HERBIE1

Assuming this is real(it seems to be)- I have news for you- dead or not, this person(or more accurately, his family or anyone else who chooses to represent his interests) does indeed have a beef, if they so choose. Currently there is an issue with someone posting info on Facebook about a patient who was very well known around here for years. Homeless, alcoholic, and was around for 20+ years. Everyone in the business knew him. Someone decided it would be fun to reminisce about the situations this guy was in. Without getting into too many details, let's just say a interested 3rd party found out about these postings, and is pursuing legal action against all those who were involved in the discussion- especially the person who made the initial post. Individuals involved in the discussion are also being subjected to discipline from their employers for potential violations of privacy and protected health information laws. I'm no computer whiz, but potentially, there are ways of tracking these things. It's not worth risking it. Most of us have been guilty of taking pictures at accidents or particularly grotesque scenes- sometimes for training purposes, often times simply for their "wow" factor. Years ago, before the days of cell phones, digital cameras, and the internet, so many of us had something called a "ghetto cam"-a cheap, disposable camera for such things. This was long before we were so in tune with privacy issues, and although improper and intrusive, few outside this profession ever saw these pictures. Now, with a click of a button, millions can instantly have access to a picture such as the one in the archives. We need to be more careful.

Sick- but funny! 178

Agreed. This does not sound good, BUT... Additionally, depending on local protocols, the police could have made this a crime scene which means the crew may not have had full or even any access to the victim. Happened many times- especially before we had an agreement with the police that protected their evidence and our licenses. Many times we were called for victims and as we neared the patient, we were told it was a crime scene and to walk away. Now, if we respond and it is declared a crime scene, police realize that we must at least confirm they are DOA, while minimally disturbing the scene. We are all now trained by the police in how to operate in such situations- how to preserve evidence, document, and explain to officers exactly what we did at the scene(rolled body over, moved clothes, moved furniture, accidentally kicked a shell casing, etc) If a person has injuries incompatible with life- such as massive head trauma- then disturbing the scene to evaluate the victim would not alter the outcome, but may seriously hinder efforts to catch the bad guy. Again- the video does not look good, but as always, there is also probably more to the story.

Agreed on all counts. Guilt is also a bad thing- especially if it's unwarranted.

LMAO Only in NYC. Apparently they've solved all the other problems in your city, eh Richard? I'm really trying to wrap my head around this idea...

Many places still use the "Mobile Intensive Care Unit" label on the side of their apparatus. To me, that is about as clear as it gets, and the titles of the providers becomes irrelevant. It's about the level of care provided, NOT which initials you have on your license. I can't tell you how many times I see captions on pictures that describe "firefighters" providing medical treatment when the people are clearly EMS providers.

If I am reading this correctly... This LT was on duty, his company was in service and available for calls, and when his company received a call, he refused to respond. He had a duty to act and he refused. He should be terminated.

Nah- not evil. Just crazy.

Blast from the past. I'll never forget as a new medic, being totally frustrated before I realized you needed to open the top drawer just a bit in order to open the rest of the drawers. I was too embarassed to say I couldn't figure out how to open the drug box. LOL I want the old Lifepak 4 monitor too- for sinister reasons. I want to give it to new students to carry- along with the drug box, and the orange cased telemetry radio with the screw on antenna- and make them realize how far we've come in this business.

Doesn't each specialty control the board certifications of MD's under their titles? We have certainly come a long way- as have the ER docs. In the old days, some ER's would simply have an internal medicine resident who was working on call cover the ER when a patient came in. That made for some interesting scenarios. I remember having to work a few codes in ER's until the resident came down from the floors. (Didn't make the nurses too happy, but oh well...) The article say the ACEP has language that deals with legacy docs, so I have no problem with these old timers slowly being phased out. In most big cities, ER docs are board certified, but in smaller hospitals and rural areas, I imagine there are plenty of Family practice people working in ER's. In cases like that, I would imagine ANY MD is better than nothing, but certainly not the best case.

