Dustdevil

LMAO!! I LOVE that one!

I'd give up the colour just to have some channels in English! :?

Married to a beautiful hispanic lady, and has a son who is a United States Marine veteran of Iraq. Yes, that makes him quite the guy in my book. :thumbright:

Kalifornia EMS is a ticket to nowhere, so those instructors are more correct than even they realise. I feel your pain, bro. But you'll always be in pain in Kalifornia. You're too good for that. And you're right on about the pointlessness of all this PowerPoint crap that seems to dominate what passes for "education" these days.

Probably DVT, for Deep Vein Thrombosis.

Hmmm... well I don't find the topic unfair, but I do find the implied premise of the article to be just plain dishonest. As one commenter pointed out, 30 providers a year out of 16,000 (paramedics only) is not exactly an epidemic. Especially when you consider that this number comes probably from ALL EMS providers, including EMTs, and includes every Public Intoxication and DWI arrest among them. But when you read the article, it makes it sound like there are greater than 30 actual Paramedics per year stealing drugs and patients' belongings. That is indeed misleading, probably intentionally so. I don't think it is unfair to imply that Kalifornia EMS is a friggin' wreck though. I got a kick out of the one bimbo in there commenting on the whole rescue personality and stress debriefing concepts as if they were accepted fact and required procedures.

Good points. Like the field itself, the issues are fluid. Consequently both the questions and answers are also fluid. The FAQ must also remain that way, but in a controlled way so that one need not spend time weeding through disjointed posts to find his answers. We'll just have to stay on top of that. The best thing we can do is to be sure to research the City archives exhaustively to find all previous commentary on a subject to assure that we don't leave any significant pearls out of our topics. To just sit down and write one of these out of our heads without any regard for the current body of knowledge already posted here would be a disservice to our fellow Citizens. That said, most of the questions in the above list remain quite stable, actually. Other factors may add to the base of knowledge, but the bottom line remains the same. I mean seriously, will job interview preparation ever really change? Will Turd Watch ever become a realistic show? I think not.

I think we should get Dr. Bledsoe to write that one! And yes, he was a Flight Medic at one time. Possibly the first one in Texas. Whoever does it, I think it is important to give people some insight into the controversy, as well as the accident and death statistics.

Okay, here is a working list of topics I have put together for the FAQ / Knowledge Base. Asys, if you'll work on the FDNY question, I'll handle all the rest. What kind of money does an EMT or Paramedic make? Why? What characteristics and traits make a successful EMT or Paramedic? What characteristics and traits make for a poor EMT or Paramedic? Do I have to be a fireman to be a Paramedic? Is the EMS life I see on television shows like "Third Watch" and "Saved" realistic? Do I have to be good in math? What if I didn't do well in high school? What if I have a criminal record? What if I have a physical disability? How do I know if I can handle bloody, icky and gross stuff? Education What training do I need to be an EMT or Paramedic? Can I work full-time and still be successful in EMT or Paramedic school? How should I choose an EMT or Paramedic school? What about those "accelerated" programmes? How long should I work as an EMT before going to Paramedic school? What should I study to get a head start on EMT or Paramedic school? How and what should I study for my certification exam? Should I become an EMT-Intermediate before going on to Paramedic school? Will my military medical training count towards EMT or Paramedic school? Career Options What else can I do with an EMT or Paramedic certificate besides work on an ambulance? How do I become a flight medic/nurse? How do I become a tactical medic? How do I become an EMS Instructor? What should I know to work offshore, in the oilpatch, or other remote duty? Is EMS a good step towards medical school or nursing school? Can I become an RN without going to all that school since I’m already a Paramedic? Finding A Job in EMS How should I choose an employer? How should I prepare for my job interview? What should I put on and leave off of my resume? What if they don't call me back? What advice can you give for a new EMT-B? Why can’t I find a job in EMS? Should I join a volunteer department to get experience? How do I get on with FDNY? Scope Of Practice Why is the EMS scope of practice so different all over the country/world? Should EMT-Bs be allowed to do [insert advanced skill here]? Should EMTs or Paramedics work in hospital nursing roles? National Registry What exactly is the National Registry? Should I take take/keep the National Registry if my state doesn't require it? How long does it take to get your results back? How many times can I retake the National Registry exam? Where can I buy more National Registry patches? Equipment How should I pick the right stethoscope for me? How should I pick the best boots for EMS? Which monitor/defibrillator is the best? EMS History The Star Of Life How and when did the Paramedic concept start? How did EMS become associated with the Fire service? in this FAQ?" question. That is intentional, so don't ask. 8)

Far be it from me to defend the overuse of HEMS. Not in this lifetime. But in fairness to this situation, it seems apparent to me that valuable time was indeed saved. I suspect that that they would have had that 30-45 minute wait, no matter how fast or slow they had arrived. Hospital bureaucracy time exists irrespective of transport time.

