emtannie

Yeah, but she dates Ken, which we all know means she isn't getting any.....

I really wanted to post a grat motivational post here, but Lone, Dwayne, and Herbie beat me to it. Mazrin, I worked in a different industry for a lot of years - something completely separate from EMS. I got to the point where I hated my job, I was destroying my health and home life with the long hours and stress, and every day I would wake up each day hoping I was too sick to go to work. I was as high up the food chain as I could go, without making a major move to a larger centre or sleeping with my boss (neither of which I was prepared to do!) During the last 5 years of that career, I began working for a local vollie EMS service. As much as you see people on these forums hacking vollies (and there are areas where I have issues with vollies too) I am so glad that it gave me an opportunity to get kmy feet wet in EMS and realize that this is what I really wanted to do. Five years ago, I took the leap to leave my other job, and get into EMS full time. That was the best decision I ever made. I love my job, I love what I do, and even on my worst days, it is nothing compared to the job I had previously. There is negativity on these boards, partly because this is a good place for people to vent, where others will understand. It is also a place where people will tell you to put your big girl panties on and deal with it if you are over-reacting - that is one of the things I love about this place. This is also a place to learn, to make great friends, and to ask questions yhou may be afraid to ask somewhere else. Your post was a great one - I hope to see you here often, and wish you all the best!

That is an interesting article. The employee argued that he had a drug addiction, which should be considered a disability, and that his employment should be protected under the disability act. The findings of the tribunal showed that although the employer could not prove that the employee was under the influence at work, the employer could terminate employment based on the drug testing. It discussed the fine line between firing someone because they are an addict and firing someone because of misconduct which may have been a result of the addiction. I realize that people with addictions (and in this case, the tribunal wasn’t convinced the employee truly had an addiction) are not always able to control those urges and actions related to the addiction, but I am not convinced that they should be able to use the addiction as an excuse to justify those actions and not receive punishment for those actions. Dr. Spock stated “…the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.” (The Wrath of Khan, 1982) and although I am not a Trekkie, I do believe that the needs of the patient that this employee may deal with outweigh the need to protect his employment. There are consequences to any action, and those consequences may be good or bad. More and more, we are becoming a society of excuses, where bad behaviors are dismissed with labels of “syndrome,” “addiction,” “illness,” “disorder,” rather than holding the individual responsible for their actions. At some point, a person chooses a path. How can we make excuses for the destination of that path when there were choices along the way? I agree with the tribunal in the decision, and am glad the employer terminated this employee. The risks of keeping this employee outweigh the benefits.

Crotchity, in the original article, at the start of the second paragraph, it states “City Councilman Kenneth Stokes has threatened to reverse the contract American Medical Response has to serve in the area if the company doesn't send its workers into violent crime scenes, even before police arrive.” I think that makes the intent of Councilman Stokes’ comments very clear. As much as you want it to be, since you have brought it up in other threads, this Councilman is not basing his comments on race, and the replies from EMS are not either. It is a question of “is the scene violent? Yes or No.” End of story. Using race as an excuse, or a crutch in situations like this is just that, and excuse or a crutch. The true issue is that this idiot wants EMS to respond prior to police to violent scenes. Race is only an issue when we allow it to be, and instead of looking at the sins of the past, how about looking to the future, and trying to solve problems instead of creating problems where none exist. Let's keep this thread on topic - that this councilman has his head up his *** and needs to be educated about scene safety and the role of EMS.

