Dustdevil

This is certainly good news, regardless of its guardedness! A long road ahead of you is much better than no road ahead of you! Continued positive thoughts going Ron's way.

Hey Masher, Thanks for sticking around to make a clearer case. A lot of guys would have just said, "FU!" and left by now. This bodes well for you. And I must say I am certainly more comfortable with you now than I was after your original post. You never have come across as a bad guy or a less than intelligent guy by any means. But it did appear that you still had an immature and reckless streak in you that needed time to work out. Perhaps that was an incorrect impression, and I'm glad you talked it out. That being the case, the odds remain about the same, except that you seem eloquent enough to explain yourself and possibly minimise any doubts a potential employer may have about you, if he is on the fence. But like we said, drivers insurance rates will frequently dictate who they can and cannot hire, regardless of how they feel about you. How many and what kind of violations you can have is going to vary from place to place, so you have a shot. And again, the other stuff will be on a case by case basis too. I think if you get through the state and the school checks, you're probably in a good position to get a job somewhere. I think the biggest problem now is that you have been given a very unrealistic impression of what kind of education is required for this field. Yes, EMT school is just a four week first aid course that nobody with a BA is going to fail without really trying. But that is really all it is. It is just an entry level certificate that allows you to start working towards a paramedic licence. Unless you already have a year of Anatomy & Physiology, Microbiology, Psychology, Sociology, and Chemistry behind you (which you may), then any paramedic education that is worth having will take you two years to complete. If you already have all that, then you can bang it out in about a year of almost full-time study. That's not really significantly less than nursing school. After that, It's going to take you a couple of years before you really know what you are doing. And, of course, you're still probably going to be making half of what your mother makes. You also seem to have a bit of an unrealistic view of what we do. I can assure you that this job will not satisfy anybody's craving for adrenaline. Even in the busiest system, ninety percent of your patients are just plain old sick people who are whining and moaning and vomiting about ailments that you can neither see, diagnose, nor do anything about. Most of the spectacular wrecks you see on the freeway result in everybody walking away under their own power with nothing more than a sore neck. There is nothing heroic or exciting about driving these people to the hospital, and there is nothing you can do for them. Even that initial thrill you get from bombing through red lights with your siren going fades very quickly. If it doesn't you get killed either through recklessness, or by your partner for endangering his life. The truth is, this is really not much more than being a high-priced (not to be confused with high paid) taxi service. If you want in because it looks fun and exciting on Turd Watch, then don't bother. That isn't what it is like, even in NYC. But if you want in because the intellectual challenge of MEDICINE is just the most interesting thing you can imagine, then I would like to see you join us. But again, it's going to take about two years before you are ready to do that. As for volunteering, yes, I will strongly advise against that. You can search the forum for topics with the terms "volunteer" and "volunteering" in them if you want a lot of eye-crossing discussion about it, but the bottom line is that volunteers are damaging to the profession of EMS, and an insult to all of us who bust our arses to make it a true profession. For every wanker who makes a part-time hobby out of playing Johnny & Roy, there is somebody with two years of serious education who can't find a job. And, of course, volunteer EMS is not a helpful experience to the newbie. It is nothing more than exposure that tends to leave you with bad habits and unrealistic views that are extremely hard to break once you get into the profession. Personally, I deep-six any application I receive that has mention of volunteer experience on it. I'd rather have a clean slate candidate right out of school than somebody with two years of bad habits I am going to have to break, wouldn't you? You can make a decent living in EMS in many places. North Texas is not one of those places, unless you want to be a firemonkey too. That's a whole nother story right there. But if you are a two-income family, then yes, you can be comfortable as a medic in North Texas if you are lucky enough to get on with one of the VERY few 911 EMS employers in the area that aren't fire departments. The reason there are so few jobs? Volunteers. Although your wife makes good money, give some consideration to the long term strain it puts on a relationship when the wife begins to think all her hard work is just to support your hobby. Anyhow, hit me up with a PM if you want to discuss anything about your area and Texas EMS in general. Good luck!

Well, stepping back I can see how the posts here could easily be interpreted as bashing, and put our new friend on the defensive. I would like to apologise for that, and assure him that it is not really my intent. The way I see it, ntg, you came here asking for help, and help is exactly what I am offering. Sometimes, help comes in the form of "tough love." It's not always pretty or sugar coated. It's not always pleasant to swallow. But the intent is genuine, and I hope that you can see that through all the hyperbole. I know that you are not a rookie, and you don't need anybody telling you the basics. I'm not trying to talk down to you here. I'm just saying that this "need" you have to carry all those things isn't really a need at all. It's just a nasty habit, just like smoking. Breaking that habit can and may cause you anxiety and stress as you wonder if you have the strength to do it. Especially when you are surrounded by 2000 co-workers who have the same habit. But YOU are the one who said it is a problem for you. And admitting the problem is the first big step to recovery. I think you can do it. Remove one item per shift from your belt. If you start having tremours, or hyperventilating, or losing the ability to concentrate on your patients as you fondle your empty belt, then slow down the pace. Remove one item a week instead of each shift. No hurry here. Your goal remains the same. Start with the simple stuff. Ditch the multi-tool first. Heck, you don't even have to ditch it entirely, just leave it in your bag in the truck for those repair jobs you just can't let go. A week later, when you realise you haven't needed that a single time on a scene, you can dump the oxygen wrench next. Have a sudden need for it? Hey, that's what your EMT partner is for. If you have a patient that really needs oxygen, then you as the medic have better things to do than play with the bottle, right? By the end of the month, you should be down to a couple of things that you absolutely just cannot live without, and you cannot count on your EMT or jump kit to provide. Besides your cellphone, that should not be anything that was not issued by your department. And those few items are not enough to even justify a Bat belt, so you can lose the belt too! Voila! Problem solved! No muss. No fuss. Of course, if that fails -- if you're just not strong enough to do it -- we still have wellbutrin, hypnotherapy, accupuncture, and electroshock therapy to try! :wink:

Well, that's kind of open to interpretation, I guess, since he doesn't specify. That's really the point I was making. It can certainly be interpreted negatively.

Absolutely. As usual, Duke speaks the wisdom. Your age and your education give the appearance of intelligence, maturity, and responsibility. But then you go and blow it all with this irresponsible and immature speed fetish. You're shooting yourself in the foot. Now that you are considering your future, it's time to grow up and slow down. Your record does not sound like it will keep you from getting a certification in Texas. No felonies or crimes of moral turpitude. Recent misdemeanors will be evaluated on a case by case basis. Get with the Texas Dept. of Health EMS division BEFORE enrolling in EMT school and have them pre-qualify you. I believe they will do that. Maybe not. I know the nursing board will. But it would be VERY helpful to know ahead of time where you stand. Otherwise, you may finish school, sit in a holding pattern for 3 months while they evaluate your record, and then get rejected and never see a certificate. Speaking of school, almost all of them now require that you provide a certified copy of your criminal history before they let you in. The hospitals they use for clinical time require it. It is possible that the school may reject you even if the state does not. Check with the school well ahead of time too so you don't waste your time or money. I suspect that you will be okay with what you have shared here, but you never know. If you make it that far, finish school, get a certification, and hit the job search, then you face the same situation, but worse. Like Duke said, your driving record will be your worst enemy in this case. It is remotely possible that you may find a private, non-emergency, transfer ambulance company to hire you because they are desperate. However, the chances of you getting hired by an actual 911 EMS provider anytime soon are extremely slim. Shoplifting 7 years ago? Sure, some will get past that. A lot won't. But with more than one moving violation in the last two years or so, fat chance. I wouldn't want you -- or any other adrenaline junky or motorcycle rider -- driving me around for 12 hours a day. I'd end up strangling you within a week. It's not so much the 8 year old record that is the problem. It is the immaturity and irresponsibility shown by your driving record that will hold you back. Bottom line, you've got a decent shot at getting certified. A marginal shot at getting a non-EMS job on a transfer unit, and a very slim chance of getting an actual emergency ambulance job in the next two years. I dunno, bro... I like to see guys with your educational background coming to our field. Lord knows we need a lot more education. But I think you have a better shot at nursing school myself. You don't have to drive as a nurse. I think your chances can improve greatly in the next two years though, as long as you ditch the bike and slow down. Good luck! By the way, I wouldn't hire anybody who called themselves a catmasher either, so you might watch that kind of humour if you decide to pursue this.

I tried that with the Big Shears. Works fine if you are standing up all day. Sucks arse if you have to sit down at any point during your shift. Especially if you are driving. I ditched that idea real fast. Sounds like your fleet maintenance department needs to get their shyte together. As long as you keep doing their job for them, they won't. Dude, your mechanics don't even carry all that crap on their belts, and it's their job to use them! Why would you, a medic, carry all that crap just in case the occasional light bulb burns out? If you feel the overwhelming urge to do their job for them, why can't you at least leave the tools in the truck instead of lugging them around on your belt all day long? And who cares if one light bulb burns out? Do you only have one bulb on your entire ambulance? Glass wasn't broken by the t-boning? That's pretty rare. Regardless, I would suspect you could easily break glass just with that ten pound keyring you carry. Why carry an extra tool for it? And it is obvious where they are walking to. They're are walking into the pockets of all the wankers and rookies in your agency. Are you honestly going to tell me you went out and purchased your own O[sub:cb78bf8300]2[/sub:cb78bf8300] wrench? Puhleeze. If you did, that puts you in the whacker elite. I bet if the agency started buying bright pink wrenches with their name engraved on them, they wouldn't walk off anymore, just like scrub suits in the hospitals. Does your agency require you to provide your own personal cellphone for these business related communications? Is this in writing? If not, screw them. Tour chief wants to talk to me? He can wait til I find a free phone. I am not using my minutes or a quarter in the payphone to conduct city business. Again, give it away for free, and they will never step up and take care of business. Again, I've seen what goes on in New York. Monkey see, monkey do. All the other guys are wearing wanker belts, so that's what every other rookie does too. Funny how a couple states south or north of you, the medics don't wear all that crap, yet they seem to function just fine. Los Angeles is just as urban as any town you've ever worked in, yet they don't wear all that crap. In fact, I still see absolutely no correlation between being in an urban system and the need to carry a lot of extra crap. I've worked in some pretty rural systems, and they all had light bars and oxygen tanks too. So what's the big difference?

It is apparently above the BSN level too. But yeah... EMT school is hardly a class in A&P. You come out learning that there are 206 bones in the body, but only learn the name of about twelve of them. The better schools teach you to trace the blood flow through the heart and lungs, but nothing about blood itself, except that losing it is bad. Surfer, if you are in nursing prerequisites (by the way, I am an RN and a Paramedic), I have faith that you will soon understand what we are talking about. About halfway through A&P I, you will realise what a joke EMT school was. You will also get a couple of semesters of classes that really are "very hard" to help you decide if this is really for you. Again, I wish you the very best of luck!

Her.

I don't understand this claim, nor the claims that anybody was sniping at you. I haven't seen any of this. BEorP asked how your venture was working out for you. Your response was some kind of denial that your product was exactly what your website calls it. Yeah, that sounds a little suspicious to me and others, so a little explanation might be in order. But nobody has sniped at you or taken you to issue for starting a good and worthwhile topic. I think it is healthy to discuss our non-ems related interests and pursuits. And it would behoove a lot of medics to give serious consideration to other avenues of augmenting their income, instead of just working for three different ambulance companies for $9 dollars an hour until they burn out. Kudos for stimulating a great discussion, but don't spoil it by getting weird on us.

Did you actually physically palpate an increase in the pulse over time, or did you just notice a variation in the digital readout?

Excluding all medical fields from consideration, my other plans were either a military career or to be a pilot. Or both. I did both, and enjoyed both. But, of course, I did not make a career out of either.

Ah, well you said it was in "CA," which means Canada to me. And you said... Which means to most of us that it could not possibly have been in the United States. I do wish you the very best of luck with this. I really do. I want everybody who has the honest desire to join the profession to have the opportunity to make it. However, before you get too carried away with all this, if you don't make it on your third attempt, I would respectfully suggest you take an honest appraisal of your aptitude for this field. If you found a four week first aid class to be "super hard," and have failed the exam twice, then there is really a pretty good chance that medicine is just not your cup of tea. After all, it doesn't get any easier from here. Most people who bomb out of paramedic school passed NREMT-B on the first attempt. Where does that put your chances of successful progression in the field? Doesn't mean you're stupid or anything. Just means you're wired for different vocational options. Probably better ones than this one. Most of them are.

