NREMT-Basic

Actually, Illinois is considering not reinstating a state test and instead using only the NR as their licensing criteria

As an Illinois EMT-B (IL Region 1) Basic, I am a little confused by some of the posts about the testing in my state. Until very recently IL had its own state test. We were told by the NREMT that the reason that we had to take the NR exam was that copies of the IL state exam had been compromised and or stolen and sold. I cant speak to the truth of this statement. However, in terms of dumbing down, etc (and there have been alot of derogatory comments about IL Basics), my entire class of 25 took the NR exam and every single member passed. We used the latest edition of the Brady Basic text which did in fact cover issues of envenomation etc. If you are an outdoors-person familiar with the fauna of the state of IL you will know that we do have a handful of both venomous snakes and 1 variety of poisonous scorpion, so these are not irrelavent questions. As for the status of intermediate level in IL...in Region one where I live and work, there are no intermediate courses offered. According to the IL EMS office, the state is in the process of slowly phasing out intermediate level training, but will still recognize those who have attained this level of training prior to the phase out. As to how they will handle renewals, I dont know. Today is my first day back in the City after a computer crash and I am happy (insert sarcasm) to see that the derogatory and snide comments and posts still exist. Why cant we all just get along?

I cant really imagine what caused this to degenerate into a screaming match. In my area we respond hot to all calls other than for standby and sometimes then. But from scene to hospital...we evaluate such things as distance to facility, stableness of patient and honestly, whether or not the presence of L and S and 65 mph is going to further destablize the patient. If your medic couldnt provide a reason why this should have been a hot transport, then he just likes the sound of lights and sirens and the adreline rush he gets from it. To me wekk and dizzy without extraordinary s and sx is not a hot call. Out here, usually the medic will make that decision but it sounds as though he might be a little challenged in that regard. Seems like maybe he should receive the aforementioned career counselling.

Do you check run reports? Why should getting your point across intelligently not be taken seriously?

I'm not one for meaningless rules, but I was thinking that it might be a good idea if we all started, at least some of the time and in longer posts, checking them for spelling and some sense of grammar. I don't want to play school marm, and the spelling doesn't really bother me except when it and the grammar combined make a post virtually impossible to understand. I am sure that I will get flamed for this post, but I know that there are so many of you out there with great things to add and contribute to our field that I would like to be able to get it all. Thanks and stay safe.

Sounds like a good, if slightly bumpy, approval program.

Dispatched as possible suicide attempt. Arrive on scene to find drunk husband and even drunker wife (pt) who has also just injested a box of cold tablets. Still A/o enough to make decision about hospital: Do you want to go to "central receiving"..."Oh no I cant go there...Im the crisis intervention counselor at that hospital." Go figger.

In Illinois we have: EMT-Basic EMT-B/D EMT-B (Farm and Agricultural) EMT-B (Wilderness) EMT-Intermediate EMT-Paramedic EMT-Critical Care Paramedic The farm and wilderness sub certs can be applied to I and Ps as well of course.

NuEMS- You'll have to forgive Dustdevil. He is our resident malcontent and our "if I didnt write it it aint worth reading "guy. Regardless he has a lot of information to offer in you can get past his heavy grit sandpaper personality. Dust you been in the desert to long man. Back to the real world where people dont like to be talked to like PFCs. Youre a good guy and I have learned alot from you, just lay off the attitude and everybody would want to hear what you ahve to say. As it is, its hard to get past that "im the only person who isnt an idiot facade."

Shane- I wish I had had you for all my ride alongs. The first medic I had was fantastic. We would get out of the right and I wold automatically grab the jump kit, which made him smile, he said I was the first student of his to automatically do that with being told a hundred times. We ran more calls then than he said he had seen in a long time and it went well...him,me and an emt. I had bought Propper uniform pants, a white unform shirts and showed up squared away and ready to go. Now there were some from my class who showed up im black jeans and tennis shoes and a white t-shirts and by thte end of it he got so sick of some them that he sent them home. Which is how it should be. I didnt bring my text book along to study. These guys in the rig I knew could teach me more than 20 books. So I watched, listened and jumped in when the time was write. I got a great recommendation from this guy for medic school. Just goes to show ya, keep your mouth shut and your eyes open when its appropriate and dont wait to be told what to do. Usually ride time, at least in my system comes toward the end of the cycle, so you should know your skills...nobody should have to tell you that a AMS patient not on alcohol and denying drug use gets a BGL and your preceptor shouldnt have to tell you how to do it either. When I finished a 24 hours clinical tour, ny preceptor gave me a shirt that says "Good EMTs Kick Ass and Take Names.' Good for you for being such an awesome preceptor and I hope all the Noobs that ride with ya get to know just how lucky they are. You are what makes EMS learning great. Thanks a million!!! PS- My second ride along was with a Noob medic who was more interested in keeping his badge shiny and his shirt white than patient care or teaching. The way you precept is the way it is supposed to be dont and I hope to have to opportunity one day to add to the system just as you have. Thanks from all of us rookies out here!

Does a bear shite in the woods?

Equivalent- the first ride i took, i had no idea what they would expect of me so I planned to use what i knew to help without getting in the way. We got to a post-ictal seizure call and as I got out, planning on taking the cot to the house, the medic hollard back, what are you doin? Get the jump kit. Dont be afraid to jump in and do what you know how to do, even it is only baseline vitals at this point. Worse thing that can happen is the medic tells you to get out of the way and this will change from crew to crew. Best of luck and let me know how your first ride went. Steven KinCannon, EMT-B

I may be way off base here ( wouldnt be the first time) but I was also taught those four Fs as mneonics for cholecystitis. And as Dust said, along with poisitive Murphys sign (which i was taught to do by haveing the patient exhale and the pushing my fingers under the rib cage.) Dust- I have also hurd this called McBUrney's sign...or is that something else?

My impression from toxicology class is that any amount would be not a good thing.

87 y/o female patient during my clinicals. She had fallen down 6 concrete steps and landed on her head and face. Posterior orbit frcture L side, broken jaw, shoulder..flail segments...pretty much everything on the involved side of the body. Not only was this my first loss, but my first patient as well. She developed intense icp and slipped into a fatal coma. This was so difficult because i had been with her from the time she was brought in. But it reminded me that we cant save them all, no matter how hard we try. I was not with her when she went, but was with her family as acting chaplain shortly after. That was the hardest part since I made the notification along with the doctor. I came home cried, slept for a couple straight days, and got back on the horse with my ambulance rotations.

In the spirit of renewed communications, I find myself agreeing completely with AZCEP. While I understand the logic of those who say that emtI is a way to ease into paramedic, I just dont see that as the case. As far as I can see, in the states that recognize Is, the protocols and scopes are virtually identical, though slightly...icant think of the word...lesser...than Ps. If you are going to go I just suck it up and spend the extra hours to become a P. I am, as a Basic, moving into being a hospital based EMTB with the plan of becoming a nurse/paramedic and I have even gone so far as to diagram it all out on paper and cant see where sticking intermediate in there would be of any value whatsoever. I know why agencies like them...they are virtually paramedics, but the agencies can pay them less and still run ALS rigs with them. Again, those agencies should suck it up and hire an actual paramedic. I have heard talk here in IL both that they are revamping protocols for Is and that they are thinking of eliminating them altogether. Most agencies I have run across will have Intermediates if a basic already employed by them gets it but they dont seek to hire them. Of the five private agencies in my area, there are 6 intermediates and most of them are being urged by the agency to get on the stick and go paramedic. To anyone who I have inadvertantly insulted with some of my past posts, i apologize....as someone who was recently laid off so that my agency could go to all Paramedics, I think i have allowed myself to fall prey to the Basic vs. Paramedics argument and while I know that there are a lot of folks who bang their head against that wall every day, i am not going to continue to be one of them. So to Rid, and Dust and anyone else who I may have unintentionally or intentionally been rude to, I apologize and look forward to learning from your collective experience.

First of all..I dont owe anyone an apology. I dont automatically respect someone because they wear a uniform or get shot at. And as for copious postings, I am not to blame that some folks have nothing better to do than post thousands of times, often just to insult others. Dust...I do apologize if your ego was bruised.

Pay no mind to Dust...he likes to get to the heart of the matter, stick a knife in it and twist. I agree that drinking isnt the answer but you also dont need to be made to feel like you are shaming members of your profession. That is a crock of bull. The best way is to talk to someone about bad calls, etc. Take care and keep coming to the City.

Besides..it gets far more random than this

What Id like to know and have been wondering for some time is promoted Ruff to be the Whacker-Sherriff? Youre not offering good information, you are downgrading anyone who doesnt do things as you do or would do them. I carry but do not always wear, a trauma belt, which has a pack on it along with alot of other equipment. Maybe I wont need it but I would rather not have to go looking for it during an extrication or disentaglment. Is a centerpunch needed on a cardiac call...I hope not. Is it needed on EVERY MVC...probably not...but as I say I dont want to have to go back looking for the damn thing when I need it. So I have a carefully packed trauma belt, which hangs over the back of my seat and is taken down and put on when we run on a trauma. I think this makes good sense. I also carry a hard hat (not provided by my service) which I often wear at extrication involved MVCs. As for things like radio holsters, I would rather have one on than drop that nifty little $500 motorola and have it come out of my next two paychecks. I guess I just wonder who put you in charge of deciding what makes someone a whacker and what doesnt. It seems to be the biggest whackers are the ones judging others and how they choose to do their jobs.

Funny that...I have a copy of the OED here and dogs is listed as plural of dog...huh.

Oh yeah, and we also wear a 3 season coat with pull out liner warm to 10 below and it have leather cuff and elbow reinforcement. They were got through a grant from the DHS and are rated biohazard resistant.

From the bottom up...I wear black boots, jungle style in the summer and all leather in the winter. Navy Blue Tac Pants, with black leather belt, with my geek belt and pack over top. White short sleeve shirt with name plate and ribbons on right chest, right arm is my companys patch and the left shoulder is NR patch. As for head gear, we are allowed to wear pretty much anything "tactical" and blue or black so i go between a low rise baseball cap with EMS on it or a boonie cap in foul wearther and a watch cap for cold weather.

I carry a center punch in a pouch on my belt....I cant even count the number of times i have used it there have been so many....I say if an EMT or medic can carry what they feel like they need and not be encumbered to the point of inhibiting performance. But...for one person to be able to say.here is what you need and nothing else, is ridiculous....i once pulled a 24 and went of 5 mvas and needed that punch every damn time. So to each his own and the only whacker is the one who calls people whackers so I guess we know who that is.

I personally have gone to something of my own design which is a combination between an alice pack and a fanny pack that attaches to a web belt. The only things how in my pocket are small pt notebook, two pens, a sharpy and shears. Everything else goes on the belt. Also means less stuffed drop in toilets when you are running to pee when the tones set..i heard that happend to someone once :oops: