Dustdevil

Minus 5 for posting in the wrong forum.

Most likely because after years of dealing with wankers, these stupid broads have come to believe that real ambulance drivers carry badges. Perpetuating the lie is not the answer. This is just another example of a problem in EMS that could easily be solved through education.

I'd love to comment on this, but I'd just get too pissed off and spend too much of my valuable R&R ranting about it. Plus 10 to Wild-atheart for recognising the shortcomings of this programme and for aspiring to greater heights.

No problem. Be sure and post a pic of your new badge when it arrives.

Plus 5 for evaluating your educational experience critically and taking control of your own education. It sounds like you are on the right path. As for flash cards, they are an excellent learning aid, but the learning value is almost completely lost if you use pre-made cards. Think about it, why would reading info from the cards be any more valuable than reading it from the book? It isn't. The value is in looking up that information from the book and other sources, then HAND writing it in bullet form on paper. Then further editing that info and HAND writing it on flash cards. Then studying those cards that YOU wrote and YOU are sure you will understand. That process of not just reading the info, but processing it through your mind three times as you transcribe it, is what will burn it into your brain. Pre-made cards are great reference tools, but they are worthless as learning tools.

Interesting. What I see happening a LOT more often in EMS today is patients suffering from being treated by medics who are trained well in their "skills," but never received an adequate foundational education to actually understand the physiological ramifications of those interventions, and therefore use those "skills" inappropriately. I'll take a hesitant but educated professional over an overtrained, undereducated-but-decisive technician anyday.

It amazes me how many places still teach the 3-parameter mental status report, considering the four parameters have been a professional standard for over twenty years. The fourth parameter is "event." That is, does the patient know what happened to him or her, or why EMS was called for them. You can know who you are, where you are, and what day it is, but still have a significant deficit if you don't know why you are lying flat on your back surrounded by firemonkeys. Regardless, optimal documentation lists exactly what parameters you are utilising, not just "x3" or "x4" because obviously, parameters differ from provider to provider.

I've been impressed with the quality of your posts until you laid this rotten egg. Anybody with mature powers of observation would realise that most of this advice comes from people who have been there and made the same mistakes, and are now hoping that some newbie can learn from this experience and avoid the same pitfalls. You sound like one of these 16 year old kids who gets bent out of shape when he doesn't get the answers he is fishing for. Anybody who came to EMT City to get smoke blown up their arse came to the wrong place. The facts are what we are all about. Minus 5 for making ASSumptions.

My five-step plan: Establish a minimum age of 25 for all EV operators. Establish a lengthy and comprehensive driver training and education curriculum, which must be successfully completed before getting behind the wheel on duty. Establish a minimum time working as a non-driver in the back of the ambulance before being allowed to even start the driver training programme. Establish a high-voltage electrode system in the driver seat that is activated by a button in the patient compartment. Remove the lights and sirens from the vehicles.

Plus 5 for an honest, intelligent, quality post. :thumbright: I am, however, a little confused about what you mean by being able to "afford" it. It costs more to eat less? :?

Already being done in communities where there is a need, same as with EMTs and medics. It is sound logic, even if it does disrupt your hobby. Wow, that's pretty scary right there. :?

Then good luck in college, lol! I don't like them either, and it took me 6 years to get a 4 year degree. Coincidence? I think not. :wink: Anyhow, think about it. Have you been fired yet for not getting a signature from people who refuse to sign? No. So why do you care? Why the heck would you spend a dime for their signatures? You shouldn't. If you buy a badge for no more justification than that, then you're just doing it because you want it and are trying to rationalise it to yourself. Nobody who is not issued a badge has any business with one. And a good percentage of those who are issued them have no business with them either.

There are darn few people here who could and should not put a continuing focus on improving their physical conditioning. Certainly not me. So yes, you should make this a priority starting today. Most people would tell you to focus on upper body strength. This is far from good advice. The first thing they teach you in body mechanics class is to lift with your legs! Therfore, the upper and lowr are at least equally important. And neither of them will do you any good if you are so out of breath from the 200 metre walk with all of your equipment that you can't barely stay on your feet. Consequently, cardio conditioning is also equally important. Total fitness. That is the answer. And you aren't going to achieve it in 30 minutes a day, even if that is 7 days a week, so get serious. Good luck!

Good news! That's how it usually works. A sudden breakthrough, then it is all downhill from there. Best of luck with the remainder of your education!

