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Healthcare is a right, not something you earn. Until the US gets that through thier head, I don't think you guys are gonna get very far.

Yeah Annie, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for a reply. His type is of a common kind...They spend 2-3 minutes on a frantic mental dry hump and then shoot their verbal load all over the thread but run away before the possibility of hearing the pitter patter of the little feet of debate, and the responsibility that that entails.. It's unfortunate that the fire services, of whom we have many members here that I respect very much, is most often represented by 6th grade spelling, grammar and logic. Dwayne

On the ambulance with an 80 pound granny, our backs get a reprieve. Plus we don't have to use additional resources for little granny. On an airplane, granny pays for and gets one seat. If she chooses to wear 17 gem sweaters to keep warm and fill out the rest of the seat, well good for granny. If someone takes up more than one seat because Baconator is their best friend and the one they turn to when they're happy/sad/mad/having an MI, and infringe upon my comfort zone (ie. don't touch my butt with your butt unless I ask you to), well then they can pay for the extra space. Better yet, give me part of my ticket price back! I like my rights too

Now there is certainly a lot of feedback on this one ... here's my little opinion. My service does in fact have a bariatric unit, I guess we're fortunate for that. We've apparently gotten good use of it, fortunately I've never had to call for it myself. Not entirely sure where I stand on this ... I mean, I think huge people on airplanes should pay for two seats if their rumps spill on over onto my seat. It's annoying when you have one hip going numb because some butterball is taking up 7 inches of your seat. So, should there be a separate fee for use of the twinkie truck, it's oversized stretcher and hydraulic lift? Probably. It's unfortunate that people let themselves get THAT big, however I'm always glad when I don't have to try and "move a mountain" ... hehehe

One call I had this summer that made me feel like that. I was beating myself up about whether or not each decision I made was the right one; had I made a different choice at one of many points would things have turned out differently? I know now they wouldn't have, injuries were simply not compatible with life. I was offered a chat by one of our CISM people I trust, at the time I just wanted to go home. She gave me her cell and said to call if I needed. After I realized I couldn't normalize myself after work and was really reacting, I called and was able to arrange a meeting. That was probably the best thing I could have done; very informal, just a chance to vent and get all that stuff off my chest to someone who was able to make the time to listen (for two hours). So without minimalizing what you're feeling as I truly do understand, most or all of us have been or will be in that same position probably more than once during our careers. Definitely talk to someone, maybe take a debriefing. Get the specifics off your chest with someone trusted. Whatever happened, mistake or not, you're human. Take the initiative and talk to someone about what's bothering you, because if you don't it will quite likely eat you alive.

... just when I thought I had heard it all ...

I first want to say to all the EMS workers and ER workers "first do no harm" I say that because that healthcare reform was passed, and we need to realize that were looking out for the patient and not big gov't. With that said what are your views on Obamacare.

So this is the only info I have on this situation. Was George Orwell "1984" most correct when he stated in his novel the decries of a totalitarian government is bent on total manipulation ? So what next, does one get sacked for chatting on the phone between calls and can your employer record them when your working ? Isn't this an infringement on the EMTs rights to free speech and is this not what Freedom in America stands for or better against ? Whats the huge deal if one posts a picture is that some boss man believes is unprofessional or was it just developing comradeship ? Thoughts ?

Sure, if there is no significant downtime. However, things like laptops becomes completely permissible when there may be hours between calls while sitting on a street corner.

Ah so that why the US Mail don't work lol. I am not arguing that somebody has to pay and that tax is our way of paying and we get off the Govt whereas you pay for insurance. If you can pay, you should and that's just basic principle of being fair and how the world goes around. However speaking of being fair I think solidarity says those who unable to pay should not have to; we're not talking about me paying your restaurant bill or something like that but rather an essential human service. I don't mind that some of my tax dollar goes to paying for those who can't pay so they can get healthcare, welfare etc. A healthy population pays for itself over and over.

I wholeheartedly agree that there is something amiss with our healthcare system in the United States. We have many people who are uninsured, and skyrocketing medical costs and health insurance premiums. I would not be able to afford insurance if I weren't in the military, so I can get Tricare for a reasonable monthly premium as a reservist. My premium, as a single person, through my employer, even with an employer contribution, would be over four times what I pay now per month - I simply could not afford it. That being said, I honestly don't believe that extending government benefits to additional people in the name of insurance coverage is the answer. Medicare payment rates, while not ideal, are not, from what I understand, to be horrendous. In fact, many ambulance services, my own included, uses Medicare allowable rates as our "usual and customary" rates. However, Medicaid payment rates are atrocious. For a typical BLS non-emergency transport, for which I believe we bill $465 + $9.65/mile, of which we would normally see payment in full from Medicare or a private insurer, we see less than $60 from Medicaid. I understand that ambulance transport only accounts for substantially less than 5% of total healthcare costs, however, I can only imagine how these kinds of payments extrapolate to the healthcare setting as a whole. In my honest opinion, with this kind of "insurance" costs will only go up for individuals with private insurance. If we were guaranteed payment in full for EVERY transport, we could probably afford to only bill $300 for a BLS transport instead of nearly $500. However, increased costs are passed on to those who can afford them, because we still must provide the care and transport to Medicaid patients and patients with no insurance whatsoever. Coupled with this, rampant lawsuits and medical malpractice insurance costs keep physician's costs very high, which are in turn passed on to patients. Universal healthcare coverage, I believe, is an admirable ultimate goal - everybody should have access to affordable, high quality coverage. However, in practice, the sense of entitlement that certain modes of coverage brings with it as I see in my patients leads them to abuse the 911 system and the emergency department for problems that would better be handled elsewhere (and cost less). I honestly don't know what to do to fix the system - no one thing, even a 2,300 page legislative bill, can fix the system. I don't think that this legislation will fix the problem - it may very well worsen it. I also truly believe that the bill is NOT what the general public wanted, and I really hope that our elected leaders can eliminate this partisan BS and actually listen to the public rather than vote purely based on political ideology, especially when the vast majority of the populace doesn't wholeheartedly agree with either party's platform - but I'm not holding my breath.

Well, since the vox populi here so far seems to pretty negative about the pending Healthcare reforms then let me re-adress the balance: I think that it's a travesty that one of the world's richest and powerful countries has waited so long to adopt decent healthcare for all, regardless od socio-economic status. Shame on you all for opposing this bill. And yes, I'm an outsider. An outsider that pays 52% income-tax to benefit from one of the world's most developed social security systems. No, we are not going to hell in a handcart from all the those free-loading parasites costing us a fortune. I live in a prosperous, caring country. No-one in the developed world such need to worry about a basic right such as decent healthcare. You want a strong opinion, you got it! WM

Finally getting the proof that my voice does not matter to my Government hit hard last night. Watching that witch Nancy Pelosi strut in front of protesters with the gavel made me sick. Every single time I heard "this is for Americans" it made my blood boil. I am actually scared, scared for my family, and for my children. I have NO faith or hope, esp. with Obama and Nancy needing the power as much as they do! IRS agents *edited to add link about new IRS forms, and agents for new health care

My first thought was to pull up a seat next to Don... You want opinions...I'll stir the pot a little. I'm not sold on this reform nor am I sold on the fact that it is being touted as no additional cost to the taxpayer. Since I happen to be a taxpayer, I am concerned about that. But, what concerns me more than the reform is that we are looking at a way to add many, many others in to an already overtaxed healthcare system. If we are already short on healthcare workers, how do we expect to handle the influx? What's the plan on building up the infrastructure? If an average emergency department (ED) visit is 4 hours...what will it be when everyone feels they can go to the ED for minor issues? In this world of instant gratification expectation that we are seeing, who will ever want to make a doctor appointment to get that little toe looked at? In the pre-hospital area, for those who've previously held off calling 911 because of insurance reasons (and actually looked at the pros and cons of POV/Taxi vs. ambulance), does that now increase our workload? Not opposed to more work, but how can this possibly minimize EMS abuse? On second thought, Don...move over. I'm bringing the popcorn.

