EMSGeek

Damn skippy. You're dead on. It is something like 2% of the federal funding available to fire departments is also available to EMS. It drives me nuts when a fire department which does 5 structure fires a year buys a brand new truck with all the bells and whistles every 5 years. One of the few good ways the gov is spending training money is through DHS/FEMA funded classes which bring instructors in to run classes at no expense to responders. We've had a number of these classes in NY and they've been great. The other good spending I've seen is at the Center for Domestic Preparedness and New Mexico Tech both of which provide all expenses paid training but even those programs are almost entirely LE/FD oriented. EMS can benefit from some of the classes but it is clear we are still a bastard child.

Thanks for the help guys...I got my results from the written and I not only passed but actually did very well. I had to retest one of the cardiology stations for my practical but I think that was more nerves than anything else. The second time through that station was a breeze and I got the maximum for points. The other cardiology station was challenging but I knew what I was doing and kept myself calm. Cardiology is still my weakest section but I'm working at it and getting better. I know enough to not kill anyone and keep myself a float in the field. Thanks again guys. I'm now a NYS AEMT-CC...time for the real learning to begin!

Get my NYS Paramedic and NREMT Paramedic. Work in a war zone as a medic. Have enough experiences to write a memoir and then decide if I really want to do it or not. (Translates to: have good bar stories to pick up chicks). Pick a girl up in a bar and seal the deal. Work as a Flight Medic. Become a PHTLS Instructor. Get a bachelors and masters degree. Clear 250K in a year.

If you or your partner are immediate danger use force up to the level of force being used against you and then evacuate the area. You have a responsibility to keep yourself safe, then your partner, then your patient, in that order. If you need help but can hold the situation down for a bit call for law and let them do there magic. As far as specific methods I've found that triangle bandages in a four point approach works well. A straight sheet folded to approx 2' wide and secured across the torso helps minimize the damage the pt can do to their wrists. This prevents them from bucking their shoulders a lot. When securing hands if you can secure one low towards their waist and one towards their shoulders it creates a little muscle discord making it harder for them to fight.

I start my Paramedic in August. I am taking CC because I am able to work as an ALS tech while in the Paramedic program...more money and more options. The importance of paramedic vs CC is not lost on me. Thanks again guys for all the info.

Thanks for the responses, guys. Rhthym strips only...my region still doesn't have 12 leads for the most part...my agency is getting them by the fall (hopefully). I just ordered the Rapid Interpretation book and will start working on it when I get it. I've already started looking at every strip I can get my hands on....that is helping a little and I'm sure with practice it will get better. We definitely have only a cursory understanding of the heart...the CC program (mine especially) is heavily geared towards technician rather than clinician...here's a problem heres how we patch it in the field now go take the state test. I'll keep working on it. Thanks.

I'm in a NYS EMT-CC class and we have basically finished our cardiology unit. For better or for worse we have been left with the basics of cardiology and now must internalize the information. I'm struggling with telling the differences between the various blocks....is the best way to learn just to look at strips and memorize the rules/characteristics? Are there any online resources to help learn? I've tried a couple that I found through google and the MedicCast but nothing has really helped yet. Any dynamic rhythm generators available online? Thanks.

Thanks, Doc. That takes care of my questions.

Thanks Doc. I was looking for a definitive answer and you got it. Is there an actual certification for EMT-T anymore? I realize there are respected schools out there but can one use the title of "EMT-T" after them. My department has asked about a "certification"...it looks good on paper.

Does anyone know what the current status of CONTOMS is? The CCRC website doesn't seem to work and I've googled CONTOMS enough to know there isn't an easy way to find it. I went through the UHS and DHS websites and haven't found anything about upcoming classes. I even thought to look through FLETC but didn't get any results there. I know CONTOMS was having some funding issues...did it get cut? Anyone know if there are CONTOMS classes being run in 2008? I am eligible to take the class as part of a PD ERT.

Regarding the original post of where there is a "bridge" program for CC to Paramedic, the only one I'm aware of is in Utica, NY. Here is the link: http://midstateems.org/class/emt-cfr-aemt.htm Go all the way to the bottom of the page and it is the last entry. Good luck.

Mixed martial arts and bowling. But not at the same time. That would be bad.

So the bottom line is that several of these TQs are good items but each one has certain advantages and disadvantages? What would you guys recommend for each member of a police Emergency Response Team to carry in their individual trauma kits? These guys have basically no medical knowledge what so ever but would need to apply the TQ themselves as the EMTs involved with the team do not go in with the team.

I am a EMT-B currently researching medic schools who has had several friends recently finish critical care tech or paramedic so I've got a little incite. 6 months is the shortest amount of time I've seen for a field experience requirement. From what I've seen the best medics have a decent amount of time in the field as a BLS provider. Any medic worth their salt will tell you that good BLS goes before ALS so having good BLS skills is essential to becoming a good ALS provider. What I've been told by older medics for my own situation was that the best bet is to go from BLS to Paramedic in one shot.

How does one transition a volunteer service to a paid service then?