Dustdevil

Wait... I'm confused. :? I thought you already were an NREMT-P. WTF?

hehehe... yeah, and it stands out like a sore thumb too. When you have the only vehicle of its kind in the whole town, it's hard to say "that wasn't me who drove across the mayor's lawn and crushed his Mercedes! It was somebody else!"

LOL... well I hope you didn't get the impression that any of that was aimed at you personally. I it wasn't meant to be. I was just venting.

Personally, I think the age for voting and for drinking should both be 25. Personally, I think if you drink, you shouldn't be eligible to vote. Or drive. Or procreate. Personally, I think the ol "if you're old enough to fight for your country" argument has relevance only if the person in question actually does fight for his country.

Works for me. But could you at least post it in an appropriate forum. This one is specifically labelled for EMS related news, not general debate.

Absolutely not. When you start mixing up colours, you lose the definition of "uniform." It's about uniformity. We need to be dressing for the public, not for our own egos. And, of course, there should only be one level on an ambulance anyhow. Rid, those are the scrubs I was referring to. Aviator has an excellent product that I think offers a very attractive option to EMS. Mike, as for flight suits, I agree that there are problems with them. Unless they are properly fitted, they look like crap. They look good on most flight crews because most flight services have the suits tailor made. Here in the military, they only look good on half the people, because the other half got issued a size or three too big for them. And we've all seen the fire departments that wear off-the-rack jumpsuits (not flightsuits), that look like potatoe sacks. Ugh. As for the hot and sweaty factor, remember, they don't have to be made of Nomex. They are also made in poly-cotton blends that are quite durable, lightweight, breathable, and look just as good as the Nomex. I also agree that white is not always practical. I would say that for the overwhelming majority of EMS providers in the U.S., it is perfectly practical. However, for the urban firemonkeys and other situations, probably not so. But if you work in an environment where it works, I think it is the best choice for a professional image. I mean come on, folks... I know everybody immediatly starts talking about crawling in wrecked cars, but how many of your runs each day really involve that? It's just not that much. Throw on a bunker coat for that one run out of 50, for Christ's sake. The same statistic goes for the need for reflective and fluorescent clothing. Puhleeze. I am not wearing that clown suit 5 days a week, in and out of hospitals, patients homes, nursing homes, restaurants, apartment and office buildings just because I occasionally work an MVA. That's what traffic vests are for. Too lazy or absent minded to put your vest on? You're fired. I am not a wrecker driver, and I refuse to dress like one. I am a medical professional and will strive to present and maintain that image. If my Rule #1 is "Don't look like a cop or fireman," then my Rule #2 would be "NO FRIGGIN' HATS!" I love pissing off all the fat, Skoal dipping, ballcap wearing Bubbas! Uh... because the Star Of Life is gay and nobody but us even knows what it means. For that matter, probably less than ten percent of those in EMS even know what it actually stands for. I say trash it. It ain't on my ambulance. I don't want it on my body either.

Plus 5 for staying focused on the two most important factors: 1. Being a professional (getting paid) 1. Remaining a student I'm afraid I don't know anything about your area, but I wish you the best of luck!

I wouldn't discount cramming altogether. Cramming works well for many people. There have been studies that validate the practice. While it may not be a good technique for everybody, it is for some. By the time you get to EMT school, you should have had at least 12 years of taking tests behind you. Do whatever works for you.

Bravo, Mate! Glad to hear it! =D> I have confidence in you. October will be a breeze. Don't sweat it. I wanna come ride with you in the spring!

What research have you done into qualfying and quantifying the factors that the public (your patients and their families) and the government entities that employ you use to judge whether or not your service is "good?" If you have done any such research, what were the results? I can assure you that the public and government entities that judge us tend to use different benchmarks of quality service than we use to judge ourselves. Are you prepared to sacrifice your ideals of "good" service to meet their expectations?

The problem with all this colour coding is that it is obvious to only a small amount of the population. The coloured scrubs work only for quickly identifying your co-workers. The patients are oblivious to it. Same with the blue and red thing. And remember, half or more of the population think we are all firemonkeys to begin with, no matter what we wear. The EMERGENCY! legacy lives on. I'd bet that equal parts of the population associate red, blue, and green with the medical arts. White would come out significantly higher rated than any of those though. Personally, I am all about white, and have yet to hear a professionally relevant argument against it. Just a bunch of idiots complaining about dirt showing up on it. Ya know what? If your shirt has crap on it, you need to change it, not hide it. When your shirt is white (and clean), your patients know you are not hiding taco juice and the last patient's sputum in your uniform, and it encourages confidence. Of course, colour choice is only a very small part of the picture. Functionality and distinctive appearance are even more important. Just taking the same Flying Cross shirts that the PD and FD use and sewing different patches on it don't accomplish that. I've worn plain white uniform shirts with no patches, badges, pins, nametags, or anything else on them for years and never had any problem with people not being able to identify me. Generally the big ambulance with the flashing lights, and all the medical equipment in my hands is a giveaway. As for scrubs, the great majority of those who slam them as not functional enough for EMS are talking out their arses because they have never tried it. I have. They work just fine. I'm a medic, not a high mountain ranger. I don't need anything heavier. If I do, I throw on some coveralls. And, as has already been suggested, there is nothing else that is as readily identified with the medical professions as scrubs. There are indeed some seriously tough scrubs out there these days too, that are up to the rigors of EMS duty. They certainly wouldn't be my first choice in all systems, especially in the winter. But otherwise, don't knock it til you try it. Speaking of coveralls, flight suit type coveralls are an attractive option for many reasons. Although, they do not immediately scream "medical" to the public, they are indeed functional (lots of custom pockets, very unrestrictive, easy on/easy off, as comfortable as scrubs), identifiable (nobody else is walking around in them), and unique (nothing like the cops or firemonkeys wear). Lots of factors to be considered. Unfortunately, in EMS it seems that people are more into blindly doing whatever everybody else is doing, with no regard given to professional image. And since a great many people in EMS are just cop and firemonkey wannabes anyhow, the madness will continue.

That reminds me of that poster that says, "Notice from management: The beatings will continue until morale improves." It's absurd. Apparently you slept through both bible class and mathematics. Do the math. If you and all your whacker friends cease your volunteering today, they will become a paid agency tomorrow. But plus 5 for deducting for the double post. :wink:

Although less so now than in the 80's and 90's, this is actually not terribly uncommon in large, urban, municipal systems. Especially fire based systems. I guess the accountability problems (among others), are just too much for them to deal with on that large of a scale. No doctors or administrators are willing to put their name on it.

lol... well, there is ST elevation, and then there is ST ELEVATION. The ST ELEVATION in V5 and V6 are so profound as to jump up and grab you by the throat. It is the most prominent feature in that particular EKG, whereas the BBB is the most prominent feature in the other two. On those two, given the symptomology, I would still have been carefully looking to R/O an AMI with other tests and criteria. However, on number 2, I would be headed for the cath lab with confidence.

I had a ten year old female patient once who was running and slidiing on her grassy lawn and ended up straddling a sprinkler head, which created a particularly nasty vulvar laceration. She was handling the injury okay, but we didn't figure she was going to handle the repair efforts quite as well, so we hit her with a little Vitamin V. During the entire procedure, and even as she left, she just giggled and laughed and kept repeating, "I am SOOOOOOOoooooooooo HAPPY!!"

I don't know a thing about Sgarbossa's Criteria, even after reading this thread three times. :? However, it is a no brainer that #2 is the AMI, even at a casual glance. I didn't need Sgarbossa's Criteria, a rate, rhythm, axis, calipers, Beck's Triad, Turners' Sign, the Rule of Nines, or even 12 leads to tell me that. Some things are just obvious. Plus 5 for a great topic though. And welcome to the forum, Jason.

Yet another argument for dual medic trucks.

That is an admirably healthy and mature attitude. I would like to make it clear that I meant no personal disrespect in my previous post. I just feel strongly that you are definitely not being underutilised in your hospital position. Not a reflection upon you personally. Just a fact relating to your level of educational sophistication. Like you said, nursing and EMS are apples and oranges. That means that hospital and pre-hospital care are also apples and oranges.

Geeze... I would have expected an RN-Paramedic to know better. :? Projecting positive energy Ron's direction from Iraq. Hang tough, Bro.

I was, but I had to resign when I recently gave up my vow of celibacy.

Do you feel a need to justify your uninformed assertions about ACLS, which you have never even taken? If you're just going to blow a lot of gasseous emissions from your arse here without any real information, and no means of justifying them, then your contributions are no great loss. But hey... if you have something to say that passes the smell test, then we're here to listen. To run away is to remain ignorant. You're the one who loses, not us.

I certainly agree with your conclusion, however I'm not so sure about your timeline. I don't think this is anything really new. It seems that a great deal of the country has always been this way. I haven't been seeing systems where the human element is being removed. I have been seeing systems where it was never utilised to begin with. It's always been a cookbook field, for the most part. And really, we have never done anything to convince the medical community that we are worthy of anything more. With three quarters of the EMTs and medics in this country actively fighting against improved educational standards, I wouldn't look for things to get any better in the near future.

Yes. :wink: Michael, thanks for the references. Now I see where the confusion is coming from. You are referring to the mythical Christian deity. I am referring to the real God.

Valid theory in real life, but does it really apply to our relationship with God? We don't need to make a shopping list for God. If She is aware of our every thought, then She is making that list for us as we go. There is nothing you can say to God in prayer that She has not already heard you thinking. Consequently, it appears to serve no point other than in the mind of the prayer. There is no editing with God. Communications with God is not like posting on EMT City. You cannot methodically compose your thoughts into verbal eloquence, reading and re-reading the content before presenting it, and then push the "submit" button. She does not hear only what you address to Her. She knows not only what you want Her to know, but also what you are not telling Her. She is all-knowing. That is what makes Her God.