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mediccjh

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Everything posted by mediccjh

  1. At my full-time job in the 20th most dangerous city in the nation, we are required to bring in our airway bag, Box that goes Ping (LP12), med bag, and a carrying device. This is usually the stairchair, Reeves if it's an unconscious/arrest, or the stretcher (We have the Ferno 28s that convert into the chair..I LOVE THEM!!!) That being said, if they are walking around, they are walking to the bus, unless they are going to die. Sick people get carried, sick people get the stretcher. No truer words can be spoken.
  2. The new PA Protocols require 2 EMTs on a BLS truck.
  3. You mean when you didn't have to hold hands to pass? I long for those days.........
  4. When your patch is not wet, then you can tell people off.
  5. 1. Pass your NREMT-P. 2. Get hired by a MICU Project. They will have to sponsor you. 3. Fill out paperwork from MICU Project Education Coordinator for Reciprocity. You can only get the paperwork from the Education Coordinator. 4. Wait a month. 5. Get MICP card in the mail. Your MICU Project will get a copy of the card also. 6. Be a good Paramedic for the 6 months you're on probation. If you're a good person, you will lose the "T" at the beginning of your number. 7. Join us smart medics in overthrowing the regime, to help pull NJ out of the Dark Ages!!!
  6. Congrats!!!! Go out and heal the Amish!
  7. Unless ALS can start doing brain surgery, ALS will not do anything life-saving for a head injury? Pop a line and check a sugar. However, if there is confusion, and the airway starts to go, that's when ALS will prolong death..er, save a life.
  8. Bruce Leroy, Paragod of the Ghetto. Anyone recognize the movie reference?
  9. Further proof that the firemen shouldn't be running EMS, but that's another topic. Looking back on my Paramedic class experience, it was scary, and I shouldn't be a Paramedic. I didn't see a lot of sick people, and I only needed about 65-70 ALS patients before my clinical time/internship was done. That's scary looking back on it now. That being said, I did have some strong Paramedics take me under their wing and guide me the right way. Between that and my thirst for education (which meant a lot of self-study), I think I turned out OK. Or, that's what they say. I definitely believe that the Paramedic program needs to be a degree program, with a long internship program. One of the good things about NJ's Paramedic requirements is the number of hours required. It's about 800 I think (I'm not sure). The other benefit is that since MICUs are spread out in NJ, there is more opportunity to see sick people. Add in a busy system (like Newark, highest per-capita in the nation), and the opportunities to do things can be endless. The biggest problem in EMS "education" (I use quote because these days it is a joke) is its stupidification. The material is created to teach to the lowest common denominator, as was explained about LA in the previous post. We need to educate INTELLIGENT people who want to be kick-ass Paramedics, not some wacker who only wants it for the blue lights, stickers, and badges. We need to weed out the wanna-bes from the true recruits, and educate them. The other problem is how we, as an entity, treat and eat our young. Yes, there is a time and a place for it, but we can be brutal. Am I guilty of it? Yes, at times, but only to those who I don't believe have a place in this field. I do work in a limited EMS System. People call New Jersey a "Mother-May-I" system. While that is true when it comes to standing orders, the fact that separates the great medics from the shitty ones are the protocol monkeys. When I call the doctor, I ask/tell them what I want, not sit there and wait for the doctors to tell me what to do. It's called thinking outside the box, because 95% of our patients do not read the textbook before they pick up that phone. I'm going to agree that we need a total collapse of the EMS system and start from scratch. Either that, or someone important needs to die. Only then will the higher-ups realize that we have a system that needs to be fixed fast.
  10. Your assessment. I don't bust out the ALS toys until I'm done with my assessment, including vitals, to determine whether or not my patient is sick or not sick. I HIGHLY recommend the AMLS program. I finished it today, and it was worth it.
  11. That's when you say to the one objecting,"Fine. It'll be easier to transport you when you're dead." That usually works.
  12. Proofread: (I) guess "ONLY" is too (not to) big a word for a ghetto paramedic.
  13. I have one of his books. If you look at some of the comics, you will see that some of the patches on some of the soldiers match my avatar, for he was a Thunderbird.
  14. The wording of the title of the topic did not reflect that only EMTs and EMT-Is should answer. Suggestion: Put it in the first line of the first thread, like Dust did.
