akflightmedic

Ok, first I will start off with my rant. This kind of crap irritates the hell out of me. The gist of the story is they want testing in IL to be geared more towards care that would be provided in IL only. For example, they state that their students do not need to know or be tested on such irelevant things as snake bites or scorpion stings. They are losing way too many people due to their inability to pass this very difficult test due to such hard questions as these. Really now, how many questions on the exam pertained to this type of stuff? Not very many. The bulk of the test is VERY relevant as it is medical care in general. I will point out the main supporters of this intiative is the "FIRE UNION" who "should have been involved from the get go". I say the testing should stand. What is the harm in answering maybe 1 or 2 questions about envenomation? You mean no one has these creatures as pets in IL? Are there no reptile shows or pet stores that carry these things? In my opinion, this is an attempt for the FD to seize control of the certification process, create a dumbed down version of a state test and ensure they have a steady supply of ignorant EMTs for years to come. ........................ ......... ................... ................ Addressing EMT certification deserves priority By the Pantagraph Editorial Board When we dial 9-1-1 in a medical emergency, we want to know someone will be there to help — someone who is properly trained. But when the certification process becomes so cumbersome that it reduces the supply of trained emergency medical personnel, without improving necessary skills, a change is needed. The state is finally getting around to addressing the matter and involving the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association — which said it had been excluded from the process for two years. The chiefs should have been part of the process from the beginning. Among the problems is the national certification test required by the Illinois Department of Public Health for emergency medical technicians. The national test includes material irrelevant to Illinois and has testing locations that are not always convenient. Critics say the national process is more costly and lacks flexibility to meet the needs of many departments and agencies. At this point, many larger departments — including the Bloomington Fire Department — require applicants to be certified emergency medical technicians before they are hired. For the eligibility list Bloomington is putting together for its next round of hiring, applicants will need to be certified paramedics. But in smaller communities, especially those with volunteer rescue squads, the certification process is an even larger issue. At least five emergency medical service agencies in Illinois have had to reduce service because of the inability to put new EMTs on the job. Farmer City is one of the affected communities, according to the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association. The process of becoming an emergency medical technician is difficult enough without additional barriers. The certification test should be tailored to the needs of Illinois, rather than covering every conceivable situation that could be encountered nationwide, from scorpion stings to coral snake bites. Bloomington Fire Chief Keith Ranney said Illinois is required to have a state test. The chiefs’ association is not trying to “dumb down” the test, he said. Rather, the group is trying to “satisfy the logistics of getting this in place.” For the sake of would-be emergency medical technicians — and especially for the sake of those relying on the availability of EMTs in an emergency — we urge the state and all the other players in this issue to resolve the situation swiftly and not leave it simmering on the back burner.

ok 7 rights anyone want to add anymore??

6 rights of medication.... Right to Refuse

I am glad I was not the only one thouroughly confused. I was going to comment when it was first posted but I decided to sit and see what others say. I am still confused by the whole scenario. I now understand the AED response brings manpower, but the rest of it was too confusing or lacking in information to comment. I do realize a comment is not needed as the purpose of the post was to make fun of the cop mentioning narcan, however it does leave a lot of unanwered questions..just my curious nature, sorry. For example, when you said "probably vtach", that confused me cause if you have a monitor, why is it probable...and why would you say probable vtach when more than likely it is usually "probably vfib". But then you say there is ST elevation yet you are using an AED?? Sorry lost me brother. Then he was called after multiple bouts of Vtach???? Oh well, I am destined to remain confused I guess.

me stupid I Dont Get It ???????

The guy who owns the company is a member here. He used to be very active however he has been MIA lately. I surmise between school, job and the business he is over extended. Anyways, I too bought a pair. I didnt get em at expo cause I spent too much gambling instead of watching mediccgh cut cars. Anyways, they are phenomonal. I used them as a flight medic and they cut through military issue camoflauge like a hot knife through butter. The are well worth the expense and they are very duable. Plus, no one tries to steal them like they steal my trauma shears all the time.

I love you man. Its great to be humbled often. My last English class was 4 years ago and I was pulling from memory, no online sources. Thank you again. As a side note, I was trying to be a sarcastic ass cause I am in a mood and it felt good.... Man, its great to be an American and speak any old way which we like...if it aint a word, use it enough and it will be...long live the Queen...