They can go after them and their former employer with a civil suit at any time.

It's "only" a medical call, not a fire. What' the big deal, right, LT? It doesn't matter what happened to the patient. This LT refused to respond to an emergency call. He should be disciplined to the fullest extent that department rules allow. Whether or not his actions contributed to the patient's death is another matter and certainly could cost him and his(former) department a lot of money in a civil suit.

Never forget why you got into this business. Never compromise what you KNOW is right. Look at every patient as if they were a beloved family member. Try to look at things from the point of view of your patient. Understand that at times you will be frustrated, angry, emotionally and physically exhausted, but do not let that interfere with patient care. There are many more, but these could be a good start...

LMAO Holy cow! Thank gawd they didn't run out of something like O2!

Not defending the medics here in any way, but the guy was 39 years old and had a massive MI. I'm thinking he probably had other underlying medical issues too.

Tough call, Tom. I agree with your assessment that a normal 7 month fetus is not 1kg. In other words, no way you could have done anything to affect the outcome. Unless I missed it, did you say this mom had any prenatal care? I suspect drugs and/or ETOH may have been involved here too which could also explain the condition of the fetuses. Actually I'm amazed this woman carried these twins to 7 months if they were so deformed. Mother nature usually spontaneously aborts when such profound problems are present. Hang in there- these calls are the worst, but you'll get past it.

Maybe he was just very worried about homeland security and wanted to do his part to protect the country?? Granted I'm just a city boy who doesn't hunt, but a rocket launcher?? How big are the deer in his area?

Good points Works both ways, too. Sometimes you have a pt that you would think had an average sized airway and it turns out they are so inflamed and swollen, maybe due to asthma or some other issue, that a coffee stirrer looks too big? LOL

In my case, I define a miss as when I was unable to visualize the cords adequately and aborted the attempt. In other words, I wanted to intubate, but was unable to do it. (Again, my partner was able to do it)

Richard- I asked this same question before and took a beating for it. I totally agree with you...

I like the responses from the firefighters when asked about performing medical duties: "Of the 37 firefighters Braedley interviewed, “all but four expressed sentiments ranging from discomfort to outright rejection of their work in the health care provision,” Sounds like the perfect group of people to be tasked with doing EMS. Obviously Canada is no different than the US in this issue.

Good luck with the union issue. I helped organize the company I was with long ago. I won't bore you with the details, but I will warn you it's not an easy process- especially for those in the forefront of the effort. I racked up a ton of discipline for trumped up, BS infractions during that time- all in an effort to intimidate and dissuade us from our efforts. The union busting tactics did not work. Yes, there are laws that protect workers who want to organize but there are plenty of subtle ways a company can try to keep your from establishing a union presence. A good union will know these methods and keep you safe. Here's a tip- get a good, reliable, and strong union to back you if you can. We had the Teamsters, who did not back down, but there are some smaller, weaker unions that are more interested in your dues than actually going to bat for you. Make sure you clearly outline your priorities and reasons for wanting union representation, ensure the union will fight for these issues(and not ones THEY think are important or easier to get), because unless these issues are addressed, you will not be any better off. The dirty little secret is that the group that benefits the most from unions are the slugs and loafers in your organization- they are seen as being no different than the model employees under a collective bargaining agreement. Hope it works out for you.

LMAO All I can say is..wow.

Well said.

Like I alluded to, my concern over the years has gradually shifted from how many procedures I could get(like a brand new medical student) to how could I obtain the best outcomes for the patient. Sometimes it has nothing to do with medical skills, but in convincing a patient to be compliant with their medications and/or treatment, or maybe getting them to change bad behavior. Sometimes it's training the next generation of providers to do the right thing, and to take pride in their work. Often it's the little thing that make all the difference. Your patients don't care how many ETI's you had for the year as long as you do the best you can and do what's in their best interests.