akflightmedic

Let me correct my phrasology. They are not DISPATCHED to BLS emergencies, if they happen to roll up on one, they will transport.

There is no need for babysitting, the first responders do that. The guys on the engine or flycar, they babysit and call for ALS or BLS.

This is for Dust....as critical as you are of US EMS systems, this is one I think you should study before passing judgement. I am not saying they are the end all and be all but they have their act together, its been an excellent system for years and if we all followed their lead we would have the salaries and respect we deserve across the nation.

KING County does NO BLS transports or calls. The private company AMR handles all BLS emergencies. If ALS is needed, then the Medic1 guys roll. You are correct. It is an awesome service and if I were younger or just getting started, I would give them very serious consideration.

AMR is the private service..

JEMS has done many stories on them as well

google Medic1...lot of good info. They have been pioneers in many new treatments and therapies.

While you guys make valid points, it just doesnt hold water with this particular area. If I am not mistaking, this may or may not be referencing to Seattles Medic1 which happens to be one of the top services in the nation. Their medic ambulances do not run BLS calls, only ALS. They have very rigourous hiring and training programs and in return you get a nice salary and schedule and are guarenteed to run only ALS calls. How sweet is that? I would have worked for them but I can not go through paramedic school again as is required by their hiring agreement. They dont care who you are or how long you have done it, you will redo their medic program for 10 months. They do pay you but it is only 3k a month while in school. Their program also has very low turnover, no big surprise there.

So, to make a long story short, please do not start the private vs municipal argument because it is irrelevant with this particular system. Read up on Medic 1, good stuff...

Well based on that information, its not hard to figure out who you work for and who the other agencies are. Anyways, this guy sounds septic. Could he use ALS intervention? Sure he could. Would it make an immediate difference..I dont think so. Could BLS run him to the ER which is only a few minutes away? Sure they could. Should BLS do this? I don't think so, since a higher level of care can and should be provided when possible. Should the RNs at the SNF stop skipping the process that is established in order to ensure quality care to all residents regardless of the condition. I think so. They should not be circumventing the system that is in place. That leads to problems and questions such as this one.

Kind of funny that I made the very same mistake I was writing about. Anyways, I edited it. There is a reason I do not use spellcheck ever. First of all, I am constantly making myself practice by trying to slow my racing thoughts as I type and force myself to go back and reread my work several times looking for errors. Despite all this, I still transpose letters unless I come back 30 mins or later I usually don't catch it right away. I think we as a society rely on assistance aids way too much instead of learning the correct way in our brains first. If you read my posts, you will see they all have been edited at least once, unless I have had enough time to let it sit before submission.

ok I caught my 2 mistakes on this one before submitting...proud of me Dust??

Aside from the spell check, I have to agree with most of Dust's comments.

Dang it, found another..had to edit..lol

Does it indicate poor care?.....No, I dont think so..What it really does is imply or gives off the impression of poor care.

I use this mode of thinking when evaluating anyone. If my medical records are filled with nothing but poor grammar and spelling errors by my doctor and nurses, I would begin to question their intelligence, then that would lead me to question the answers they have been giving me for whatever treatment I have been receiving.

So, if I were a lawyer in court and their report I received was filled with errors, you bet your arse that I am going to attack the education and training of the medical provider to prove a point and make everything their fault.

I do understand minor mispellings will occur from time to time, but if it never improves, then there are deeper issues. I have to check my work all the time due to the fact that I transpose letters and numbers quite frequently. Little touch of lysdexia(lol).

KYEMT, I think you got the wrong impression. This discussion has been very civil and non inflammatory until you made your remarks. Do not type in all capitals first of all...second, your comments are just out of line. The thread has been very educational, informative, and pleasant thus far, so please do not ruin it again unless you have something useful and constructive to add.

Alaska and Florida that I know of personally.

Cool, thanks for that link.

I will submit some sites to his address. That is interesting cause as I have said, in over 10 years I have never seen any name attached to it.

Thanks for following up...AK

Ray, I don't mean to call you out but could you please explain who Calvere or Cal the rebel is that supposedly wrote the poem you posted above? I am curious. The poem you posted has been around in excess of 10 years that I know of personally and as many times as I have seen it, it NEVER has had an author attached to it. It has always been unsigned or author unknown. If you know of the true author of this work, please share and if validated, I will pass this on to about a hundred different EMS websites, poetry sites, JEMS, and Our Designs catalog because they don't know either. So please enlighten us or simply say it was a mistake and author is unknown. Thanks and have a great day...

I will address the ambu bag comment

I see Noah is only 21 years old, so he wasnt around when the number one maker of BVMs was ambu, hence everyone saying ambu bag instead of BVM. AMBU was printed in large letters on every BVM we had, so it became common to say AMBU bag instead of BVM. Not local venacular, just a sign of the times...lol

Its just like a lot of nurses in CCU will say Tridil drip instead of NTG drip. Tridil is the brand, not the drug name.

How many people say turkey baster or tube checker instead of EOD?

I can assure you it is cheap. If the county always managed to stock it on our trucks, then you can bet your arse it is affordable...lol

I never had it interfere with the gel..

No problems, no complaints...

Benzoin spray or swabs...works great.

theres another

saying,if it ain't broke ,don't fix it!!!!

You are so very wrong with this mode of thinking. If you wait till its broke, it might never be fixed.

Do you not put oil in your car or air in the tires because they aren't broke? No! This is because its needs maintenance and periodic checks to make sure everything is running smoothly. A marriage is no different. It needs maintenance and periodic work to keep everything running in a harmonious direction.

Do you avoid the dentist for cleanings, cause your teeth ain't broke so they don't need fixing. Ok, I made my point. Your comment is wrong in theory and practice.

The point being, is if it makes you unconformtable, then its an issue, end of discussion. You do not need to shut up and avoid it or tolerate it. This will only create resentment over time. What you need to do is sit down and talk openly to him about how it is affecting you. No shoouting or yelling. He will get defensive and try to put a spin on it and may even make you seem foolish for thinking that way cause he would never do that to you ever. Stand your ground. Get a solution to the problem. Do not let yourself become the bad guy. His actions are making you uncomfortable. You want more advice, pm me in private. Remember, I know these things. I was a cheater, been there done that, know all the tricks.

Emotional affairs are 100 times worse than the physical ones. A bond is forged via the internet. Problems you should be discussing with each other are now being talked over with a third party. These are the times when you need to turn to each other and be honest and communicative. As one who has been cheated on and one who has cheated, this is how it can and usually does start. I recommend you talk to him, communication being the key and seek out counseling. It does help...

Caths are already in our skills.....at least they were in mine and in the classes I teach....

Just don't let it consume you. Too many people dive in head first and they stay there for a looong time before realizing they need to step back and take a breather.

EMS IS NOT WHO WE ARE...IT IS WHAT WE DO...Thats it, period. Don't ever forget that if you wish to maintain a balance between home and work

MEDICS ARE NOT, I REPEAT NOT>>GIVING OUT THE PILL

The pill topic came up because this originally started with pharmacists that refused to fill prescriptions for the pill because it conflicted with their views.

I really wish people would read subjects in their entirety before commenting, it helps eliminate the ignorance factor(for some).

On a side note, I find it amusing that all those that are christian, have to state that and preach a little before giving their opinion. Are you implying that a non christian could not have the same misgivings about a pill or procedure because they are not fo the same belief system? Couldn't you just give your own opinion without having to validate what you believe in and whether or not you go to church?? Just asking...

another edit: I like these topics because it drags posters out of the dark recesses of EMTCity and they show their head on these rare occassions. Just remember, click on the sponsors ads....

Stay on track people and read from the beginning.

This has nothing to do with the morning after pill, whether it is right or wrong, or whether we as EMS providers can give it.

If you read the first original post in its entirety, you will have a grasp on the topic at hand.

It is about laws that are trying to be passed that enable us to withhold ANY treatment if it conflicts with our own personal religous or moralistic views.

My concern was this law would enable or allow a lot of abuse of the privelege by burnt out lazy or incompetent medics.

In addition, it would give certain zealots a really nice platform upon which to place themselves in order to start spewing their message in whatever unique way they contrive now that their actions or inactions are protected by the law.

There are always those willing to be martyrs to prove a point, to any extreme, no matter how right or how wrong.

Please read the original article in the first post. Yes this started because of the morning after pill, however the fall out from this debacle has led to blanket provisions for all health care workers. That is where I made the correlation to EMS providers and possible treamtent modalities we may or may not do.

Basically than, if someone wants an abortion and a doc says that he will not perform it based on religious convictions, find another doc. If a pharmacy will not prescribe a drug based on the same values, find another pharmacy.

There is the problem, you said find another pharmacy. Thats fine, I can do that, there is one on every corner. But what about the employer, does he have any rights. He hires a person to do a job and then they get to tell the employer that they cant do something due to religous convictions. I think they should make this clear during the hiring process. Should he have to make special accomodations when the employee didnt mention this in the first place. I know this would then border on religous discrimination, but the employer should have the right to hire someone that is able to carry out the function of his job without interjecting their personal beliefs. In my own opinion, this whole thing started because some pro lifers wanted to make a stance and they needed a new platform in which to do so. However, the fallout is now this "coverage" is going to be applied to all health professions. Where does it end?

For the record, I am playing both sides of the fence only to stimulate more intellectual conversaton and or debate. Things are looking good so far. I am just trying to look at this from every angle and perspective.

Guilty as charged, I didnt think I would be responding so quickly.

Actually have dated a few patients but I was in my late teens, early 20s and in a resort town and they were all tourists involved in very minor MVC's or bad sunburns. Ok, I am scum. Amyways,

the person below me has slept with someone 20 years older than themselves.

Lets focus more on the EMS provider aspect. Do you see this becoming a problem? Wherre do you see it being an issue? Could this also become an excuse for lazy, burnt out, or just plain incompetent medics who say I didnt do something because it goes against my moral fiber or religous teachings?

well not paperback books, but ahem...magazines of an adult nature...but in my defense they are for sale on Ebay..lol

The person below me has a hairy back