This was one of the lead news clips on EMS World today... and after reading it, I gave serious thought to cheering on any crew that would take this councilman and tie him to the front of their ambulance for a shift... After reading this, you may want to visit the wapt.com website, and add your comment to the article... http://www.emsworld.com/article/article.jsp?id=15168&siteSection=1 Original storyline wapt.com Battle Over EMS Response to Crime Scenes in Miss. Story by wapt.com JACKSON, Miss. -- There's a debate raging in Jackson about the role paramedics and emergency responders play in responding to a crime scene. City Councilman Kenneth Stokes has threatened to reverse the contract American Medical Response has to serve in the area if the company doesn't send its workers into violent crime scenes, even before police arrive. On any given night, police will respond to a crime scene and an AMR ambulance will be found nearby -- waiting for an all-clear to respond and provide medical attention. It is a practice and a policy that has irked some city of Jackson leaders who now argue that AMR shouldn't wait for anything. Ken Walters is an AMR paramedic who said he's seen enough dangerous situations, just waiting to go into them in Jackson. He provided 16 WAPT News with an example. Ward 3 City Councilman Kenneth Stokes "We're just standing there. Two guys came up and robbed us at gunpoint and shot at us. One of the bullets hit right here," Walters said. "Isn't there implied risk as an EMT that you are supposed to assume some forms of risk?" WAPT's Scott Simmons asked Walters. "Yes, but not where your life is in danger, because we are there to provide aid, comfort and aid, and take someone to the hospital. You know, this isn't the military," Walters said. Stokes has been the loudest critic. He said if AMR is going to take taxpayer money to provide service, that service should not come with restraints. "If you are concerned about safety, put on a bullet proof vest," Stokes said. "I think the contract is what we're going to get because you can't sit up here in the capital city of Jackson, Miss. and say, 'We're going to let people die.'" Stokes may have a problem with AMR, but there is little city leaders can do about its contract for service in this area. That is something the city of Jackson gave up to Hinds County in 1990. AMR spokesman Jim Pollard defended the company's policy. "We have letters from two national organizations," Pollard said. Nowhere does it say that paramedics are supposed to go into crime scenes before police do, Pollard said. "In the national standard material, it says very simply, regarding violent scenes, scenes should always been secured by law enforcement before EMTs provide patient care," Pollard said. "We're there as part of the solution," Walters said. "We go in there and we get hurt, we get injured, then we become part of the problem." Stokes said the argument is not over. "I think we have got a fight. That is just round one of a heavyweight bout," Stokes said. Walters and others at AMR are hoping they can continue the policy of letting police go into a violent crime scene before they do.

Why does the fact that someone was in the last class of a school mean that there was a problem? I was in the last EMT class of a school... the reason it closed is because the guy that was running it became the department head of an ER, and was in the middle of a nasty divorce and couldn't keep everything going, so he had to let something go - he chose to close his training facility. Does that mean that my education wasn't any good? I still passed my ACP exam, and am fully employed, with no marks on my record... I am sorry you got screwed by an oilfield company. I would like to say I am surprised, but I'm not... there are many fly by night operations.. ask tniuqs, and he will be able to give you a list as long as my arm of companies to avoid. I suspect you have learned your lesson - do your homework and research before signing on - if it seems too good to be true, it is.

Herbie, I agree with you 100%, and I am not sure if my comments were taken out of context or not... I guess what struck me was the part about no time or no need to BSI... simple precautions don't take much time. I think my biggest thing is students/new EMT's who put their pen in their mouth... ack!

This may explain why back in my banking days, I found one of the personal banking managers and a teller in the vault.... giving a whole new meaning to full service banking.... I am not convinced that EMS is any worse than a number of other professions when it comes to cheating... maybe because we are so used to discussing anything and everything under the sun, and if you can name it, someone has seen it, that we just talk about it more....

Welcome Noah, and good post! I like the responses so far, and I agree - gloves and glasses are a necessity. Something caught my eye as I was reading your post: No time? No need? That mindset is a little scary... Having your glasses available is easy, and your gloves should be on by the time you pull up on scene.... Remember, your protection comes first, even from things you can't see. I liked Dwayne's comment about bringing those germs home to his wife and family.... by protecting yourself, you are also protecting those you love.

I don't believe the rate of infidenlity is higher in EMS than anywhere else... we can blame it on high stress jobs, but look at the national divorce rate... One thing that does not work in our favor is media coverage - look at shows like Third Watch, ER, Grey's Anatomy, Trauma, Rescue Me..... when the nighttime drama series' portray anyone in emergency services as sleeping with whoever, wherever, the average public will believe it. I be for every "whore" in the service, there is someone who has been happily married for years and years.... We just tend to look at the negative, rather than the positive.

Dangit Dwayne, once again you posted so eloquently that there is really nothing else to add! 0119, you obviously want to do well on your clinicals, and asking questions is a great way to go. As Herbie and others here have said, and I can't repeat it enough, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE... if you have relatives and friends willing to be guinea pigs, practice on them. Do you have relatives who smoke, are elderly, or asthmatic, who would be willling to let you take vital signs on them? When I was on my first clinicals (many many many many years ago... lol) I was having trouble taking BP's... a medic I was with let me practice on him until both his arms were bruised. Every time I deal with a student, I remember the patience that medic had with me, and I hope that I can have that patience with others. Ask away! And all the best on clinicals!

Brought to you by the same writer (Sean at Medic Madness) that brought us "If Chuck Norris was a Paramedic." Too funny! http://www.medicmadness.com/2010/10/if-brett-favre-was-a-paramedic/ All of us football fans know him. There is no doubt that he is an exceptional quarterback. However, one minute he’s retired and the next he’s back in the game. His indecisiveness has left us all wondering when he will finally hang up his helmet and leave the NFL for good. More importantly, what will he do when he finally does retire? Perhaps he could do like most NFL retirees and become a sports anchor, or he could really take on a new route and seek a job in the life-saving business of EMS. So lets ask ourselves the questions of the century. What kind of paramedic would Brett Favre be? Shifts Brett would have a pretty easy schedule as he would only be required to work 16 days a year. Mostly consisting of Sunday afternoons and Monday nights. Continuing Education While most paramedics are required to complete 48 hours of continuing education, Mr. Favre is actually required to spend 6-8 weeks in the late summer refreshing. However, this requirement can be waved by putting in retirement notices every year. Protocols Brett’s EMS service would have to incorporate standing orders with liberal policies on pain management. This would be essential as this is Mr. Favre’s area of expertise. Scene Safety While Brett may be equipped with an exceptional amount of personal protective equipment, he would require several large co-workers to ensure that his work environment was clear from danger. Radio Reports Rather than utilize the old EMS standard of radio communications, Mr. Favre would instead hand off pertinent patient information in the form of obscene text/picture messages. While it may seem unprofessional, this form of communication could be helpful in showing the ER staff a clear picture of the patient’s presentation. It could also be used to attempt to score dates with the nurses. Uniforms To Brett Favre, polyester is a thing of the past. Instead he would utilize his endorsement from Wranglers to provide jeans to everyone in his service. This of course would require everyone on his staff to participate in clothing commercials. Quality Assurance Most EMS services have staff that review written documentation to ensure quality patient care. This is an age-old method that is useful but out of date. Instead, Mr. Favre’s service would utilize instant replay and post-call commentators to breakdown and review his actions. This would of course be done by retired paramedics. Conclusion Brett Favre’s good health, excellent social skills, great wealth and willingness to work in several areas makes him a perfect fit for a job in EMS.

I agree with crotchity on this one – you are too close to see things sometimes – we all are. I can relate to your situation because the post you wrote could have been me a couple years ago. My husband suffers from depression and several other serious medical issues, and I did not notice the severity until it had a huge impact on both of us. On the positive side, your husband felt comfortable enough with you to TELL you how he is feeling so he can get help! Feel free to vent – venting is good for you… as a medical professional, you feel like you should have noticed more, right? Remember, when you walk in the door at night after work, you take off that medical professional uniform, and you are allowed downtime too. You feel like didn’t notice, because you are entitled to take time for you. Although you feel didn’t notice, because you DID notice and made the evaluation that he was struggling due to course work and schedule – a valid assumption. Take a deep breath, don’t beat yourself up, and move forward. And remember, you can’t just focus 100% on him. You need to take time for yourself too, so you can be healthy. Don't dismiss counselling, like Richard said... it could benefit you, and your husband, and the both of you together. Take care, Annie

When I was a child, there was a man who was in a wheelchair and had been since birth. He had severe cerebral palsy, and had difficulty speaking. He attended the same church I did, and I was always impressed with his optimistic outlook on life. When I was in university, I came home one weekend and my sister invited me to supper. She and her husband had also invited this man for supper. We were discussing a neighbor who had declared bankrupcy, and had stated "God didn't want me to farm anymore." THis man said "God gave you a brain, so He expects you to use it." That comment has always stayed with me, and reminds me that if I am in troubled times, I am responsible for figuring out a way out of it. I have been so poor I have lived on the street, and I survived. I remember LFC from prior posts some time ago. LFC, I do not believe that administration charging for chat means he does not believe in God. It means he has to cover his costs. This site is a business - and no one works to lose money. LFC, if you have financial troubles, there are agencies and community groups available to assist you. You have options. To blame someone else for something that is currently unavailable to you and using God as an excuse is just that - an excuse.

WOW Ruff, this news story absolutely makes my blood boil. I agree with you and Dwayne... if I received a video like this of a loved one, I would hunt down the person who took the video, torture him or her to death, bring them back to live, and then do it again. It is so disappointing that there are those in our profession who are so completely unprofessional. At what point did this guy think that taking the video was the right thing to do? I agree with Timmy, that too often we are seeing staff in health care on their phones, taking, texting, or on some social networking site, when they should be providing patient care. While on duty, our first priority is to the patient, not to tell our facebook friends that we just had a bowel movement.... Punishments for this kind of complete lack of respect and unprofessionalism have to be more than suspension with pay.. people like this need to be made an example of, since it appears that anything less would not get the point across that this is completely unacceptable. Unfortunately, we can't fix stupid... I am forwarding the link to the article to everyone on my crew, as a good reminder why we have such strict regulations in our workplace regarding cell phone use.

My condolences and prayers go out to the families and friends of the two medics. What a sad sad day for the members of BCAS, and all who work in EMS. It is a terrible thing to lose a colleague. Happi, what makes this loss so much worse is exactly the items you pointed out. If this stretch of road has been known to be a danger for so long, why has the BC government not fixed it (ok, I know why, but my mom and dad always told me that stupidity was not a valid excuse). Be safe out there, Annie

If you are planning on doing it all by yourself, you will not be able to do both well. You said you have just had twins - newborns are a more than a full time job just in themselves. To run a service on top of that.... think about how much time it takes every day to do the administrative duties and other work that needs to be done. Add that to your workload as a mom. Can you really tell yourself that you can do both to the fullest? If you are, ask yourslef again in 3 or 4 months. Choose which one is more important to you right now - can you hire a nanny so that you can spend time at work, or do you have a family member who is willing to take care of your children so you can do your job? Can your hire an administrator so that you can spend time at home? Do not expect your staff to pick up any shortfalls without extra benefits (overtime, bonuses) because you are unable to keep up with your workload, and do not expect staff to be ok with you wanting to run home every few hours to check on your babies. If those things were to happen, you would have disgruntled employees on your hands, and your rescue service would deteriorate. You have a tough decision to make, but in the near future, I don't see a way to have the best of both worlds and do well in both, You will have to choose.

You will be surprised that by the end of your course, you will know the 95 meds. It does get easier when you can put them into categories, and when you start to see that certain drugs have the same characteristics. I made chart after chart, and then tested myself by filling in blank charts: Drug Name, Generic: Drug Name, Trade: Supplied: (eg, 1mg/10,L) Classificatyion(s): Indications: Contraindications: Dosage, Adult: Dosage, Pediatric: Yeah I have killed a lot of trees in my studies, using pages and pages of notes and indexs cards.... but it is worth it. You can do it!

