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Apparently I need to get around the board more. Good luck sir, to you and those that have the misfortune of crossing you. I feel we need to increase the educational standards for all Iraqis, that should fix many of the problems.

I am not sure it was a good idea to post this in the manner you did, th. I don't get the impression you dislike a person based on their race, but there is a distasteful tinge to the way you approached this subject- nothing blatant, just not necessarily a good idea. The fact that you are sharing your experiences and frustration is fine, but there are plenty of people from every race that do not have the necessary life skills to effectively help themselves. Personally, I think a discussion on how to approach the subject of the abuse or misuse of the system is a good subject, but there was no need to mention race. Socio-economic issues are where the problem will likely be found, regardless of race. Mabye vs was a little harsh, but I can see his reaction being a common one. Personally, I feel that life skills are not taught enough in schools. Public education is trying to teach people from all walks of life and in doing so should be able to assist those persons who do not have a good background or parents that are able to educate their children in the proper way to deal with their healthcare or even how to balance a checkbook. The failing of current education is the fact that the basic cognitive methods are taught, but little instruction is given on why the information is important or how it applies to everyday life.

As long as you are confident that the worst is over, often with medical patients they could easily get worse despite your best efforts.

9 times out of 10, you know if the patient requires rapid transport or not the second you walk in the door. If you walk-in and are thinking this person does not look good, you take a baseline and start O2 while you are putting them on the cot. If the patient is not in serious danger, then spending a few minutes to get a thorough history and do some tests that could assist the ER is likely going to improve the patients care in the ER.

Your license will likely not transfer, so check into that. It is possible that you will have to take an approved course to even be allowed to test. Do some careful checking with the state EMS entity prior to your move, as each state is different.

Nothing ticks me off more than a gung-ho NUG wanting something bad to happen so they can go "play". I always hope that nothing really bad happens, and that if it (God forbid) does then I am able to help them effectively. If anyone comes off with that "I hope we get the big one", I will let them have it until I am sure they will never utter such nonsense again. (And that goes for the fire side too for you super whackers out there)

6 months or less. The B curriculum is often taught in 2 week marathon classes (which I don't recommend). The thing is, there are very few times when a B is going to "save" lives. If a B ends up saving someone, it is more likely that they have removed them from a dangerous situation (which is important) than performed a medical intervention. Basics have training and skills that allow for transport and not much more. I am currently a B, so I do know how little I can do and am frustrated by being unable to provide more definitive care. If anyone thinks that B's are truly capable of life saving medical interventions then tell the medic "I've got it" next time you respond to an unresponsive cardiac patient.

I was referring to radars comments (about the auto-pleasure). Sorry about the confusion.

So when you become a projectile that ends up further injuring your patient, then what?

Uhhhhhhhhhhh...... :roll: :roll: . In the EMS and the fire service the term "wanker" or "whacker" refers to a person who is obsessed with the emergency services. They have no ability to put it in perspective with other parts of their life. Think volunteer who is undertrained but has 2 pagers, a scanner, a two way, a leatherman, a pouch with gloves, scissors, window punch, tape, and a pen all on his regular belt. Mabye you were being facetious, if you were sorry.

Or a pothead.

Most services, fire departments and hospitals are already set up for and willing to allow ride time or clinical rotations for any medical school or EMS student. So there is no justification for the liability involved. Just develop a relationship with current organizations that provide the type of service you are wanting to get experience with.

As much as possible, but we are 911 only (FD) so there are times when it is not feasible. If you don't wear your seatbelt as much as possible, then you are endangering your patient as much as you are endangering yourself.

Just my take, but I saw no personal attack, just questions on the scope of practice and training required for ALL PERSONNEL in your state/region. I thought the purpose of the "I" cert was to provide advanced airway and cardiac interventions at a more attainable level, not to have every drug in EMS available to them. Getting all the tools means getting the entire training and education package, not expanding protocols for lower certification levels.

I personally am an introvert when it comes to dealing with new people, but when it comes to patient contact the professional drive takes over. I always introduce myself to patients (who are concious) and ask them what happened and what their name is. I then try to use cues from that initial contact to dictate how I handle the situation. If someone is or may become combative I treat them with empathy. If someone is scared or nervous I will act very confident but use a quiter tone of voice. Our main objective is to ensure proper patient care which can only be achieved if we get as accurate of a history as possible, and then become their advocate in the ER. That is why I am against wearing badges, it will automatically put a barrier between you and a patient who may be in legal trouble or even a woman who has been abused by her husband.

Several people have checked paramedics- Why? The FR level should be done away with. There is no point in allowing anyone trained below the current EMT-B level to touch a patient. All transporting units should require an EMT-I at a minimum- and that is just to appease the most rural of areas. Any metro or suburban area should require the assigned drivers to be EMT-I's and require a medic to be assinged at all times.

