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Showing content with the highest reputation on 05/29/2010 in all areas

  1. First some backround: I have recently started a new job, about a month ago. I will be working with the critical care transport team out of the local children's hospital. But since I haven't driven before, and I will be required to drive halfway, I am down at the company's corporate office getting some driving practice. Right now I am doing mostly interfacility transports, which I have not done before. I do have some 911 experience. Now here is my problem: I have worked with this same partner for 4 shifts now. After we load the patient, I usually shut the doors, he gets in, I get up front and start the truck. Put on my seat belt, and ask him if he is ready to go. I do this because I know some people prefer to get some of the paperwork and vitals out of the way before getting underway. From the beginning, he told me that I do not need to wait, that he is fine to do it while I am driving. Yesterday, After an extremely busy day of 7 back to back calls, we got a call to the NH that we were just leaving, to take a pt to the ER, emergency, no L&S, for hypotension. Upon arrival, the nurse stated that the patient had been having hypotension for about an hour, first BP being 90/50. Thirty Minutes later, it was 85/50. The patient stated she had been nauseas earlier in the day, and was feeling flushed now. When we arrived at the hospital, The charge nurse asked what her BP was on the way. My partner stated it was 100/50. The nurse said, oh good it came up, and walked away. My partner asked for her signature, gave her the paperwork, and she walked away. After the call, as we were making up the stretcher, he made a comment about the call being BS anyway, and it began a conversation that really disgusted me. He hadn't taken the patient's BP, or any vitals, nor does he ever take any vitals. He makes them up on the state forms, and he had lied to the nurse about the pt's bp. I was really upset. I asked him to explain himself, and he said its just a transport its not really important to take vitals, and he can't hear with all the noise. When I pointed out that i always give him the opportunity to do them before taking off, he just shrugged his shoulders and walked away. I feel that what he is doing is wrong. I am just not sure what to do. Do i report this to a supervisor? I am afraid to make a big stink of this, as I don't want to be seen as the new girl that comes in and causes a ruckus. But I also want to make sure that my partner isn't compromising patient care! Some advice please!
    2 points
  2. Standing in chest deep water,freezing rain falling and stinging as it hits the exposed parts of my body. Holding her head above water to keep her from drowning until rescue could get there to cut her free--- BUT I'M JUST AN AMBULANCE DRIVER Comforting a 89 year old woman who just watch me and my partner cover the face of her husband of 64 years as he lay dead in their bathroom floor--- BUT I'M JUST AN AMBULANCE DRIVER On scene at an mva with mom trapped upside down in her car and her dead sons body laying on top of her without a second thought for my own safety I crawl into the wreckage to take C-spine control and calm the frantic lady--- BUT I'M JUST AN AMBULANCE DRIVER Called away from my just prepared meal to respond to the middle of B.F.E to a house with no numbers,no porch light on,nobody waiting to signal us in and they bitch because we took too long only to find out the patient left P.O.V ten minutes ago...so we smile and walk away from the verbal lashing only because we are JUST AMBULANCE DRIVERS Standing in the middle of the street at midnight on the wrong side of town trying to patch the holes and stop the bleeding of a 19 year old shooting victim with the occasional bullet whizzing past our heads we never break stride because this kids life is in our hands--- BUT I'M JUST AN AMBULANCE DRIVER Doing chest compressions on a 16 year old girl who decided this life was more than she could take.Her family screaming at us to help as though we are the ones who did this to her.Her lifeless body flailing about as the tube goes in and IV's being started, my arms and back burning from the pain of 30 minutes of CPR never once giving up, hoping she would make it through and over come whatever lead her to this bad decision---- BUT I'M JUST AN AMBULANCE DRIVER Death is all around me and still I go home to live my life I get kicked,hit,spit on, bled on, puked on.... I look into the eyes of a lifeless child at 7am and by 8 am i'm holding my child a little tighter and they know nothing about what happened. I have hundreds of hours of classroom time years of in the field experience I have challenged death and won I've helped the helpless Ive neglected my family for yours I find comfort in complete chaos I eat cold meals if I eat at all I work with no sleep for days at a time I miss birthdays, holidays and school functions I put myself in harms way for a total stranger on a daily basis ALL BECAUSE I AM JUST AN AMBULANCE DRIVER I AM AN AMBULANCE DRIVER!!! I DRIVE 90 MPH THROUGH CONGESTED TRAFFIC FULL OF PEOPLE WHO REFUSE TO YIELD RIGHT OF WAY WHILE MY PARTNER STANDS UNRESTRAINED IN THE BACK OF THIS SCREAMING LAND MISSILE SAVING YOUR LOVED ONES LIFE!! NEVER ONCE DOES HE QUESTION MY DRIVING HE KNOWS THAT AT THE END OF THIS SHIFT HE WILL GO HOME TO HIS FAMILY SAFELY BECAUSE I AM AN AMBULANCE DRIVER.... So please don't call us Ambulance drivers, we're paramedics. Highly trained and motivated medical professionals who, as you read, risk our lives to save yours. Also, when you see emergency lights in your rear-view mirror, pull to the RIGHT and stop. When we have our lights on, it's not just for fun. It's to get to a emergency as fast as we can or to take a critical patient to the hospital when seconds could mean life or death. Being a paramedic is dangerous enough, please don't risk our lives by not paying attention or disregarding our lights.
    1 point
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