Proper grammar and professionalism would dictate that your sentence should have read as such: 1. We will let the contractions stand as they have become acceptable in formal and informal writings. 2. "As long as it coherent" is unacceptable. You are referring to a plural, so say as long as they are coherent, referring to the variations. 3. Use however in this instance, not but.....However, when I have to determine..blah blah blah 4. Do not say "determine if" because they will be one or another, so you need to say "determine whether or" since you are referring to choosing from several. 5. Capitalize names of languages please. English, German or Yiddish 6. Instead of saying "prior to trying to read it" you should say "prior to reading them" as the them is necessary since you are referring to "variations in grammar" which is plural. 7. I have a problem, not we. You can not use a singular reference twice and then in the final statement change it to "we". In closing, the post should resemble this when utilizing proper grammar. I am all right with variations in grammar, as long as they are coherent. However, when I have to determine whether the language is English, German or Yiddish prior to reading them, I have a problem. This is a professional forum, coherent communication should be the standard.

You stated you will be following the LA skill sheets. I will assume that since you are a new graduate and will be testing soon, the skill sheets are right there in front of you. If they are not, then you need to get them and put them in front of you. Again assuming you now have the skill sheets in front of you. look at them. See if they state what you just printed. If they do match up, then I would say yes..what you just wrote is correct. Great job!

I found this very interesting. Trying to find out more information about it but here is the basics. Imagine my surprise when I found out this device was being invented and implemented by the Israelis(said sarcastically). I can not believe this as their methods are so far behind us. We are so more advanced medically than them, they live in the stone age....(again said with much sarcasm). Anyways, here is the article. An Israeli company is developing a drone that will be able to rescue wounded combatants and re-supply fighter units operating in remote areas, the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported Friday. A prototype of the revolutionary aircraft will begin test flights within a year-and-a-half, the daily said. Evacuating wounded soldiers and supplying fighter units that operate under fire in remote areas were difficulties encountered by Israel during its recent war in Lebanon against Shiite guerrillas from Hezbollah. Dubbed the "mule," the five-meter-long (16-foot) drone will be able to climb to a maximum altitude of 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) with a flight time of between two and four hours, Yedioth reported. It will be able to evacuate two wounded people on stretchers.

MCI does happen every day in the US but not on the same level of or as a result of terrorism. 8 patients and 2 ambulances is an MCI, but we are not experiencing numerous simultaneous fatalties and severe casulaties on a daily basis. Sorry that comment holds no water. Have you had any shellings today or have your kids found some unexploded rockets at the remnants of the playground? Just asking...How many suicide bombings have you or anyone else worked? How many scavenger hunts have you gone on looking for pieces? How many of those pieces were family members, coworkers, or friends? The research is out there, do your homework. The Israelis have set the bar high when it comes to trauma medicine research, security/special forces, and homeland security along with pride. My post was geared to the attitude which shows how typical we are always assuming others are wrong just because it is different. No you do not need a certain number of posts to comment, however as a newbie, it isnt the best idea to instantly be offensive to a well respected person here especially when you know nothing of them. At the end you did apologize so we will leave it at that...

Wow, how nice of you to come here with your 4th post on this site and display our standard American narrowmindedness and rudeness. You can not call the condom idea stupid when you have never lived or worked in a country other than the US. Basically you have insulted a very well respected paramedic and member of this site who has seen more trauma casulties and fatalities in a years time than I have seen in my entire career. We have no concept of MCI in the US cause it happens so rarely. Over there, it is a regular occurrence and it is massive. The injuries seen are unlike any we have seen on our homeland. It just doesnt happen here...not yet anyways. Due to the amoount of trauma they see on a regular basis, it would be safe to assume that they have perfected what works and doesnt work for them. Just because it is different from our standards, does not make it wrong. They have improvised and adapted and are doing well with their solutions. Do you have a better one? Are you willing to go over and see that it is implemented? Until such time, we should not criticize another countries ways or techniques, only learn from them and see how we can improve ourselves.

Sorry I just cant leave this one alone. That many people on scene and they all piled in their cars and went to the hospital as well??? Or this is just a different set of 300 people at the ER??? I got my boots on....

