crotchitymedic1986

Ok, lets be honest, the temperature factor is just an excuse, not a reason to dress unprofessionally. When it is 104 degrees outside, you will sweat in whatever you are wearing. And professionalism is not an attitude, it is an ACTION. When you choose to dress like someone who cuts lawns for a living, you are not acting professional, you have made a conscious decision to dress unprofessionally. Does a uniform by itself make you a professional, NO ! But does a lack of a uniform make you instantly look unprofessional, YES. And to prove my point: The local TV news channel is coming to your station to do a positive story about a recent rescue. What you gonna wear on camera ?

I have to agree with Chris, although a relationship with someone else in EMS sounds enticing (you will have so much in common), I have rarely seen those relationships work. My opinion on the best way to meet someone is to rekindle a hobby or activity that you enjoy, and then go do that. For instance, if you love horseback riding, do that. When you get to the stable there will be single men there who enjoy the same thing. You have a similar interest, so it is easy to start a conversation (same holds true for bookclubs, theatre, hanggliding, dog shows, bungee jumping, musical clubs, car shows, church, etc......). If you dont have a hobby, you can adopt a new one, or maybe take a night class to learn something new.

Just suck it up. Calling a supervisor is not going to change anything, you would have still had to transport based on her history alone. Anything you do besides transporting will most likely result in a complaint from someone. Were you abused, yes, but guess what, that happens. If you are a plumber, you have to deal with other people's feces. If you are a cop, you have to direct traffic in the rain. If you are a nurse, you have to wipe an ass from time to time. If you are a medic, you have to do non-emergency transports from time to time. She might not have needed ALS, but I would say the use of an ambulance was warranted. Since your service does not have a BLS option, then that means you should transport her (she does pay taxes, which pay for your service). Look at it this way: For everyone else who is reading this: This was an opportunity to "touch" a life instead of "saving" a life. Why not let this taxpayor see a kind and compassionate EMS system, instead of an argumentative one ? This is one of those situations where you can choose to be NICE or choose to be right and piss everyone off.

nice, I learned something today. Ruff, please leave a new question. Thank You.

May I ask: How is a polo shirt more functional when climbing a muddy bank or crawling in a car ? Like I said, picture your neurosurgeon walking into your room in a t-shirt that say "SURGEON" in big block letters on the back (with all the trademarks of a tshirt listed above: too small, stained, wrinkled, sweaty). T-shirts need to go, if you want to call yourself a professional.

When more than 3 people on the scene have a name that: Is a liquor: Tequilla, Crowne Royal, Mad Dogg A fruit/vegetable: Peaches, Tangerine, Punkin Or has the letter Q or Z in it: Shaquita, Tequilla, Jacquez, Rodriguez, Martinez, Gonzales

amen again fox.

amen, and you know they do make fannypacks that you can carry your gun in. Very secure, looks like a regular pouch (as the gun is velcroed to the back of the pack - up against your body). And I had forgotten about Katrina -- there is no way I would have been in that area without a gun.

And I would rather be a live "ex-medic", than a "dead medic".

Great topic, and sign me up to invest as soon as you get the patent --LOL. I dont think hard spine boards immobilize anything. I think you are dead on with some type of "foam" or soft material that would fit every nook and cranny. The only problem with that, is how do you make it sturdy enough to be able to lift a 300lb patient up a hill. Any straps you have would have to be sewn in, which would be the weak point in your design.

good point cb -- if you havent found yourself in a dangerous call that wasnt dispatched as dangerous, then you havent been in EMS long. Whether it is a seizure patient turned violent or someone having vietnam flashbacks (it could be your run of the mill homeless person with psych issues), it would be nice to have some nice - nonlethal protection. Especially in the rural setting, where the nearest deputy could be 20 minutes away, if he is not already on another call.

Spenac that is why you make a conscious choice: Can i make it to the hospital, if not, deliver at home, and let them clean up the mess. It is way to messy for the back of an ambulance, and god forbid if you are in a van.

I thought it an interesting topic -- I can behave if everyone else can.

Good point chris, but i had no intention of removing them ---"oh i am sorry, i didnt mean to shock you again"

I agree doc, which is why I havent questioned anyones belief. We can argue for the next 30 years and I can promise that no one will be swayed to the other side, despite the logic or morals cited by the other side. I just wondered where everyone stood on the subject (s). I, nor anyone else, should turn this into a lecture.

I am anti-gun on the ambulance 99% of the time, but there are times of unrest in this country (or a particular state/city) when the police have a hard time protecting themselves. In those circumstances, I think you should have the right to protect yourself, and I dont mean because someone assaulted you verbally or even assaulted you with a fist. But there are times in EMS when you find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Maybe a gun is too much, a tazer would probably be a better solution, as long as you are not surrounded by many.

Last service I worked for had a fairly good selection, and a protocol as to when narcs could be administered. If I remember right, we had Motrin, Tylenol, Toradol, Imitrex, Mepergan, Valium, Versed, and Morphine. They had Inapsine for chemical restraint, but went to Haldol when Inapsine was recalled. Not sure what they have now.

thanks for you honesty -- we are both in the minority I think, but on different sides of the coin: I am anti-abortion, anti-death penalty, and pro-euthenasia.

Ever wonder how someone can be pro-abortion, but anti-death-penalty ? Or anti-abortion, but pro-death-penalty ? You rarely hear of someone who agrees on both sides of the infants or criminals right to life or to have their life ended. So if you are pro or anti-euthenasia for patients with terminal uncurable diseases, where do you stand on abortion or the death penalty ?

Tylenol / Motrin -- snacks that do not perish easily (on the ambulance) -- personal bag at station had a little bit of everything (sewing kit to psuedo clean underwear).

So no one in NYEMS was toting on 09/12/01 ? Edit -- Disregard, stupid question, forgot NY City's strict gun laws.

Ventmedic wrote: Everything has to be about race or sex with you. While there are inequalities that do exist in any system since employees like you will be around, some healthcare professionals actually manage to function quite well above the discriminatory factors to provide quality health care Look at some mortality statistics regarding minorities and the uninsured -- the facts are against you on that one: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr56/nvsr56_10.pdf

Obviously LEOs and military are exempt. Just wondered if anyone has or does carry a gun while on-duty ?I realize most organizations have a policy against it, so you can just vote anonymously in the poll if you dont want to "out" yourself. The only time I carried one was the week after the Rodney King riots.

I wouldnt wish an accident on anyone. I cant quote a statistic, but it was amazing to see how many times an ambulance was hit by a drunk or someone else (not the medics fault) in those Nov/Dec incident totals.

I agree we have many more "serious issues" in EMS, but first impressions are important, and in the middle of the night, I wouldnt know if the t-shirt adorned EMS Professional was there to wash my car, cut my yard, or save my life ? Have you noticed most mechanics wear a uniform shirt ? I imagine their job is much more laborous than ours is.