Minus five for failing to search this frequently and exhaustively covered topic. The answer, as already unanimously replied, is no. None of the occupations you have listed are anything that has any business with a badge. Note on your PCR that the facility personnel refused to sign, and leave. No big deal. This is a situation that should be taken care of by your agency management, not by you. That's why they get the big bucks and you eat Raman noodles. Save your money and get a Star Of Life tattoo instead. :wink:

I think you're SOL, bro. Once a case is adjudicated, it generally cannot be re-opened for a new plea and disposition unless a higher court does so on successful appeal. That is what this would take, which would mean a lawyer and a lot of money. More money than you would make in six months as an EMT for some taxi company. Even then, it would take months just to try. It will very definitely not happen from you showing up at the judges bench by yourself looking for some handshake deal. And really, this job you are looking for puts you no closer to your misguided dream than you are right now. Education would put you much closer, as it would put you ahead of the competition, which is quite stiff. So you must ask yourself, do you really want to get closer to your dream career, or do you just want to wear a uniform and play with the siren as soon as possible so you can feel like you are closer to your dream? Word of advice for the future. Drive like a responsible adult. Failing that, at least don't go pay your tickets. Traffic fines are for chumps. ALWAYS, and I do mean ALWAYS take your traffic tickets to a lawyer to get the best deal and prevent this sort of problem in the future. Good luck!

This is exactly why so many cops jerk the media around. Control freaks. No good reason to jerk the press around. Just a chance to puff out their chests and be badasses. Basically, the cops are pretty useless at these scenes, and they know it. Feeling useless, they must find something to do to look like they are worth their inflated salaries, so they hassle people to look important. If this is career suicide in NYC, I am glad to hear it. Too bad that policy doesn't spread to the rest of the country. Please tell me exactly why an incident commander would have any need to "control" the press. Unless they are REALLY (not theoretically or potentially) interfering with emergency operations, they are absolutely free to be anywhere they want and filming whatever they deem newsworthy. Incident commanders don't get to make these decisions for the press, and a good incident commander will not only accommodate the media, but cultivate positive relations with them. Go dicking them around at every "incident" you have and you are only asking for an investigative report on your departments management and finances to hit the ten o'clock news. Then go bitch about unfair treatment from the press and see if you get a sympathetic ear. No, it would not be similar at all. There is a huge difference between putting public safety at risk (yelling fire) and just irritating people (taking photos at an incident). Public safety, crime scene issues (sometimes), and national security are about the only reasons you may put restrictions on civil liberties, and you had better be able to prove either case actually existed in any given instance. And your little piss-ant fire or car wreck isn't going to qualify as either. And no, the safety of the media reps does not count. They are perfectly within their rights by law to put their own safety in jeopardy to gather the news. Therefore, you cannot exclude them from a scene just because they might get hurt.

There are probably a dozen topics in this forum asking the very same question. Try the SEARCH function at the top of the page to find them and benefit from dozens of previous posts. Chances are, if you are in a relatively quiet atmosphere and cannot hear the systole, it's not the stethoscope. You're doing something wrong. Stethoscope quality matters for tricky breath sounds and heart sounds. It's almost a complete non-factor for BPs.

Well, I am not exactly sure what your question is, specifically. I need some context or maybe an example of what you mean. Are you asking for official titles, or just who we personally consider to be medics? Regardless of what your specific question is, the answer is probably complicated. This is the military way, lol. Army and Air Force medical enlisted personnel all receive the same initial medical training. All in the Army are 68W Healthcare Specialists. Some go on to work the different arenas that P3 mentioned. Others go on to a specialty school or, in the Army's case, on to a specialisation OJT assignment to learn dental or mental health or x-ray, etc... I work with guys out here whose only job is x-ray, but they received the very same medical training as the field and ER medics. In a pinch, all of them are medics. However, none of them are officially titled "medic" in any of the services. Medic is an unofficial, casual term generally applied to all those whose primary job is to provide primary care to personnel. Most would probably say that this does not include dental techs, psych techs, vet techs, x-ray techs, etc... However, there is no official policy for the application of this term. And incidentally, the Navy and Marines don't use the term "medic" at all, preferring the term "corpsman," which is any an of the medical corps.

It would sure be absurdly ironic if any firefighter-paramedics were telling you that. Talk about completely different career paths!

Hmm.. this is almost a trick question. There are belief systems that do not believe in a higher power, however, because of that, they would not really be religions. Atheism is, by definition, not a religion. I'll take Secular Humanism for the win.

