Just Plain Ruff

I was doing some thinking last night on this and I do see the unions point of collective bargaining. I can imagine that my position might be different if I was represented by a union that kept getting me more money each year, year after year. I would probably be singing a different tune if the benefits kept increasing and the only thing I had to do was to pay union dues. i would probably be singing a different tune if I was making 25 to 30 dollars an hour. but the reality in mind is that I am against the collective bargaining part of the union. I've said my piece in posts above so I won't go there again. Thank goodness I've semi retired and don't have to worry about that aspect of the job and can work a shift for the shear fun of it and not have to worry where my next meal or mortgage payment is coming from. That's what my full time job is for. (I only wonder what a union could do for a 3rd party consulting company?)

I have purchased hundreds of EMS Shears for the people in my EMS Agencies. I have found that the colored handled shears with the word Pakistan stamped on it seem to be of the best quality. Or you could get the 45.00 set of shears that AnthonyEMT won at the CAP lab in Ohio in the past year. They were incredible but seemed to be bulky and cumbersome.

Yet you called me a politician - Them thar's fightin werds!!! just kiddin But seriously, I hear you about the chicago area. I have EMT and medic friends living up there and without their wife working or spouse working, they'd be really hurting. Truly there are other areas in the country who require unions in order to protect the workers rights, they require unions to provide equitable benefits and the like, but I am against collective bargaining. I'm NOT against unions in general. Let me ask you this, do you think that the high wages that unions negotiate for any industry have a direct result in the cost of the service provided? My heart does indeed go out those people in EMS who do not make a livable wage. It's a travesty. Maybe unions are needed to reduce this inequity but the EMS service in my area makes about 25$ per hour based on what one of the medics I talked to told me. He said that the union was going back and gonna ask for more money. I have a problem with that. I have no way of going to the City and saying "you are paying this job too much" because my city council is the one who does the negotiating with the union and I have no say. I do have a say about which car I buy and I have a say about what appliance or whatever union made product that I want to buy because they are not negotiating against the public, they are negotiating against a private employer and I can choose to patronize that private employer but I don't have the option of patronizing a different EMS provider or Fire department. Does that make sense? If you want we can take this to PM's, I think we have a lot more to discuss. Your call.

yet your Dark Sith mind tricks will not work on me Young Jedi! You sound like a dyed in the wool Union supporter of which I have absolutely no issue with. I also started in the privates and made 5.25 per hour as an EMT. I then ended up in the private service I refer to below making 60K as a medic. I made that money without Union support. I guess if I had a union I'd be making 80K. I guess we needed to have a union but we did all right without one. I'm not at all saying that you take away the pay but I'm saying that you should not be negotiating against the public who have no say in the matter at all. The public cannot say "Hey, that's not right that we don't get a say in your pay" But I am not in any way going to sway you to change your mind on your end and you won't change my mind. And I concede your point - low pay and crappy benefits IS one of the reasons that we lose the brightest medics. And I'm not ranting against the unions, you will see that I am only pointing out the disparities of collective bargaining but I'm not sure that you will see my point so let's agree to disagree. But I do have many friends who work for private services that are making 60K a year or more and they don't have a union to get them all that money. Perish the thought that a non-union service can make that much. You make it seem like without unions all EMS workers would be in the poorhouse. It's not that way in some areas. I'm not saying that unions don't have their place but I am saying that bargaining against your fellow citizens who do NOT have a say in how EMS salaries are set makes the bar set unfair. Just my opinion and I know you and I disagree big time on this. And let's not let this get personal.

I think I would be very very pissed off if I paid for fire service and all the closest fire trucks were out taking care of slips and falls and other medical calls and my house could have been saved had there have been less firemen on medical calls and more on fire duty. Case in point, one of the local towns in our area has a first responder system. They respond to medical calls. Usually they respond with one fire truck (they only have 2) and they also respond with a rescue truck. That takes 4-5 Firemen. That's about the response they can get during a weekday. So they are on a ems call 10 miles north of their city limits. A house catches on fire, they can't get anyone to respond to the station because the regular guys are already on a call 10 - 15 minutes away. So the house gets really rolling, the occupants are trapped inside. They perish. The fire truck out in the county gets there just in time to provide the city with it's newest in ground swimming pool and to assist with body recovery. Does anyone see an issue with something like that? Take away the fatalities and you get the same issue. A house lost to fire because the fire department/first responders were out there in the county picking grandma up with a fractured hip or someone being sick and they aren't available to fight the fire. Not saying that the above situation has happened but having two or three medical calls in the close vicinity has happened. I'm not saying it's ever happened though. Thank goodness. So this crap happens in other countries as well. Talk about long reach of the IAFF and it's influence.

My answer is No on being able to call yourself a medic when you are a emt-b. If you call yourself a medic then you should be able to do the medic skills. But just like Dust, it's stressing over semantics and there are bigger things out there to have an issue with. Now if you tell the nurses or doctor you are a paramedic and the doctor says "Ok, start a IV and give 25 mg glucose" and you tell him "well, I'm just an EMT" you had better be ready to bring in your pants about 2 sizes from the ASS Chewing that you will be given from that Doc.