Fondling in Bed After 20 years of marriage, a couple was lying in bed one evening, when the wife felt her husband begin to fondle her in ways he hadn’t in quite some time. It almost tickled as his fingers started at her neck, and then began moving down past the small of her back. He then proceeded to place his hand on her left inner arm, caressed past the side of her breast again, working down her side, passed gently over her buttock and down her leg to her calf. Then, he proceeded up her inner thigh, stopping just at the uppermost portion of her leg. He continued in the same manner on her right side, then suddenly stopped, rolled over and started to watch the TV. As she had become quite aroused by this caressing, she asked in a loving voice, “That was wonderful. Why did you stop?” He said, “I found the remote.”

This thread caught my eye. Kyle, the questions you raised are good ones, and as others have said, everyone reacts differently. I will try to give my two cents worth. I formally got into EMS later than some, and have been in for almost 15 years.. I have seen a lot of death, both on the job, and in my personal life. I work both in a small community, and in a larger centre. Deaths in the small community are harder, because I am not only EMS, but am also a friend, a neighbour, or a relative to the person who died, or one of their family members. As EMS, they look to me for support and guidance during the situation at hand. It is difficult, but it is also an honour to be able to help them during one of the worst times of their lives, and know that by supporting the family, I was still able to do something positive, even if I couldn’t save the family member. Some of those calls are very hard, when it is someone I am close to, or it is a child that I know – but in those cases, for me, it helps for me to remind myself that I didn’t cause the problem (illness or injury), but I am just there to do my best to provide care. If I can provide compassionate care, and respect the emotions of family members, I am doing my job. Have I cried on scene? Not that I can think of. Have I cried after, in the privacy of my own home, or at work when I could have some privacy? Absolutely. Some calls just suck. You are very lucky to have reached the age you are without losing someone very close to you. I have lost family members and close friends throughout my life, including friends who died when I was in school – I lost a close friend to cancer just after Grade 12, and several friends at university. Two of my grandparents had passed away before I was born, and the other two died within 6 months of each other when I was in junior high. I lost several uncles and aunts when I was very young, two of whom I was very close to, as I lived with them when I was very small. The worst losses I have had is the loss of my parents – my dad in 2002 from cancer, and my mom this past January from complications from surgery, due to kidney failure. I was very lucky to have been very close to both my parents, closer than most, I think, but that also made the loss harder to bear. As hard as it has been, I do think in the long run, it makes me a better EMS provider. With the losses I have had, I think I am better able to understand the anger, the terror, and the incredible sadness of losing a loved one, and respect that everyone grieves in their own way. Can I say I know how they feel? No – everyone feels differently, and I would never say “I know how you feel.” I have seen practitioners say “oh, that family member over-reacted,” or “how could they be so calm?” I think it is important to respect their grief, not question it. You will find your way, and you will figure out your way of dealing with death, both on the job and personally. Death is a fact of life – sometimes it is a terrible thing, and sometimes it is a blessing, and it is up to us to decide how we are going to deal with it.