I don't know about your Admin, but I do know that, from what I see of many of your medics, whoever is doing the hiring there should definitely be sacked.

The microbiology of infection control is a good topic for several reasons. First, it is relevant to everyday paramedic practise, so it doesn't look like you're reaching out of your scope. Second, there is a huge body of research and knowledge already in the literature, so you're going to have no problem finding plenty of references. Third, it is a topic that you can actually present recommendations for. You can talk about ITP, but you're not going to be able to enlighten any field medic on the diagnostics or therapy for the condition, because it is not within their scope. On the other hand, you can put forth concluding recommendations for infection control that every medic can and should be practising daily. And finally, you don't have to worry about anybody else in your class choosing the same topic. Nobody likes infection control. Not only is it not as sexy as trauma or critical care medicine, nobody really wants to know about infection control because it causes them more work. Consequently, yours will be the only paper on that subject, so you don't get compared to somebody else's paper, giving you a better shot at a good grade.

I'd rather look like a girl than look like a cop, fireman, security guard, prison escapee, or gas station attendant. :wink: Navy blue may look "professional," but unfortunately, it is the wrong profession.

In the part that I quoted, he said that the patient was oriented to only three parameters, so obviously there was at least one parameter of disorientation in the standard four-parameter assessment of a trauma victim. If the victim is disoriented to any of those parameters, then the possibility must be considered that the patient will not respond appropriately to a history taking and physical assessment either. The result could be a compromised assessment, obscuring an acute injury or condition. I'm curious as to how well the patient was exposed.

Ha! Plus 5 for honesty and good taste! May you have a long and happy life here!

Ya know... in a country where there is no national standard that eliminates volunteer fire and EMS, I would be extremely surprised if there is an actual, meaninful national standard that addresses how they are housed. Like it's okay to expose people to dangerous labour and not pay them... just so long as you give them a big refrigerator!

Which parameter was the patient not oriented to? His obvious disorientation certainly could have resulted in an incomplete picture for you to base your assessment upon, no fault of your own. Can you describe this exam and assessment for us, as well as the results? Perhaps you did miss something. But more than likely, as Rid said, some things still slip past our x-ray vision, despite our best efforts.

Those are the two quotes of the day, right there! Dwayne is right... a great many people who discourage you from going directly to medic school do so strictly out of some warped belief that you should have to "pay dues" like they did, when in fact, there is no educational value to that concept. One of the problems with the sad, sad state of affairs in paramedic education is that there is very little true understanding of the educational process, even among the so-called educators. They've never set foot in a real university, so they don't understand how it works. They still believe that "training" and "education" are the same thing, which they very definitely are not. These people are not qualified to give advice on the educational process that they have never themselves experienced. Those who have been to the university know all too well how unwise it is to screw around a few years between high school and college. Why would the concept be any different for paramedic school? As Asys points out, you aren't learning anything of serious value during that time. In fact, what you are learning with EMT experience are a lot of bad habits that you will have to focus on breaking as a medic. Not to mention that all the true education you received in EMT school will be going cold and rusty during that time. What good is that? Would you wait two years between taking Calculus 1 and Calculus 2? Of course not! You're on the right track. Stay there. And, of course, the "search" thing is just a running joke here. There's really no particular key-word that you could have used to easily search out a topic such as this. Now, had you been asking about FDNY or tactical medics, we would have seriously bashed you. Glad you have found the forum helpful! Welcome aboard. I look forward to hearing of your progress!

LMAO! You noticed that, eh? Last time I gave a PCT, everybody in the room looked at me like I was a space alien! It took me awhile to figure out why.

Ha! If your employer actually paid for that much, consider yourself ahead of the game. The fact that Galls does such a huge business is a testiment to the fact that most people in EMS have to buy their own crap.

Dude, you break ice with yours? I'm lucky to still crack walnuts at my age. :?

LMAO! I SO remember that episode! I haven't seen that in thirty years, but I remember it like it was yesterday, haha!

K, just to clarify my point, I was not aiming any of that at you or your situation specifically. I believe you stated your case quite well, and I did not mean to imply that you yourself were being unreasonable. I do not believe that at all. I was responding more to the suggestions that employers (not just this one) should take responsibility for their employee's family planning. I apologise if you felt that I was judging you personally, as that certainly was not my intention. I value you personally as a member of my EMT City family, and I do wish you, your family, and your dog the much happiness.

Yeah, it's been beaten to death, but I will tell you that the indisputable bottom line is DO IT. Do it now. And anybody who tells you otherwise is either not so smart, or else they think you are not so smart and are trying to keep you out. Of course, if the latter is the case, then no, don't do it. Good luck, and as always, minus five for not using the search function and minus five for posting in the wrong forum. :wink:

hehehe... thus the term, "wanker." :wink: