I love this job!!

[James_ffemt]

Well, I really don't know where I can go from here. Obviously I didn't give enough specifics in my post. I was in a hurry and posted the highlights. MY FAULT!! I am not going to go back now and tell the rest of the story, 1 because it would look like I was back peddling and 2 for the pure fact that I am sure it would get ripped apart. I know I am not the only one that has been ripped by posting on this website. I know I am not the only one who has had his/her feelings hurt. And that should tell our Administrator and all others involved that maybe something needs to change. We all make mistakes whether we have been in the business 1 year or 30 years. The ones who have been in the longest should take the rookies under their wings and help guide them. Attitudes and smart A** remarks never help anyone. Constructive criticism is great. i have grown up with alot of that playing sport in high school and college. But, just because somebody posts something on this site doesn't give anyone the right to call it Bull Sh*t, nor does it give anybody the right to be treated as I was. I am a big boy and can take it, but I shouldn't have to. I appreciate the apologies from those of you big enough to give them. For the rest of you I will forgive but not forget. On that note, I will no longer post on this website but will continue to read posts and check in now and again to see if I can find useful information. Maybe someday we can all become BROTHERS and SISTERS as I have seen talked about so many times. And you wonder why EMS has the reputation it has. Change your ways here and it will follow you into the field and communities.

[DwayneEMTP]

James_ffemt,

Just a few thoughts....

There are a ton of 'posers' on this and all the other EMS sites. One of the things that makes the City different is it's very uncomfortable to pretend to be something you're not and get caught. If you're here for a while I think you'll come to see the value in that. Other sites love embellished hero stories...here it's all about facts, education and common (and sometimes uncommon) sense.

You more or less got caught in the culling process.

I once posted a scenario from a book I read...Tons of "what an idiot. You'll believe anything!" posts. So I looked the book up on Amazon and posted the relevant chapters. Two things happened. First...some people I've come to respect said "ooops...I wish I would have handled that differently" (more or less) and second....I have been given the benefit of the doubt on many subsequent posts. Many seem to remember I was able to support my statements. Even if I had turned out to be wrong still, supporting my statements was required...and then accepted.

I'm glad you stepped up with your articles...the 'posers' tend to go and stay gone when someone calls bullshit on them.

I was embarrassed by some of the responses to your post. Someone in their first week of Basic class would see the scene safety issues, there was no need for the soapboxes...but you know what? It's a small price to pay in my opinion. I take the crap from the masses so I can benefit from the opinion of the 20 - 30 people I respect.

I come here to have my thoughts and opinions judged by others. It's not always fun...but it's rarely wasted time.

I hope you stick around. I'll bet you have a lot to offer. Your night would be a great scenario in the scenario section.

Dwayne

[Stretchermonkey]

At the risk of stirring things up, I feel I need to say something about this.

Why were you in a hurry to post something that happened five days earlier? Also, with having five days to think about it, and hopefully after having worked a potentially stressful call and had a de-brief, would you not know the merits of scene safety. As many people have said, you declaring that you went into such a potentially dangerous situation, sent alarm bells clanging. Then, to say that a patient having a seizure was able to communicate with you, just leads people to believe that you are not clinically up to speed to deal efficiently with emergency situations. This really is a very basic thing to grasp.

You say you have had your feelings hurt, and that you have been ripped apart. Yet you also say “I am a big boy and can take it.” Apparently not! I think you are new and want to play the hero. Thrive off the adrenaline (or do you call it epinephrine? lol). There’s no place for that in what we do. What we do always has consequences for others, often when they are at a low point, and need us to be able to care for them, and to be their advocate.

Why should people need to apologise to you? You said “just because somebody posts something on this site doesn't give anyone the right to call it Bull Sh*t”. Of course it does, if it is. You stated that you went into a violent situation and that “The crowd is hitting us and cussing us” that was wrong! You stated “Pt. still siezing and complaing she can't breath.” That’s not possible. It is people’s right to tell you when you are wrong. Take it on board and move on.

And as for saying “I will forgive but not forget. On that note, I will no longer post on this website but will continue to read posts and check in now and again to see if I can find useful information.” That just smacks of behaving like a child. So you don’t want to say anything in case you make a tit of yourself…but you are happy to lurk in the background and glean anything useful from those who have so offended you.

At the end of the day you’ve dropped a bollock. Accept it and move on. Don’t run away with your tail between your legs, slagging people off. Stay and learn from the massive wealth of knowledge and experience that you can gain from here. You’re absolutely right, none of us are perfect. We all do, and all will make mistakes, but the better ones of us accept that, and move on.

[James_ffemt]

At the risk of stirring things up, I feel I need to say something about this.

Why were you in a hurry to post something that happened five days earlier? Also, with having five days to think about it, and hopefully after having worked a potentially stressful call and had a de-brief, would you not know the merits of scene safety. As many people have said, you declaring that you went into such a potentially dangerous situation, sent alarm bells clanging. Then, to say that a patient having a seizure was able to communicate with you, just leads people to believe that you are not clinically up to speed to deal efficiently with emergency situations. This really is a very basic thing to grasp.

You say you have had your feelings hurt, and that you have been ripped apart. Yet you also say “I am a big boy and can take it.” Apparently not! I think you are new and want to play the hero. Thrive off the adrenaline (or do you call it epinephrine? lol). There’s no place for that in what we do. What we do always has consequences for others, often when they are at a low point, and need us to be able to care for them, and to be their advocate.

Why should people need to apologise to you? You said “just because somebody posts something on this site doesn't give anyone the right to call it Bull Sh*t”. Of course it does, if it is. You stated that you went into a violent situation and that “The crowd is hitting us and cussing us” that was wrong! You stated “Pt. still siezing and complaing she can't breath.” That’s not possible. It is people’s right to tell you when you are wrong. Take it on board and move on.

And as for saying “I will forgive but not forget. On that note, I will no longer post on this website but will continue to read posts and check in now and again to see if I can find useful information.” That just smacks of behaving like a child. So you don’t want to say anything in case you make a tit of yourself…but you are happy to lurk in the background and glean anything useful from those who have so offended you.

At the end of the day you’ve dropped a bollock. Accept it and move on. Don’t run away with your tail between your legs, slagging people off. Stay and learn from the massive wealth of knowledge and experience that you can gain from here. You’re absolutely right, none of us are perfect. We all do, and all will make mistakes, but the better ones of us accept that, and move on.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion. But your post just shows my point. Why beat a dead horse. I explained the situation, obviously left key points out which made me look like an ass. I have already admitted that. People keep stirring it up. Why I don't know! I give up????!!!!! And as far as dealing with people at their low points. I have been a licensed funeral director and embalmer for 13 years. I know about dealing with people at their most difficult times. It's not an adrenaline rush it about helping people of my community. Before you start talking about things and making assumptions know the person first.

[Scaramedic]

What's a bollock?

I have set back and watch this thread play out but now it's time for my .02.

James being a former Tulsa area Medic myself I can understand how the whole mob thing played out. I actually believe there was a large crowd on scene, I have seen this numerous times myself in Tulsa. There's something about Oklahoma and mobs, don't believe me look up the Tulsa Race Riots. So I can see a large crowd of riled up rednecks. 300 seems kind of extreme but in the heat and fear of the moment 20 people can look damn intimidating.

Having said that your story did contain a lot of errors. Medically you stuck your foot in your mouth with the "Pt. still seizing and complaining she can't breath" comment. Sorry but if you make a comment like that you have to expect people to call you on it. It seems to me you got caught up in the moment, that is simple to do when you first start out on this job. Regardless of being new by entering the scene you endangered your life and that is unacceptable. When you pull up on situation like that your job is to pull back and wait for PD to secure the scene. You and your partners safety trumps patient care on any call.

Scene safety and patient care are important issues, when people on this board see that someone is lacking in either they are going to be honest and let that person know. Hurt feelings be damned you need to learn from this thread, here are a few examples of things you should refresh yourself on...

1. Scene safety

2. Etiology of seizures

3. Scene Safety

4. Sign and Symptoms of Seizure

5. Types of seizures.

6. Scene Safety

7. Treatment/care of seizure patients.

8. Scene Safety

9. Indications/dosage/spelling of Xanax

10. Scene Safety

Every mistake we make is chance for us to further our education. Please take this opportunity to learn and make yourself a better provider.

[jw-c152]

Wow, my head is starting to hurt from this repeated banging on the wall.

This discussion was over a long time ago. Let it die.

[Stretchermonkey]

What's a bollock?

Technical Brit term for a testicle

[Scaramedic]

Thanks SM, now I have a new word I can use.

I love it, bollock!

[Michael]

People keep stirring it up. Why I don't know!

Before you start talking about things and making assumptions know the person first.

James -- Will this help?

You heard, quickly and harshly, from veterans who didn't, as you accurately put it, "know the person first," because of course they couldn't. When your description was challenged, you subsequently proved disputed claims, professionally, gracefully, and confessing your dismay at your honesty having been subjected to doubt. You received apologies, and on your behalf others wrung apologies from still others here, which if not unprecedented is still exceptional. So your debut has been rather spectacular, and actually makes you look pretty good, as well as having given some others a lift in reputation, and may caution still others from precipitously censuring both on and off the board. Not bad for a new arrival!

What you may be overlooking, perhaps out of modesty, perhaps having had your hands full with mentors here, is the number of readers who are less knowledgeable and experienced than you are, and who, without your explicit explication or correction, are at risk for modeling their behavior on yours. Forget heroics: the simple urge to help may next week prompt a newbie to emulate your account. If the only objections come from people who weren't there, the beginner is left with doubt, and when facing, let us hope, a less perilous but still unsafe scene, may in the hasty moment of decision, consciously or not, refer to what you uncritically described as your practice -- unless the correction comes from you, who have a monopoly over the facts of the case. That's why these guys are leaning on you -- not because you're their defiant "student," but because by posting in a forum, you're already somewhat in the role of teacher. Your critics don't care about personalities (or if they do, that's irrelevant). They care that those who read and admire your work should have every reason to do so. They want you to say "By the way, after reviewing what I wrote, I realize that this should have been done rather than that; that my interpretation of this overlooked that other thing." No critique will ever be as strong as the one that comes from the author of the original work, and, not to be melodramatic about it, but some new and nervous emt's life, or that of the patient, may be at stake.

As with scene-safety, so with the other surviving point. If you leave inconclusive the apparent incongruity of an articulate seizing patient, a newbie who reads your post will be less equipped to encounter something in the field that looks similar, whereas if you take the trouble to update your impression, everyone will learn.

I'm reluctant to parse the tire-tracks rumpling your uniform, but since the worst is over and you came out on top, I thought I'd risk pointing out your promotion to de facto instructor, which may explain your colleagues' sense of urgency. As the mangled loudspeaker announcement puts it, We apologize for any cooperation; thank you for your inconvenience.

And please stick around. Your teaching career has only begun.

[hammerpcp]

I'm sorry James, but did you really think that this post wasn't going to get hammered?

Hey! Don't drag me into this. Oh, and James when people leave this site its always Admins (sometimes AK's) fault not ours.