As some of you are aware, the province has taken over ambulance services in Alberta. In the region I work in, there has been a development that has many interesting twists and turns. In smaller rural communities with a small hospital and an ambulance service, AHS is implementing job description changes, where EMS staff are now required to work in hospital when not on a call, primarily in the long term care environment. This workload includes assisting long term care staff with dressing patients, moving patients from rooms to dining area or other area, assisting with exercise or physiotherapy, and potentially other duties. As EMS staff are required to be in the ambulance within 60 seconds of a call coming in, they are not to be involved in toileting or bathing patients, or being in a situation where they cannot leave immediately. The EMS staff are also to work in the ER, under the supervision of the charge nurse in the ER, which right now means that medics cannot work to the full scope of their education, as here, a medic has a bigger scope of practice than a nurse does. Usually, there is not a doctor in the ER, as the doc is at the clinic, or just on call. I am trying to be open-minded about this, as I do pick up casual shifts in a smaller community where this is being implemented, but I am having trouble with some of the politics and job descriptions. At the site where I get a few casual shifts, when AHS took over EMS operations, the ambulance was moved back to the hospital from the fire hall. Nursing staff made it very clear that they did not want EMS in the hospital, and several went so far as to openly say “the ER is OUR domain, not yours.” Long term care staff alternate between “you are taking our jobs” and “why aren’t you here when we need you to be.” ER nurses have been very territorial, and several have been openly hostile to the medics. Originally, the medics were allowed to use their full scope of practice in the ER, but now they are not, due to complaints from the nursing staff about “EMS taking over.” I am not sure what to think of these changes. I do know I did not get into EMS so I could work in long term care facilities. I worry that with changes like this, EMS skills will be diluted – there are several new EMT’s that work here, and I feel that their EMT skills are not as good as they could be – wouldn’t their time be better spent working on their EMS skills, rather than wheeling a LTC patient to the dining hall? Although there have been a few days where I have been able to work with staff where I learned new things, those days have been few and far between. Several times, long term care staff have tried to get me to toilet or bathe a patient, and I have had to explain that I can’t be left alone with a patient in case my tones go. Although the EMS role has been explained to the staff, they still treat us like we are their employees, and many times when I have worked in long term care, the EMS staff have been left working with patients, while the long term care staff all go for coffee. Personally, I think there has been too much catering to the egos of the nursing staff. EMS has valuable skills they can bring to a small ER, especially when the doctor is not at the hospital. I don’t think that the medics should have to wait for a docs orders in the ER, when if that patient was in the back of the ambulance, they wouldn’t have to. I don’t think EMS staff should be used as glorified personal care assistants in long term care. I am not sure I like these changes – what do others think?

To the original poster: As others have said here, focus on the BASICS first... learn anatomy and physiology, learn basic medical terminology (hint - many textbooks have lists of the basic terminology in one chapter, or in an index), learn normals - normal ranges of pulse and breathing for adult, child and infant. You don't need to spend lots of money to get this information - as others have said, get used textbooks. Check ebay, or used bookstores, or buy from someone who took the course and decided it isn't for them. Search the internet - a good introductory site is www.emtb.com, and there are a number of others as well. Don't try to cram too much into your brain at a time. You want to remember it for later, not just cram it in for now. To Teen EMT: When I saw your post regarding 'get a Littman' I knew you were going to get negative comments on that. A Littman does not make or break a practitioner - knowledge and skills do. As JPINFV stated earlier, it is important to know how to use it and recognise different heart sounds. There are several threads on this site regarding stethoscope use - take a look, and read them with an open mind... there are a number of posters on here who have more years of experience than you have been alive, who are doctors, paramedics, respiratory techs, and have significantly more education than you or I. Use them to learn from, and to broaden your horizons.

I used to always have the news on TV when I got ready for work, and at the time, I was a branch manager at a local bank. The first plane hit when I was still at home, and as I watched the footage, I had the same thought as mobey "I wonder if this is the start of a war.." and then "I better get to work - the markets are going to crash." I grabbed a small TV I had at home, and took it to work so I could set it up in my office... I hurried to work, and began to go through some of the major US investments that my clients had, to see if any were at risk, and if I could liquidate them to cash before the markets completely crashed (which is common in wartime). I had clients who were frantic about their foreign (US) investments, and it was a crazy first couple hours of work - phone lines to our major brokers were jammed, and even email connections were hit and miss, due to the volume of information people were trying to convey. Since my time zone is 2 hours behind NY, there wasn't much I could do once all the markets were frozen... I had visions of clients of mine who had millions in investments suddenly having nothing if the markets completely crashed. I had clients coming in all day, and I had one in my office who was also a dear friend, and we were just watching TV when the first tower collapsed. At that moment, all I could think of was how many thousands of people had just potentially died, and we were all sitting and watching... it was a terrible thought. It seemed surreal, watching it on TV all day, and wondering if things would or could get worse. Would there be further attacks? Was this the start of WWIII? What about nuclear weapons? That bank that I was working for had a branch in the towers, and we spent the day waiting for updates, hoping that our fellow staff members would survive. At the time, I was also an EMT with a local ambulance service, and my husband a firefighter, and we couldn't help but worry for all those who responded to the scene. I know it was a weird feeling - an incident that was so far away geographically from me, but having such an immediate effect on my workplace, and such an emotional effect on both me and my friends who work in EMS and FD. Like Herbie, a part of me felt like I should go and help, but it was a helpless feeling too - how could I, when I was so far away, and how would I get there, and who would I report to, and what could I do? I also remember walking outside, and looking up, and thinking how weird it was that there were no trails from the planes that usually had their flightpaths overhead, since so many flights had been grounded. That seemed really eerie to me. I have to admit, part of the terrorist intent was achieved. Initially, they were able to instill fear, not just in the USA, but throughout the world. They were also able to disrupt international markets considerably. I don't think they ever expected the people of the USA to fight their way back so quickly, and for such fast international support for the US, and that makes me very happy.

