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Actually, with only one term misused, and one word misspelled coupled with a few minor grammatical errors..... (like me using ......) It was a very good 1st post. Welcome to the 'city! In fact, I find it worthy of a +1.

Ever just feel tension building from so many ignorant people?

I had a next door neighbour in my old city, who was 80 years old. She didn't have family in town, and her husband had Alzheimer's. He was ready to be put in long-term care, but she wouldn't hear of it. She'd seen the condition of the local long-term care / dementia wards, and realised that they really weren't going to treat him very well. She came from a generation where you just dealt with these realities and made do. So she looked after him, even when it was difficult. My neighbour wasn't particularly unique -- I think there's a lot of people like her. But I would say she's something of a hero to me. Going to work, drinking coffee, driving around town, talking to people, fixing problems -- that's how I remember a lot of EMS being. It definitely came at a personal cost. But I also got paid for doing it, and honestly, paid quite well. Most of the time when I did something particularly skilled, the patient and their family were unaware. And realistically, most of the time I was just doing what the next person with a union number and a paramedic license would have done. All that stuff that just falls under "doing your job". The things the patient's and families seem to remember are the interpersonal things. They don't know whether you did good medicine, just whether you were kind. I've never felt that EMS is a heroic calling. As someone else suggested, sanitation makes a greater impact on public health. Few people call an RN at an immunisation clinic a hero, or a PT working with cardiac patients, the average family MD, etc. These are all people who may have made much more of a difference than I ever did. I also don't believe that someone is a hero by virtue of being a cop, a firefighter, or being in the armed forces. I've met plenty of despicable people in all these occupations. There are occasionally individual heroes, but that's something that's earned in special circumstances, not just because you collect a weekly pay-cheque. I do hold some substantial respect for the volunteers. I like people who try and take care of their community, for free, and often without the best training or equipment. I like that. I feel with EMS sometimes it's hard to collect money for doing a paid job, and then claim great hardship. It's a situation voluntarily entered into for personal gain. My image of a hero doesn't quite include someone who says, I'll help you, but first I'd like an pension plan, extended health care, good dental, a certain overtime rate, and ten statuatory holiday days in lieu. I think I'm rambling again.

Beached?

You can't have an ambulance available to arrive in front of every tax payers home with in two minutes. It's not possible. When I first started reading that article, after JEMS posted it to their facebook account, I figured it was another "my child died, so I have to blame someone" case. To a point, if someone is to triage to determine need for an ambulance, you could cut down on unnecessary transports. If you say it aloud in a conversation anyway, it sounds like a good idea. No matter what your extent of service or training, one of the first routine things you learn is dispatch info is NOT absolute. The information is only as good as the caller's credibility, which can't be determined in thirty seconds. Can't go by frantic callers either. I've taken seven digit "911" calls from people screaming and crying - over grass fires. It seems like a genuine and practical idea - how would it work? I have no clue, nor would I want to be the one to decide the protocol for waiting to dispatch EMS, or just sending them as well. Somewhere, it's doomed to fail. damn errors

I always enjoyed watching his bit at the end of 60 Minutes... A true icon of American Television! http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/former-60-minutes-commentator-andy-rooney-known-for-his-wry-musings-dies-at-92/2011/11/05/gIQAnMI5oM_story.html

They still get billed for transports, as they would anywhere else. But on personal terms, the only thing I've ever accepted was cards and baked goods..

I was fine after a nap.

So I was looking on Facebook and one post from a co-worker caught my eye. It was a post about being an EMT/Medic/Firefighter and how people NEED to thank us for the job we do. While I realize there is some pride in our jobs when does pride turn into the "Hero Complex"? Let me define my definition, to me the Hero Complex is when pride gets taken too far and you believe that EVERYONE should Thank you for your service and they should bow down to your because you are the "mighty lifesaver". (Hmm Sorta sounds paragod-ish) Well, maybe I am just naive here or maybe I am just strange, but I don't think anyone owes me anything for being in my profession. This is what I want to do and this is what I love. If I get a Thank You out of something hey thats cool but if I don't thats ok too. As long as I know I did my best for the patient. So while some may feel this is an overreaction on my part, the person who posted this on Facebook is one that feels they need to be held on higher ground because they "save lives". They believe that once you become an EMT or Medic that you are the hero. It makes me wonder if some people are getting into EMS for the wrong reasons. So here is my question to you, do you feel that there is a point where job pride becomes a hero complex? Do you think that people NEED to thank you because you save lives? I want true honest opinions here. At what point do we draw the line and say this is a thankless job and we all need to put our big kid undies on and just accept that?