Actually, their uniforms are about the only thing I like about BCAS, lol! I think I'd ditch the patches too, but at least they aren't uber gaudy like so many are in EMS. Tell us, Speedy, how many years did you wear them on the streets as an EMS provider before you came to this conclusion? And what exactly was it about them that brought you to that conclusion? Yeah, well thirty five years after the fact, it is now obvious that the SOL is a collossal flop. Many providers have been moving away from it for the last twenty years already because nobody but us recognises it. There is one symbol that is universally recognised to be associated with emergency care. Unfortunately, the arseholes at the American Red Cross registered it as a protected trademark, so we can't use it. Well, actually "we" can use it out here where I am, but American EMS in general cannot use it. I think the National Safety Council registered the green cross as a protected trademark too, for that matter, so that leaves that one out too. Hats... well... I can certainly agree with a need for them in regions such as Spenac works in. But these would have to be pre-approved, uniform (everybody the same) functional hats that are not ballcap style, and only under necessary weather conditions. You can't wear them after sundown just because you're having a bad hair day. Polo shirts... these can be decent looking when in a conservative colour and worn with fitted slacks (as opposed to MC Hammer looking BDU britches). Unfortunately, there is a tendancy to make them clown red or a dingy (din-gee, not ding-ee) grey colour that looks like crap. And the cut of Polo shirts is not very conducive to the wearing of body armour, which would be a mandatory requirement in my agency. And I dunno about where everybody else is, but all the cops are starting to wear white polo shirts around Texas in the Summer. Consequently, there goes the whole purpose of the distinct uniform. Consequently, no Polo shirts. T-shirts... seriously, do I really even need to comment on this? :roll: And I will absolutely veto any legislation that includes any reflective material on the primary uniform. Wear a vest. Wear a coat. Wear a jacket. Wear a Radio Shack fire chief helmet with a flashing red beacon on it for all I care. But no reflective material on the primary uniform.

Just curious what you're weighing in at these days. You've made it clear that you are not willing to part with any of this useless crap, so perhaps the answer lies in simply getting yourself into better shape, and possibly losing a few of your own pounds. Fixing light bars - Fleet maintenance's job. Aren't you union there? Is doing their job allowed? Are the mechanics allowed to start IV's? Don't you think that if the city really wanted you to be performing mechanical maintenance on their fleet, they would put it in your job description and issue you the proper tools to do so? Window punching - Firemonkey's job. Let them do it. Do one thing and do it well. Keys - How many keys are you carrying? For what? If it's bothering you, it's probably too many. Oxygen key - If they grow legs, that's the city's problem, not yours. Put the truck out of service until those responsible have stocked the truck appropriately. It doesn't sound like they pay you enough to be supplying items that the city should be supplying. This is kind of like the anti-volunteer argument. So long as people are stupid enough to buy the city's equipment for them, the city will never step up and take care of the problem themselves. Cellphone -- If you're really making 20 runs a shift, when the heck are you finding time to make or receive phone calls? You can't answer it on a run. Leave it in the truck. But at least listing it qualifies the thread for the "High Tech" category. The city didn't issue you any of this stuff, including the belt I would bet. Hmmm... I wonder what that could possibly mean? Maybe that they don't think it is essential to your job? That would be correct. You're trying to hide behind all this nonsense about "standard of care" and "DOH regulations" when the truth is that you carry all this stuff simply because you want to. If you want to, that's cool. I carry a camera on my belt because I want to. But at least I admit that it is only because I want to. And I don't blame it on "the man" and whine about how heavy it is. Those who say this bat-whacker belt thing is strictly a rookie phenomenon are wrong. It's also a Northeast phenomenon. Despite the protestations that the urban environment makes it necessary, you see the suburban and rural medics in NYS doing the same thing. It's just monkey see - monkey do.

Never heard of it. Where the heck is that? Nova Scotia? I thought only Alberta had EMTs. :? You're the first Canadian I ever even heard of taking NR. Do you plan to work in the U.S.?

Well, that blows my theory. I failed trauma assessment once on this exact same scenario, except that at the very beginning the examiner mentioned that the victim was found lying near a staircase. Of course, there was no actual staircase in the room to visualise, so I forgot that piece of information and did not c-spine. You had that covered, though.

And not just your garden variety monopoly either. It appears to me that AHA has an international monopoly. Unless I am mistaken (wouldn't be the first time), even Canadia and Europia recognise AHA standards. Although, I would be interested in knowing if other countries are as anal about the whole "certification card" concept as we are in the U.S.

Can you be a little more specific? Are you talking about RTs who are not EMTs or Paramedics, who work on an ambulance solely in an RT capacity? Are you talking about RTs who are not EMTs or Paramedics, who work outside of the hospital environment, possibly in home care, etc..., but not on an ambulance? Are you talking about EMTs or Paramedics who also happen to be RTs? I have worked with a few on the ambulance, and have been one myself. There are a couple here at EMT City who are currently dual role RT/Medics.

Oooh, excellent points! I would agree that all three of those are significant factors in the decision of a system to include narcotics in the formulary. I think they are highly overrated though. Think about it: Money - A 10mg vial of morphine costs a couple of bucks. Even if you have a hundred ambulances, you still haven't spent a thousand bucks. And, of course, the item is billed for. 2. Crew Safety - Not carrying narcotics is a safety factor only if the public knows you are not carrying narcotics. They don't. They all assume we all carry narcotics. Consequently, those inclined to jack you up for drugs are going to do it anyhow. And when you have nothing to give them, they are going to kill you for holding out on them. Consequently, actually having narcotics makes you safer than not having them. 3. Transport Time - Really, the only one of the three that has any merit at all, and it's still negated by multiple factors. It doesn't matter how close you are to the hospital in an urban environment. Scene times, the time necessary to ingress and egress from urban structures and navigate traffic, as well as waiting time to get your patient to a doctor's side all negate the illusion of short patient care times in many urban systems. Regardless of transport time, your patient is still under your care for 20 to 30 minutes, minimum. Thirty minutes of 9/10 pain is an eternity, and there is no excuse for not treating it. Symptom relief is now an internationally recognised standard, unlike in the past. MONA is the universal gold standard of cardiac care. If your agency isn't meeting that gold standard, your agency sucks, and probably in many more ways than just this one. And, of course, it has to be asked, if morphine were not a controlled substance requiring special recordkeeping, would your agency still reject it from their formulary? Would they hold any of the above reasons alone to be sufficient to not use it? Of course not. So really, it all comes down to one thing; they simply don't trust their people and don't want the hassle. I would not live in that city. If the system administrators don't trust their medics, then I don't either.

Are you denying calling them "Tactical Oxygen Tank Keys"? Or are you just denying that they are "Tactical Oxygen Tank Keys," regardless of what you call them? :-k

I've always been curious why it took a Constitutional Amendment to outlaw alcohol, yet the outlawing of drugs is done on political whim. Seems like the same legal standard would apply to both. As for Louisiana being the lone hold-out, they still hold out in practice. They don't enforce the drinking age there at all. And, of course, if you drive their highways, you can see the result of them letting the feds keep the highway funds. Worst highways in the Union.

And people still wonder why EMS is headed nowhere? :roll:

I beg to differ with you. With the proper consequences, underage drinking can be seriously curbed. The problem is, the "kids will be kids" attitude in society actually encourages underage drinking by minimalising the concern and the consequences. Pyro, excellent point about inconsistency. Inconsistency, like hypocrisy, are also prime contributors to antisocial behaviour in our society. Unfortunately, the government itself is the culprit.

The answer is three-fold: 1. When your MEDICAL doctor clears you. 2. When you feel physically one-hundred percent. 2. When you have finished paramedic school. Not a moment sooner. If you truly have a passion for the field, get serious and do it right. Go straight to medic school, get an education, and start off as a true team member. Forget all the loser idiots who told you basic experience was important first. It's not. Keep your day job and stay in school. As for not knowing how long they will hold that job for you, it will always be there. EMTs leave EMS constantly because, quite frankly, EMS sucks as a job. There will always be an opening just around the corner. Even more so if you are a paramedic. Don't worry about it. Good luck.

I agree. In my experience, it is not really typical for them to ask you any medical questions. It will most likely be a nurse interviewing you, and she sees you as nothing but an assistant anyhow, not a medical practitioner. They generally expect VERY little out of you, medically speaking. They closest they usually get to any kind of medical questions are just questions of your experience, like "do you have any phlebotomy experience?" or "do you have any experience with breathing treatments or foley catheters?" They're not really interested in your medical knowledge becacuse frankly, they don't want you using any of it, lol. Like Speedy said, you will more than likely just get the same standard questions that they ask the janitors and secretaries too. Don't sweat it, and be honest.