Imagine89

Great idea ACE. I picked 2, but my priority list is as follows. 1.) Standardinzed accredation and Educational standards for EMS professionals and educational institutions. It's been brought up COUNTLESS times on this forum. Most are in agreement that the educational standards need to be changed. Now whether or not you're a volunteer or do this for a living, you're still handling people's lives, and can make a huge difference in them. Whether or not that difference is positive or negative depends on field experience, competency, and yes, education....how we got here in the first place. At this time it is my opinion that the bar needs to be raised on a national level. If we are truly to be recognized as professionals, we should be trained as professionals. Our job is an important one, and at the moment, the standards we hold are laughable. 2.) An Internationally envied progressive National Scope of Practice which is progressive, easily improved and not compromiseable After we raise the educational standards, let's get EVERYONE on the same page. In my opinion, the Pre-hospital care a pt recieves should NOT depend on which state/county etc, he/she lives in. Everyone has the right to the same care. Let's make it so that's practical 3.) Seperation of EMS into it's own seperate equal Public safety 'department' at the federal level This job isn't easy. We put ourselves on the line because to make a difference. We do it for very little pay, it's the least they can do. We deserve it just as much as any other federal profession. 4.) Minimum staffing standards for area covered and population density It's immensely important that people recieve proper care in a timely fashion, it's not fair that people die because of long response times due to understaffed services. 5.) Liscenceing and Credentialing of providers as Professionals This is as much of a profession as anything else in the healthcare field. We deserve to be recognized as more than ambulance drivers. just my .02 (I tried posting this last night but the sight was down)

Great idea ACE. I picked 2, but my priority list is as follows. 1.) Standardinzed accredation and Educational standards for EMS professionals and educational institutions. It's been brought up COUNTLESS times on this forum. Most are in agreement that the educational standards need to be changed. Now whether or not you're a volunteer or do this for a living, you're still handling people's lives, and can make a huge difference in them. Whether or not that difference is positive or negative depends on field experience, competency, and yes, education....how we got here in the first place. At this time it is my opinion that the bar needs to be raised on a national level. If we are truly to be recognized as professionals, we should be trained as professionals. Our job is an important one, and at the moment, the standards we hold are laughable. 2.) An Internationally envied progressive National Scope of Practice which is progressive, easily improved and not compromiseable After we raise the educational standards, let's get EVERYONE on the same page. In my opinion, the Pre-hospital care a pt recieves should NOT depend on which state/county etc, he/she lives in. Everyone has the right to the same care. Let's make it so that's practical 3.) Seperation of EMS into it's own seperate equal Public safety 'department' at the federal level This job isn't easy. We put ourselves on the line because to make a difference. We do it for very little pay, it's the least they can do. We deserve it just as much as any other federal profession. 4.) Minimum staffing standards for area covered and population density It's immensely important that people recieve proper care in a timely fashion, it's not fair that people die because of long response times due to understaffed services. 5.) Liscenceing and Credentialing of providers as Professionals This is as much of a profession as anything else in the healthcare field. We deserve to be recognized as more than ambulance drivers. just my .02

Great idea ACE. I picked 2, but my priority list is as follows. 1.) Standardinzed accredation and Educational standards for EMS professionals and educational institutions. It's been brought up COUNTLESS times on this forum. Most are in agreement that the educational standards need to be changed. Now whether or not you're a volunteer or do this for a living, you're still handling people's lives, and can make a huge difference in them. Whether or not that difference is positive or negative depends on field experience, competency, and yes, education....how we got here in the first place. At this time it is my opinion that the bar needs to be raised on a national level. If we are truly to be recognized as professionals, we should be trained as professionals. Our job is an important one, and at the moment, the standards we hold are laughable. 2.) An Internationally envied progressive National Scope of Practice which is progressive, easily improved and not compromiseable After we raise the educational standards, let's get EVERYONE on the same page. In my opinion, the Pre-hospital care a pt recieves should NOT depend on which state/county etc, he/she lives in. Everyone has the right to the same care. Let's make it so that's practical 3.) Seperation of EMS into it's own seperate equal Public safety 'department' at the federal level This job isn't easy. We put ourselves on the line because to make a difference. We do it for very little pay, it's the least they can do. We deserve it just as much as any other federal profession. 4.) Minimum staffing standards for area covered and population density It's immensely important that people recieve proper care in a timely fashion, it's not fair that people die because of long response times due to understaffed services. 5.) Liscenceing and Credentialing of providers as Professionals This is as much of a profession as anything else in the healthcare field. We deserve to be recognized as more than ambulance drivers. just my .02

Since I'm still relatively new, I like to go over things in my head before aos. Our dispatcher usually has the right info...

