Biker911

Any idea of a place to sell an EMS Second Chance Bullet proof vest? What the value is? Big Star of Life on back

I have been involved in Calgary EMS/Ambulance for 40 years and have quite a bit of info. e-mail me risdahl@shaw.ca and we can talk

Worked in BC with a an Advanced first-aider/safety officer whose sub-contracted company did drugs tests. When I refused to test any employee's, she took over the responsibility. I treated a pt with severe back pain with endocet (Medical directors orders). Hid personal Physician had previously prescribed endocet but he did not have his script with him. When I kept him off the balance of his day, she went to his room and drug tested. Of course, he was positive and she put in her report and he was fired immediately for drug abuse. A phone call from his lawyer got the facts straitened out, he got his job back and because she lost face, hounded him. and me. I quit as soon as they could find a replacement as I am a medical professional not a drug cop. Unfortunately in Canada, safety people are considered much more important than the medical staff and try to demand medical records from us.

Hey, I guess I should get the motorcycle one to save me from cancer. And I thought it was just tired bum from a long day ion the saddle!

I have to go back, way back. In our city, you could be 18 y/o to attend but had to be 21 y/o to drive the ambulance. I was 19 y/o had my standard St. John's first aid ticket and starting my first night shift with an older partner in a 10 yeer old 1955 yes 1955 Cadillac ambulance. We were called to a strippers bar where the stripper had fallen off the stage and fractured her ankle. Fortunately it was at the end of her shift so we did not have to worry about removing any clothing as there was none. It was when we put her in the back of the ambulance that I learned that it is always best to be the senior person as I became the driver at that moment.

Well said EYDAWN!I agree that would be best. However, under "Sharia Law" when another man, other than her husband, sees the beauty of a woman, he has the right to beat her and/or divorce her. A reporter friend of mine wore a burqua for one day and said "It was the most oppressive feeling that she had ever experienced in her life" It really is a repressive act against a human being.

My best one is "God made Paramedics so even firemen could have hero's" Caught alot of s##t from the FF's for that one. Still like wearing it!

Although it is a silly assed minor problem for a trained health care professional, it seems like an emergency to some of the lesser educated population. Our city gave us taxi chits to give to people to go to the hospital so as not to tie up ambulances. It did not take long for the populace to figure out that the taxi company would take the chit and drop them at the bar or where ever. Good plan gone bad. We now have the option of treating them on scene or making them wait untill we are not busy. When we explain that or "not busy time" is between 0200 and 0500, they usually decline. Yes, I am Canadian, and no, we do not get sued even though we have lawyers!

I was NOT at the scene and 2nd guessing other medical professional's actions is not my right. The article writer states "It wasn't immediately clear if Paramedics checked vital signs on arrival" Maybe they did and maybe she was pulseless at that point. Surely not unheard of. Massive head trauma can mask a great many things. How accessible were other pulse points? Did the pt's visual clues help confirm NO pulse? "They covered her with a yellow tarp" said the daughter "then a few minutes later ""THEY"" found a pulse".. Who are THEY? The same crew that first checked and did a second assessment or another more highly trained crew? Remember. to the media, everybody is a Paramedic! Although, if they failed to do the basics they should be held accountable. Job loss and kicked out of the medical profession may not always be the best solution. If I was fired for the first error I made, I would not have lasted 40 years and I never made that mistake again.

Burn Out is a very real hazard of this profession. If you are feeling those emotions, get professional help. If you are just not that interested in the profession, move on. There are very few jobs that offer such a high job satisfaction as ours. I get thanks for opening doors, shopping in stores, eating at restaurants, etc, etc that are just polite robotic statements. After 40 years, I still enjoy going to work, albeit part-time, as it is rare for some one to thank me and not truly mean it. The pleasure comes from having a caring and compassionate attitude for each and every patient. It is not the major trauma nor the highly complicated medical call that brings the most gratitude as you are paid to do that at a highly skilled level. It is that person that just needs to know that some one cares about their problem even though it seems like such a silly assed call to us. Get down on your knee's and help a child with a small injury and watch the face change from distress to calmness or hold that little old ladies hand as you get her history and and feel the calmness you have brought. When they say Thank You, they really mean it! If you can NOT do the small caring things in a genuine manner, maybe this profession is not for you.

Follow your dream not your dollar! I just gave up $150K/yr cause it just isn't fun being miserable with money when you can be happy with a whole lot less! A well travelled RN or Paramedic is lot more valuable than a cranky one that has been in the same place forever!

I feel you did the right thing. Why was the Pt even transported? Legal issues in the USA or common company practice? If he has no complaints, does not want to or need to tie up the ER, why not have him sign a release and let the lawyers fight it out later. Nurses and Dr.'s are great at second guessing when they are not at the scene. They have all the equipment to use and are trained to make decisions after results. My Canadian 2 cents worth.

I attended the Funeral service for Jan Foster in Calgary last week and was reminded of the contribution to Paramedicine that she made in Calgary and Canada. She was the first co-ordinator and instructor for the original EMT program at SAIT (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology) in 1972 and continued in that position for 16 years. There was NO other program in Canada, so she was required to set the curriculum and standards that evolved into the Paramedic programs of today. Her background was nursing and she was always voicing a concern of how the ambulance attendants brought patients into the ER. When the program was conceived and a posting went out to hire some-one to set up and administer it, she applied and went to work. After the funeral, many Paramedics that were in her 1st, 2nd and in my 3rd year classes got a chance to visit and remember what it was that started all this paramedical stuff. We are amazed at how much it has changed and how much it has stayed the same. Some of us have been working continually for over 40 years. Jan Foster brought her professionalism into the class room and that ideal has remained to this day. Jan Foster would be considered "THE MOTHER OF PARAMEDICINE" in Canada by all those that knew her.