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Yeah, I would find it funnier if I hated Muslims.... But I don't, and I don't really get the hate that people continue to sling at them. Hating Muslims for 9/11 is like a child hating all dark haired people because he saw a monster on a cartoon. Muslims are simply a near random point for people to focus their hate and fear. They, as a group, haven't earned that, that I can see. Plus, I don't remember them being intolerant of any of the types of business that you've mentioned, but I may have missed it.. Sorry girl, not trying to be a party pooper, but hating on random people simply because they share a religion isn't working for me. Wanna hate? Take a look at Christians...I'm not sure that any religion has done more evil, all in the 'Name of God' then they have... Dwayne

What changed you as a medic? I was watching "Combat hospital" tonight. If you've never been to Kandahar Afghanistan, you should watch it. It is so true to life that it freaks me out a little bit... Anyway, I'd been helped into Afghanistan as a new medic, by an amazing friend that I won't name, out of respect to him, but am more than happy should he feel comfortable with it. Two things changed me as a medic forever... The first. I was called to transfer a patient that had a traumatic amputation of his right humorus and left femer. He was 4 hours post op. I was told that he was comatos, yet when I approached him he seemed to track me with his eyes, and when I ran my pen up his existing foot it flinched. B/P 120/90, H/R 130, RR 26, skins moist, diaphoretic. In other words he seemed to be alert and in pain to me. I told the male nurse that he wasn't unresponsive, and that his vitals seemed to indicate significant pain, and asked what he had on board for pain management. You see, our treatment was likely to be the only that he would recieved before he was transferred and died. I was told by a Canadian nurse that, "If he wants proper pain management that perhaps he should show his insurance card!" As I began to unwind on him I was told that I could just manage his pain on my own...I moved him to our plywood ambulance and just did that..but never forgot the look on the nurses face... The second call..only a few weeks into my time overseas we get a mass cas alarm. Expected casualties...400. I've never done a mas cas before that involved more than 3 patients. I call to my supervisor and he says, "Do your job. Call me if you need help." At the end of that radio contact, all of a sudden everything becomes clear. I see ambulance lanes, placement for red, yellow and green patients. I have a gazillion people lined up waiting for me to tell them what to do....And we end up with 4 pts.....The bomb had gone off over the top of a building and though there was a bunch of property damage, very little human damage. But I could have done it...though I might have never known that if this person hadn't had faith in me... Both times, when things seemed really hard, the same person gave me the same advice...if you can guess who, and should he give permission to say, I'll send you something really important to me...a challenge coin from the remote medics in Afg.... Have you had such times? Times that defined you and let you know that you would rather do the right thing than anything else? That you would walk away from your medic/EMT cert rather than violate the morals/ethics as lay down by someone you respected? Lets hear it if you want. I believe that this is the most important aspect of paramedic medicine. Unfortunately, me and my mentors are in the minority....but....what do you say? Dwayne

Am I the only one with a sense of humor here? Hysterical belly laugh? No, but pretty funny just the same. It's listed under "Funny stuff". You can laugh or not.

Congratulations! Now to be thrown to the wolves! Lol. It's all good. Most every scene fits inside your protocols. Just be prepared to think outside the box when it doesn't. Don't hesitate to call medical direction if you're unsure. I've done it several times. Remember to be a patient advocate and good luck to you!

Top Hut Duty .. yes same here, TP Turkey Patrol is the predominate phraseology. Hey wait when did Michigan get mountains and do you still have "Loud Powder" out east ?

www.abbreviations.com may help in such cases. It still is a guessing, but works most of the time for me. An explanation of acronyms in the text at the first time used sure is a help and makes reading easier. Remember: a posting sure is read more times than written - so one should take some care to write it for all those reading it.

From the sounds of it, most likely not. Wilderness EMT covers much more rugged medicine....how to make a traction set out of a tree branch and webbing or rope... how to create a litter using the materials around you. If you're interested in wilderness medicine, I highly recommend NOLS WMI (National Outdoor Leadership School Wilderness Medicine Institute).... they have an established curriculum and courses all over the U.S. (that's United States for you smart arses out there).... And to the OP... OEC is not a widely used acronym in EMS (Emergency Medical Services) like EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) is, so don't assume (ass u me) that we would instantly know what you are talking about from a few short sentences.

Two cowboys are riding their horses together on the prairie. They come upon a big pile of manure. The first cowboy goes to the second, "I will bet you a $1000 that I can eat all of this crap." The second cowboy agrees, so the first cowboy eats the entire pile and wins $1000. The two cowboys ride on and after some time come across another pile of manure. This time the second cowboy bets the first that he too can eat the whole pile for $1000. The first cowboy agrees and the second cowboy eats the entire pile and wins the bet. They ride on again. After a while the first cowboy says to the second, "Do you realize that we just ate a whole pile of manure for nothing?"