Just Plain Ruff

I hate that saying, I hate it, hate it hate it, just like the saying Diesel bolus. and many others. I literally save my emt's life, yep, yep I did. Ask me how we did it, it's a fun story. Scary as hell when it happened. But I did. He was sick, real sick with the shit's/pukes. We started a bananna bag on him, the minute the fluid went in him, he had an anaphylactic reaction to the dye in the bag. He nearly coded, but I gave him 0.3 epi and some benadryl and thus saved his life. That's it, thats how I saved his life. Not fancy, I didn't get a medal. But that's all I did.

OH MY GOD, not this again, and before anyone says it, can we stop beating this long dead diseased and rotted carcass of a horse. This mantra that EMT's save medics. This is the stupidest thing I've ever heard. I've saved just as many EMT's so nanny nanny boo boo.

probably not Doc, why provide long term treatment when a band-aid will do the trick.

be careful with your WNL's, make sure you have somewhere in your policies or procedures that you have normals listed. Also, make sure that with your statements in trending, how many vital signs are you taking to make a trend? If you are only taking 2, then you don't have a trend. If you are taking 3, thats a little better, but if you have 4 or 5 that's even better. But for a simple transfer to a SNF, you really don't need to talk about trending. Plus be careful with your abbreviations. PT of course to you means Patient but to someone else it might mean Physical Therapy or something else. I also don't see any full body assessment of the patient. You have a patient on oxygen yet no lung sounds. Of course that might be somewhere else in a check box or something like that. I'm just seeing your narrative.

Well MariB, from one of those of us who kind of got to know you, I can say, I'm not surprised that you passed, not in the least bit surprised.

I was wondering the same thing about the user name as well.

Oops, there's no antidote for that one!!! Are nuts supposed to get that big?

go in with an open mind Ask in advance what they want you to do Ask what they will allow you to do ask many many questions make sure you help them with cleanup and changing cots DO NOT spend most of your time flirting with the nurses, talking or texting or playing games on yoru phone. Youare there to learn and not to text or talk on your phone. If I as a FTO/evaluator had my wish and ruled the world, I would not students to carry their cell phones on them when they were doing ride alongs or I would put them in the lock boxes and I would only allow them out during breaks and lunch. Bring your field guide or some book to let the medic know you are serious about learning. Do not offer to buy them lunch or dinner, that would set a bad precedent that you would be held to on your next ride and your next and again and again. You are there to learn, not to buy the crew food. I'm sure that there will be other stuff that others will add.

Do you mind if I take a picture, I'm building a gallery of "things that shouldn't go in certain places" Death was here, he said he'd be back, he said we could practice.

It's not my responsibility to deal with your disease so I'm done with this discussion. You came here asking our thoughts, I gave you mine and you proceeded to ridicule and criticise my thoughts. I am done with you and this discussion, not because I'm pissed of that you are doing so, but because this discussion between us is non-productive. It is not my responsibility to have to provide valid DSM IV citings and anything of the sort, I was just using a website that I found, I did not know that I was required to provide the most recent and current sources to suit your agenda here, and agenda, I believe you have. And now that we know each other better, I bet neither of us likes each other any better, am I right??? ha ha So I am done here, I gave my thoughts, which you criticised each time that I gave them so we are done. Maybe someone else will take your bait and give you what you need in this thread but that will no longer be me. I do wish you the best in whatever venture you attempt and may it be as successful as it can be, but as for this conversation, consider it closed.

Actually that is an incorrect statement, many people agree with you but they just don't give a shit and they just want to collect a paycheck. They just want to go to work, do their job, and get home safe. Do they want better pay, sure they do, but they most often work in a area where if you try to start a union, you are fired for some reason and then you have no place else to work so you just continue to keep working. Plus, Unions are not the panacea that you think they are. Sure you can try to bring in a union to the workplace but what if the company doesn't want to wokr with the Union, are they forced to wokr with the union? Does the state that the company is in, recognize unions as having to be recognized in bargaining? Plus what happens when you bring the union in and that union forces the company to begin to pay drastically higher wages that the company is unable to pay? What happens then? I for one am not a union fan, I will work in a shop with a union, I will work in one that doesn't have one but I've never been represented by a union where they have done much good for me personally. People/friends still got fired while working for the union so that a myth. As for professional drivers, to me, that's what we are supposed to be, professional drivers. It would actually be silly to hire a professional driver just to have one that is all that they are supposed to do. Especially if they can't take care of patients. idealism is a great thing though.

Dude, all I can say is that to me, having that diagnosis told me would be unsettling and a little scary. Is that better. I don't intend to argue this point with you as I don't have a better answer for you other than what I have given you. Do you wish to argue words with me? I hope not. But if you want the truth, If you told me that you had this diagnosis Anti-social Personality disorder. and you have both psychopathic and sociopathic tendencies, I am sorry but I would not let you near my children or my family. No offense to you but honestly, and be pissed off if you wish, I have no idea what you are capable of. Psychpathic and sociopathic tendencies just scares the crap out of me and honestly "scares" (theres that word again) me for lack of a better word. I don't know you from adam so I'm sure you are the greatest of guys but I don't know that and until I get to know you. According to what I found this is a list - A pretty significant list of dangerous activity or behaviour that would preclude you from ever being around my children but I'm sure that is the reason why you keep your diagnosis private. And Again, this is nothing personal against you, you asked for reasons why I find your diagnosis "scary" these 7 items are 7 of the reasons why. The APA's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition, text revision (DSM IV-TR), defines antisocial personality disorder (Cluster B):[7] A) A pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others, occurring since age 15 years, as indicated by three or more of the following: failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors as indicated by repeatedly performing acts that are grounds for arrest; deception, as indicated by repeatedly lying, use of aliases, or conning others for personal profit or pleasure; impulsivity or failure to plan ahead; irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated by repeated physical fights or assaults; reckless disregard for safety of self or others; consistent irresponsibility, as indicated by repeated failure to sustain consistent work behavior or honor financial obligations; lack of remorse, as indicated by being indifferent to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another. The individual is at least age 18 years. C) There is evidence of conduct disorder with onset before age 15 years. D) The occurrence of antisocial behavior is not exclusively during the course of schizophrenia or a manic episode. Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) falls under the dramatic/erratic cluster of personality disorders, the so-called "Cluster B." Was that a better response, were you looking for something like that?

Oh boy, Well, only one person replied to you, so only one person disagreed with you so far. Did you get any idea of why you were deemed uninsurable? And, do you know how much money it costs to purchase an ambulance service? 6 figures will buy you one ambulance and one employee. Plus remember, your professional driver needs to be an EMT in most states at a minimum. So he/she would need to provide some care and not jsut be the professional driver unless you are going to offer a 3 man crew and just make the driver drive. You have lofty goals, but attainable goals, just keep your eyes on the prize, and make sure you have some heavy investors to help you out.

Here are some things taht will get you more calls than pens and lanyards 1. Provide top notch customer service - 2. Be there when you say you will be. 3. Professional crews - keep your uinforms neat and clean 4. Crews that take care of the patients instead of treating them like they are just a number. 5. Know when to drop in and when not to. Don't over do it. (we had one company that when they weren't running calls they were in our ER. Bad form) 6. Host a get to know event - feed those who show up. 7. If you run 911 as well, maybe do a reciprocal agreement, allow the nurses to ride a shift if they want. Allows the nurses to get to know your crews and to see what EMS is like. 8. During EMS week, work with the hospital ER to provide assistance with their festivities - ie - provide a meal one day for the ER and any EMS service that comes in. (BBQ is always good) That's just what pops into my head right now.

And try to get Law enforcement to actually arrest the person. We had that issue in the small town I worked in. Here is usually what the cops would say "well, we could arrest him but the DA wouldn't charge him because they weren't in their right mind" or some bullshit like that. I was hit 5 times in my career down there, each time I got that line of crap from the cops, each time I insisted they arrest the shitbag. Each time they refused. I then told them after the 3rd time, what if we refused to help you guys out on a scene? I told him that is what you are in essence doing to us, you are showing us that you don't give a shit about us and our safety and we would never do that to you. The 4th and 5th time, they arrested the guy. The DA actually did file charges on both those times.

And let me add, if you knowingly go along with this STUPID policy and requirement, you might even be a party to the audit, fine and fraud charges.

Like I said, no offense was intended, that diagnoses is just scary and the connotation behind it certainly is a scary thought. Again, not saying you would do anything to someone but the diagnosis is scary to me. I may not have been clear on that. And with it being scary to me (the diagnosis and what's behind it) I can only imagine your first thoughts when you were diagnosed.

Treat em like you normally do from a doctors office. They are physicians and they can give orders but if they want to continue to be in charge of the patient while the patient is in the ambulance then they have to go in the ambulance with the patient, otherwise, my protocols drive the patient care. Bear in mind, most physicians will not go with you because of a myriad of reasons. They can provide written orders that can go with the patient and I'll follow those orders to their limit but if things go outside those orders, my protocols and treatment guidelines take over. I have only had a physician ride with me a couple of times and of those times the one I can really remember was the physician was clamping off the femoral artery from a massive crush injury. Had he had let go the patient would have surely bled to death. So he came with us.

I guess my question would be, do your co-workers or your management know of your diagnosis? And if they do, how do they treat you? Do they treat you any differently?

Please don't take this the wrong way but this is sort of scary, but please, take this in a non-judgemental way. I don't know you so I can't judge you, but what you wrote is sort of scary to me as I don't know and if what you wrote is true, then this just makes me wonder how many others with your same disorder, are out there working in a "normal" capacity with me or others. I don't hold it against you for coming "out" to us so to speak, since we don't know you, we cannot judge you, yet we will.

all righty, well Bobby(not his real name) needs some new friends to begin with He also needs to be evac'd out toot sweet. With a bls trauma bag, not much to do but to cover that femur wound and keep pressure on it, Did you say that there was oxygen available? How long till the bird? Not sure what's in the trauma bag but use whatever is in it to do whatever magic you can for the head injury Ready the guy for evac and await the helicopter. I think that's about it. You really don't have much else to do at this point right?

My thoughts exactly, what else did the two flighty non-caring kids take? What are my vitals on the unconscious kid? Full trauma assessment - head to toe? I'm suspecting that this kid is probably so shitfaced which is the reason why he's unconscious but he could have fallen from the tree and have any number of reasons for being unconscious but the most probable reason is that he is drunker than the other two. But caution dictates that we treat as a trauma. So full trauma assessment. Let's do a glucose as well. Pupils My big concern are his respirations and if he is really as drunk as I think he is, I'm concerned about aspiration if he hasn't already done so. More info please.

Chris, you are not alone in this and the only thing that really helps you work through these feelings and issues is time and a great mentor. Here are a couple of things from a guy who's been around a long time. 1. First off - let's get the cliche out in the open - remember it's not your emergency it's the patients. God how I hate cliches and stupid EMS sayings but this one above all others, is really spot on. Remember this one when the shit hits the fan, it's not your emergency, unless you are becoming the victim. Then of course it's your emergency too. 2. Not many things will kill you in EMS, except for bears, yeah bears will kill you, just like tunnel vision, but bears are meaner. 3. Get a mentor, one you can call at all hours of the day and memorize their phone number. 4. Keep learning and make sure to remember that when you think you have learned enough or you think you have learned as much as you think you can learn on a given subject, remember there is someone out there who can teach you more about it, or vice versa, you can now teach what you know to someone else. 5. Form a support group in your organization where people who are hurting, needing help, wanting to talk and needing to talk (think code green) can come to your support group and just unload in a non-judgemental environment. But always remember and have the guiding principal that you are NOT and I repeat NOT a substitute for real professional psychiatric help for the ones who need it and let those who come to you know that if it comes to the point where you feel they need that help that you will help them get that help. 6. Remember that we all make mistakes, the real assholes are the ones who don't learn from those mistakes. 7. Remember that EMT Basic is just your starting point - keep learning. No offense to the basics out there but don't stagnate yourself, unless you want to remain a basic, your next steps are school school school. 8. Form a group that can practice and work with the equipment. Complete scenarios with each piece of equipment you have so you know how it works, nothing F's up a scene than a moron who doesn't know how to use a piece of equipment. The only excuse you have for not knowing how to use a piece of equipment is that you haven't been trained on it and then you should not be using it until you have been properly trained on it. No court in the land/nor jury in the land is going to back you if you can't prove to them that at the time you used a piece of equipment that you were competent in it's use. 9. And above all, remember, the patient may be me or the patient family member might be mine or your own so you need to be on your game. Nothing wrecks your day like having to treat your own family member or mine. I guarantee you that I'm a bigger critic and a louder mouth. (that's a freebie). Above all, remember to do all the above and have fun doing in, remember to do your best and if you did your best and can honestly say you DID your best to your level of training, then that's all that anyone can ask of you.

one for the resurrection files

My search was a quick search. If I can find just this info in less than 25 seconds, then either this original poster didn't try very hard or he didn't try very hard. I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and do his work for him. I don't see him coming back here with any thanks coming from him, for either of us.