Arctickat

I thought that was actually one of your sweeter comments.

Edmonton, huh?

http://www.hsi.com/default.aspx

And the reason? 2 words, Vagus nerve.

Thanks, we actually had a competition at the high school to design our new graphic a few years ago and that was the winner. I'm getting the modules remounted in a couple of years and will likely make a change with the striping, but keep the crest. It helps give our community a sense of pride and ownership in their ambulance service. We use facebook and twitter quite a bit to keep our community informed. We've only been doing it for a year, but I've noticed a shift in attitude already. People are more engaged in their EMS agency.

An interesting call uglyEMT, and a good catch. My most unusual symptom for an MI patient was repeated and frequent belching. He had no discomfort as all, but every few seconds he'd let out a small hiccup/belch. I have an idea as to the cause, but I suppose that should be a discussion for a different thread.

Well, there it is.

Helen Ziegler and Associates is the only organisation I'm aware of.

Unfortunately we don't have access to beta blockers in our scope...I've been trying to get Metoprolol, but it's a tough sell. What I did do was verify the blood pressure manually on both arms, called the receiving cardiologist to discuss my concerns, and got permission to d/c the heparin infusion. He told me that he wasn't aware from the doctors referral that the pain was described in such a manner, or that the BP was that different. Even though our local doc also suspected the DTA, she ruled it out when the chest X-ray appeared normal. I've asked for a followup diagnosis from the receiving facility so we can determine what actually happened.

And why are you making $9.63/hr? Why sell yourself so cheaply? 13 years ago a basic starting wage was $9.25 up here, medics just over 12 bucks. Then the changes started, today basics start at $25.41/hr and medics $30.80/hr. We are a self regulated profession yet there is still a long ways to go. 13 years, what can you change to improve your profession in 13 years if you chose to stay and fight for it rather than abandon it?

Ahem... Chest X-ray was unremarkable. No other diagnostic imaging was available.

And whose fault is that? Privates here don't make more money because they have paramedics, yet it costs more for an ALS service. We have Fire based services and Government services too. Don't forget, the Canadian EMS system was modeled after the one in the USA. A paramedic fighting for advancement of the profession wouldn't have to fight quite so hard if the other tens of thousands of line paramedics would fight for it too. It wasn't management that decided to improve our situation, it was the front line medics who fought for it as a team. Keep throwing yourselves under the bus and you'll never be able to shake the stigma that becoming a fire fighter is actually a promotion above that of a paramedic.

Nice work bud, Are you gonna change your name now too?

And it will continue to do so unless the group as a whole steps up and takes ownership of your profession...otherwise you'll continue to have TV commercials of nurses working in an ambulance like that one Johnson & Johnson put out. Chris, we're in a good place now because a few dedicated individuals sacrificed the blood, sweat, and tears for years to get us to the position we're in now rather than take the easy path out. If the overgrown path were traveled more, it would be easier to take.

It baffles my mind. We had the same issues in Canada, until some very smart people managed to figure out that we can't have people do things for us and expect good outcomes, and started the ball rolling. Rather than jump to another profession, why not start improving the value of yours to the point that it's got good wages, less stress, improved hours, and an education sufficient to meet the needs of the public? It takes years of hard work and dedication, but we're in a much better spot than we were 15 years ago. I suppose you are the only one to decide how valuable you are, and it's about time that EMS stepped up and took ownership of themselves, or is your job so insignificant that you don't care until you become a nurse.

Looks more like FD news than EMS news....Was he a paramedic too?

There's no perfect solution, chemical hot packs, blankets, heaters. My personal favorite is 110v heated blankets that plug into the power inverter of our ambulance...provided the victim is less than 100 feet from my ambulance or the Gen Set.

So, I was called earlier to transport a 75 year old female to the CCU 150 miles away for investigation of Acute Coronary Syndrome. History is that she had sudden onset back pain between shoulder blades 24 hours prior. Throbbing in nature like she's being repeatedly stabbed but then resolved a short time later. She went to the doc who assessed her and sent her back home. Today at noon she had the same pain, 10/10 radiating to jaw and left arm. She went to the ED and their assesment included a Right arm BP 157/82 Left arm BP 132/76. Heart rate NSR at 60, Sats 95% on 3l, Lungs clear and equal, abd is soft and nontender. 12 lead shows inverted T waves in V1 - V3, 1mm S-T depression. Lab values, including trops are normal. Sorry, no picture of the ECG. Chest X-ray was unremarkable. No other diagnostic imaging was available. Upon my arrival she was on a heparin infusion at 1000 units per hour. Stat meds include Nitro, ASA, Enoxiparin, and Heparin. PmHx is Hypertension and diet controlled diabetes. as well as a family cardiac history. Our doc consulted with the cardiologist who decided the treatment plan I assessed the client who was now pain free. BP was similar to that noted above. Pulses were equal at wrists and feet and we began transport...but I have this nagging feeling.

You a transformers fan Dwayne?

Hummm, I have a job, a wife, and a mortgage....well, used to have "a" mortgage. But I still post lots of drivel. Congrats on your acceptance bud, You'll kick ass with us to guide you.

Next time tell them to duct tape their nipples. I'm curious, how did you test their electrolytes?

I remember back when I was doing non-emergent transport services decades ago there were times when our patient unexpectedly deteriorated and we had to call for EMS to assist. I wonder what he would do in this case?

I like that one Ed, but we helped more than our neighbors.

I figure I might as well post this here rather than make a new topic since this thread has degraded into who can start the new page first... June 1st marks 30 years of service for my company. I'm working on a new graphic for the festivities but I can't decide on a slogan. Have you guys got any ideas? Mine are pretty lame: Celebrating 30 Years of Service Celebrating 30 Years of Dedicated Service Celebrating 30 Years of Service to the Community Celebrating 30 Years of Helping Those in Need 30 Years Later and I'm Still Here!!!! See? Boring!!!

H there, I'm just going to take your....vitals/pulse/blood pressure.....