I have a friend who was trying to start an ambulance service to take over coverage from an existing service. He had 2 million dollars in seed money and that's gone and he's nowhere near even close to starting this service. I know that comparing a ambulance service to a first responder service is comparing apples to oranges but he has gotten a true wake up call on this situation and what you are trying to do is somewhat similar minus the ambulance. How much money do you have set aside for this service of yours? My friend thought 2 million was enough but in the end, it was about 1/3 the amount he really needs. Now his investor is balking at giving any more money and he's at a dead stand still.

I was the 2nd unit dispatched to a cardiac arrest which ended up being my father in law. We got cancelled by the first unit on scene and I returned to the hospital and clocked out, drove to the house and assisted my mother in law in her grief and also assisted the coroner in loading my father in law into the van. I still remember that day like it was today, even though it's nearly 2 years ago. I have coded or called several family members or friends over the years. I have also helped out many many more family and friends in the past 20 years of EMS service. It will eventually go away but that timing is based on you and how you deal with things.

Funny thing about the above is it's truly true. But when our patient population bites us, they truly mean to bite us. Animals bite for a two reasons, protection or a response to fear or a noxious stimulus. I've been bitten once and it was not fun for the other person, they ended up with a couple of teeth missing when I used my mag lite to get them off me by pressing it against their upper lip. I heard a couple snaps and when they let go, two of their teeth came out onto the floor. very very bad situation all around.

Read a response from Herbie today and I thought, make this a thread. Herbie in essence said, "new people should have a realistic expectation of how much change and how quickly change will happen when getting into this field" So I'd like to know this. When you entered the field of EMS, what did you hope to accomplish and how fast did you hope to accomplish it? What kinds of changes did you want to see happen and did those changes ever take place? If they took place, were you a part of them or did you just go with them? My main thought line is this, should we be preparing the new medics and emt's on how to be a change agent or just to learn the job and do the job? Many places I've worked have said they welcome change but when a good idea or a new thing came around that would change the game at the service, the delays and fence sitting lasted so long that interest was lost. Do we set expectations low on changing things or keep saying that "anything can be changed"? Thoughts

So let me get this straight, you get paid for 74% of the time you work for a 10 hour shift. So the other 26 percent is volunteer work so to speak. I'd be a bit upset too.

My grandmother would kick care givers out of her hospital room if they had either smoke smell on them or high amounts of perfume. One RT gal got rather indignant and my grandmother in her standard response would tell the RT and other that they smelled and it made her sick. They finally in the hospital had RT's and nurses take care of my grandmother who did not wear any perfume or smoked. Gotta love my Grandma

Hello All, My dad's in the hospital after a 4 day stretch of high fever and nausea etc etc. Finally went to the ER two nights ago and his white count was 2.2 and they sent him nome. He was still sick yesterday so I called the ambulance since he wasn't about to go quietly into this good night and he went ot the ER. His white count was then 2.0 They admitted him to the hospital. His repeat white count after a dose of Doxycycline and Zosyn continued to fall and it shows late last night 1.8 and his most recent white count is .65 He has a history of having 5 ticks removed from him over the last holiday weekend. He became sick about 3 days after the ticks were removed. Other than cancer what can cuase the mass decrease in his white cell counts. The internet where I'm at is no help because they have it locked down and it won't even go to some of the sites I found regarding the info. Thanks

Welcome to the site. Good luck on the test.

Actually back in the early 90's EMTALA had not been as fully fleshed out as it is now. The hospital was trying to say that once I put a wheel on their property, that patient was theirs. I disagreed with them. About 2 years later the actual verbage for helipads came out and they said something to the effect that if you are using a landing pad on the hospital property solely for a secured landing zone then the hospital cannot say that the patient is theirs. Funny thing was that the physicians both at the hospital (not the ER doc who refused us at first) but the Hospital medical director and also the children's hospital physicians all backed me and my decision. They said the child would most likely have died if I took the patient to that ER since they didn't have the trauma team there or the surgeons to work on this kids brain/skull. The hospital administration was making a big deal out of it because an incident report was filed and whatnot. I can't really remember who had the bigger issue, the administration of the hospital or the ED nursing administration because I refused the nurses/doctors orders to bring the patient in after they refused him in the first place. I think it was really an ego trip because this particular hospital had just received it's Level 2 trauma center rating about 3 months earlier and they weren't getting the numbers that they thought they would be getting. It all boiled down to politics if you ask me and not what was best for the patient. My first priority was for the patient and I don't do politics very well.

Yeah Doc on that EMTALA thing. Remember this was 16 years ago I met it head on and it ended up really causing a rift between my employer and the hospital. had a call where a 12 year old had been hit by a train. Massive head injury, brain matter showing, but still breathing, he was 2 blocks from a level 2 trauma center. I called that trauma center and said we were coming there. They refused him, and said to take him across town to the level 1 pediatric trauma center, a 30 minute drive. I asked if they were kidding and they said no. Ok, so I called a helicopter and had it come to the refusing hospitals helipad and land to take this kid to the peds center. We pulled onto the parking lot, waited for the helicopter and I intubated the kid, lines and all that. 10 minutes pass. As the helicopter was landing a nurse came out and said to bring the patient into the hospital. She said that since we were on their property he was their patient. I said, "You refused him so I'm doing what your doctor said to do and getting him to children's" She said no he is our patient now. I said I'm not giving him up to you becuase the helicopter just landed" I asked how far out was the trauma team and she said they hadn't called them yet. I said he's going to childrens. Well needless to say the doctor was pissed. I was mad because the hospital staff was nearly refusing to let me put the kid on the helicopter. The hospital filed a formal complaint, my company responded with all the glamour of a employer who backed the medical decisions of it's employees but they said from now on if this happens again, cancel the helicopter and go in the ER, let them take care of the kid. In the end, he made it to the childrens facility. He did not fare to well but he did not die. I think there were some CNS problems but I believe he is still alive and he should be in his late 20's or so. Was that because I made the wrong decision to get him to the level 1 childrens trauma center, I don't know, I do know that when he got there an entire trauma team was ready for him and the flight was only 11 minutes from the one site to the other, whereas the refusing facility had not called a trauma team in and the team would have taken 15-20 minutes to assemble. My medical decisions or judgement was never questioned, but the issue that was at hand was that the hospital said that once we were on their propterty I needed to bring the patient inside. I disagreed as well as my employer also disagreed. What saved us on the EMTALA complaint was that I was using a secured helipad that the hospital had on site for a landing zone only. I was not utilizing their property any other way. AS a matter of fact I wasn't even expecting a response from the hospital. I even told them I would be calling a helicopter and having it use their helipad so they needed to alert security and the person on the other end of the radio at the refusing hospital said they would call security. Would I do it differently, nope, a secured landing zone is much better than shutting down a street and landing the helicopter on the street in my opinion. My company was the star in all this, they could have sided with the hospital but they didn't. they sided on my side and ever since AMR bought them, they haven't been the same.

This is what makes EMT CIty great. The Author of the book is actually a member of the site. One suggestion I would make Dan, would be to provide some links on how to purchase the book as well as where to find classes. I think also that you continue to come here and provide us insight as to thinking outside the box. So many of us are protocol driven that thinking outside the box is a foreign concept to us. I for one try to show those I work with, work for and those who come to me for questions and also training/OJT training that thinking outside the box, thinking which protocol fits better in some particular patient scenario and why. I for one would like to purchase your book. Do you offer autographed copies?

I've worked at a service that both allowed benzo's for vertigo as well as Antivert po for vertigo Benzo for the acute phase and the antivert for when the benzo wore off. If we got far enough to consider giving Antivert then the patient was transported. We would tell the patient that we had other medications in the ambulance but they had to go to the hospital to get the other medication. I can tell you that the patients were more than glad to go with me if I could take care of their vertigo I quite routinely get vertigo based on my blood sugar. If it gets too high or too low, I get vertigo and I know to check my blood sugar. If I get vertigo not related to sugar problems, I can tell you that I would love to have antivert or a benzo to take away the spinning.

Do a search on google for Niacin flush and you will see websites saying that that niacin flush is good for you. I'm not convinced of that. Any doc's want to comment on whether niacin flushing is good for you?

Now if you wanted to be a nurse, even a prison nurse why would you even consider criminology courses. That's an absurd comment you made and I can only think that you are trying to be insultive. I gave my reasons why I did what I did yet you turn them around and make fun of them. I feel the courses I took were the right thing for me. Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk

True but remember that this progression of education was over 20 or so years so at each distinct stage of my education the courses were NOT wasted education. True I didn't become a cop but knowing that people with bachelors degrees are more marketable than those without, a bachelors never hurts. I give these examples as a progression, not an imperative but I am of the mindset that basic science and math classes are important but to insist that emts go and get chemistry and advanced classes to me is an absurd idea. Until emt becomes a degree program then maybe additional hours in class focusing on a&p and why things happen and forwhat reason would be better spent. Besides, unless emts are given an expanded repertoire of things they can do (and I in no way advocate this based on current education programs), then what truly will requiring a&p and other advanced classes do to help the emt when they can't do any advanced skills. Most of the emts I know either drive to and from the calls or are transfer crew members. Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk

Dwayne and flaming Bachelors was first - thought I wanted to be a cop so I felt a bachelors would make me a better cop. That was in 1990 Paramedic came next - played paramedic for off and on 18 or so years Realized I didn't want to be a medic forever so I went and got the masters degree because at the time I was already working in the IS field and was doing some project management work so I got the masters degree in project management and now I just got a job in florida putting all that wasted money on project management courses to use. I guess in the end it wasn't wasted money after all. Three days ago it might have been but now, it seems to be fate working or something like that. I don't consider any of the classes I have taken to have been waste of money. Having seen EMS and making 35000 per year to working computerizing emergency rooms making 3 times what I was making as a medic, I can honestly say that my education has all been worth it. Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk Dwayne, correct me if I'm wrong but haven't you been one of those who have strongly advocated for at least an associates degree on this site? Have you now changed that stance? Maybe I'm thinking of someone else here... Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk