mikeymedic1984

First of all, to triemal and everyone else who quickly felt the need to attack my position: I have not seen your suggestions! Of course it is easy to lie in the weeds and just be a sniper.

As far as backboarding: You are right 95% of the time, but every service has had that 4-5% that ended up with a c-spine fx, skull fx, or brain bleed that presented as NORMAL and were left behind or were not backboarded until the ER staff did it -- post xrays/scans. If I put one bullet in the chamber of a gun and played russian roulette, I can argue that I only have a 1 in 6 chance of death, but their is not a person in this room that would take those odds.

As far as diabetics, think about it --- a few minutes ago, the patient was within 5 minutes of DEATH. Yes you gave the magic medicine that saved the day, but under what pretense are you assuming that the hypoglycemia was not due to infection or other metabolic problems that you can not find with a b/p cuff and a monitor (Oh, I know, its due to the very lucid response to questions you asked the patient who was near death a few minutes ago --- Or is it due to the glucometer and supplies in your ambulance that you trust so much). Ask any ER Doc if they will discharge a hypoglycemic patient, after just administering an amp of D50. No, there is a reason that lab work is done, prior to discharge.

If my family were being treated, I would rather not have the average medic who gets a refusal on 50% of their patients.

Regardless, we are off on a tangent here --- please get back to the original question, and give the OP some advice. We can argue in private messages about my positions (whether real or tongue in cheek). Lets not hijack the thread.

Thats why it is # 5, and not # 1 --- apparantley you young-uns have not had the priviledge of working for a department that does not believe in transfers that they did not arrange. In many situations (most), agencies will put their absolute WORST, with their absolute BEST, because they know the good employees will not whine --- thats your punishment for being a team player in some places. When all else fails, and it is a choice of quitting, or getting rid of your douche bag (google it) partner, you have to take matters into your own hands. You will note: I first offerred a mature approach, then a supervisory approach, then the nuclear option if the others failed.

Now, I'm hoping that was all said with tongue firmly planted in cheek...otherwise, are you really advocating the innapropriate treatment of patient's just because you don't like the person you are working with and want to make them leave?

Think hard on this one.

How is transporting a patient inappropriate ? That is what most of them were thinking when they dialed 911, it is us that talks them out of going. Also note, I clearly stated that you should not violate any policy. Humming "don't worry, be happy" every shift, all day, does not violate any policy --- but is very effective.

Two Questions:

1. How often is your ambulance inspected by an outside regulatory agency (State, City, Province, Whomever) ?

2. Is the inspection a true inspection, where the inspector truly verifies that you are totally in compliance, or is it pencil-whipped ? I guess to put it more clearly: does your pucker-factor go up when you know you are about to be inspected, because the inspector is such a hard-ass ---- Or do you have no worries at all because you know the guy just wants to lay hands on a few items and get on to the next truck ? No, a better way to put it --- If the airplane you were about to board was inspected like your ambulance is, would you fly in it ?

1. First of all, try not to be one of those "clique people" who ostrasize anyone that is different from the majority. In some areas where I have worked, "the majority" that fit in, were pretty sorry. I get what you are saying, we have all had that weirdo partner, but make sure that your dislike for them is based on real stuff and not fluff stuff.

2. Try to find common ground, and be willing to "GIVE". Just because your last three partners and yourself ran calls a certain way, does not mean that that was "THE ONLY, BY-GOD WAY TO DO IT". Be willing to try new things. If you have no common ground, see if trying something new will not kill you. Where I work we like to trade off calls -- most choose to switch every other call, which I find stupid (constantly changing the driver's seat, passing off the computer so that they can sign-in (do you count cancelled calls the same as a transport)-- I prefer to split the shift in half or at least do 3-4 calls before switching --- you tell me which method is better in that situation? Who is the weirdo ?

3. Communicate!!! This is a marriage in every sense of the word (until you divorce), so communicate how BOTH of you can better work together.

4. If all else fails, communicate to your supervisor what it is that makes this person a problem child, but do not ask for a transfer right away, just ask that if something opens, you would like to move (the first to dump this type can earn a label, but this type of person usually goes through several partners before getting fired or quitting). You will earn brownie points by showing that you are willing to try to work through a difficult situation as long as possible.

5. If you can't move, and you are truly miserable, do the things that will make that person beg for a transfer (fart on them, refuse to do it there way, transport everyone to the most distant hospital you can think of, especially at 3am ---- Not advocating you violate any policy --- but you can justify -- backboarding all trauma pts, transporting all hypoglycemics, not getting a refusal on a particular patient, making sure the truck is spottlessly cleaned with a toothbrush every shift, taking over the TV remote control and force them to watch whatever it is that they hate --------- DON'T harass, just have your own unique way of "doing it right, that is contrary to their belief". If that fails, have an affair with their significant other -- off-duty of course.

Grander scheme ==== I was at a very large petting zoo where the animals run loose -- the local squirrels are even trained to wait to be fed. All of the sudden, all of the deer, birds, goats, squirrels, sheltand poneys and everthing else was running in one direction, away from us, and nearly knocked us down. It was a clear, sunshiney day, nothing bad happened, but I noticed, and I became more aware of my surroundings for a few minutes (this was years before all the animals fled thialand before the psunami).

Bad things happen to good people; would you be less outraged if it were a fire or a tornado that made everyone run ? As long as their are evil people in the world, there will be evil events. I am actually quite shocked that we have not had more mall and school bombings (not shootings) than we have had. If I were a terrorist, and wanted to instill fear, I would be more prone to those activities to further my cause. Other generations faced guaranteed early death from disease, our's and the future generations will face the most likely cause of unexpected death as car accidents and terrorism. Its the world we live in. Glad you are OK.

you might be surprised, but in many states it is assumed you need to be an EMT first, but not actually the law. Your problem will be age related, as most services can not hire you until you are 21-23 because of vehicle insurance requirements. Take core classes that give you options other than EMS (in case you change your mind later), you may be able to volunteer or be paid at a hospital ER until you are of age. PM me if you need further advice.

Will sound stupid, but works for me.

1. Read the whole thing start to end (chapters, books, etc) but just skimming, not studying. This gives me context to things in the beginning, middle, and end (think of how immediately after you saw the end of the movie "sixth sense", how so many things clicked that didnt the first time through, and how your recognized things you did not pay attention to the first time -- like the color red)

2. Read through again, and write/create your own test questions as you hit what will obviously be a test topic (zerox your tests or keep on computer so you can take it over and over again). I do this a chapter/section at a time and then take the test I created days later to see what I retained. I never spend more than 1.5 hours on a section without taking a break.

3. After I take my test, I ask myself which question(s) I pray will not be asked on the real test, and then go back and study each one until I no longer have that fear. I then try to get a friend in the same class to ask me the toughest questions they can think of, and i do the same for them.

I cry "BS" on the whole thread --- only one post, claims to be a "student", but is being sued for actions in the field. Sounds like a stupid lawyer looking for way to sue.

Even if your service is the worst ever, each State has written rules/protocols/procedures for how to deal with this situation --- follow the rules, you are fine -- don't, get sued.

By the way, the use of the work "gurney" did it for me.

Because I work in the second largest gay community in the world (atlanta), so this is an every day or at least every week occurence for me. Sorry if you cant handle the truth.

just another expensive gimmick for those who can't be trained to do their job correctly.

Hmmmm. so let me ask ---- lets say you want to come up with a bizarre new recipe using goat testicles, but the top 10% of chefs in the world could not make it taste good, is it a chef problem or an unrealistic expectation ? At best we save 10% of arrests victims, and less than 1% walk out of the hospital, so is that because we do not do our job correctly ? I think it is stupid to transport anyone that CPR is being performed on, but if you must, why put a responder at risk in a moving ambulance when you can use such a device to do the meaningless task of CPR (or will you argue that CPR can be properly performed by someone who is seat-belted to the bench or CPR seat)? What about areas that are rural and may not have the luxury of 5 fire-fighters on every call ?

Your problem (if real) is not with the new guy, but with your management team. They put both of you in real danger, and you should be pissed. Instead of posting here, go vent to them.

If you watch the talking heads on Sunday talk shows, and then interpret the "code" they speak, we are heading towards "Medicare for All". You can argue whether that is a good or bad thing for the individual, but for most EMS agencies it will be bad (one of the lowest reimbursements for ambulance transports).

In the emergency setting, I have to ask why does it matter ? Unless they are complaining of a penile or vaginal problem, all other disease/injuries are unisex; if it is penile or vaginal, then take a look. If they are complaining of abdominal pain, then I guess it becomes a little more necessary so that you direct the patient to the right destination (ER versus OB), but our treatment in the field will not change even for that (you could always tell the nurse, "sorry I thought it was a dude/girl -- my bad"). The same question could be asked if you can not tell if someone is black or white; yes if black, maybe their pain is sickle cell related, but that does not change your treatment plan in the field (put a little oxygen on, it won't hurt). Many trannies have boobs with a penis, so a bra strap will only help if it is a "known Pat situation", but even then, how would you know, without asking (Pat could be a trannie inbetween surgeries) ? Look at the adam's apple, then measure their penis, if thats what it takes to devise a treatment plan.

Give me a situation where it matters to us.

Best advice I can give you for this situation and any other: If your 15 year old child came to you with the same issue (knowing they would do whatever you said to do, and you would then be complicent in the outcome), what advice would you give them ?

Too often, we base decisions on emotions and hopes, instead of inteligence and reality.

