a_shane2_go

When the snow falls and the oil workers start ripping their "rig rockets" at 140km/hr down Hwy's which should not be traveled.

Well NYC has nearly 4 times the population of my whole province, but i cant even imagine having 4 area codes in one section (north or south) of our province, let alone just one city.

My heart goes out to those involved. I heard about this incident shortly after my near death crash landing of my medical fixedwing a few days before hand.

Had to re-pin all the numbers in our phones. It was a patch on a red patient in town with no time and worst is i've never known the EMERG number just speed dial one or contacts and hit H and send lol I actually had to re-pin while driving to get a patch in... 30 seconds before we arrived. *Shakes fist at telus computer*

At my service and the one prior to this up here in canada it is policy to high idle units while running lights etc on emerg scene's due to mechanics orders. I never undertstood it because at low idle we even achieved "charging" of the batteries (yay for electrical displays) however if it were to decrease wear on the engine this now makes sense. As for roasting in temps i dont have to worry about this as we are stationed 100% of the time, however as an arguing point. Check your meds they are supposed to be stored at a certain temp. Up here most are between 15 celcius and 30 celcius (so tops out around 90 degree's) anything higher or lower and your actually decreasing the expiry of your drugs! (P.S. diesel is around $1.43 a liter here, so around $5.72 a gallon.) :x

From my understanding of my skimming of the handbook is that the "health region" will be able to a) contract out to a private company or a municipality already or start from scratch and aquire their own "EMS agency" or C) a combination of both A and B ? Sounds like there is still chances for abuse by private company's, i'll have to look more into it but that then means if they contact out the province wont have full control of wages of certain agencies? (I've looked at too much text today with my patho text book to read more into it.)

I dont know about other PCP's but a PCP is able to handle 90% of Emerg calls or so stats in alberta have told me. (And my work on BLS and ALS cars i have seen that.) Especially with GAP in place. But now being in my first year of ACP school i see the drop out rates of PCP's who cant make the cut to ALS let alone if EMR's where to try?! We had a "zero-to-hero" program here in alberta and last info i heard Portage College started teaching down for the municipality where the "other" school was located out of. My point being here in Alberta now that we're short ACP's everywhere (cities, rural etc.) Due to the boom and the retirement of so many baby boomers, it now rests on the PCP's until those PCP's become ACP's.

looks like BC is taking a step back from the national standards again... thats one way to get more medics... maybe?

Thanks for the quick reply guys. I've only ever seen them in use. It seems my service has a nice budget but why we're not getting them i dont know. We have a few computer illiterate people but that would account for 20% of our employee base and about 40% of our paramedic base lol

now i have zero expereince using EPCR's but with this situation i do. 5 pt's to be signed off as all refuse care. with EPCR's without backup would u just do one at a time? (Just thinking from a rural logistics standpoint.) One Toughbook, 2 attendants.

I myself have also noticed more accomidating shifts with rural such as a 7 on 7 off or a 4 on 4 off choice at my current employer. So i have the "choice" to do patch work on my days off if i ever decided to go back.

So this is for you Albertans out there. I'm noticing the ground rates are going up, not only in the cities but for rural as well. (I mean edmontons EMT starting rate jumped almost 5$ an hour.) Of course its hard to find staff now and that has something to do with it. But we're still behind about 50$ a day at the BLS level. The rates are a lot better from when i started in the field 3 years ago. (About 120$ a day difference.) Everyone else notice this? (Of course top end the difference seems about 100$ a day still for experienced/ good oil jobs. @ the BLS level)

I'm enrolled in Portage's Medic program (LLB) I only have good things to say about it so far. (As well as their EMT/PCP program.) I've also heard good things about Camrose's program. And have only seen good things from their paramedic students (From a PCP looking at ALS.)

Now my knowledge of ECG's is limited but i'm a PCP from alberta (EMT) right now we are able to place but not interpret 12 leads. However would people agree with new monitors (Zoll M series.) You are able to hold down the record button and get a print out of Lead I, II,III aVR aVL and AVF from the 4 lead, and the machine then also goes into diagnostic mode. (The sensitivity required for ALS to "diagnose" an MI.) So would this not be a good advantage to the EMT/PCP who is able to admin Nitro/ASA? Or at least to the receiving hospital? When the procedure takes an extra literly, 4 seconds holding the record button from a regular 4 lead. However as it stands the administration of ASA and Nitro is only based on a "Chest pain protocol" right now in AB for EMT's to use nitro/asa. So this is technically in the scope of an EMT/PCP (as it is not a true 12 lead, no V1to V6 leads) and only uses a 4 lead, however has the advantage of a 12 lead's sensitivity?

Yeah i would have waited another year if it was a full time course but i'm doing ALS while going to school and the service i'm with is working with will work around it. I know that usually the classes are of mature students (30's 40's) mostly parents etc that cant take a full time course. But for me its convince of being able to work and that i learn better distance.

Well i've only heard good things about the portage program, if you can learn distance which is how i learn the best. I took my EMT through them and now i'm actually starting on Jan. 14th for my EMT-P. If your not in my class PM me and i can let you know how it works out. I know it works well to be able to work full time, as i will be because we're only in class a few times every 2 months. (in the first year anyway.)

Congrats!

One of the few positive expereinces that i've had from hosptial staff was from a local doctor. He told me that one of THE most important things i can do at my level of care is C-spine, C-sping, C-spine. "When you get any, even the smallest feeling in the back of your head that you need it, apply it." I remember him telling me that in my OR practicum when he was anaethetising the patient. And it came in handy when i was first starting out.

I agree with everyone's statement saying that oilpatch is NOT EMS. For the majority of its you are in fact just sitting on site in your truck, one up from that in a trailer. I have since moved on over the last two years to work on car full time and once you get the experience there is no going back... or at least full time. With bills from school adding up i find myself doing an industrial gig once more after a 2 year absence. However i will recommend this to you, now that i've done it myself. If its any industrial you do try to get on at a large job/plant. Me and my PARTNER are both on call at the same time and are well compensated. But the biggest difference is here they try and make life liveable. A full gym (cardio equipment, weights 2 large plasma TV"s) , internet (which i'm on right now), TV in every room, rec room, lounge, free food (per usual at camps.) But of course comes the "calls" as others were saying their all just cuts, strains, etc mind you 5-7 patients a day, but really nothing that a first aider couldn't handle. Its a good part time gig to make up money, 6 on 6 off for my on car job then come out here for a few days on my days off. I'm already going insane being bored... BUT i am able to stad it in this position. Just hard to find (if you have no experience.)

Well so far in my short career here in alberta i have noticed that not many nurses take any Spinal precaution when it is in fact needed. Mind u this is rural alberta, however i've showed up to the hospital to transport unstable fractures and the patient is not only in no spinal but also sitting in a chair.... if anything i give credit to X-ray tech's, i've seen some (young one's to) that told nursing staff when the patient comes in for them to stay in spinal or to add it when its needed.

Well i know most companies out there are like that, or at least in the oilpatch. Everyone needs employee's and they come and go in industrial. I've been there done that when i was in school. I dont agree with privitization either of ambulance companies but ultimatley i'm in it for the patients.

Well although i'm just an EMT. I know we use them on adults here, or at least in the city. I havnt seen one used here in the rural setting. Saw a code the other day with one in place. (Edmonton.)

I'm also a EMT from Alberta. (PCP trained.) Rural service. 6 days on 6 days off. 24 hours on call. Rotate with 2 units first and 2nd up. 10hour days then 14 hour nights at base.

Well going through for our class a phrase was quite common. "Drop a baby, fake a seizure." so when it came time to do T-shirts it was an easy decisions. However there were also a few other sayings through-out the year that we decided to get on it. The front will have a basic Star of Life on the front left chest (With school and year.) and the back will have. (Take into account some of these are our class specific.) "Top 10 reasons to Fake a seizure." 1. Drop a baby 2. Crashed the ambulance 3. Dropped the strecher 4. pulled out his urinary catheter 5. Defibrillated your partner 6. called "him" a "her" 7. forgot patient at scene 8. forgot the stretcher 9. to avoid 1.5 mile run 10. gave D50W IM I thought they went over well. :wink: