Dustdevil

Yeah... I was hoping somebody would invoke Godwin. Unfortunately, my attempt at nuking this topic has failed. Just like those Japanese Army stragglers we were still finding on Pacific islands in the 1970s, some people just don't realise the war is over. Dwayne, I cannot disagree with anything you said. However, I can disagree that it has any relevance to this situation. I don't believe there is an equation that can be made between those with mental defect and those who just have really shitty values.

Hey... it's the only factor you listed. And you just went into how important being able to use your so-called "skills" is, so obviously this is of some priority to you. And you STILL haven't mentioned a single other factor that is important to you. You could have asked about pay, cost of living, organisational opportunities, reciprocity requirements, educational opportunities, city or area recommendations, or any other of the normal things that people normally ask about. You didn't. I didn't make an assumption. I took you at your word. So will any potential employer. I hope you don't go job hunting with that line of BS. You'll be laughed out of every office in Southern California, or any other state for that matter. What awesome skillz do you have that sets you apart from anybody else? With a month of night school? Anything I couldn't teach any other EMT in one day? Any education to back it up with? The third degree you get here is nothing compared to what you will get from any employer worth working for. Ask your potential employer serious, career minded adult questions or they're going to make some pretty unflattering assumptions about you too.

I feel your pain, bro. Despite your inability to find the "SpellCheck" button that is right in front of your face ( ), you are obviously astutely grasping obvious concepts that management can't seem to see. You're right... your medics have a problem. But you are also right that the problem is much bigger than just your medics. The real problem here is clueless and incompetent management. One thing you don't really make clear though is what exactly happened to start this downward spiral? It seems that you are saying that this company was just fine until they took a partial contract with the county. Maybe I am misunderstanding the timeline? Are you saying that the COUNTY was just fine until your company got involved, or that your company was just fine until they got involved with the county? It's important to determine if there is some sort of cause and effect relationship. Regardless, it does seem obvious that management is a major problem, and are making the problem worse. I mean, come on... if your paramedics are the problem, the answer is NOT to put them in charge of more patients! :roll: The answer to this problem -- besides better management -- is the same as the answer to every other question in EMS: Education. But a good first step would be to replace all of the EMTs with paramedics, in order to establish a field-level check-and-balance system that currently does not exist. Not only would it allow professional oversight on the scene, but it would prevent the further deterioration of the paramedics' attitudes that is sure to occur now that they will be forced to tend to every patient without a break. Although it does seem pretty obvious, kudos to you for actually giving some serious thought to the matter instead of just accepting things as they are without any examination of the causes and possible solutions. If more people in your system did that, you would have the beginnings of some meaningful progress.

Great pun! While they are in investigative mode, maybe they can investigate why their EMS sucks. And DCFD has sergeants? :?

We "tolerated" the Nazis for five years before deciding enough people had died. Tolerance should not be confused with apathy or enabling.

Kinda like CISD?

Excellent point. Why not move on? This is just like a relationship. If it's bad, do you just accept the bad? Do you try to change that person? Do you turn gay? Or do you move on and find somebody you are more compatible with? We have choices. Use yours wisely.

If not, either you or your class sucks. Most of us would disagree. Anatomy is the easy part. It's the physiology part that will make the difference between being a medical professional or just a protocol monkey. Screw the EMT experience. Spend that time getting EDUCATION before paramedic school.

If studying is what you need, then sample tests are not the answer. Do you know your stuff, or not? If you do, then sample tests are good ways to just sharpen your testing skills by drilling your reading comprehension and critical thinking skills in a way similar to the exam process. But if you don't know your stuff, you aren't going to learn it from random test questions. You're just wasting your time. Good luck!

Smart money says that is exactly why he posted this. He doesn't want to know anything... except when he can go into the chat room. Otherwise, he would have asked specific questions. I'm getting a little sick of this nonsense.

For somebody who wants to know about everybody else's apparatus, you sure didn't tell us much about yours. Is that really all you know about your apparatus? That it's "fairly new?" Would you be satisfied with our answers if they were that pointless? Is your "rescue unit" even an ambulance, or is it just a utility truck for rescue equipment? And did you not notice that there is an "Apparatus" forum here specifically for these types of posts?

I know I suck for posting something that doesn't really answer your question, but I just have to ask... Is "protocols" really the most important thing you could think of to ask about? Is that really how you intend to choose where to move your entire life to? I'd be interested in hearing what other factors you would find important in making such a decision.

Sure, they may have other options. There are other insurance companies out there. Companies that will cover you, but charge thousands of dollars more. With the miniscule profit margin that already exists in EMS, why would you as a manager want to spend that extra money, just so you can hire a couple of kids, when there is a long line of applicants over 21 ready to do the same job and cost you less? Where is the motivation? Why would they do that? Especially a private company. It just doesn't make any sense on any level. Yes, I know that there are a lot of retards out there running EMS systems, but most of them at least pay attention to the bottom line, which is expenses. You'll generally find more private transfer ambulance companies hiring 18 year old EMTs than actual EMS agencies, but the reasons are obvious. First of all, they have a much larger turnover and need to hire people more often and faster. And, of course, they have fewer people applying to work for them than the EMS agencies do, because everybody wants to run emergencies, but few want to run transfers. Then there is the simple fact that transfer companies have a larger profit margin, being able to pick and choose their customers, so they can afford to spend more on insurance to keep the trucks staffed and running. Especially since they're barely paying minimum wage to begin with. It really doesn't take years of EMS experience, or even an economics course to figure all of this out.

Well, there is still one little detail you left out...

Maybe he is in NYC, where they carry centrifuges and Hemocult cards on their bat belts?

[web:1dd0252cd1]http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066921/plotsummary[/web:1dd0252cd1]

Very good point. I wholeheartedly agree. But you have to do more than just "have" the Code Of Ethics. You have to study it, understand it, and believe in it. Perhaps if they did away with that day in EMT school where they talk about stupid things like "duplex" and "repeater" radio systems, and spent a day coming to understand and respect the ethical demands of the profession, the people in this profession might begin to take it more seriously. Hell, even Boy Scouts do that! Shouldn't we?

ICE isn't stupid. But the egocentric belief that ICE was developed solely for the use and convenience of paramedics is pretty stupid. I do hope that you were just joking, and don't actually subscribe to that belief.

In downtown Dallas, there are these HUGE signs on the freeway that say, "DO NOT EXIT TO CONTINENTAL." They are for those who are just entering the freeway, to keep them from immediately trying to cross over four lanes of traffic to get right back off again. But they are so big that they are a well known fixture of Dallas life. A lot of people don't know what they are for though, so there is always speculation. Because of that, when somebody is crazy or going off the deep end, we say "they took the Continental exit."

She didn't say they needed to be punished. She said they need to be more severely punished. Apparently, prison isn't severe enough. Perhaps there is a point to that.

...she says in-between puffs on her cigarette. :wink: Just kidding, Kat. Good post, and great work.

Ah, I understand now. However, that is not your "profession" interfering with your family time. It is just your hobby that is interfering with your family time. And I agree with you; if my spouse were neglecting our family in favour of her hobby, I would not be at all understanding. I'd leave her and take the kids. Check your priorities.

Only if you're driving like an arse. I'm not in that big a hurry. I am in control of my patient. Cost of doing business. They're not in that big a hurry either. This is true. But that justification only works for you so long as you don't have a wreck. The day you have one, it becomes a fact that it WAS necessary for safety and that you didn't do it. With all the adrenaline freaks, thrillseekers, idiots, and kids with less than five years experience behind the wheel of any vehicle driving ambulances these days, it is not surprising that many agencies will take that element of discretion away from their operators and establish policy requiring a full-stop, superceding state law. Can't say I blame them.

And perhaps if you put more effort into the subject than you put into elementary school English, you would have passed too. By the way, there is a SpellCheck button for your use at the bottom right of the posting window. And the "shift" button on your keyboard allows you to capitalise the first letter of your sentences.

Then there are those who list an allergy because they once heard that their great aunt on their step-father's side was allergic to it. And, of course, the ones who list an allergy because they feel the drug didn't work for them last time. And the asthmatics who have never had a reaction to ASA, but were told years ago that they shouldn't take it. Because of that, a patient should ALWAYS be queried about what specifically happens if/when they take/took that drug. A good amount of the time, they say they never have even taken it. LMAO!