Asysin2leads

Healthy ways: Exercise (really, it works), listen to some music, forget that I'm a paramedic for a day or two. Unhealthy ways: Cause unnecessary traffic jams (this works well too), drink, annoy uptight service providers (easier than you might think)

This attitude of "if you didn't do the skill in the field, you are just lazy/incompetent/etc. etc." needs to stop. Too many providers are putting their egos above patient well being. unfortunately being one of the people that is involved with QA/QI, I find to many providers that fit this statement -- they are lazy, incompetent and if it is not "THE BIG ONE" they want nothing to do with the call -- so the EGO also works in the other direction We,as advanced care providers are the ones on scene and have to make the decision on what is right for the patient at that time -- but if you have to make excuses for why you didn't treat a patient -- my opinion is then you know you should have My point was, sometimes it is better for a patient to be at the hospital rather than the crew exhausting efforts on scene. If a patient was having an MI, and had difficult veins, and was say 3 minutes away from the hospital, I think it would be better for the patient to be transported to the hospital for intravenous access if it was failed on scene. I know many people, however, who take IV access as some sort of personality challenge.

They way I look at it is that EMS is a continuing spectrum from field to hospital. If we get things done in the field, great. If we get the patient to the hospital really quickly and provide necessary care enroute, that's good too. I mean, if you are 3-5 minutes away from the hospital, and you have a critical asthma patient who needs intubation, and well, you just can't get the tube, I think it is the more responsible thing to control the airway using BLS techniques and get to the hospital where a respiratory therapist can give it a shot in a controlled, well lit environment. EMS works on a time/procedure factor. If it will be quicker to start a life saving procedure in the field, do it. If it will be quicker to get the patient to a hospital to have them do it there, it is in the patient's best interest to do that. This attitude of "if you didn't do the skill in the field, you are just lazy/incompetent/etc. etc." needs to stop. Too many providers are putting their egos above patient well being.