BEorP

Hopefully you have the book by now so just take a read of that and you should be fine.

Off topic: Sorry about your luck since it sounds like you're using Comp Tracker. I hope you have a Palm and not a Windows Mobile device or you may end up losing all of those competencies. On topic: For PCP we did a clinical placement in Semester 2 that was around 8ish weeks (don't remember) of one day a week at the hospital. Then during Semester 3 and 4 we did our field placement where we were assigned to a paramedic who we went on shift with pretty much whenever we weren't in class and they were working. The total time for the field placement was approximately 450-500 hours. I think that this probably is the ideal system. I know that it may seem long in comparison to the two shift requirements of some EMT-B programs, but it really does allow you to begin working on your own with some level of confidence. Of course there is still a little bit of stress from not having your safety net (preceptor) with you anymore, but if your preceptor was good they would have been pretty much letting you do things how you wanted by the end of your placement anyway. There is often discussion about whether it is better at the PCP level to have one preceptor (as most in my class did) or shift between more than one (as a few people did for various reasons). Although I think the opposite may be true for ACP precepting, for PCP I think that one preceptor is the way to go. The first thing that it does is allows you to build rapport with this paramedic, which makes asking questions and learning from them easier. They also better learn your strengths and weaknesses and will best know how to push you without going too far. The downside of course is that you see one medic's way of doing things and will most likely become like them with many of your habits (this is why I think different preceptors are good for ACP). For PCP though I think it may just become a bit overwhelming if you're doing your calls one way based on your first preceptor then need to change and try to adapt to someone else's way. Consistency is good when you're trying to adapt what you've learned in the classroom and lab to real life.

I don't mean to be too nitpicky but it isn't just "out of curiosity" that a 70 year old lady who doesn't feel right should have the monitor placed on them. With the often vague complaints of the elderly wouldn't you want to check the rhythm of every 70 year old patient who presents like this?

That is not yet being taught around here for bystanders from the classes I have seen.

That poll is far from complete...

The college should be able to tell you their specific fitness requirements for you to start working towards. In terms of academic stuff, just start reading some anatomy and physiology.

And your an EMT who isn't qualified to say where a health professional can "cut it." [sub:60dc8d264f]Hopefully someone gets this.[/sub:60dc8d264f]

Should "old school" ways of doing things change with up-to-date treatments? If we're talking about treatments, yes. If there is evidence that something works better then we should all be doing it. If the "up-to-date treatment" though is really just a minor change in how things are to be done and not based on any specific evidence then I am fine with an experienced medic doing it the way they have always done it. Are the newer medics and EMTs coming in to the field with more knowledge base? In Ontario it has been within the last 10 years that the Primary Care Paramedic program became two years long so many of the old guys started out with just a one year program or first aid cert (although they have since had to do a significant amount of continuing education). A good portion of new medics also have undergraduate degrees these days. Can we and/or should we try to learn from each other? Yes. Do I have a bunch of physiology courses from university that may help me to understand what is going on with a patient? For sure. But does my partner with 30 years on and not a lot of book learning know how to manage a scene and maintain control better than I do? Definitely. What do you want to learn from the other generation? See above. The main thing is how to manage a scene and maintain control in what can sometimes be chaotic situations. You can learn all the medical stuff in school, but you can't learn that. What is your over all perception of the other generation? They know how to do the job and I respect them tremendously for that. How do we make change to better understand each other? I haven't had any issues with a gap between the old and the new. I think it all lies in both groups respecting what the other has to offer.

Who would want to give narcan?

Before you decide to make the move you may want to look at the pay cut you will be taking.

Is this how you actually assess patients? I hope that doesn't sound negative in any way but I am really just curious to know if it is how you do it or if you're just mentioning what might be the ideal way to do things in an ideal world.

It often takes more than a little effort to get all ten layers off of granny's arm. As for cutting clothes to take a BP... I'd like to see how that would go over with the patient.

I don't mean to bash the contest or the entries, but is this just about listing out courses that sound good with prices that are low? Most people know what is in organic chem or an intro to stats course, but for the EMS related courses since there is no real standard it could be open to much interpretation. In terms of the pricing of the courses, it is great to be able to say a low price, but is it realistic? Just my thoughts that may help get others thinking as they work on their entries...

I thought I had had a thread on this a while ago, but I wasn't able to find it with a search. I am strongly considering beginning work on Philadelphia University's Disaster Medicine and Management program in August. Any thoughts or reasons (other than that high cost) not to do it? Link to the program main page: http://www.philau.edu/disastermed/ Direct link to brochure: http://www.philau.edu/disastermed/download...disastermed.pdf

Another Canadian Forces medic killed in Afghanistan: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/07/07/a...dierkilled.html

The medics and police on this call may not have been the greatest, but the guys with the cameras were idiots who were looking for a fight.

I was also wondering this... I'm not an ALS provider but I don't see what difference it would make at least in my treatment in the prehospital setting.

If you don't want the education, stop bitching about being paid like a fast food employee. [sub:15f8f32958]This is just a general comment from my read of the last page of posts and isn't directed at any single person.[/sub:15f8f32958]

Thanks for the replies. Does anyone who is willing to share know what a typical flight medical salary would be?

Advice: lose the caps.

With all of the discussion on the dangers of air ambulance service recently, I became interested in knowing what the salaries of these flight medics generally are in the USA. I know that it will vary by region, but I am curious to see any numbers. The follow-up question will then be, is it enough and why if not money do people do it? Love of the job? Because it is "cool" to be a flight medic?

I am having a very hard time understanding your posts, but I will make an attempt to offer some comments (added in blue).

That is the type of attitude that holds back EMS. Things that "make sense" aren't always the best treatment. I always like to use the example of an immediate analysis for cardiac arrest patients. That just made sense, didn't it? Time to shock is what matters, right? It did make sense. And it was wrong. And FYI there is actually an HS study going on here right now.

OPALS saying ALS interventions improve cardiac arrest outcomes? Hmmm... from their August 2004 Abstract: