mobey

U of A, hosted at Augustana in Camrose.

How is not requiring PCP as a prerequisite a step back from national standards??

Just had to share this school's curriculum with ya'll

Full 2 year program through a major University.

The school's primary focus is "Professionalism through teamwork"

In the first week of school we go on a 3 day canoe trip (with some rapids), as we learn introduction to paramedicine. We also meet with a former NHL player to set personal fitness goals for the 2 year period, and yes if those goals are not met it will affect our final mark. The "understudy" of this trip is to learn comradery, and work together with the theory we will apply it to our workplaces in the future.

Our instructor is hellbent on getting rid of the following closed minded ways of thinking in EMS, such as:

"We eat our young"

"Antecdote based EMS"

"Paragod syndrome"

Anyway throughout the years we will be playing hockey, swimming, foot racing, and doing research projects together.

After the pre-entrance exam there was a one on one interview where questions were asked like: "What do you do for fun", "What kind of books do you read", "How will your wife deal with the extra stress?" etc etc.

I asked him at the end of the interview if he wanted my credentials (I have a few extra). He replied "No, You are still young enough to teach, but you too old to change your attitude, if you have a good attitude I will teach you what you need to know to be a Paramedic."

"Remember" he reinforced "We are shaping health care professionals at this school, not just Paramedics".

Anyway it sounds awesome and i should hear back next week.

*All in favor*

I

The fact that he has to keep responding to this issue is just a really, really sad reflection of the state of our profession.

Hey man, I don't care what they say, I have seen them save lives!!

*End quote from every 40 yr old EMT in Canada"

I'm guessing some kind of synergistic reaction of nitrates? Either that or he should have his prostate checked. So glove up and have at it, fella.

No nitrates used, no Viagra or the likes.

And i think that is out of my scope of practice.

BTW thanx for the chuckle, I know how pi$$ed you are tonight

OK ya'll know I am here to learn. Well time for some learnin!

We got called to a clean mobile home for a 67 y/o male possible CVA.

O/A Pt A&O, no deficits. Pt states he passed out in the bathroom and his wife called it a stroke :roll: , anyway; BP 122/76 Pulse 96. Skin pale dry warm, resps normal. Really no symptoms to talk about.

PMHx, high cholesterol, varicose veins in legs.

Wife states he got up to have a bowel movement but collapsed upon entering the bathroom. He got his pants around his ankles and that's where it stopped. His wife enters the bathroom where he is on the floor, and she reports his penis being "way bigger than normal", she says "I thought it might explode". A quick look tells me this is not the case anymore.

Pt, complains of no pain at the site, but a mild thigh pain, kind of burning in the anterior aspect.

So......what the hell is that all about??

my instructor told us starting an iv is an art. Take and bio 5 pieces of spegetti, then lay it on a paper towel, and place a wet paper towel over it to maake a skin and the spegetti is your vein. now use your angio cath and try to insert it into the spegetti noodle, you be amazed at how that will help to build your skill and develop your technique

I may have to try that. Sounds like a good practice tool!

Follow your facility protocols and forms nevr leave anything blak, write in either N/A or a circle with a line through it, an attorney will eat you alive with anything not filled in, turn things around place blame on you or your faility

And of course proper spelling and grammar is essential. We are, after all professionals.

What the town has to do is prioritize.

There has to be funds available to pay for professional EMS. How much does the town spend on christmas decos each year? And how much does it cost to maintain and install them? You gotta be realistic, how much are you looking for as far as pay goes, and how many people are you serving?

4 full time EMT's approx $120000 for wages?

OK so lets tax your total population of....... 8000(?), tax them each an extra $15/year!

I know they will be pissed about the $15 but that's too bad.

There are some NR test prep classes around Dallas-Fort Worth. I thought you were talking about something to prepare you for the class, not just for the test.

If it takes an extra 24 hour class for your people to pass that test, I think that adding 24 hours to your curriculum would be a better investment than sending people to a test-prep course. I'd rather my people actually understand the medical concepts of practice than just know the right answers to the test questions. But that's just me, I guess.

I have noticed that here in Alberta Canada there are classes you take after taking your PCP (emt) that prepare you for the Provincial Registration Exam. (Sounds similar to NREMT)

Don't ya think that is a school admitting they suck?

I took the AB provincial exam 2 years after my PCP course with no "Preperation course", or any other nonsence and passed with flying colors. In fact out of over 350 students I had the fastest scenario times of the day!

If you finish school then fail some national/provincial exam..... Your school has failed you.

I work casual at a rural service on my days off and they have been paying about $265/day + OT.

I am not sure what the rigs pay for an EMT but I am sure this is better pay when you consider you're doing 911 calls, and living at an up-to date ambulance base with kitchen, big screen TV, double bed, etc..etc.

Ya we have an old lady that we get called for for unconcious, a quick sternal rub later she is on her feet walking to the cot. Usually goes to hospital complaining if a headache. Doc gives her a shot and we take her home!

Yippeee

Mobey,

I disagree with this-----BLS is cheating your community out of quality health care.

How is it cheating a community, wouldnt no care at all be cheating the community???

When you are questioning going into ALS school right out of BLS school I believe if you choose the latter you are cheating your peeps.

You're kind of saying "ya i could do some good for you, but I am going to wait a while, so in the mean time here is some oxygen (I promise it will help with your pulmonary edema).

Don't start the ALS/BLS bullshit again.

I don't know what that bull$hit is?

But I do agree 6 months is nothing, should be longer. I think minimal of 2 mnths is goodagreed 2 months to get used to touching patients, then off to medic school

Wouldnt you ratehr get some experience before you jump into medic class? Why would you just go right into it? seems foolish, but thats my opinion, sorry

Oh don't be sorry my friend!

The reason i do not support this theory is buried in my previous posts.

A) You bring bad habits to the classroom

A good school will supply you with enough practicum experience to master your BLS "Skills"

C) BLS is cheating your community out of quality health care

D) Consider my above question about getting rid of the EMT level. Would all medics be incompetent?

EMT school = 6 mon work for a year to get good at BLS,

Medic school 2 years, work for a year to get good Total years 4.5

Go to EMT school = 6 mon

Medic school 2 years work for a year and a half to get good at BLS and ALS Total years 4

You really think that 6 mos in between is going to make that much of a difference

You toot your own horn alot for a guy who really in this thread has no leg to stand on.

Ya you have the longest course in Canada, does that really mean it is the best?

I know I am on thin ice here but really, the peole on these boards have seen me discuss some pretty in depth stuff ( acid - base balance, Alpha-Beta receptors in responce to neurotransmitters, MOA of different drugs etc..) and you know what, I have only 1 year education.

As a PCP in AB and an ICP in Sask, I am doing IV's (at the rate I determine), nebs, non-visualized airways, D50, Nitro ASA and more... and I would love you to test me on any of them! As an ACP in Ontario you are making statements like "I treat my patients 98% by the monitor". Come on man, quit while your ahead!

VS-EH?

1) No you missed MY point, picture this... You are a student doing a scenario, 63 y/o female complaining of general back pain. Pt presents with pink skin, RR @ 16/min, no acc muscle use, yadda yadda yadda. Hook up the machine it reads 76%. Student puts on an NRB @ 10 lpm. Instructor asks why the high flow O2? student answers "because of the low reading".

That was the point of my OP.

2)Well we can agree to diagree on this one. Yup I guess if everyone else is doing asessment and spinal and my hands are empty, I could take a BP. However when it comes to significant trauma the sooner I can get this guy to a CT, surgeon...whatever, the better. So I would keep the on-scene stuff to a minimum and get my pressure in the rig. The pressure I get is not gonna change that dramatically from the time I spinal him to the time I load, so the quicker I can get moving the better.

3)Yelling is juvenile.

That must suck, not to be trusted to set a freaking drip rate? Yet they let you push drugs through the line?

Or are you in one of those akward places where you have to call for everything?

I think you should wait at least two years to go to medic school, It is foolish to go straight into medic class form EMt class.

So with this "Pay your dues and get good at BLS *Whatever that means*" way of thinking, I pose a question;

If there was no such thing as EMT would we have a bunch of no-good medics running around? Think about it, if there was no bls/als...Just Paramedics, would they all be incompetent because they didn't run around for 2 years taking blood pressures and bitching they have no scope of practice??

1. I have 3 years of paramedic education and admittedly I judge the average patient (98%) by putting on the SpO2 and palpating their pulse. WOW 3 years of education and you still treat the monitor. Strong regular radial, pink skin, 16 resps per min, SpO2 says 78% "Holy $hit give me a NRB :roll:

2. What is a "load and go" situation? I don't recall (even on police shootings) where I didn't have time to get a quick pressure or what not. Take ITLS much? Let's see... Linesman falls off powerpole, Altered mental status, chest injury, bilat femur fractures. And your going to sit on scene doing a blood pressure? I think that can wait for the rig.

3. I don't even know what that means.

4. Admittedly, I only have the same rates (wide open = bolus). I have to "patch" if I want to technically run it other wise. The vomiting 23 year old that should get 125-250ml/h....What .... the 23 y/o gets TKO? or wide open? I know I know drip rates are hard to calculate on the spot :roll:

Nothing I experienced in my many years as a basic and intermediate have improved my paramedic education experience. If anything it has harmed from bad habits I have picked up.

I think this is one point that is far too overlooked (well maybe not on this site). It is amazing how we adapt to a local standard of care and make it our own habits. This holds especially true for people who have only been involved with one service throughout thier career.

Here are some bad habits I have seen follow people to school and hurt them in the long run:

Using SpO2 to dictate oxygen delivery

Doing vitals on scene in a "Load and go" situation

Having a Firemonkey do manual C-Spine to save time otherwise wasted on C-Collar and blocks

Only using 2 rates on an I.V. - Wide open, or TKVO

There are more but this gives you an idea.

I'm about to begin my internship and I'm wondering what pitfalls or problems I am prone to making due to my lack of 911 experience?

The most common I have seen is non-911 people coming into a 911 service (whether that be EMT, RN, Paramedic, whoever) is not slowing down to do a good asessment and treatment plan. It seems people think "oh my god they called 911, I gotta drive fast and make lots of noise'. Which of course is a crock.

I would not worry about the "Monkey skills" such as OPA, non-visualized airways, I.V's on the move, these things come with time, and they are so simple (From a eye hand coordination standpoint) a monkey could do them. Same goes with a seizure Pt.

Scenes with MCI or prolonged extrication require some common sense and instinct to deal with. Either you got it or you don't.

Re-read OP and realised I have no intelligent responce.

It kind of seems to me to be like taking a Big city trauma room Doc, and sticking him in a little clinic in podunkville. He may feel a little out of place.

The head work makes all the difference.

Giggity

What I found worked was to cut my "dosage" in half each week.

So I started by skipping every odd smoke,

Then when having my even smokes just smoke half

Then skip the odd even smoke.....no wait....umm....skip the [s:5c3880b152]even[/s:5c3880b152] ... you get it

Till your not smoking at all anymore!

Even parked on the side of the street on a day like today, You would either be standing in 2 feet of snow, or the middle of an icy street to load your patient.

Mispost......Sorry all :oops:

Let it die again.