6Echo25

Mike, I'm so happy for you and Mrs. Mike, please pass along my congratulations! The two of you will very shortly have your very first Mother's Day and Father's Day, that's a REALLY neat feeling (even if she's not making handprint cards this year). All the best in parenthood, Jaime (P.S. - How long after I saw you at SGH that day was your daughter born?)

Might be kind of hard to be a truly good ALS provider you can be without having BLS experience. Helps to have ALS exposure as well while you're at the EMT level. Alberta has some of the highest standards for prehospital care in the country. Why wouldn't someone want to give themselves a chance to be a good EMT and understand a little ALS before they continue on? Also in Alberta one cannot call themselves an EMR, EMT or EMT-P without having passed the ACoP exam and received a reg # at their specific level.

My very first call was a 200lb++ woman miscarrying twins at 13 weeks. We got called out just as my partner and I were leaving the staff apartment to head for the base and go over paperwork etc. We're met at the front door of the duplex by the pt's hubby and other small children. He leads myself and my 2 partners up roughly a dozen stairs and into the bathroom, where our pt was sitting in the tub with blood ALL OVER the tub and walls. <insert assessment etc etc here> We put her on a stair chair with a frac pan under her to catch anything that may come out. She's grabbing grabbing at the railings half way down, and she's too heavy to stop and try to restrain her arms somewhat. Keep going keep going (I'm holding the O2 cannister hehehe), bottom of stairs and onto stretcher outside, into ambulance. <insert tx here> Get her to hospital which is like 5 minutes away, wheel her in, she's going shocky on us. We're helping out the RN's and getting her transferred over, hospital gown, etc etc. One RN goes to move the frac pan from underneath her as we moved her from stretcher to hospital bed ... she's obviously passed the twins at this point. So, nursey nurse puts the pan down on the table beside the pt's head. I was trapped between the hospital bed and a crash cart, was trying nonchalantly draw another nurse's attention to the blobs before the pt noticed ... WHOOPS, TOO LATE! Pt starts moaning, then screaming wildly and she ended up being restrained, poor thing. Nurse notices what she did and promptly moves the miscarried items to another location. We ended up transferring her to another larger hospital 2 days later for admittance to a psych ward ... attempted suicide. THE END.

Then why did you get YOUR panties in a wad and tell me I was acting stupid, when in fact if that's the level I was on, you're obviously one of the same? There was a discussion going on about a very sensitive and serious topic. You turned it into nitpicking about "he said she said". One thing I didn't make clear before is that I do in fact respect the opinions of others, I just don't feel I need to state that at every turn. Don't make assumptions that you know what I think. Now we can get along

So I see the topic of this discussion has now turned into you putting me on a carpet, and getting snitty at me because I made a mistake on words? Ease up a little Ruff; don't get all upset because you don't like the way I admit to my error. I would suggest a vacation, and maybe some Ativan. The SERIOUSNESS of the topic of this whole discussion is enormous. People who drink and drive sometimes kill, I have seen this first hand and perhaps you have too. They have no place in emergency or protective services.

Actually 6echo, read your 2nd post on the subject. You said "why not serial killers and rapists" aren't those your words there? Ruffems ... Awwww so I made a little boo-boo. Hey, it's not like I was driving drunk or something dumb like that Thanks for pointing that out.

Dustdevil, you said this a million times better than I ever could have imagined myself doing. Opening the door for people previously convicted of DUI's for instance to work in an industry such as ours is negligent. I think it would only open more doors for more people convicted of more things to get their foot in. "They hired that guy with a DUI, why not me? I only hit my wife once."

Like I said, watch the "oh you're so harsh" posts fly. Blah blah blah. Like I said (which people obviously haven't read), I've done stupid stuff before however have never been stupid enough to risk a DUI. Kudos to those who never killed anyone while doing it, you're of another "special group", and again, consider yourselves LUCKY. ... and again, glad I don't live in an area that allows people with past DUI's (don't care how long ago they were) to 'get through the gate'.

I generally choose not to post in here so your cute little comment about 'status posts' really doesn't matter at all. Hey if we're letting in drunk drivers, why not serial killers and rapists? Everyone has challenges and has made stupid mistakes, it's human nature. My mistakes I can assure you have not included driving drunk. So it brings me to comment on your comment about me being arrogant and insulting and having a big ego ... I've cleaned up after people like this guy and despite all the public education and information that's out there, people like him continue to make these stupid mistakes. I'm sure your tune would be different let's say if he had been pulled over in YOUR neighborhood while your kids were outside playing. So hey, if that's the kind of person you'd want for a partner that's your problem, not mine. Fortunately for myself and my family and where I work, people are screened prior to entry level, education or employment- wise. So call me judgemental all day long if you so choose, I really could care less I'll just sit back and wait for all those posts now, telling me what a bad person I am for not forgiving Mr. DUI simply because he completed mandated court requirements. People are always calling for tougher penalties on crap like this ... until it's someone they know.

Since you put this out there, I have to say with great honesty that I wouldn't want someone with a DUI working in emergency services near me. DUI's (especially fatalities) aren't fun to deal with. Unfortunately most of us on this side of the fence don't have a lot of say in such matters. I am considering myself lucky not to live in your area, and only hope you move on to find yourself another means to pay your bills. Fortunately for you and everyone else who was on the road with you the night you decided to drink and drive, you got pulled over before someone got hurt. Or worse ...

What the heck are you talking about Wendy? Non positive attitude? Whenver I enter an ER where I work, I always go in thinking hmm, perhaps the staff won't take advantage of us and expect us to watch THEIR patients. Hmm, maybe they'll realize it's actually against currnent legislation for a prehospital care provider to practice within hospital walls ... And the last thing I want is to go out of town to back up some rural crew when it's not where I work ... I for one am not optimistic on these changes ... the only thing that I've heard which is appealing is the fact we're finally being deemed an essential service.

Exactly why anyone would want to work in the oilpatch asides for a quick money fix is beyond me ... You'd probably have more fun sewing polyester pants at a senior's lodge.

Yeah, there's nothing to sugarcoat about the patch, nothing happens up there. You're in more danger of a needlestick (if you're not careful) or getting smacked by a combatitive drunk than you are of ANYTHING on the rigs. Well, except for some perv trying to pick you up if you're a female ... or perhaps even a male ... Brokeback Oilpatch ya know ...

If you want any hope of getting on with a decent service and/or being able to move around at all, take your schooling at a CMA accredited location. Don't waste your money at CCEMS.