Nurses and ambulances

[Kiwiology]

There are already ECPs within WFA and StJ Central are coming online very soon; Clinical Excellence will see ICP move towards a PGCert and AUT reckons there is a BHSc/BN crosswalk path in development so it all looks very promising

You just want to look good on RR dont you mate

[Just Plain Ruff]

The only reason why Nurse Hathaway needed to get her ride time in the ambulance was that it enhanced the story line.

No nurse in chicago or anywhere else is required to get ambulance ride time for ACLS and TNCC unless those who are running those courses are requiring it.

But I have no problem with nurses riding out with me. I also think that nursing students could get a good exposure to what we do before those in the nursing profession on the floors and the ER get a hold of them and make them jaded towards us.

I see it as a win win situation until a crew of three women (two female medics and one female nurse) get killed in a bad part of town.

[Kaisu]

I see it as a win win situation until a crew of three women (two female medics and one female nurse) get killed in a bad part of town.

Oh Ruffems... are you purposely trying to get a rise out of me? I run on a CCT car. What this means is that an EMT, a medic (me) and an RN take critical care transports when they come up. Nominally in 911 rotation from 2100 to 0900 (when a 12 hour car is staffed, relieving us of 911) staffing issues have us running 911 all the time except when we are on a CCT transfer.

Often, we are a "bitch box" in that we are all females. Are you suggesting that we cannot assess a scene for safety as well as a man? Perhaps you are implying that at 6' and 185lbs of muscle with a decade of martial arts training that I cannot defend myself as well as a man? or.. perhaps your issue is that my hormonal self will lose my ability to think in a dangerous situation and will not be as able as a man to extricate myself and my team safely? Is the loss of three males in a bad error somehow less egregious than the loss of three little ladies?

I do not want to derail the discussion.

To the issue of RN's riding along, it is not a requirement of any kind here in my neck of the woods. The insight I can offer to this question:

- of every 10 nurses that decide they want to work CCT (and because of the way we are setup, 911), 2 will be comfortable in this world and want to do it. The other 8 take one of the million other opportunities available to RNs and move on.

- of these 2, 1 will develop a working team with their EMS partners, producing amazing patient care and some of the most satisfying 911 of my career so far. The other 1 will be in a constant conflict with the medic, with issues of who is higher level of care rearing ugly heads on each call.

Note that these numbers are rough guesses and totally anecdotal. Please don't jump on me to produce the studies. I am pulling them out of my ass.

I have learned so much from my RN partner. She has learned a lot from me. This has more to do with personality and character than anything else. Egos need to be set aside and people have to constantly remember that just because this is what they have always done, it doesn't mean it is the only way to do things.

I run the occasional shift with the 2nd RN mentioned above. It is a nightmare. My tongue bleeds from biting it because I will not get into pissing matches in front of patients or other staff. I must constantly watch my back because I know she will throw me under a bus at the least provocation - and has.

Again I digress.....

I think it would be amazing if RNs run a shift or two on the ambulance. Unlike ruffems, tho, my fear is that when they do, it will be one of those shifts where we run 2 patient refusals, a move up for coverage, and spend the rest of the shift watching TV.

[Just Plain Ruff]

Oh Ruffems... are you purposely trying to get a rise out of me?

nope not purposefully. And that quote you are referring to was an attempt at humor pointed towards the poster who was worried about their safety with two women crews when they were posted in seedy parts of town.

I find that you are more in danger of the domestic disturbances where both parties are still there than you ever will be posted in a seedy part of town.

Is the danger there? yes it is but come on, when's the last time you read or heard about someone attacking an ambulance with 2 females in it?

Plus the times that we usually have a rider observing, we get one call or two that are just plain run of the mill calls.

Edited March 30, 2011 by Ruffems

[Kaisu]

I do apologise Ruffems, for misinterpreting the statement. I should have known better. It's you.