ClutzyEMT

Actually Ed...it's a BLOOPER....Bloodhound Sheperd cross....ugly little thing... LOL but loveable.....

Kiwi, I didn't like Chicago very much in the beginning either, and still scream, "THAT NEVER HAPPENS" at it occassionally, but I have to admit my son liked it so we kept watching it and it seemed to 'realistically' get a tad bit better, but now it's got all the side show afternoon soap opera drama going on in it so I'm not so sure again.... Kat, Bringing out the Dead tho...I've never sat and watched the whole thing but co-workers thru the years have had it on during shifts and I've seen parts of it...some parts I thought were hilarious and others...well...wasn't impressed. I keep saying one of these days I will sit down and watch the whole thing~~ I have that affliction where I can't sit for long periods of time and watch a television screen tho so most movies are beyond me...can't remember what they called it again but I think the initials started with EMS....

Monica, Welcome to the city....I just moved in a few weeks ago but I think you'll find it very welcoming and informative here~~just like the real world of EMS you will find an eclectic (is that a word even?) variety of us in here from us old dinosaurs to fresh out of the desk newbies... Sometimes a Dino will get a little crochety and toss the rock we have our certification on at a newbie to shape them up, but other than that we are all pretty much easy to get along with **hands over the welcome gift of chicken pot pie................and a puppy***

Not yet Kat but we don't/haven't had that big of a need for one. We decided on a QRS unit instead which we have used on several occasions.

Although I don't have time right now, I just returned *last weekend* from a "Leadership Seminar" which is basically geared to volunteer services. It was an awesome weekend, I learned a lot, and I am excited for the next three parts of it. When I was hired "part time" here in town a few months ago I began implementing some of the things that we happened to go over last weekend to improve not only our roster, but our "culture" so it was reassuring to find that I was on the right track at least. When I get a chance, hopefully this weekend, I will share some of it and try to get some links to the crew that is putting the training on~~

Sure have been thinking about you guys during this blizzard and praying everyone uses their head and stays inside We are expecting a "smaller" storm here tomorrow night thru Monday night~~ Stay safe and warm "over there"!!! P.S. Kat......I want that sled and toboggan!!

Hi Mike, Thanks for the welcome I've always told my crew "the rig doesn't leave the bay until I have a Dt Dew in my hand and my brush in my pocket." I've learned thru the years that there is no true 'jinx' in EMS and that the odds are usually against me whenever I decide to eat, poop, take shower, or go to sleep....so to counteract that effect I must always have my Dt. Dew and my brush and I will be able to handle everything the goood Lord throws at me. Well, everything ExCePt maggots....never have been able to handle maggots...never. Nice to meet you Tami

I guess that is why I say I can't honestly state a "yes" or a "no" answer to the question Kat....they type of person you just described would probably not bring any unwanted attention upon themselves and we would probably get along just great but some of the visions I had when reading the thread earlier in regards to ghoulish makeup and such would lead me to think it might take some adjustment on my part~~ Truth is, a person probably never really knows the answer to that until it happens~~

Individuals applying for EMT-Basic / EMT certification must meet the following requirements: Successful completion of a state-approved EMT-Basic / EMT course that meets or exceeds the U.S. Department of Transportation EMT-Basic National Standard Curriculum. You must have completed the course within the past two years. Your Program Director must verify your successful completion of the course on the NREMT web site. http://www.nremt.org/nremt/about/reg_basic_history.asp#Cognitive_Examination Hope this helps Good luck!!

Have you looked at all the preservatives in our food lately???

Oh my gorsh and all this time I thought the tranny was under the hood of my car.... It might take me a few shifts to get comfortable with someone who is a crossdresser or considering reassignment surgery but that's nothing new, it takes me a few shifts to get comfortable working with almost any new partner in "my" rig. Now should this person be overbearing or attempt to force their lifestyle choices or beliefs on myself or my patient, they might just find themselves walking home from a scene or a hospital. It would take a lot for me to make that decision and of course there would be much discussion involved privately with my new partner regarding their behavior before this would happen, but trust me, if they continued to be what I would consider "overbearing or pushy" I would no longer be working with them and would raise some serious concerns with my direct supervisor. Okay now, before you ask what that behavior entails I would probably have a tough time 'describing' it but while I was working the rig in another state I did have a partner that was a gay male. He was fine to work with and you would never know he was gay until you got to know him better. We worked well together, he is still one of my best friends to this day. Move up a few years and I had another partner who was also a gay male. He made everyone around him aware of the fact that he was a gay male. He was very proud of the fact that he was a gay male. When we were on some scenes if the pt showed any 'reserve' at all to him, regardless of the reason they were reserved, he would out and out get hostile to the pt and exclaim to them that "they could not treat him that way"...he made several "mountains out of molehills" due to HIS biases and beliefs. I didn't work with him long. He lasted less than a month at our service and I am not sure if he ever worked in EMS again....and I can honestly say, I hope he didn't. Due to HIS attitude and actions he encountered several difficulties that he would not have. It wasn't the fact that he was gay that made people uncomfortable, it was the fact that he felt the need to SHOVE it in people's faces and DEMAND that they MUST accept him. So I can't honestly say at this point if I would, or would not have a problem working with a "transgender" person, but I can honestly say it would depend entirely on them and not me..... Oh...and we did have a pt who refused to be transported by our service because he did not like the particular EMT on the rig sue us in the past....he didn't win......but the media never got ahold of it either so who knows what would have happened if they had....

I'm not an EMT but I play one on the bus.... Welcome "New guy", grab a chair, set a spell and enjoy the camaraderie....from another dino in North Dakota~~

Being from a small town myself where I also volunteer on the squad I can understand completely 'working a code' longer than normal. We've done it here too in special circumstances Ed. Sometimes in small town EMS, what I find affects me most is not the code itself....but seeing the family a few days later. Especially if it's a ped or totally unexpected event...that is what gets to me sometimes.

and hit the ground running singing "Hallelujah"........."Hallelujah"

LOL...consider it your first EMS save.....

I think everyone handles death differently according to their experiences with it...I'd like to think I handle each death I am present at in the way that is appropriate for that person/family at that time. For example, years ago we (my squad and I) were called to the home of an older man who had been sick for quite some time and was now having SOB with periods of non-responsiveness. Upon our arrival he was drooped over in the wheelchair that home health had assisted him into earlier that morning and his whole being was telling me it wouldn't be long now. I spoke with his wife and his daughter and found that he had a DNR and that they were comfortable with it and understood it. I then spoke with him. I don't remember the entire conversation, but I remember telling him that we couldn't do anything for him at home and finding out if he wanted to go to the hospital. At some point in our conversation he squeezed my hand with all his might and told me that he just wanted to "go to bed and die at home." After radioing in to dispatch that we would be on scene but available if another emergency happened to come in, my crew and I assisted his wife and daughter with getting the man back into his bed and comfortable. Knowing that he wasn't long for the world I relayed to his wife and daughter that I thought they should say their goodbyes and at their request, we remained on scene for approximately another half hour or so. I don't remember exactly how much time we spent there, but before we had left I had done all the proper listening to the heart and lungs, run a flat strip and notified medical control and the coroner...it is a death that always stays in my mind and not only is it a good memory, it is also a teaching point in some of my classes that we aren't always there to "save a life" but sometimes, we are there just to preserve some sort of dignity for our patient and their family because beyond that, there isn't anything else that we can do.......

What they said ^^ **brings ysaundra a welcome package complete with meatloaf.........and a puppy** Welcome

http://www.emtcity.com/page/articles.html/_/articles/weld-commissioners-approve-ambulance-code-change-r76 Another example of the Fire Unions winning battles that they shouldn't...in my opinion....

I've never understood why the big red truck with the ladders goes screaming out in the city when someone falls....but I'm sure it has something to do with "power in unionization".....

meatballs???

Actually Kat, ETT is in my bag of skill sets although in all honesty, the only time I've used it is testing and for skills maintenance. I have used Combi-tube as my first "go to" airway everytime...... NTT however is not and I can not find it in any of my surrounding state Intermediate protocols.... I think I'm sticking by my original thought that this question is a pose as there seems to be too many details that do not add up....

Looks like I'm late to the party but I'm bringing with me a plate of deep fried Rattle snake and a bowl of Rocky Mt Oysters....especially for ERDoc Trust me Doc...the rattler tastes like chicken......

In answer to ERDoc I understand in a nutshell that petechial rashes are the result of local areas of hemorrhage into the dermis. Correct? You also mention that she has lower abdominal pain which leads me to wonder about her spleen and possible infection. But then you describe a terribly messy house and possibly a contaminated water source so I think maybe Typhoid fever....

In North Dakota it will cost you $360,000 a year for a 24-7 BLS only staffed unit $70k vehicles, radio's, equipment, facility, supplies and insurance $288k in staffing costs Usually not something a town with a population of 2000 or less can afford~~

You seem to be missing a lot of details on "your" call which perplexes me....I also would like to know how long the pt was down before you arrived. Are you sure he hadn't been down so long that rigor had set in? Rumor has it that it starts in the jaw first....just a question mind you.... You also state that First Responders were taking care of BLS...I'm guessing that means they had the AED attached and were performing high quality CPR all with an NPA in place that was efficient? Which brings me to my question then of why you would even take it upon yourself then to decide this wasn't adequate and go against "absolute contraindications" to use nasotrachael intubation while a higher level provider "ran out to the truck to get the IO and cric kit"...I'm just having a hard time swallowing this statement. In my neck of the woods if the medic wants a more secure airway, the medic gets a more secure airway and doesn't request that another provider goes against contraindications and protocols to obtain one....I'm not real comfortable with your statement that you attribute it to "pure luck" and doesn't give me a warm fuzzy feeling that someone who appears to be so blatantly proud of going against proven procedures is providing care... I agree with ERDoc that even a broken clock is right two times a day~~