pacman

Let me get this straight. You have: Yourself Your Partner A Paramedic Student 1 mom 1 dad 1 9 month old patient Thats six occupants in ONE ambulance. There is absolutely no justification for putting six people in danger. The main person at fault, the driver. He made the choice to stop, even if his crew was yelling at him to do so. The solution is just so very simple. ALS Unit 123: " ALS Unit 123 to Dispatch......Be advised that there is a MVC on the right side of RT 10 just north of ABC landmark. Unknown injuries, unknown number of occupants. We're unable to stop because we already have a patient in the back. We'll be continuing our approach to XYZ hospital." Dispatch: " Dispatch received. We'll be sending some units to check it out." END OF STORY

Oh the good old pulse ox. I was on one of my first calls for a seizure patient. I did all the vitals and didn't think much of it because there was nothing that was out of the ordinary. However, I decided to attach the nice little gadget and immediately went to my partner ( who was driving ) " Hey hurry up! His pulse ox is telling me he has a 82% oxygen saturation!" I was freaking out! My partner laughed and I couldn't understand why. She told me to look again and the oxygen saturation was at a good 98% while I'm there doing the tango with a nonrebreather. After the call she tells me that I should have waited for it to get a "finalized" reading. Since then I realized that the pulse ox is only good to confirm what I should be doing anyway, which is to give high flow oxygen. Besides securing an airway and assisting ventiliation with an ambu-bag when needed, there isn't much more I can do as an EMT-B with a pulse ox reading.

The moment I decide to become "tactical", I'll apply to become a police officer or join the military. For now, I'll be fine with my shears and stethoscope, thank you very much. 8)

Oh man, that was great! I had to read it twice to understand it! lol

I hate patients that wake me up in the middle of my much deserved, 4th of July, afternoon siesta in order to change the bandaid you already had on. Oh your BROKEN TOENAIL hurts?! Oh you really want to go to the hospital? :x FINE! I hope you enjoy your $1000 hospital bill for localized lidocaine, a nail clipper, and another bandaid. :evil: I hate having to tell the nurse the report " 45 year old female who had a small object fall on her toe in the store. (stupid lawsuits) They called 911, I came, saw the injury, tried to sell the RMA, but reluctantly brought her here. Please sign here. I'll be back in half an hour with hopefully a true emergency. "

OH...MY....GOD.....!!! I know we joke about having weapons on scene to protect ourselves and stuff, but this is ludicrous! This is overkill even for Jersey City, Newark, or Camden! Geez man, the scariest part is there has to be some super wacker medic who must have spend weeks if not months coming up with this junk!

If I were you, I'd do nursing. You'd be able to do more patient care than any EMT and/or paramedic can. The salary is nothing to laugh about either. Just think about whats better off for your future. Sometimes its not only about the lights and sirens..... ....remember you can ALWAYS become an EMT-B in a month, if thats what you're into.

I can't even imagine how long that took to make. I was impressed!

YOU ARE 7% WHACKER!!! NOT AN OUNCE OF WHACKER IN YOU. A LITTLE WHACKING IS FUN, TRY IT SOMETIME!!! BUY A BLUE LIGHT, OR PUT AN EMT STICKER ON YOUR CAR. YOU NEED MORE WHACKING IN YOUR LIFE. I have ONE shirt from a conference I attended. I wear it every now and then when I'm just hanging around the house. I also have a cheap Littmann, the lightweight one. It offers better sound than the sprague ones without having to sacrifice a week's pay.

I work as an EMT-B at a municipal EMS system. It pays $12 an hour with a 24 hour a week limit and has no benefits. I run about 3 to 12 calls per 24 hour shift, so I can't complain about being overworked. I am also in the process of getting a second job at a private ambulance ( transport/911) company that is paying $13 an hour with some benefits on a per diem basis. For a 21 year old, the pay and work flexibility is great while I am in college. However, I don't see myself supporting a family with that kind of salary. Even with ALS pay, I would need serious budget planning to make it through. New Jersey is a very expensive state to live in! I know of some hospital based EMS systems paying their EMT-B's anywhere from $17 to $19 an hour. However, they get their pick from the best in the state so getting a position there is very competitive. If you're looking for a healthcare career without having to go to school for a decade, go the nursing route. For example, I have friends starting off with a BSN ( Bachelor of Science in Nursing) with a starting salary of at least $60,000 a year!

Dust is calling you out big guy! :naka:

Now thats a lot of sausage!

You've said what was on my mind. I try not to be an English teacher on this forum because we all do spelling and grammar mistakes. However, constant misspellings and bad grammar shows me you're either uneducated, very young ( although even at 16, I hope you have good writing skills), or both. Kudos to you Blue Goose. =D>

I use all three straps for the legs, torso, and chest. If there is difficulty breathing, I put the chest strap somewhat loose when the patient is not being moved, otherwise its tighten to comfort. For obese patients, we have a strap extender, those things are great. The last thing I need is a 400 pound man falling sideways bringing the stretcher and myself with him. I know some patients complain about the straps, but I remind them that it is for their safety and that I don't want them to fall over. Sometimes I ask them to look over the side and ask them if they want to take the risk of making that kind of fall. I usually loosen the chest strap once on the ambulance since its more comfortable for the patient and it makes it easier for me to do ongoing treatment and vitals enroute. When backboarded, legs straps, two straps on top crossed and the head blocks or towels onto the backboard. Then they get the three additional straps on the stretcher. If possible, I go for the shoulder straps here as well so that the patient doesn't slide on the stretcher. Immobilized does mean immobilized right? I should use the shoulder straps more often, but I have colleagues that don't use that at all. I know many places don't use them, or even have them! As much as I care for my patients safety, I have to admit that I don't do much care for myself. I'm usually in the back unrestrained doing treatment with one foot on the back of the stretcher and one foot on the floor for support. When I need to move around, I feel like I'm on the monkey bars transferring from pole to pole. I understand this is dangerous, but it seems like the norm. What is everyone's take on this? EDIT: Of course, the side rails are always up while moving.

Going for a Masters in Public Health wouldn't be such a bad idea either. Other medical professionals seek this degree in order to do research and contribute to the improvement of the medical system. Having such a degree would enable someone who has experience in the streets as an EMT and/or Paramedic to implement changes that could improve emergency medicine as a whole. I can see someone going into management and medical control with these credentials. Respect isn't given automatically with a masters, but having a degree signifies that you took the initiative to seek further education. In the long run, it also gives your words, written or verbal, that much more credibility.

Check this out! I don't know how updated it is, but it gives the Good Samaritan Laws for most states. http://www.cprinstructor.com/legal.htm Comments Please...

I motion that all people that will be dealing with dangerous wildlife have a basic understanding of BSI, CPR, and some simple knowledge on how to control a bleed. I kept waiting to see if someone would sacrifice a belt for a tourniquet. Those "medics" or "prehospital health workers" didn't seem to have a clue as to what they were doing. :shock: I hope they didn't stay on scene long enough for the guy to bleed out. By the way, poor lion.

Just being curious, do you know if the patient made it? It sounds like she must have had severe trauma ( especially if she wasn't wearing her seat belt). What I would have done without gloves, masks, suction, backboard, the works: 1. Scene safety ( you turned off the car and had the e-brake applied. Kudos to you. My only other suggestion would be to have someone "direct" traffic temporarily, and only if there was someone just doing nothing. 2. 9-11 call. Its important to understand that you can't do much without additional resources. Thumbs up! 3. BSI- I know you probably didn't have gloves or a pocket mask on you, most of us don't while off duty. You made your judgement call to treat regardless. Thats admirable. 4. C-spine precautions - You assigned this to someone, good! 3. Airway - You didn't have a suction device. Moving the head to the side would have been a big no because of the probable damage to the c-spine. If the paramedics didn't get there sooner, a rapid extrication would have been okay with the help of bystanders. If there was a towel or jacket available, there is a way to somewhat immobilize the head and neck by wrapping it around the neck, crossing behind the neck, and then going under the armpits from behind enabling you to use the ends to extricate. In your situation, the Jaw Thrust would have been the most appropiate thing to do. 4. Breathing - You didn't have a BVM, Pocket Mask, or Microshield. Don't beat yourself up because of it. There was drool and blood coming out of the airway so putting your mouth directly over this would have been dangerous to yourself. 5- Circulation - You noted a pool of blood meaning that this lady was losing plenty of blood externally. She was most likely in hypovolemic shock because of the drastic fluid loss. If any of the bleeding could have been controlled, that would have been great. There was probably massive internal bleeding as well. ALS for fluids and rapid transport would have been key. There was no pulse. Did you check the carotid? Otherwise CPR without ventilation would have been good. Luckily, paramedics came! There was no way or need to take vitals. This lady was probably in hypovolemic shock and was in urgent need of advanced care. If she survived, you contributed to helping her get stabilized. Good job, I would pat you on the back if I could. I don't think there was much else you could do. It is important to do the most you can, in good faith, with regards to your own safety and with respect to your scope of practice. Just remember not to do any further harm.

I just got my card laminated that day like a brand new wacker and was on duty for my college's volley EMS squad. 8) It was the first time I dealt with a pager as well. Anyway, I'm there in my room and my crew chief asks for my location over the radio. I, confused ,reply back that I am in my room and he yells out " why are you not here, theres a call!" Apparently my pager didn't work. I ran across campus like a track star wannabe and make it in time to see the crew chief and another EMT wheeling her out on the strecher to the ambulance. C/C was shortness of breath, ALS recalled for a 19 y.o f. So I do my thing and take vitals and when I ask about the onset , the pt is says "MY BOYFRIEND BROKE UP WITH ME!' :roll: I look at my crew chief who was just about to explode in laughter. I decide that I heard enough and put her NRB back on. Transported and transferred without incident. On the way back, feeling satisfied of having complete my first call, I go and tell the other EMT, who is driving, that it was my first call as an EMT. He just laughed and just told me that I have so much more to learn..... I've been learning ever since. :wink:

I have one thing to say and one thing only ( yeah another inaccuracy) Call me blind, but did I see that guy deliver a baby without any sterile precautions. Come on, I don't think I saw him with gloves on!