Non-Christians would not so much be the challange as would be the non-religious. Most religions, including Islam, pray to God just like you do. They just address Him by His name, instead of His title. And they don't pray in Jesus' name. Everything else is essentially the same. Same God. And, of course, what you are asking God for would be the same. Speaking for Muslims, it would be an act of love for any person to pray for them, and they would be honoured. On the other hand, the non-religious atheist could really care less, as he does not recognise a higher power. As for what is appropriate, I would concur that it is probably only appropriate when asked directly by the patient, without prompting. However, if it is your nature to pray for your patient, then it is appropriate to do so silently, without making a Broadway production out of it. Religion is between you and Allah. You do not have to speak aloud to be heard.

Yes, but I do give him props for not getting hostile, argumentative, just disappearing, or other such immaturity we see from adults here everyday. I still see potential. At least he continues to face the music. Now if he will just listen to the words.

Yeah... and is this an EMS job, or an ambulance job? There is a difference, you know. Hold your celebration until you actually punch the clock. Chances are, this guy was just being polite. The proof is in the callback. I'm curious, if you already know it all, and already knew what you were going to do, why did you bother to come here asking questions? Your questions impressed me. Your responses did not.

Okay, so I took a bureaucratic buggering up the arse and got transferred out of my little slice of heaven in Ramadi. I was pissed off about it at the time, but it looks as though this is going to be a positive thing for me after all. I am now in Habbaniyah, just ten miles from Ramadi. A much more laid back place, and a cooler place to be, scenery wise. The action is not as hot here as Ramadi. I don't get blown out of bed as frequently here, and me mum is happy to hear this. But we also accept that there are no "safe" places in Anbar Province. And now, without further adue... The night I showed up at the helipad to fly out of Ramadi, I found my friend, General Amir (same man as the Colonel Amir in the photo above), also waiting for a helicopter to Baghdad, and we shared the flight together. It was good to see him, as I was afraid I would have to leave without getting to say goodbye to him. The thing I was most upset about, leaving Ramadi, was that I was going to be separated from my best friend, Ammar. Well, luckily, he returned from R&R the same day I arrived at Al Asad, so we got to spend a couple of days hanging out before we went our separate ways. Yes, I know I look fat in that picture. So after less than a week at Al Asad, I mercifully got re-assigned to my new camp here at Habbaniyah. In this pic, I am eating my third MRE meal of the day, about halfway into an 18 hour wait at the air terminal for my flight. Ugh! When I finally flew out of there, we had all been waiting for so long that we were totally wasted. Consequently, most of the guys were asleep for the hour long ride. A diverse group, with a Marine sergeant on my right and an Army sergeant on my left. I mentioned how scenic this new camp is. Here is a sampling of the murals that are still painted on buildings around me. They are starting to chip and fade after four years of neglect, but still cool to look at. The writings all praise the invincible battle prowess of the Iraqi military, and the brilliant leadership of Saddam. Kinda funny, considering they have had their arses whipped repeatedly in the last twenty years. Here's a couple that are painted on the walls of a movie theatre on the base. In the first one, the part that is all broken out in the centre (where only bricks are visible) was a drawing of a bloody skull wearing a beret with the Star Of David on it. Saddam had a real hard-on for Israel and fancied himself someday invading and destroying them. Kuwait was practice for that. Iraqi military friends tell me that they were actually planning an attack on Israel, which would have happened by now if it were not for the U.S. invasion. More random murals. Notice that the Palestinian flag appears beside the Iraqi flag in many of these. More showing of Saddam's hatred for Israel and solidarity with the Palestinians. And finally, the one remaining Saddam monument in my area of the camp. Actually, it was painted over years ago, but somebody recently spent a whole day delicately uncovering the orignal pic, lol. It's cool to have one around. Speaking of Saddam, here is his "summer palace" that is on this camp. It was completely gutted by looters immediately after the war who took everything from the furniture to the fixtures, to the electrical wiring and the wood of the staircases and shelves. It's a mess now. Totally abandoned and overgrown with weeds. I am one of the few Americans here who even knows it was once a "palace." Befriending local Iraqis gets you lots of cool information! It was actually a big command centre for the Brits in the 30s originally. And me on the stairs leading to the balcony where Saddam used to address the masses, taken by one of my new Iraqi friends. My new church, which is only a couple of blocks from my clinic! Very uncrowded too, lol! The Iraqi Army aid station, which is actually nicer and better equipped than the U.S. Navy aid station on this same camp. And finally, me with my new dog, Cheetah! Isn't she adorable? Almost as adorable as my new Toyota Land Cruiser "ambulance." If anybody wants to come visit me on their vacation, I have plenty of room. Let me know!