LOL.... I caught that one as well. Plus in between seziures she is able to give history...no post ictal state for her I guess. No cops to be found so you decide to enter a scene where there are hundreds of angry people with mob mentality plus patients that had already been removed with gunshot wounds..hmmmm, lemme thin about that one. I thought about it and the short of it is there is no patient worth my ass getting hurt over. I will wait for police thank you. I believe we teach that one the first week of EMT school.... Very good details my friend, heck of a night...you must be pooped.

Hello to all my friends. Some of you are already aware, but now I will post for all. I leave on Sunday the 10th to go to Houston for training. After a week or two there, I then depart to beautiful #1 vacation destination of Afghanistan. My assignment is for one year. I will try to keep in touch, however I do not know what the internet capabilities will be at this time. Please feel free to drop me PMs and when I get to them I will most certainly respond. Keep the chatrooms clean mods....I will not be around there much at all, maybe not at all if I have the same situation that Dust is experiencing in the sandbox. Anyways, like I said, I will be around in TX for a week or two so I have time to say goodbye to everyone...I just wanted to give you guys a heads up now. AK...

definition sounds identical to me.... Pt tells you she has "stiff man's" disease What is it???

Ok you got me.....My lysdexia and typos do not have auto correct and I am too lazy to spell check....lol However, for the record I was quoting the spelling from my brain cause I am familiar with the term and disease, I didnt have to google to know what it is or how to spell it....lol

Typically for true orthostatic test, you are supposed to wait a min of 2 mins between switching postures. However in my experience, if a pt has positive orthostatic BPs, you notice it almost immediately. Many times you dont make it to standing or if they do stand they get very dizzy or near syncope. It is a good test to perform on all dizzy, weak patients and the information is very pertinent. This is an ALS assessment/diagnostic tool that can be done by any level, especially basics however it is very under utilized.

or to add to that term molluscum contagiosim

Wolff Parkinson White paracetamol (very common usage outside the US)

Smartass You are 85% Rational, 71% Extroverted, 57% Brutal, and 85% Arrogant. You are the Smartass! You are rational, extroverted, brutal, and arrogant. In fact, you could very well be the anti-Christ, as you are almost the exact opposite of everything Jesus was supposed to be. While Jesus says love your enemy, you say love beating the crap out of your enemy. While Jesus raises the dead, you raise hell. While Jesus walks on water, you tend to sink. You probably consider people who are emotional and gentle to be big pussies who are obviously in lesser stature than you. You have many flaws, despite your seeming intelligence and cool-headedness. For instance, you aren't very nice. In fact, you're probably an asshole. And you are conceited and self-centered. Not only that, but you are very loud and vocal about all this, seeing as how you are extroverted. There is no better way to describe you than as a "smartass", I'm afraid. Perhaps just "ass" would do, too. But that's a little less literary and descriptive. At any rate, your main personality defect is the fact that you are self-centered, mean, uncaring, and brutally logical. To put it less negatively: 1. You are more RATIONAL than intuitive. 2. You are more EXTROVERTED than introverted. 3. You are more BRUTAL than gentle. 4. You are more ARROGANT than humble. Compatibility: Your exact opposite is the Emo Kid. Other personalities you would probably get along with are the Capitalist Pig, the Braggart, and the Sociopath.

Soft non tender Eupnea

Nice little story from Cntry's hometown.... http://www.therolladailynews.com/articles/...news/news06.txt

Donald Rumsfeld briefed President Bush this morning. He told the President that 3 Brazilian soldiers had been killed in Iraq. To everyone's amazement, all of the color ran from President Bush's face,then he collapsed on his desk, head in hands, visibly shaken, almost whimpering. >Finally he composed himself and asked Rumsfeld, > > > >"Just exactly how many is a brazillion?"

PLEASE tell me the final disposition of the patient. Was there a femur fracture? I think there may be more to the story than you are aware. Once I turn care over to a physician, I really do not care what course of action the doctor takes. It is no longer my issue. If I were in your shoes, I would have given IM pain meds if I felt the need was so great. As the only medic on scene, you still havent really explained to me how you could do a proper assessment, backboard, vitals, ALS the patient and do 4 IV attempts in such a short time frame...yes you may be good but time is not on your side in this case. Anyways, in the future, I guess you wont withold pain meds when you feel they are justified if you think you know more than the doctor when it comes to pain control. By the way, I am a huge advocate for pain relief in the field, however there is something about this whole scenario which still smells funny to me. I will keep asking questions as you provide more details...