You will need to research your area to figure out what is best. Some SWAT teams employ their own medic, others rely on volunteers from their local EMS provider. If you are a volunteer from your agency, you obviously have pay and liability issues (will your work comp cover you while doing dangerous duty outside your department -- will your employer pay you to sit at a hostage scene for 24 hours ?). If I were you, I would go the Police Academy Route to ensure you are compensated and covered. There is no reason to go much higher than EMTB or A, as your primary function will be a first responder to trauma, until the victim can be dragged to the nearby ambulance crew.

The problem with the old gas burners was that Ford/Chevy were too stupid to modify the vehicle as an "ambulance" versus traditional pick-up; the catalytic converter was mounted to close to the fuel tank, so when you ran hard for long distances, the heat would boil the gas in the tank, resulting in gas spewing like a water fountain from the side of the truck, and then catching fire. Hopefully, that has been rectified in the new gas burners.

Seth, thats what I was hoping you would not say. EMTBs are a dime a dozen, and are mostly unemployable in many areas of the country, hopefully your area is NOT one of those and you will be able to get a job right away. But if not, you may have given up a job for a job that does not exist, Before you quit your current job, do some homework about what job is really available for you as an EMTB in your area, and at what pay and benefits ? I do not know what your area of the country garners in relation to EMTB pay, but in my area, UPS has a much superior pay rate and benefit package (they may even offer tuition reimbursement).

Also note, you did not provide your age, but since you are at your first job, I am guessing you are on the younger side. Many agencies can not or will not hire someone below age 23, 22, or 21 --- and most can't insure you as a driver at age 18 or 19. So even though you pass the course, your age may prevent you being hired.

At minimum you need to be an EMT-I or A to have an average chance at employment, and you need to really be a Paramedic to make a good living in this industry. Yes you may lose $1000.00 if you bail on EMT --- but I am betting your UPS job will probably pay you $2-8k more your first year over an EMTB job.

I am in no way suggesting that you give up your dream, my advice would just be to delay that dream for now. We have all had jobs that we were stuck in because the pay and benefits made it too painful to leave, but at this point you do not know that EMS will not be a job you hate 5 years from now (you have no experience at any job). The good news is that you are young, so even if your final decision is the wrong one, it will not be fatal to you, go with your gut --- at worse, you will learn a "life lesson".

Just don't let your dream distract you from the facts of both opportunities. Be objective.

A job in the hand right now is better than 5 possibles in the future. You can always go back to EMT school, I would stick with UPS for now, and look for an EMT class that meets on nights or weekends, or whatever is opposite your UPS schedule. If you are having trouble with EMTB, I would definitely stick with UPS (you didnt say which class you were taking).

At 13, I doubt you will find any department that will let you do ride alongs, but that does not mean the door is shut. You can "volunteer" in an ER, where you may see more in one week than you might in one year with a volunteer fire department, you can probably also volunteer in nursing homes on the weekend. You can take classes like CPR and first-aid. So hang in there.

http://www.mypreciouskid.com/seat-belt-cover-angel-guard.html

This is not the one we use (can't find it this morning), but a "metal" buckle-guard is a must on your ambulance for stretchers or bench seats. Can someone still get out of the seatbelt if they really want to, YES. But it buys you time.

The USA spent $35,000.00 to make a pen that would write in space, the Russians used a pencil. For splinting, pillows still work the best in my opinion, but anything that holds a bone in place works, not sure why a SAM splint is any better than any other --- a splint is a splint. If you wish to pay for the name brand, just like a POLO shirt, then so be it, but the shirts that don't have the POLO logo work for me.

** Especially if you are an urban service, where these splints will never be recovered from the ER.

My momma told me "nothing good happens after 11pm". My words to today's generation, "nothing good comes from tweets". Social media rarely does anything good, let it go, you do not have to share every thought you have with the world. It is better to be silent and let people wonder if you are dumb, rather than open your mouth (or type with your fingers) and let them know you are.

Assault with a 5lb metal object ???? yes that will go over well on CNN when you are sued. There is no easy answer, but the best I have found is "assume that every patient will become violent, and protect yourself accordingly". Use your 5 point seatbelts, have restraints, or at least 3 inch tape nearby, be ready for the unexpected. It is when you let your guard down, in any situation, where you will get bit in the arse.

Actually there are several reasons why you can get a false high or low from a glucometer (metabolic conditions, improper cleaning of site, glucometer out of calibration or stored in too hot or cold of a climate), so as stated above, you should be treating the patient, not the machine. The doctor you referenced probably orders $1,000.00 worth of lab tests on a flu patient. Nonetheless, I am more concerned about you handling the contaminated needle to get your sample, rather than doing a finger-stick. Do you not see the inherent danger in doing so ? Yes, you are saving the patient a "stick", but by what percentage have you increased your chances of getting a stick ?