights of criminals are many times greater than that of the victims (referencing all crimes here not just capital crimes). However, due process is what helps protect all of us from becoming a society of heathens who will to try, convict and carry out sentence simply on the word of another person (think Salem witch trials).

There has to be due process of the law. The alternative would associate us with the likes of Saddam or Hitler (drastic associations, yes, but not as far fetched as your gut reaction to disagree would have you think). We fought to defeat that both on our own soil and overseas. And it's important that it remain as part of our judicial system.

-be safe.

Do a search on the Illinois Death Penalty Moratorium Project. I think it was through Northwestern University. There's a lot of info out there. This will include info on how people were found to be wrongly convicted.

As for cost, there's a lot of info out there on this, too. Generally, extra costs come in the form of extra appeals, time, personnel etc. It's a lengthy, in depth and costly process.

There's been a lot of recent media attention paid to this, too, with the stories of the guy in Virginia who was sentenced to death after DNA evidence that could have proven or disproved his involvement was thrown out by a court clerk and the guy in California who was the founder of one of the big gangs out there (krypts?). There will be a lot of discussion on both sides of this story recently available and referenced.

-be safe.