Hello there fellow emtcitiers, I was looking around the web trying to find some information on EMS that I could read and get updated with on my down time and I came across this wonderful, for a lack of better words, place. I am Jamny, an EMT working for a private ambulance company in South florida. I live in Miami, but I don't only work there. The company I work for has many stations all over Fl, I work out of both Dade and Broward county. I became an EMT exactly one year ago, and i've been working for nine months now. I am the enthusiastic, give it her all, always hyper, partner. I currently work 12 hour overnight shifts three days a week, but i am always on call. I love this profession and respect everyone that's part of it. It takes some real good souls to do what we do. Of course there are some that do it for all the wrong reasons, but those of us who do it for ALL the right reasons are very special. I love science and medicine. When I was younger I wanted to be a Physician. I started college as a Biology major, spent two years taking classes and then I signed up for an EMT program to add to my Med School application. Through out the time of the EMT class I fell in love. Not with a boy, but with this wonderful career. After some twist and turns, and a lot of interacting with nurses, physicians, and healthcare providers in general, i've decided I no longer want to be an MD. I have a tattoo on my wrist, I got it back when I had just finished EMT school and still wanted to be a doctor. It's half the star of life and half the caduceus. It's a reminder of where my heart is. In January I will be starting a Paramedic program. I am more than excited and ready for this. The company I work for has many opportunities for both EMTs and Paramedics, but my main goal is to get upgraded to Critical Care Paramedic. I've had the pleassure of working with a few of these special people and I know that's where I want to be. Somewhere in my future I do see myself becoming a Physician Assistant. My love for medicine has led me to that decision. But, even as a PA, I will never let go of my EMS provider side. EMS has given me the outmost satisfaction, and there is nothing in the world like going to work happy to be going to work, if you know what I mean.. This profession is a blessing life has given me. I solute all of you for the work you do. Annddd now this long intro is done.

I was thinking more along the lines of things like KEDs, immobilization, OPAs, etc, but anatomy and physiology is a good thought also. HLPP, I like your analogy. Maybe we should move to a system where those that want to be EMTs take an EMT class and those that want to become a paramedic take college level classes to become a paramedic and it would cover all of the basic stuff that you would find in an EMT class.

No and Yes Doc --- there was no such thing as EMTB when I went, only EMTI. The way I look at it is that I took the 101 level (referencing college beginning classes like "English 101" as EMT), then took 201-202 classes as a medic. There were some things that were repeated (had to go over skeletal anatomy again) as you studied the body, but then many things were added on to the base knowledge (learned stroke symptoms in EMT school as related to the brain, learned the nervous symptom in medic school as related to the brain). But no, we did not go back over EMT stuff as a "review", we were expected to know the basics, I can not speak for everyone back then or today. In my opinion, since EMTBs are taught so little, I do not see why EMTB - or EMTI is even a prerequisite for Paramedic school. LPN is not a prerequisite for RN.

I have been wasting a spectacular amount of time on this site, learning both educationally and a touch of humility. There are some damned smart people here and few with some spectacular credentials. @ Dwayne, I have seen alot of posts form you, thank you for the welcome, and I am pretty sure we are going to bet along just fine! Turnip, I am trying to keep a low profile for awhile until I have felt my way through here a bit and figured the personalities, but you I know, and it is so on. I blatantly stole my name from a post I saw on here and I intend to live up to the name! Kiwi, we will have some fun, likely at tniuqs's expense!

You're very honest to confess, Dwayne. I estimated only a 50% chance it was unintentional.

This article seems to have a real political ax to grind with the new system in Houston and are using an alleged dispatcher screw up to dump on the entire system. Notice the progression. It starts by mentioning Unknown critics. Who are the critics? Might as well be Mickey Mouse if they are anonymous. Lots of hearsay, It seemed forever before the ambulance arrives. Seemed like forever is not a very precise measurement of time. The article says that Mrs. Olinda said that too much time was wasted because of the new protocol. How would she know that? Does she work for the city? How does she understand how an 8 minute ambulance ETA factored into a 1 hour arrival at the hospital? Informants of people close to the investigation” That won’t give their names but will offer dispatch times. Then the grieving mom sais she would like for the system to change “in time to save the next child that needs it” And finally they say it was the dispatchers fault. It sounds to me like someone at the Chronicle is taking advantage of Mrs. Olinda and her grief to push an anti new system agenda. The entire article with it’s hearsay, phantom critics, hidden informants might be dead on. It just seems kind of fishy too me, more like BS.