  15. Combi-tube. Only 2 sizes, so less room to take up in the bag.
  16. I'm going to say NO also. Keep in mind, I work in a system where the job volume is about 70/30 leaning towards BLS. Oversaturation of ALS increases morbidity. It was shown in a study (Los Angeles I believe), and when you think about it, it's common sense. Let's say a Paramedic Unit works in an area where they get 50 Intubations a year. Put another MICU up, then the average is down to 25. Add another one, and it lowers to 16.67 a year. Add another, and we're talking maybe 8 a year. I don't feel comfortable with that. ALS doesn't need to be out on toothaches, simple nausea/vomiting, etc. That being said, it is up to the EMT to find out if it is being caused by an underlying problem which could require ALS intervention.
  17. Spock, What are the chances of it working its way to Eastern PA?
  18. Where do I start? While I respectfully disagree with Dust's belief that all ambulances should be ALS, I believe all ALS trucks should be dual-medic. I have worked in both EMT-Medic and Dual-medic systems; the latter being where I am currently employed full-time. There are pros and cons for both. EMT-Medic: Pros: -If you have a strong EMT partner, or a medic student, it is almost like working with another medic. Yes, they may not be able to perform the skills; however, if they are good, they will be thinking one step ahead of you and have your equipment ready. My partner at my last full-time job was a medic student, and it was like having another medic with me. We were a great team. -If you are with an EMT, you are not doing paperwork on any BLS job. When an EMT argues the point with me, I ask them if they can write an ALS chart. That ends the conversation there. Cons: -If you have a rookie EMT with a shitty job, chances are you will be working by yourself. You're trying to get 20 things done at the same time with someone who is clueless. It sucks. -You have an EMT who thinks they know-it-all. They will question you in front of the family or patient, or bad-mouth you behind your back. They are the ones who get put in their place in front of the family or the patient. Yes, it sucks, but be a diplomat to the family or patient, and all will be OK. -If you have a shitty EMT partner, or one who is anti-medic, the lazy factor can come out. They will claim, "Well, it's ALS equipment, so I don't have to do anything." Or, the attitude is, "You're the medic and get paid more, so all I have to do is drive." These are the ones who are usually crying when they work with me. Dual-medic system: Pros: -You have someone to lean back on. If you miss a skill, they can try, and probably get it. My personal rule is 2 strikes. If I am unsuccessful twice on an IV or an ETT (HA!), I will turf it to my partner. -You have someone to bounce back ideas and treatment modalities on. Yes, everyone has their bad day, or their day when they are off. It helps to have someone who holds the same knowledge (I use that term loosely) with you on the job in case you get stuck. Cons: -You have the Paramedics who have the Napoleon complex. It's their way or the highway. Fortunately, I've never have come to fist-o-cuffs. That would be bad, and make us all look really bad. -You have lazy paramedics. Unfortunately, I have some of them where I work, and when they piss me off, they get relegated to driving duties. I will NOT tolerate lazy paramedicine on da Herbie Bus. To answer your question Dust, it usually isn't a problem when I'm with another medic. The rule I have on my bus is if one medic wants to treat, it gets done. Discussion after the job. A 12-Lead, Saline Lock, and Blood Sugar check NEVER killed anyone. EMTs on the other hand, yes. I even had a hoople bucket-fairy file a State QA charge against me on a job, which occured during the November 2006 Week From Hell. Needless to say, nothing ever came from it. I've been a medic for 6 years, which is a twinkle in the eye of most who have posted in this thread so far. However, in those 6 years, I have been working in busy systems, so I think I can hack it with most of youz, and would enjoy a tour with yaz.
  19. I gladly entertain questions from students, as long as they ask it at the right time. I tell everyone that if they have questions, ask me after the job is over. I tell them this because I don't want all of us to look dumb in front of the family with someone questioning my judgment. If the student or EMT sees something that needs my attention, I tell them to whistle. It works. I will gladly teach anyone everything I know; however, show the the know-it-all attitude, my goal turns to making you cry.
  20. It's all a conspiracy by the American Heart Association to make us pay more money for their classes. BWAAHAAHAAAA!!!!!
  21. Don't bother wasting your time with I. Go get your paramedic.
  22. No. Easy enough answer. Opening up these EMT Puppy Mills is only going to bring our profession down.
  23. If you are working for an EMS Agency, refer to PA Act 45 and PA Act 28.
  24. V/S, Mike is correct...once you are a Paramedic in Pennsylvania, you are one for life; however, you are required to attain 18 hrs of continuing education and have your Service Medical Director sign off for you to practice. That is why the PA EMT-P numbers are skewed.
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