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I was catching up on a few posts without logging in, so I still had the ads on the right side. As you know Google does its best to put relevant ads to the page on which they are to be displayed. I got a laugh about what Google had to say to the OP. Fireman1037

I am utterly amazed this is even an issue. Unless the OP is trying to claim the hospital staff were imposters, THEY already had the patient. As was noted, how can he take over care from a higher medical authority, and then transfer the care back to that same hospital staff? Our jobs are to get patients to a hospital, provide care at whatever level we are trained to, and to transfer that patient to the medical staff- hopefully in a bit better shape than when we found them. PERIOD. This is not about one company infringing on another's area, or "stealing" a patient in the field, ala "Mother Jugs and Speed:", this is about providing patient care. There is no "turf" to defend, but I would guess someone's ego was bruised. Get over it. Hospital property, hospital responsibility and there are multiple lawsuits that certify that fact. If they needed help with lifting, extrication, an extra set of hands for CPR, holding a door open for them, etc, then provide it, and document it appropriately. Just. Wow.

There are parts of this story missing so assupmtions have been made by many, but that isn't inappropriate. Several people have talked about the OP turning over care to the hospital staff. Why would the OP need to turn over care. The hospital staff were the first ones on the scene so they would need to turn over care to the EMS crew. Dwayne, as for people criticizing the OP and not making this educational, it is probably because of the last comment that he made about getting back into the ambulance and leaving. It doesn't sound as if he came here to have a discussion, rather to bash a situation he didn't like because of an ego issue. Had he asked what was the proper thing to do or just ask what others would do, it might have gone a lot differently. It's all in the presentation. As has been said about writting PCRs, it's about painting a picture and the picture here was not one of looking for advice but more of a bruised ego. I would have no problem with an extra set of hands so I would be more than happy to have the OP help. Yes, I have assumed that the pt is within EMTALA range of the ER. In that case, the federal goverment has decided to put the burdon on the hospital so it just makes since for them to take control. Yes, I have also assumed that we are dealing with nurses going out to get the pt. Sure, it may have just been ER techs but it's pretty irrelevant. The pt needs to get into the ER. Instead of getting offended that things didn't go his way, the OP could have simply said, "Hey, I'll give you a hand getting him into the ER." He could have gone in and simply turned over the pt to the triage nurse by saying, "This guy was outside and your guys were getting him on the strecher before we got there. I don't know much else because I have been with the guy for all of 30 seconds and felt it would be better to get him in here than waste time outside." Once he is on the hospital grounds, according to CMS/EMTALA, he is the hospitals responsibility and as long as you have told someone about him, you have done your job.

You arrived on scene to find the hospital staff already treating the patient, and you STILL think that the patient is yours? It would appear that since they were already on scene, the patient was already 'theirs' to begin with. This would be no diffferent than you working a call, and having an EMT-B or EMT-I trying to take control of the scene; it wouldn't fly on that scene, and it can't fly here. Ultimately, its YOU that "missed the point"...

The hospital staff is the higher medical authority. Ultimately, isn't that exactly what we are supposed to be doing? I fail to see the problem here, unless this is about losing money for your employer.

I am not sure why we need a new logo. Besides, when APPA became ACoP it took me forever to get use to the new logo. Besides personal preference, there is a cost involved in switching paperwork, forms, signs, and the like over to the new logo. Money, I think, we could have saved. Personally, what doesn't say Alberta EMS better than a logo that incorporates Alberta's geographical shape into it? As for the rest of the AGM I think I will view it now.

I appreciate your concern, but how many millions of EMS calls were run this week, and we had 5 problem calls....................................................... just saying.

And you are presumably a professional healthcare provider that should know how to frame and explain your comments. The bullshit 'holier than thou' comment doesn't really work here brother. What is your point? What was unprofessional? Why do you feel that it is so? What could have been done differently? I'm to assume I guess that your simple comments mean that you're jumping on board with the majority, perhaps that's why you believed that they needed no explanation? I've been in hospitals, as have just about everyone I know, where 'the corner' could have been a quarter mile from the ER doors. I'm willing to bet the ER heard this call, got tired of waiting for an ambulance and ran out to 'do the right thing.' Do you suppose that they had O2 on their cot? ASA? What if the syncope was secondary to an active MI? What do you suppose would be the mental state of a person being dragged across the parking lot on a stretcher as opposed to in an enclosed ambulance? What if the 'syncope' was actually and arrest? Are you still going to allow them to tell you to put the body on the stretcher or are you going to take control and work it in your ambulance? It's easy to be cocky and sure when there are only a few details. And I'm sure that this is going to turn out to be a time when they were a few feet from the ER doors and the OP is off in the ditch. But until that becomes clear, I can see a ton of scenarios where trying to take control of this situation, and this patient, was the right thing to do. (Of course a bunch of wrongs reasons too, but where's the fun in that?) Dwayne