:oops: i didnt check the date, just saw that it was in the "posts since last visit" category.

Yeah, I wouldn't trust the pulse reading on a pulse-ox, so i'm naturally sceptical about trusting a bp read by machine.

I agree Ace, that the things EMTs do absolutely have the ability to change lives, for better or worse. My point was that during surgery, you're inside someone's body, perhaps looking for something very small, trying to make a very percise cut, and that's why it would be important to have a fully developed brain. You could be the most mature 16 year old in the world, and I'd rather have it done by an adult whose hand-eye coordination is superior. If the teenager was properly educated, I would trust his judgement calls, but not his hands. Being a basic is a lot more about making proper judgement calls (does this pt need ALS? O2? etc). The drugs and interventions a basic performs are simple to carry out, not so much in surgery.

That analogy is a long shot, because surgery is a whole lot different than administering o2, getting pt history, maintaining c-spine, and preforming basic first aid. I wouldn't want to have a sixteen yr old kid poking into me, regardless of his maturity level, because his sensory-motor mechanisms aren't completely developed, adn thusly he doesn't have the coordination that an adult does. If you were to ask me if I'd want a 16 year old medic, I'd also say no... But IMO, a 16 yr old EMT can adequately perform the skills he's expected to if properly trained and educated in both maturity and the actual material, and if he can handle the stress.

This same disscussion happens every time his topic comes up. Dear all, The level of education for BOTH medics and basics is ridiculously low. That said, other than perhaps a more advanced section of A&P and pre-cert clinical training, basics have enough textual knowledge to bandage a wound, and begin treatment for the more serious life threatening injuries. I would agree that a lot of the basic calls I go on involve arriving, getting a detailed history, providing whatever indicated interventionse we can, and then if warranted, calling ALS. That said, all of ALS calls involve arriving, providing more advanced indicated interventions (that they are educated to do), and if warranted (if it's not a refusal) getting the pt to the ER, aka, a higher level of care. I garuntee that analogy isn't going to be well taken. In EVERY profession, not just the field of medicine, there are levels of qualifications, and some require less education. I'm not saying that our education levels are correct, in fact I think they need to be raised, especially that of basics, to include clinicals. I agree that after 120 hours, we don't have the ability to jump right into the field and start practicing. Ride alongs should be required for certification, as well as a more advanced base in A&P. That said, the medic educational standard should also be raised. As for the topic of age, our cadet program cuts it off at 16 and a half, so everyone we certify has to be able to drive. There is always someone 18+ on the call, and once certified as EMTs, our cadets are "promoted" to provisional emts, at which time a checklist must be completed (that involves preforming a shit load of pt assessments, and using all interventions that we have available to us) for full membership. We have a few 17 year old full members, but that's as young as it gets. I'm one of them, and I must say that regardless of my education, which I've already said, probably wasn't adequate, I behave myself in a professional manner ,and do everything in my power to treat the patient with respect, even if it's a psych call and they just need someone to talk to. As I've said in previous posts, maturity isn't directly correlated to age.

Ups: No white walls, you're helping people, you're doing something you love, Health benefits (depending upon where you work) Downs: Bad calls, Job Politics, Job market inconsistency (but if you keep one, you're probably okay), Low pay, High burnout rate Eh, off the top of my head after a pretty much sleepless night.