Ok. I laughed.

The down side that I see to this is that a huge percentage of the time they won't be needed for anything. It's nice to think of making them get up off of their asses and work, but the very real downside to that is that they are now going to take those 'nothing' numbers and use them to prove to their communities that they are so very vital. "Look at all of the times we had to respond this year. EMS does the best they can, but they are really impotent without us." We can put them to work, but it's really just giving smokes to your emphazema patient. In the end it's likely that you're helping them to remain sick, and get sicker, but at least they're quiet. Dwayne

New Zealand: The Mexico of Australia

Auzzie is not the Queens english. It is like Newffie is to a western canadian accent, or louisiana is to a... fuck I don't know... any thing else...

I will never understand EMT's recommending when and where to go to Paramedic school..... Everyone here has pretty well spelled it out for ya. The reality is, no matter what you are doing in EMS, it should always be goal directed. Goal Directed therapy (patients) Goal Directed behavior (Professional) Using that logic set some goals to reach prior to starting Paramedic school... not deadlines. Here is an example. Goal: To be comfortable touching patients Goal: To ensure I can stomach blood, vomit, feces Goal: Get proficient at BLS procedures eg. OPA insertion, Nasal cannula application, Driving an ambulance, Using a radio. Goal: Stop calling Ambulances - bus's/taxi's/trucks/cars etc Now, when those BLS goals are met, set a new line of goals for Paramedic school. Then as a Paramedic practioner...... and never stop setting them! So as you can see, it is hard for anyone here to tell you "2 mos" or "2 years", because only you know what your goals are! I can tell you one thing though..... I met all my BLS goals on my EMT practicum, then wasted the next 3 years cheaping my patients out of Paramedic care because I listened to yahoo's who told me I had "Dues to pay" as an EMT before I had the "Right" to enter Paramedic school.

Wait a second, so the protocol is that you send a fire truck to the scene to assess whether an ambulance is needed? Is that what I read? So what had to happen is after the lady said she ran over her daughter (how the hell did that happen - whole different thread), she calls 911, the dispatcher dispatches a fire truck first to assess the situation and then they call the ambulance? Sounds pretty F'd up. now if this truly is what happens in Houston now, and we are only getting the newspapers side, and of course news agencies are never biased or they always print the truth, but this seems to be a horrible process. Sounds like the a new SSM system to me. child run over by a car, let's just send a pumper and let them decide if the child is in need of an ambulance. But in the cities defense, the ambulance did arrive in less than 9 minutes which is a pretty damn good response time even for this type of system process. Where I used to work, response times out of the city were routinely 10-20 minutes to get there. If the furthest area of the county we went to were upwards of 30 minutes.

Time to start thinking about drying out the fall out shelter, I guess...

It's the exact same way here. The only time I don't know the patient, usually anyway, is either a wilderness rescue or a vehicle accident on the state road. In this day in age, everyone has cell phones, so I don't even use the home phone. But I leave it connected, because I know every time it rings, someone is avoiding the call to 9-1-1. I handle it just like a dispatched call, I notify the com center where I'm going and what for; they start a card, and I get a refusal (that they didn't require or need an ambulance). If they're in a bad way, I use the medical command option to try and talk them into going. There's places that it takes an hour to get to, so if it sounds bad, I at least want an ambulance on the way. Whether it's just a first aid run, or an inhalator call; or someone needs an oxygen tank filled; I still like to cover my ass. Some nurses will go out and field suture, I won't go that in depth. I won't apply ointments, etc, if it's bad, I'll drive them in to the urgi care. Have to be very careful, because it's EMS care, not a Good Samaritan act. It's one thing if I'm treating a fellow fireman, or someone shows up at the door. But calling the party line is the same as 9-1-1, it's activating EMS. But there's a lot of minor first aid stuff. I feel very proud to be trusted enough to be called, but I don't know where the hell these people get my phone number b/c it ain't listed. You could go back to the to do or not to do of treating people "off duty". But I guess I'm always on duty, or on call. I guess the only time I'm off duty is when I go into the tavern for a drink. Folks around here are poverty stricken, they can't pay, they don't have insurance. They don't call till the last minute, that's taken a lot of lives, for illnesses that can be treated. The protocols support not transporting non-viable patients, eg, no shock on the first try and 15min from an ER. Most of our arrests are an hour from an ER. That is by far the hardest part, because they look at it as if you're giving up.

It's a one day class, we just offer it twice. 'zilla It's a one day class, we just offer it twice. 'zilla

I think there is too much hero worship among the newbies, it reminds me of the Porky's movie "So sayeth _______________, so sayeth the FLOCK". Just because someone has alot of experience does not mean they are GOD, they can be wrong. And I agree with Dwayne about the negative rankings that stay with you, regardless of what you say. I really don't care what my score is, but I would have hoped by now that you guys recognized that sometimes I take the whackiest opposing views just to make you explain/analyze your position. I imagine I am not the only one who does that from time to time.

This is the first time I came back to this thread. But after reading crotch's post... I feel faint, someone get the MAST; and the spirits of ammonia. Maybe put my feet up, too. lolz

I posted this here, because it is a prank. I don't particularly see the humor, because nobody seems to be laughing. But I thought it could stir the pot a little. Depending on how you look at it, it may or may not be slightly racist on the part of the prank-pullers. http://firecritic.com/2011/09/19/firehouse-prank-involving-gun-not-a-good-idea/

Well since first writing this post I've dealt with my first gun shot. I must say i held my nerve pretty well and I realized this is where I belong.So medic school isnt far off for me.

Having been an EMT for 12 years before finally letting my license lapse because of CE issues (long story). I then had to start over, and got into a program at my local college which combined both EMT and EMT-I. From there I went directly into my Paramedic program. With that being said, I can tell you from personal experience that the biggest issue with 'gaining experience/get your feet wet' concept is that it only makes it more difficult to break the bad habits that you're sure to develop. Since you have expressed your intention of going for your degree in Paramedicine is a bonus. You'll find that in addition to the core classes, you should be required to take at least Anatomy & Physiology as a prerequisite or at least as a co-requisite. The degree level A&P classes will help you understand how the body works, and how our interventions will affect the patients we treat. Your algebra requirements aren't to find "X" (ever notice how many math instructors can't seem to keep track of things? They're always asking you to find "X", "Y" and all the other variables in those problems. If they'd just develop a better filing system, they would know where those things are!) they're designed to develop critical thinking skills, which will help you when you have to play 'detective' (especially in your medical patients). The English credits will help you with your narratives on your PCR and develop effective communication skills. If you've passed all your tests (school and state), there is no reason to hold off going into paramedic class. If you're THAT concerned about 'getting your feet wet', pull some time in the truck while you're attending classes. Sure, things will be tough, but you'll be able to kill two birds with one stone this way.... The biggest 'differences' between your clinical rotations and 'real time' on the trucks is that in 'real time', you're going to be expected to know what you're doing, why you're doing it and then getting it done. During your clinical rotations, you had someone else that could step in if you were floundering.

I am not trying to sound like a jerk, but I learned this lesson a long time ago: You decide what kind of day you will have every day. You can not let others control your life, which is what you do when your blood pressure goes up over what someone else said or did. The minute you show any emotion because of what someone else did, you have given them control of your day, it is like you are a puppet on a string. Example: If I said something mean about your momma right now, it could piss you off to the point of you punching me. But on the other hand, you could say "crotch does not know my momma, he has never even met me, so therefore he is trying to piss me off and control my day". Let it roll off of your back, its not worth being upset about. I worked for a large urban system that was on 24/48s and the shifts were brutal with the normal EMS abuse you would expect. I went to work cussing and I came home cussing. Then they switched to 12-hour shifts, and I figured out I could transport 6 patients, or not transport 10 patients. Once I quit argueing with the dumb patients and just started transporting, all the stress was gone, and my smile returned. When I saw that change I realized I had been letting others control me.

On my duty belt/person: Gloves - Latex and Nitrile Shears - by Mabis Flashlights - penlight and Pelican tactical light Littman III Stethoscope Handcuffs - S&W Model 100 CPR/BVM Hybrid Mask Pepper spray - Fox Labs 5.3 million SHU Radio - dept issued (with my own ear piece and shoulder mic) Business Cards/Certifications (on a strap around my neck) Cell phone EPI Pen Flip Knife (in a boot holster) Off Duty (in my Nissan): AED - by Phillips Assorted First Aid Kit (gauze, bandages, antiseptic, basic stuff) TASER - X2 with spare cartridge Pepper Spray - another bottle of Fox Labs 5.3 million SHU, also a can of Streetwise 2 million SHU (but 17% for a longer sting) CPR Mask Littmann I Stethoscope I'm curious to see what other people carry. post your lists.