To beachrescue, I have a couple of questions. You posted the story, but you didn't tell how you felt about it - do you feel the actions of the nurse were acceptable? If so, why? As someone else mentioned, this is in the "funny" section, but I don't find it funny. An 11 year old child with cancer is a very sad thing... and to have a nurse, even jokingly, act like he was dead is completely inappropriate. How were her actions in the best interest of patient care? Consider the child for a moment - he probably gets poked and prodded all day long.. he is constantly monitored, whether it is his respirations, cardiac monitoring, SpO2, and even urine output and bowel movements (which is embarassing enough for most adults, let alone a child). He isn't outside playing with his buddies and going back to school with his friends. He is probably sick and tired of being sick and tired. Yeah, he acted up when he was to get an injection... HE IS 11! He has probably had so many injections that his arms and legs are sore.. and some nurses (and doctors, and medics) are not good at giving injections, and they hurt. Instead of reassuring this patient, and trying to find a way to make this as painless as possible, the actions of the staff made his day even more miserable. They should be ashamed of themselves.

I am lucky to work for a service where I get to do a whole range of things - on a shift, I could do interfacility transfers, emergency calls, and a flight, all in a single 12 hour shift. The IFT calls we get are generally either to or from a long term care facility, or from our hospital to a higher level trauma or cardiac care facility. First, some of the things I don't like: - some of the long term care facilities have staff who are very poor at giving historical information, and you have limited or no access to medication lists, medical history, or DNR status. - some facilities will treat you like you have no right to ask questions, or just want the patient off their hands, and you will see poor patient care in some facilities. - some of the facilities have staff that are incredibly hard to find - we have returned patients to facilities, and have had to page staff from the front desk, or go up and down the halls looking for staff so we can do a report and hand off the patient. - sometimes, you are a taxi service only. You don't provide any medical care, and you are there only because family members cannot be bothered to look for any other alternative to get their family from one place to another. Now, some of the positives: - you will get to see a variety of things that you may not see on emergency calls, and that you may not have time to ask a lot of questions about on an emergency call. For example, transferring a dialysis patient may give you the opportunity to ask questions about their dialysis routine, some of the things that they find a problem or a good thing, or they may let you inspect and listen to their fistula if they have one - a good learning experience - some patients are very willing to talk, and you can learn a great deal about life in general from these patients. The other day I had a patient who had been a war bride - and she loved to tell me about coming to Canada - she was so interesting to listen to. - sometimes, the only care you will give these patients is comfort and a hand to hold, and for some of these patients, that is worth more than any medication you could provide. Seeing the smile on their face when you hold their hand, or getting a hug from them when you drop them off, is an added bonus to a day where you may not get thanked for the work you do. - if you are transferring a patient from one health centre to a higher care centre, you may have the opportunity to talk to staff there, or be able to follow your patient through some procedures, again, being able to learn from these calls things that you wouldn't see on a regular e-call. I will admit, I wouldn't want to work strictly IFT calls. I like the emergency calls, since they are what I originally got into EMS to do. Don't sell IFT calls short though - there are some that you can learn a great deal from.