Anddd after watching last week's episode, I've made my decision. This is a good show. Perhaps not for EMS accuracy, but if i want that, I'll watch "paramedics", or hell, just pick up an extra shift :wink: . It's a very entertaining show, despite some blatant innacuracies. I will continue to "tune in"

That's a sad story, however you did the right thing. He obviously had some issues, even before you alerted your supervisor to his unethical actions, and for you to do anything less would effectively say to him that those actions were condoned, when they're not. He may have lost his job because of it, but he did it to himself if you look at the bigger picture. Everyone should be held accountable for their actions, and there isn't much room for exceptions. He deserved what he got as far as losing his job. The rest of his life was in his hands, and for whatever reason, he decided to throw it away. There was nothing else you could have done. Take it easy, JPM

It does help, but in our defense, we don't transport to UMASS at our service. And yeah, I know allllll about the sleazecare reputation :shock: And the really scary part was that the kid's supervisors/other partner's had no clue about this "pedi radio"

I was at the monthly meeting for our town ambulance service, adn one of our EMTs, also an EMT for EASCARE in worcester, mentioned that when he was giving the radio report to UMASS for a pediatric call, he got a verbal thrashing for not giving his report on a "pedi radio". No one around here seems to know what this is. All I can assume is that it's a radio frequency that patches through to the pedi section of the ER, but EAScARE doesn't have it programmed, and neither do we. Can anyone shed some light?

I absolutely and 100% agree with ACE and DustDevil. Firstly, this call, based on what i've heard doesn't call for air flight, in my honest opinion. She was walking around complaining she hit her head. Her condition seemed relatively stable, at least enough so to go by ground with ALS on board. Also. From the second I read your first post, I thought, "there is no way this patient should be allowed to refuse". Ace has this one nailed. She was not in a normal state of mind, despite the fact that she was alert and oriented. The simple line of questioning to determine the level of conscienceness is not the be all end all of "is my patient competent enough to make the decision that she normally would?" The police will have to comply with you, due to the fact that it's your patient, and they aren't qualified to make a medical decision. Inform them that letting this pt go is against the law. It's unnacceptable to let a patient like this go on a refusal because the officers were too lazy, you need to make sure they know of your legal obligation to decide whether or not teh pt is working in a logical state of mind. ETOH is jsut MORE of a reason, even if it was just a small amount. As far as I'm concerned, the state of mind that gels with running around frantically and screaming is not one that complies with making a very important decision.

I can't at all believe that more pts brought in by ambulance have insurance...

This is somewhat old, but if you're curious as to what different states have paid medics in the past, here's a link: http://www.rescuehouse.com/content/ems-resources/004021.php

I'd suggest explaining your logic behind why he was wrong, or you're not going to make people very happy. As for the thread, it all depends on your state's good samaritan laws.

Seems fine, esp if the hx indicates that the swelling could be an old injury acting up. As long as it didn't cause discomfort, (which it clearly didnt') and as long as you properly assessed the the knee prior to splinting, I think what you did was excellent.

Yeah, he's certainly got a lot of field exp. Between him, ace, 2lead (what a horrible abbreviation...sounds like a new rap star) and some others, I'm really grateful to have signed up here.

I know I know. I was just complaining. I got my cert right as they were undergoing changes.

Yeah you have to get recertified in CPR to practice the new guidelines, but my certification is new as of less than a year ago, so...

Guys, its network television. It's not going to be accurate. I like the show to be honest, and sure, I cringe sometimes when he doesn't wear gloves, but many of us love "bringing out the dead" and nicholas cage didn't wear gloves the whole movie, and he was pretty much bathing in blood. He dropped out of med school to BE a medic, not because he couldn't handle the pressure, btu because he loves it. Anyone can go to med school, it takes someone with balls to follow what they love doing regardless of intense amounts of pressure to be successful by society's standards. And yeah. I was mad about him having his son ride along too. The dad is SUPPOSED to be portrayed as a dick who thinks being an MD is the only way to be successful, which SHOULD show the viewer that it's not right to think that way. The show is somewhat presumptuous, but what medical show isn't? House, Grey's Anatomy, ER, you name it, they all have blatant innaccuracies, but people like them because they're exciting, and show the side of medicine most people don't see. Furthermore, do you think CSI is accurate? Law and order? Come on people...it's drama. If the show claimed to be a documentary about medics, then you could trash it for innaccuracies. We're professionals, and the world is going to start to respect that. We always ask for publicity, and now we're getting it. The things shown aren't going to give EMS a bad name. About his uniform though, I've seen less professionally dressed medics working up here. It depends on the service.

Oh and I'm dyslexic, its 325 (324 technically) :oops:

It's protocol for us to give 4 baby asprin (81 mg ea) to any pt complaining of chest pain as long as they aren't allergic.