flight-lp

Outside of sheer negligence or stupidity, it is rare for civil litigation to reach a courtroom. Texas got smart a few years ago and put a cap on medical litigation. Very few go directly for the EMT or his / her company as the lawyers realize that's not where the money is. Hospital systems and physician groups on the other hand...............

It may work great for the FD, but it sucks for their patients! HFD is a prime horrific example as to the bad reputation Fire based EMS has. Decent concept, piss poor execution and QA.

I equate this piss poor example similar to the BLS vs. ALS argument. Just as more folks are willing / wanting to wait the extra few minutes for those with the capabilities, education, and resources to appropriately treat these high acuity folks, I would want a full areomedical crew in a twin engine IFR capable aircraft. Police running around in POS Bell 206's does not make a aeromedical crew. The whole "get 'em there fast philosophy" does hold validation, after all it was the premise for civilian aeromedical transportation. Along with that premise, however, also comes appropriate transport. A cop that holds minimal education as a Paramedic and may know to not walk into the tail rotor or a few gas laws isn't necessarily appropriate.

I wouldn't uproot everything to come down here on a blind ad from career builder. There are a lot of staffing agencies that are promoting the "disaster response" positions. They do this to secure federal funding and most will NEVER deploy. If they do, it is usually only for 1-3 days, and will be limited to maybe 1-3 times per year when a natural issue presents. On top of that, the entire state is covered by State Guard, National Guard, local contingency resources, DMAT teams, the Civil Air Patrol, and RAC agreement resources. So to sum it up, the chances of you making a decent living or gaining experience from this "opportunity" is nil. You will spend 99% of your days doing IFT's (if you can even find a position) or volunteering as an EMT-B. Staying put and gaining experience and advancing your education may be your best bet.

Good bless Texas! The State functional job decription requires ability to communicate verbally and in writing, along with reading interpretation of the English language. Never had a problem with it before, even in the Middle East, I had an interpreter.

Pepid is great, just so dang expensive! I do like the functionality of the various bundled suites, everything anyone ever needs is at their fingertips.

Medicare does not pay for equipment used, only provide a base rate and mileage. Most private insurances will not pay for the additional weight, but do allow additional manpower charges. The State of Texas lists the ability to lift 250# assisted as criteria in the EMT-B/I/P / LP job description. Thus most agencies use this as the "magic number" for a lift assist. Charging by the pound is an ACLU lawsuit waiting to happen. Sent from my Blackberry by AT&T

Happy birthday Mr. B............ Rid, ANOTHER ONE?!?!? Didn't you just have one like 12 months ago?? Remember to send off your AARP membership my friend.

Stupid comes to mind..............

I may go, but I'm not sure my liver or wallet is up to the challenge. Alcohol and paternity suits really aren't as glamorous as they used to be! lol Both of my employers will have a presence there and will pay for me to go. I just have to see if the schedule can be covered or not. I wouldn't mind seeing some old friends................You too Dust! jk

Ditto to the above responses. I too have administered analgesics upon arriving at the ER and have also given them while waiting for a bed while extended at the ER. Most local facilities around here do not complain as they are aware their personal perceptual opinions are irrelevant to our treatment and that we will stand behind our argument that any competent physician can appropriately assess a patient with analgesia on board. Most of the decent agencies around Houston have very liberal (i.e. unlimited) pain protocols. My current guidelines allow for analgesia prn for as long as the patient can maintain consciousness and their own airway. If your patient reports pain, it needs to be addressed in the appropriate fashion. Personally, I wouldn't concern myself with comparison statistics to other medics nor the impulsive concerns from a receiving RN. Beneficence can and should go a long way!

ROTFLMAO! Thanks for making diet coke spew from my nose while I'm in a lecture...............

We use Ketamine for the intitial sedation of pedi's and bronchspasm patients. 1-2mg/kg IVP. Otherwise its Etomidate 0.3mg/kg and Fentanyl 1-5mcg/kg. Induction is with Sux, Roc, or Vec, Roc being my personal preference. If the transport is greater than 30ish minutes, then I'll start an infusion of either the NMBA or the benzo depending on the patient. If we pick them up on Propofol, then we'll keep them on it blood pressure permitting. Flexibility and individuality is the key.

Our recent feedback from pts. and family members also reflects these findings; they prefer the individuality of the LTV. Having used most models in both the ground and air environments, I find no equal to the LTV! We still use the Crossvent 2i and 4Plus in the air, and the Eagle 754 as a backup on the ground. They are nice and provide the multiple ventilatory modalities needed for most patient populations, but we still find ourselves needing more sedation and/or paralysis than with the LTV. Our regular ground MICU's carry the Carevent ATV and I actually find them completely inappropriate for the IFT environment. For resuscitation or the apnic pt. sure, but the lack of key components such intermittant ventilation, pressure support, and inspiratory time adjustment is problematic for the sedated ICU patient. I am a firm believer in bringing the vent to the patient and not the patient to the vent unless absolutely necessary. All too often I see sedated pts. getting inappropriately "snowed" with benzos or paralytics due to ineffective equipment or sheer ignorance of ventilatory strategies. A lot of medics freak and run to medications when they see a pt. try to overbreathe. Whether they can't because they are on a CMV only vent or stacking on A/C, a sound basic education on patient ventilation strategies is needed.

Ironic that you mention this as our ground CCT team was discussing this for our 1200. We are testing several filters with varying results, however if you have suggestions, I'm all ears.

You could definately do the PRN gig in nursing in almost any specialty, however I cannot speak intelligently of the RRT field. All of the RRT's I work with on the neo team are full-time, but Vent would be a great resource for that particular question. the problem isn't so much of working when convenient, but more getting to that level. As chbare states, the education is a full time one, regardless of the field. Excelsior will not prepare you for the field clinically, they expect you to come prepared. Nor does their program adequately provide the delineation from medicine and a strong foundation of the nursing process. That is the reason why many State's are thinking twice about licensing their graduates and why a good number of Paramedic's fail the CPNE. Even in an articulating students or transition program, you have to dedicate the time for class, skills, and clinicals. Can you get creative with your schedule? Sure! Will it take its toll after a while? Probably! I'm working fulltime at two jobs plus taking a 12 semester hour load. Quite honestly, it is kicking my a$$. But I have the determination to see it through this time. Having communicated with you in multiple threads elsewhere, I could see you getting it done as you have a passion and motivation to succeed. I'd say do it! In reference to working in the flight environment, I would strongly recommend becoming familiar with the height / weight restrictions of the agencies you are interested in. Many have a 220 - 225# weight restriction wet, meaning with suit / equipment / helmet / etc. Many also have height limitations as some of the smaller single engine airframes are not so accomodating to you taller types! I know I was tight in a Bell 206 and I'm only 5'7"!

Or get his a$$ kicked a couple of times. In today's society, he's lucky he hasn't tasted his own medicine yet. Or worse..........

Things are well! Been kinda slow lately, but gives me a chance to catch up on schoolwork. I'm trying to get back out there. I may have to make a road trip soon............ Good to be back! Still luvin' the Cowboys I see?! Yeah, the wings are clipped for tonight...........

Well since the rest of the "refugee's" are doing their intro's, I guess it would be proper etiquette to do the same......... Its been a while since I was here, i've been lurking every now and then, but have been focusing my minimal spare time on another site. While I felt like that site was my "niche" so to speak, I have recently lost interest as I feel it no longer provides a needed level of productivity or worthwhile purpose. Soooooooo... I return to the City! Hindsight being 20/20, I should have never left. It will be good to get back in touch with some old friends. So hello again!

Is that what we are being called???? lol Hey 46, welcome to the other side...........I think you'll find it a bit more appeasing here.

Care to elaborate on this???

Frontier is not currently hiring............ I echo the previous statements along with the fact that obtaining reciprocity is nearly impossible without going through the U.A.E.'s testing and certification. Pay is low and consistant with what Dust mentioned. You may want to consider Kuwait, look at Dyncorp and ITT. Both pay very well and have a solid presence in that country. In fact, ITT is the only company that I am aware of in the region that considers EMT-B's for employment. Shoot me a PM if you want contact info...........

I'll be in D.C. on the 25th, but only for 1 hour! I'll wave as I fly over.................................. Can we have the next get together in Dubai????

More in depth driver training with a focus on crew resource and utilization of good decision making. If visibility is nill (i.e. less than 1/8 mile), then maybe you shouldn't be out on the road. I know it sounds horrible, but think for a moment, what happens to those critical patients that need to be transferred by air when the weather goes south. They stay put where they are at. Talk to the folks who work out in the wilderness of Alaska, they sometimes have to maintain their patient for days. If you cannot safely operate, you increase your casualty rate threefold. Its not worth it................... Another thought to consider.............. Pilots are required to have over 80 hours of training to just meet the minimum requirements to qualify for an instrument rating. They are then required to maintain proficiency by flying on instruments and completing several different tasks every 6 months. This is the bare minimum and I will tell you from personal experience, it fails to remotely prepare you to be a proficient IFR pilot. When you fly on instruments, you do not have to worry about anything interfering with your path as you are tracked by ATC. O.k. so where am I going with this?????????????? If this is what is required to operate a vehicle with no traffic, animals, or obstacles in reduced visability, then how can any of you remotely justify someone who maybe has 1/4 of that time in training operating a vehicle with who knows what in front of them in the same conditions? Add to that the need to take your eyes off of the road to look at this little TV box and you have a recipe for disaster. This is a horrible idea, in Canada, the U.S. or anywhere else. New toys are not always the answer, sometimes we need to revisit the basics........................... 8)

As it should! Someone who should have never been there in the first place is assuming their own liability when they decide to play the freelancing card. All the more reason to not stop in the first place. The pt. is entrapped, what exactly does this medic student think she is going to do to save the day? Is she going to single handedly intubate upside down and through the window? She should have been sent on her merry little way. However, it's no wonder she is suing the fire department. Her insurance company probably wised up and refused her claim. Too bad, so sad..................................