MedicNorth

AH - typical woman - taking all the credit again!

You mean I can't do those things any more? Yikes - no WONDER I'm in trouble all the time! It would appear that there is more to marriage than I thought.

I have not been an Oiler fan since the 80's, but even I hope that they can win this year. They deserve a lot of respect for the job they are doing, in spite of being "underdogs" in all the series so far. Hope the series is short, so I can go back to hating them again soon - This is causing my self-respect to falter a little bit. Anyway - much as it hurts: GO OILERS! p.s. - I know all the words to O Canada in English (2 verses) and French, and can also sing "God Save The Queen!"

Fallujah Ontario?

I would not give up on the patients in the jeep, if at all possible. Even if they have been submerged for 15 minutes plus, the extremely cold water might be enough to trigger their Mammalian Diving Reflex, which might make for viable resucitation up to 60 minutes after immersion, especially in children. We had a case up here about two years ago with a child trapped under 2 meters of meltwater for over 25 minutes befiore rescue. He recovered completely, and was home within three days. Mammalian dive reflex: Drowning suffocation causes a lack of oxygen, resulting in death in only a few minutes. An exception to this rule appears in victims who have been suddenly and rapidly submerged into ice-cold water. Some of these people have survived up to an hour underwater without any physical damage resulting. This phenomenon is known as the mammalian dive reflex, which is activated when the face and body plunge into ice-cold water, resulting in the slowing of body metabolism as well as diverting blood only to the heart, lungs, and brain. If someone gradually becomes hypothermic (gradual lowering of body temperature), then this reflex does not apply. With the slowing of body metabolism as the body cools, the body uses less oxygen to survive. The goal is to rescue these victims before their oxygen is used up. http://www.emedicinehealth.com/drowning/article_em.htm

Of course we want to see the chaos! Truth is, if you actually followed everyone's advice (minus Foley tray) and still survived, you are a natural teacher! 20 curtainclimbers in one rig? I think you deserve a medal - an EMTCity Official Citation for bravery in the face of ....well.. children! Glad it went well - will eagerly wait for the pics.

You want stupid? How about the guy who called in a grass fire at his farm - by the time FD got there, the barn, three granaries, and the fuel shed were engulfed. He had started the fire to burn off the grass around the fuel shed, because all that long dead grass "was a fire hazard." Sounds stupid? Well this was the second time in two years he had burned up some of his outbuildings, burning off "fire hazards"! Actual true story - responded both times.

Resources? Probably, but mostly too much time on his hands and a fast search engine!

I would use my <easy> button to automatically put my post into the correct group!

Quit the panic mode - this is probably the best audience you will EVER have. Everything is new to them, and the interest will blow you away. Small secrets? 1. Keep your topics short - attention span is not great. 2. Be ready for the weirdest questions "When I grow up I wanna be a dump truck" 3. Have stuff they can touch - the siren is cool, but NRBs, Saline bags, etc will keep them ocupied. The best thing ever will be a stethoscope - bring along a bunch. They will listen to heartbeats for hours. 4. Keep the teacher happy - Go over basic home safety rules, and ask questions that will let the class smarties show their stuff. This will be fun. I bet you come out of there feeling wonderful, and will also have a much better understanding of little ones.

Wow - I can't imagine trying to do an assessment without hands-on! There can be all sorts of reasons for all sorts of complaints that you are unlikely to find with out physically touching - tenderness, distension, etc. I would check into company protocols to find the exact circumstances that allow hands on. How can you tell life threatening without a complete assessment? Finding weapons on a Pt would not be high on my list of wants, either. I hope you didn't get into trouble over this - there are enough hurdles in this game without making you into security too.

hmm...15 /20 - Pretty pathetic - I HATE timed tests.

oh - bye the way, Dust - you do have to come to Canada. You still owe me a beer and a steak! Either before or after the tour will be fine.

LOL- Not sure I could manage it, but NOBODY would be looking at the floats! TPBM is never gonna try live squid in a sushi bar.

Wow - let's see......Alberta oilfields, or Iraq. Hmmm. I wish things had worked out for you to come north, Dust. At the same time, I respect your calling and your courage. Keep your head down, your spirits up, and the posts coming! We will all be thinking about you - take really good care of yourself!

You guys have me laughing on these - I would actually be happy with just one button - a <MUTE> button. It would work well for all those well-meaning but ignorant by-standers, Know-it-all partners, and of course, The Boss! Everything would seem easy if it could be done in relative silence!

Your 2005 Song Is Boulevard of Broken Dreams</a> by Green Day "My shadow's the only one that walks beside me My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating" In 2005, you bummed everyone out. Like you care. What Hit Song of 2005 Are You? http://www.blogthings.com/whathitsongof2005areyouquiz/ Gee - and I thought I was SO much fun!

Yikes - I would be the Twisted Backbreaker! Now where can I find a twisted back to break?

Worked for years as a volunteer firefighter - We attended far too many MVCs where we were on scene for a long time without any EMS help - It was scary and frustrating, especially when we would show up and people would relax because the "pros" were there. To make up for some of that, took the courses available during my (limited) free time, and enjoyed it so much that it is gradually becoming a career. Began working EMS part-time, and am increasing it as I edge closer to retirement from my "regular" job.

Hm - 12 pages later..... Has anybody reviewed the thread to see if there is a single new idea in the past 5 or 6 pages? It is the same stuff, being said by the same people. It is not constructive, or even instructive, any more.

It is cute, I have to admit, but the only place I would wear one is at an EMS convention! Chances are good it would not go a long way towards improving our reputations. Damn. it IS funny, however!

Never too late, or too old, as long as you can handle the physical challenges - I plan to continue towards my paramedic when I retire from teaching in 4 years - I have been in EMS for only 6 years part-time and volunteer now, and have really enjoyed the Basic experience. If it is something you really want to do, you will find a way to do it! Good luck!

25% Dixie - LOL - guess the further North you go.... Would that mean Eskimos are 100% Yankee?

Oops- sorry Cos. I get onto my soapbox, and sometimes read into things that are not really there. Of course I would prefer ALS, if it was available. My frustration got the better of me.

Damn, Dust - This rates as the least thought out post of yours that I have ever seen! I have worked with many different medics, and have to tell you that some of them make me cringe. If they are indecisive, miss obvious symptoms, mistreat patients or co-workers, etc, I am quite capable of telling who is good and who is iffy. You don't have to be a pro baseball player to tell who is or is not good enough for the team. I also find it ridiculous that someone would state that they "wouldn't want ANY EMT-B dealing with my chest pain." Personally, if I was having chest pain, I would want it to be happening in a fully equipped and staffed ER, but that just is not reality. Would you not want someone who can help administer basic meds, supply O2, do CPR, call ALS, present vitals and use an AED? ALS is better than BLS in that situation, yes, and BLS is better than a CPR trained bystander, which in turn is way better than dying alone. This is stupid. Once again we illustrate why EMS is not as it should be. We beat the crap out of each other, instead of supporting the profession and working together to make it better for us and our patients.