We certainly needed to change things like covering preexisting conditions, but it's a HUGE leap from there to a move towards socialist type health care. This is about pushing an agenda, NOT about covering more people or saving money. Mandating insurance coverage, fining people for NOT having insurance- how does this help anyone except the insurance companies and the government? How does cutting Medicare funding help anyone? Once again, the middle class take the hit. The poor and ultra rich are the ones who always benefit most from any entitlement initiative. This is certainly historic, but not in a good way. Not a single Republican voted for this bill, 34 Democrats also thought it was a bad idea, and a whole bunch of Americans are not happy either. I hate to feel like I'm sporting a tin foil beanie, but based on recent events, you have to wonder. This isn't about health care, it's about a fundamental shift in how this country and our economy works, and our ideologies. Couple this with government take overs of student loans, auto makers, and financial institutions, and how can you not read more into this?

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I agree in so many ways ...

Priceless hey?

It is a sad state of affairs for EMS in BC and Alberta. Unfortunately the only people who will soon be able to properly afford our services will be those who claim to be "running things" in either province (including one doc here who makes his bonus based on cutbacks to services for the rest of us). Some really good points made here ... health care should certainly NOT be a for profit business! And how about those people who think going into the hospital by ambulance will get them seen by a doctor sooner than if they went in on their own? What about granny who decides at 3am that because she hasn't been able to eat/sleep/poop for 2 days, she should call her daughter/son over to phone 911 for her? COME ON PEOPLE! Unfortunately here we cannot refuse someone transport if they request. Yes, ridiculous. Don't even get me started on people treating the ER like a walk-in clinic. That gets me going, especially when we're sitting their with a perfectly downloadable patient and a walk-in "I've got the sniffles" gets seen before my patient, and the only reason we're waiting with this person is because they're old and ooooohhhh just might have to pee at some point. But ohhhh that doesn't matter because the nurses are happy that granny has someone to talk at while she paces around in her pajamas wondering why it's taking so long. I love being in this industry and doing what I do. The people who abuse the system over and over and over again however and are continued to be allowed to do so, are one thing making it REALLY hard to want to stay and work in a province and city I've lived in my entire life. Not to mention the financial toll they're taking on all of us ...

I'm certainly glad you're not in my area then, Tom. There is nothing "safe" about an impaired driver, no matter what they're on be it ETOH, your little friend marijuana, exhaustion or anything else that will impair concentration ability. Unfortunately it's not realistic to take all these "safer" stoned drivers and stick them all on your street. Otherwise I'm sure thousands of communities would be more than happy to donate those lowlifes to your neighborhood. Well said ...

I was really looking forward to watching this, however forgot the night/time ... doesn't sound like I missed much however ...

Someone driving after smoking a joint is impaired. It's wrong in so many ways, it's not even funny. Reaction time is still slower. I suppose it would be ok for some guy to hit the bong a few times before going to work operating heavy machinery, however he has to drive through a school zone where your kids are crossing the street to go home. But that's ok! Because a little weed is safer than drinking ...

... yeah, and our illustrious government along with AHS think they're doing a fantastic job. They went in LESS than half cocked, and slowly people are starting to pay for it. EMS will be in ruins within 5 years unless something is done PDQ to remedy this situation. They SAY there was a lot of thought that went into the changeover, however I'd believe that about as much as I'd believe that one day my cat could be a paramedic. If there was so much thought, then why the "being in the dark" for everyone? It was not and never has been "business as usual". My ranting will however not do anything about it, except for alleviate a bit of my own stress.

The new provincial system in Alberta is anything but "run properly". They went into it with an immensely insufficient plan; already in debt over a billion dollars around the April 1 takeover date and they expected to sustain and ohhh, better the health care system by making EMS a provincial thing? The provincial government and AHS seems to be flying by the seats of their pants, and don't appear to have much of an idea what they're doing, and the little bit they have done hasn't made any of us here feel more secure about working EMS in Alberta. There are issues with forcing people into a union without giving them the right to vote on it, issues with freezing wages of EMT's in certain areas until the rest of the province "catches up". I am Alberta born and raised and have lived in the same area for my entire life, and used to want to spend the rest of my life here. However with the career I have chosen and the recent changes in EMS and AHS trying to run things with their own shortsightedness, I feel I am also left in the dark and will certainly not vote for Stelmach in our next provincial election.

Well then, here's a story for you ... last summer while waiting for my partner to put the unit back together at hospital after a call, I saw one of the funniest damn things ever. This blonde walked in with some guy (either her pimp or "dance instructor"). She was unnaturally curvy, obviously had several items on her body altered. So she sits down to talk to the nurse, then walked over to get herself registered. I was wondering what everyone was snickering about so I asked one of our medics. She says, "You see that blonde over there?" Yeah, I do. "Ok, well wait until she gets up then watch her walk away." Okayyyyy ... So Barbie gets up and starts walking in the direction she was told. Apparently, her left butt implant had somehow ruptured and had been leaking for a couple hours. Flubber hit the floor hard after falling off the pole? Hmm ... Even if there was a medical reason for him to do so, if she in fact came right out and said "touch my boobs" he would be better off handing over care to someone else. If he went ahead and touched them after a patient asked him to, well, he wouldn't be in the right state of mind then. And anyone who would even think of touching a patient while off duty? Completely inappropriate. A patient is a patient is a patient.

... and with Alberta having gone "loco provincial", it's all just a matter of time before that happens here. The singlemost important reason I'm in school right now for EMT-P is for the mobility. If somewhere else in Canada isn't appealing, there are plenty of other countries a paramedic is welcome in.