I would prefer to be part of a greater good. I would prefer to effectively help my patient. Please do not use the lights and sirens aregument in here as it wears very thin. The reason that the pay for emt-B's is low is quite simply that people do this job for the lights and sirens. You take a 6 month course, are fed some crap about duty and are given free reign with woo-woo's and the pretty red and whites. If it were not that simple to get the cert and people were in it because they wanted to find the best way possible to help people in their time of need and believed they had the ability to mitigate bad situations, then the field of EMS would advance quicker than it has.

Mediclease- read my posts, I am currentlt a dumb ol' B and have not yet started medic classes. So I am not bashing B's, but am rather relaying frustration in knowing I could do more but am unable to due to lack of education- something I can and will rectify. JP- Next time tell them you called them so you did not have to drive code 3 (or signal 10 as it is in Indiana). Most medics don't like code 3 if they can avoid it. Dust- I have seen very little of the attitudes mentioned here in the fire based systems I deal with.

If you have truly mastered the "skill" then it is time to find a better way to serve your patients. I cannot see how anyone could be satisfied with not being able to give every available field intervention or have every tool available to them. This is not a profession where it is OK to only provide the minimum level of service. I suppose I left one alternative of why you would not want to advance yourself in my previous post- fear. Fear of the responsibility, fear of failure, etc. So mabye it isn't laziness or lack of intelligence, mabye it is fear of trying to excel and failing to do so. As for being an RN, well why not. It is not necessarily apples and oranges, but there are limited opportunities for prehospital providers who operate at anything above EMT-P. The additional knowledge gained would be beneficial, and would only likely require core classes plus some math. I am just a dumb ol' B and it is very frustrating what I don't know and even more frustrating is what I do know but cannot do. I will further myself by taking the next step, and while it is not right for everyone, if you are good at what you do it is unlikely you are satisfied with BLS level interventions and knowledge unless you fall into one of the categories I have mentioned.

If you are satisfied being BLS, then you are not a very good EMT. The one thing I have learned in the last 2 years of emergency services is that I cannot know enough and complacency is the devil. I have learned that being BLS is not worth my time and I strongly feel that any EMS provider that wants to stay at the B level is either lazy or unintelligent. How can you be satisfied not providing the most effective level of service possible. So being and EMT-B is an important first step, but if you are satisfied being at that level long term, don't be suprised if people question your work ethic or competence.

High flow O2 for all who can tolerate it, that is #'s 1-20 in how to be an EMT (OK- just #1). My only recommendation is to ask "what flow rate" prior to hooking up a patient when you are working with a new medic. I think that is a little odd myself, but I am just a dumb ol' B, so mabye rid or dust can fill in the blood thinner question.

As long as the newbie is asking pertinent questions at appropriate times. Too often the gung-ho whacker type will ask inappropriate questions. Such as; "Your ALS, shouldn't you intubate him" in front of a Conscious patient who had difficulty breathing, or the watcha-doin-now syndrome. I've seen both examples in action.

The sound clinical judgement line is something that needs to be pounded into everyones heads. We are not doctors and should not try to be doctors, but we need to be able to make the most appropriate decision for our patients regardless of the type of problem they are having. Only an understanding of A+P will give you the tools for this.

He is pretty much on the money though, 7fissy. Just because it is not sugar coated doesn't mean his points are not valid.

100% true story here. We get a call at 22:00 on Christmas eve of all nights. It has rained for 3 days straight, it is foggy, drizzly, nasty, 42 degrees. The call is a suicidal person who has overosed on Atenolol (I believe, I'm just a dumb ol' , We are standing by with our ambulance and engine, along with a medic waiting for an all clear from law enforcement when they call us up for "lighting". Seems this guy has "run off into the field" across from their house and is hiding from the deputies in the "tree line". He is talking with them on his cell and telling them he "does not know where he is now and is having a hard time moving". So, in true rural fashion, we call our 4x4 grass rig and go muddiing through about 2 square miles of divided fields with a TIC, four EMT's and two deputies on the back bumper hanging on like old time tail board riders. In addition to that, they call a local hunter/ reserve officer in, two DNR conservation officers with 4wd Expeditions, another FD's Gator, a few other vollies in their POV 4x4's and quads, and there are two shifts worth of deputies there with two dogs- one deputy for the rest of the county is left! After about 2 hours of searching with dogs, TIC's and massive amounts of manpower and simply tearing four fields to shreds- the a**hole is hiding in his closet in his house and never OD'd on anything- except a six pack! Everyone is covered in mud and he just could not fathom why we were upset and why he was going to jail. That is rural EMS at its best