MedicNorth

um..... What can I say?

Welcome, Brits! I can say that this is going to be interesting, if you guys get active. Since joining this site I have learned a great deal about the American system, but the European systems are still pretty mysterious to me. I get the impression from the few posts I have read that there are some major differences from the Canadian system(s) but hopefully I'll be able to figure things out. Have fun,and educate us all!

Point well taken, Jake

Have a regular who calls frequently because he "is dying"and knows how to wangle transport. We know what is he dying for (and of) because the liquor store is beside the hospital, and we usually see him hitching back home with a plain paper bag within 30 minutes or so.

Cute - AND realistic!

LOL - Cute, Windsong!

Nate for President!!!!

That video was VERY instructive, and I think it should be circulated to all car makers, relevant government departments, and emergency services. It is unfortunate that the safety of passengers is so extravagantly protected, while the safety of those who are there to help when THEY screw up is not even considered. Is there anyone out there who would know how to begin a campaign to get a shut-off switch or some other control for emergency personnel? This might be a campaign worth fighting from the ranks of City and the equivalent Fire/Rescue sites.

It is a serious hazard, especially with the installation of up to 7 (or more) airbags in some of the newer vehicles, and no standard triggering mechanism or capacitor drain time. On some of these you can set off the bags well after the crash just by putting weight onto a seat that was unoccupied during the collision. There are tech data books available for the disarming and avoidance of these bags, but it is difficult to remain current, with hundreds of models and makes out there. I would like to see a standardized system that would require an emergency shut-off switch in a consistent location on the vehicle. It would be great to know that the units are disarmed and drained before beginning that extrication or treatment.

There are some excellent links to critical thinking sites at [http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/critical.htm]

OK - apologies offered - bad mood on a crappy day, looking for things to bitch about. Sorry

You know, I AM offended! This is just a particularly nasty piece of nonsense. It is, however, a free forum, so have at it!

Good post! I don't think, however, that the ability to think critically separates the medic from the "general population". Skill and knowledge separate the various levels of the EMS system. There are many people, from bystanders to ER Doctors, who are unable to adjust well to an unusual situation, and the opposite is true as well. Thinking critically means knowing when the rote protocol might not be appropriate, or when the textbook symptoms don't necessarily mean the textbook diagnosis or treatment. It means looking for possible other reasons for a situation, and not always trusting implicitly what is told or observed. Critical thinking IS a skill that can be taught. It would be great if more schools, from elementary school onwards, would work on this, instead of trying to pour knowledge into empty heads. The world would be a better place for it!

Lots of good advice up here. Make sure which protocol you will be tested on, and then practice until you can do a scenario in your sleep, then practice some more. Write it out, say it, make up a song about it - whatever it takes to make it so automatic that tongue-tied is not an issue. The things that may be thrown at you - liquid on or under patient, metal jewelry, excess body hair, etc. need to be thrown in at random, so that you can practice making the adjustments. Write out your script, and at the times when these may become an issue, ask someone you may be practicing with to change these variables. Lots of time to get it under control if you are tested in November - Good luck!

Hey you two - get a room!

Geez, AK - you do like to get around! Take care in the new assignment. At least you should be able to get a good cup of coffee and a doughnut at Tim Horton's on the Base at Kandahar! Keep your head down, your tail covered, and your spirits up! We will miss you if you can't get on during your tour.

Huh?

or age, location, or driving skills!

Hah - Got them all! I guess I rate as a museum piece myself - there were a few of them that even brought back some fond memories (like the Drive-in movies....). I remember being upset when the price of a bottle of Coke in the vending machine went up to 12 cents - that was almost half my weekly allowance! All you young folks, don't judge - there will come a time when you "fondly" remember things that are ancient history to the next generations too.

Yikes! That is quite the set-up! And I was the complaining about the weight of my bear kit - guess the priorities change a bit with the situation. All kidding aside, you stay safe, and keep your head down!

It isn't Uncle Sam's fault - its all us foreigners who can't keep secrets that are causing the trouble! I hope you get it figured out - everybody knows that Canadians and Australian are harmless! Take care, man North

oh - I just realized that this says "ON TOP" I, being a myopic beer afficionado, thought it said "ON TAP" and I want to be close to anything that is available in large containers like that. Sorry - I will try to read the posts more carefully next time. In the meantime - I'm on Tap!"

As I see it, anyone with a medical condition SHOULD wear one, regardless of their occupation. It is certainly beneficial to find a medicalert on a patient during assessment that either helps with diagnosis or affects treatment.

Are we done yet?

This has been...um...fun. It has also been said again and again, in hundreds of different ways, in a number of threads, and has ALWAYS become emotional and abusive. Our biggest problem is that too many people speak in generalities, pegging ALL EMS people or ALL firefighters as a general group. We all know that there are mental midgets with monumental egos running around in both services. We all know that fighting fire is not the same service as treating sick or injured people. The fact that we often have to work together in situations of high stress where we have completely different objectives does not help either. Complaining about an individual, or even a group of people is acceptable, I guess, though there should be more reasonable and more professional ways to get what you need. Setting things up so that an entire emergency services section is almost forced to square off with another simply to defend itself strikes me as similar to tossing two pit bulls into a ring - the result will be a fight, and even the winner will be a loser. Got a problem with the way firefighters go about EMS scenes? Got a problem with arrogant/ignorant/uninformed workers around you? Start a forum that will intelligently and reasonably allow both sides to learn more about what is required. Civilized discussion, not open warfare, will go much farther towards changing attitudes and procedures. This is the essence of a forum - discuss, learn, and act. This is one thing I like about city - It makes even me look like a moderate!