OK, kiddies, here I, and us, go again! 1) The child steals a cigarette from his fall down drunk dad. At least he didn't like the cigarette. 2) When he tossed the smoke, it started a fire, on the end of the trailer where the propane tanks are. The explosion kind of telegraphed that it was going to happen. 3) He runs as quick as a "Rabbit". Leastwise we now know the origin of the name, and it wasn't due to sexual proclivities of how rabbits multiply. 4) The Paramedic who "named" Rabbit was named Johnny, on an episode featuring Kevin Tighe, who portrayed Roy on "Emergency!". I wonder if they did that, as Randolph (Johnny) Mantooth, depending on the varied reports, either was unavailable, or flat out told the production team, "I am not doing that show"? 5) The psychiatrist says Rabbit does not have PTSD, Rabbit says he does. I believe if it looks, walks and quacks like a duck... 6) Boone, like most of us on the paid side of both EMS and Fire, is having budget problems. His marital problems seem to stem from him doing all the extra shifts already, but at least this time he's discussing it with the wife and kids. 7) Nancy, who is involved with Rabbit, is convinced that Greg is involved with someone. Does she suspect, or know, that it is with Doctor Dianne? 8) "Captain Cal", wether intentionally or not, is "pouring gasoline on the fire" of FD based EMS discussions. 9) Junk yard crane operator distracted while working. What happened is another good argument of not talking or texting on a cell phone while driving or operating heavy equipment. 10) Rabbit just walks in and tells the scheduled guy that he's taking over. I don't believe any of our agencies would allow that, especially after 9-11-01. 11) That look on Marisa's face when Rabbit just walks in to return to work is priceless. 12) The look on Captain Cal's face, when he realizes Tyler is "Gay" is priceless. 13) Marisa asks Rabbit if he's really ready to return to work. Rabbit gives the best answer that he doesn't know. For him, brutal honesty, at least as I understand his character. 14) Nancy figured out the Greg/Dianne relationship. 15) Is Tyler avoiding advancement to Paramedic? 16) Tyler and Boone's patient is a "former" Paramedic? I heard that, and was wondering if it was going to be Rabbit's "Johnny". It turned out not to be the case. 17) EMS, and Fire Fighting, is definitely more the younger man's game. I'm 55 years old (2 months shy of my 56th birthday) and I am almost out of my "box" 18) Domestic violence calls are never nice calls, and this one was in the Knife and Gun club. They gave the impression that both sides of the argument were not transported in the same ambulance (or to the same facility), which is in line with the protocols I operate under. However, wouldn't the LEOs be riding along, due to the man having shot his wife? 19) Nancy openly stated that the stabbed man was a "Load And Go" status. Anyone disagree? 20) Nancy cannot remember if she is working as a Paramedic or as a surgical student doctor, although she qualifies as both. 21) Dianne is correct in telling her, "You might do that with Doctor Joe, but not on MY watch." 22) Captain Cal is seemingly dumbfounded, on finding out that Rabbit, who to the captain seems to be the only one with his head on straight, is just returning to work from a psychiatric leave. "This is a Madhouse!" 23) Going back to item 10, does anybody we know just jump back onto their rig without first telling their commanding officer? After doing at least one call, that was when Rabbit turned in his "Doctor's Line" to the Captain. 24) Dianne defends herself, although she doesn't have to, to Nancy on her decision not to let Nancy do field surgery. 25) Captain Cal seems to be entertaining the troops with tales of "Back In The Day..." I guess Rabbit was around long enough to know of the tales, too, like the Pre-Cardial Thump (I used to do that, but protocols changed for me over the last 37 years). 26) We've all had "Don't Drop Me!" patients, from lightweights to heavyweights. Do we tell them we only drop patients on days ending in the letter "Y"? They didn't use that line, but my partners have. I don't. 27) Great, Tyler made Paramedic. He just didn't want to break up his teaming with Boone. 28) Could the burned out old Paramedic be Tyler's future? 29) Nancy admits to Glen that Dianne was right. 30) Seeing Glen and Dianne waking up from the same bed confirms that they are an item. 31) Boone makes the decision to remain a Paramedic, and remain working with Tyler as a "Pair-a-Medic" (my old, bad joke). 32) Marisa had been dangerously influenced by working with Rabbit, hence her original plan to complete a flight with the helicopter low on oil. Yet, it was Rabbit who told her not to complete the assignment, only later with both being told how dangerous the mechanical problems had actually been. Kind of strange, Rabbit being the one on an even keel, and Marisa being the one acting dangerously.

This was not the way to go about all that is wrong with the country. Nobody can sit here and claim that we are perfect, that everything is exactly how it should be. But, the way this went down feels dirty and wrong. It's not going to give people the utopia they are hoping it will. This bill will not fix our problems, only create more.

I wasn't trying to call you (or anyone) out specifically, which is why I didn't quote you or use your name at all. Even if you have standing orders for pain control, there are likely others here who may have to call for it. My point was simply that our definition of "what is medical control" varies widely across our community here. That point stands. I don't think I said that it has to be a doctor, even though I do agree that a physician might make the most sense. Okay hot shot. The 3rd round of IM epinephrine in a status asthma is an on-line option for us here. Should we all have our "accreditation reviewed?" Things aren't the same everywhere Phil, and there certainly is a little room for thought in this scenario other than pushing the syringe down and hoping for the best. Do no harm. Epinephrine increases cardiac O2 demand. ...Or are you simply saying that nobody could definitively prove it was your epinephrine that did the damage, and therefore pushing this drug is okay? What a truly idiotic thing to say. Phil, there is more to our patients than we see at face value, and thinking in only two dimensions like this can have really negative effects. If you really believe that a patient does not exist who's presentation will exceed your abilities as a prehospital provider, you either have no experience in the field whatsoever or are a complete fool. Wrong. See above comment. Wrong again. Spend some time in the ED and follow a doctor around. You'll see. Nobody knows everything, and it is expected that individual providers will seek the advice and experience of those around them. That is part of what it means to be a professional. Doctors consult all the time. Before, during, and after both critical and routine care. I don't purport to represent all US paramedics of course, only myself. You are correct though that I am reluctant to conclude that we should "do away" with on-line medical control consultation. I'm not trying to say that paramedics should be calling doctors every day to ask for permission or help, only that they should have that option when things start to get out of scope. It may not have happened to you in a long time, but it does happen, and I feel it should be part of our professional humility to leave ourselves a lifeline if needed. Even though this was my example, I do agree with you. I feel that paramedics are quite capable of identifying STEMI on the 12 lead ECG on their own. In fact, good peer-reviewed research has shown that we can do this quite well. The problem in my area is that even though we may have gained some trust and respect from the ED physicians we deal with every day, we have almost none of that from the interventional cardiologists that we hardly ever see. To them, we are ambulance drivers, and I imagine they have a hard time answering that 3am call at the request of a technician. I only mentioned this because it is one of the main reasons I have called medical control in the recent past, and even though I feel it could be an unnecessary step, it has been successful for me and my patients.

I'd like to request/recommend that the voting buttons for "reputation" be moved elsewhere...no where near the "reply" buttons. When I get a little excited about a topic and I go to hit reply...well, I've hit the reputation voting button instead. (Yes, I AM a slow learner!) Or, maybe allow for retraction of that vote for ones like me?

ATTENTION ATTENTION! All medical professionals are drones and must act as such!

Newsflash: this doesn't cover everyone. And will result in millions of Americans who currently DO have health insurance, to lose it. And others, their jobs (and therefore their insurance too). It's always amazed me the number Europeans willing to work more for the goverment's benefit than their own. I guess it comes from centuries of being subjects instead of citizens? No adult has a right to something that by it's nature someone else has to provide for them. Life, liberty, and the pursuit (NOT necessarily the attainment) of happiness. Those are rights. Nothing that costs money is a right. (Yes, healthcare costs money, even in your little Utopia. You pointed that out better than anyone by telling us how cheerfully you hand over 52% of your income, a large portion of which is no doubt used to support- in a myriad of ways- people who don't work as hard as you do.) What it call comes down to is this- this "health care plan" (in quotations because it isn't, really- it's a national bankruptcy plan) was written by a committee whose chairman says he doesn't understand it, passed by a Congress that hasn't read it, to be signed by a president who also hasn't read it, with funding administered by a treasury chief who didn't pay his taxes, and financed by a country that's broke. Explain to me again why I'm supposed to be celebrating? Maybe you didn't know all that. I can give you the benefit of the doubt. Next time, know what the hell you're talking before you stick your nose in. We WERE building a fence and deporting illegals, until "Hope and Change" came along. Draconian? Perhaps. Will it cut down on uninsured consumers of healthcare? (Not necessarily actual "Americans.") Almost certainly. And for a lot less than $960,000,000,000. In terms of direct impact on the healthcare industry, allowing residents of one state to purchase cheaper health insurance from another state, and enacting real tort reform would both reduce the number of uninsured and overall healthcare costs for everyone. Both opposed by the current regime.

I don't understand why you do not understand why they were punished: 1. They were on-duty. Being hospital-based employees, I imagine they fall under the hospital's policies and procedures, which probably clearly state that you can not "play" on the computer while you are at work (especially if it was the hospital's computers). If the clerk in the billing office can not surf facebook while she is on-duty, then the EMS employees can not either. 2. They used images of the hospital property and their uniforms in the pics. Big NO-NO. And I seriously doubt that their posts on the internet were very professional, or painted the hospital in a professional light. 3. When you are at work, you should be at work. I applaud those departments who do not let you carry a cellphone or personal laptop while on-duty. Play on your own time, be a professional at work.