sirduke

Leave it, got to many books to study now, ....... last donut in the box.

My sympathies for the familys left behind, I too think we as ground providers need to think it through before we request a launch in crappy weather. We've had too many crashes lately, several in Ga in the last few years. Only one was in "decent" weather.

Leave it, gramps said never take wooden nickles, leaving grumpy old inmate washing the ambulances

Take it, reminds me of my father,....... lug nut off a 1932 Dodge

Take it, use it to whop my partner when he acts stupid,...... leave our new ambulance that is governed at 80 mph

Does it work as a fire DETECTOR as well........... Sorry Terri, couldn' t resist it...

take it, straight to the glue factory, leave...... collection of Daniel Steele books my wife won't toss out

Take it, price of copper is through the roof,..... leave nattlebattle as a love slave

Take it, need a new one anyway, ...... leave a tired paramedic student

Thanks first off to Sleep for starting this thread, he and I have bumped heads quite often, and I will admit, I tend to get riled easy, but I would have to say it is because of the ParaGODS I've had to deal with. And the fact that I take pride in my job. As an EMT-I, I'm expected to take care of the BLS part so that he or she can deal with the Advanced stuff. While my paramedic is getting the patient on the monitor, deciding on what interventions, what meds, etc. are needed, I take care of establishing the IV, getting them on O2 if needed, splinting or bleeding control, etc. Vital signs, securing the meds from family members, what ever he needs done. At the same time, I am observing the patient, learning from him if he is a good medic, and further learning what I need to know for the day I am the medic. Is this not important? I think its. Would the patient be better served with two paramedics? Yes, they would, larger knowledge base to provide for differental diagnosis. Is this feasible where I work, no, not really. There is a shortage of paramedics here. But again, somebody has to start the IV, put the patient on O2, collect the meds and vitals, and all the little things, can somebody say Good ALS begins with Good BLS??? Am I content with my current level? No, that is the reason I am in the final quarter of Paramedic school, thats why I spend hours of my personal time researching questions that arise in the course of my job. Do I feel like I am a glorified gofer, or a useless level whacker as has been suggested? No, I am competent in my level of knowledge and skill, and do provide quality care to my patients. My interventions have saved limb and life before. And I'm sure will again. Do I think that I "save" paramedics? I have before, with a fresh out of school zero to hero who freaked out on his first code. Not with my superior knowledge, but by virtue of having worked several codes with older seasoned medics who taught me, knowing the sequence of events, and being a calming effect on him which allowed him time to regroup. And, to give him credit, the little sucker recovered, ran the code, and thanked me later for helping him regain his composure. Does this make me feel superior, No, just glad I could be there and help him. I have worked a MVC fatality with a green paramedic who freaked out because the fatality was a child. I didn't feel smug or superior to her, just glad that I was able to help the other patients while she recovered. Have paramedics saved my ass, HELL YES, more than once. And I'm damn glad I had them there. Thankfully it was a paramedic and not a ParaGOD, who after pulling my nuts out of the fire, was good enough to explain what I'd missed, and teach me something I needed to know. I guess the point of all this is to say that we have a definite place in EMS, and will continue to be needed. All the knowledge in the world doesn't mean dick if it can't be brought into action. Experience and maturity count a long way. Taking a person straight from the street, putting him through a paramedic course, and throwing him on the truck as the lead man/woman doesn't really work. Without seasoning or if you prefer, experience, you don't have a good medic. I am a stout advocate of taking a EMT and letting them get experience working with a good medic, then putting them through school, and at the end of this pipeline, you have a new medic, who has the knowledge and has the experience to draw on. Anyway, enough said, as I stated in a much earlier post, just one man's opinion. Oh, and since I'm sure it is coming, yes Dust, I understand the medical reasoning for the interventions I am allowed to do, I'm not just a monkey stabbing a needle in someone's arm or shoving a tube down their throat.

Leave it, too fat to ride a bicycle, ..... Michael Jackson's slightly abused Love Monkey

I give up, you are just too smart for little old me, what with me being a lowly EMT-I, its a wonder I can even muster the intellegence to read these forums. My humblest apologies to your greatness. Guess I'll go get me some panties to WADE in, or did you mean wad?

Read it again oh Great one, there was a comment that said, "part of the basics job is to (respectively) let the medic know this isn't right, and if the medic continues to disagree, involve medical control." To quote Ventmedic, " It is a partership and the EMT driving should know his paramedic doesn't belong up front when there is a patient in the back." USApride2004 makes a similar comment. Sounds like somebody is talking about both sides of their mouths.....

take them, mine are faded,......... leaving a can of bullsheeit repellant

take it, might come in handy,.....a pack of magnum condoms

only if it comes with chili and cheese,..... my back ache

take it, like candy, sugar good...... a case of 5 year old M&Ms

uck, leave it, .......................... two full Sharps containers

Let me see, it was the 3 am call to the same woman we'd been to twice already that day. 450 lbs plus, seated in a ocean of her own piss, that took 4 people to lift, and put back on the bed. Knowing we would be back in about an hour when she needed another twinkie or moon pie.

leave it, don't know what it is,..... my last patients horse that threw her

take it, need to eat more salads,.... a sun dried possum from US 84

leave it, got enough already, leave my secret recipe for ribs

take it, want to pose as MacArthur, leave a used NRB

charged it to training budget and left it,.... pair of size 9 Bates boots with broken zipper

scantily clad at that...