Dustdevil

Screw the officers. They knew the job was tough when they took it. The medics are needed for all the innocent civilians that are frequently injured and killed by these jack booted Nazis, as well as all those people they were supposedly there to "rescue," but got killed instead.

Thanks, Man. I appreciate that. Don't get me wrong. I am not against the concept. There is a place for it. I am just realistic about the actual need, as well as the actual usefulness of the concept. And I am annoyed by the whacker nature of most people's interest in the concept. Why do teams have them? Because they can. But the entire Dallas team is a joke, so I certainly wouldn't use them as any sort of standard to behold.

Meh... the Sager is a great splint, but definitely not designed for use on REAL men. The KTD is a lot gentler on the jewels.

South Arlington, near Mansfield. Although, I suspect it will be quite awhile before I get back there to stay. :?

Specifically what skills are you referring to? Most ER based EMTs I see don't do much more than vital signs, skills wise. The rest of the stuff is just the same nurses aid stuff that you didn't even learn in EMT school. The most bandaging and splinting you will do is a 4x4 over the laceration you didn't suture, and the occasional arm sling over the arm you didn't splint/cast. Not exactly "skills" in my book. Most bridge programmes I have seen require a minimum time-in-field for admission, usually being 5 years or more. Without that experience, your paramedic cert is worthless towards a nursing education. All in all, you'd be better off and faster just taking the full two years.

Ha! I was a mystery shopper for Home Depot one summer in college. Good times! Dude, if their patients are only having to wait 40 or 50 minutes, they're obviously not coming to the hospitals in Dallas - Fort Worth! Two to four hours is about average here. And that is AFTER you've been triaged and put in a room! :? And then you only get to see some PA who doesn't know jack and just sends everybody home with ibuprofen. :roll:

Have you considered what kind of increase in violent crime would have to occur in the US before even the slightest need for such a "specialty" arose? Dude, it ain't happening. Not to mention that most professional police Tac teams are smart enough to do the math and realise that the whole concept is an unnecessary joke. Ever seen an ad in a professional journal or the want ads looking for Tactical Medics? Don't hold your breath. If there was any kind of demand at all, there wouldn't be all these people asking how to become one. Although, if I were an unscrupulous fraud who wanted to make a tonne of money teaching something that was absolutely useless to a bunch of wannbes who will never in a million years use it, I would open me a Tactical Medic school when I get back home. It's amazing what people are actually willing to pay for these nonsense schools. And if I sold black BDUs and subdued "Tactical Medic" patches on the side, I could double my money and retire in two years.

The Catholics are Jews? Now there's some fine irony for ya!

A more rational rule would be "don't take stuff that belongs to somebody else." Taking that money would be like taking sand from the desert. It belongs to whoever bends over and scoops it up. That's funny right there, I don't care who you are!

Welcome to my personal hell!

Word. I recently re-discovered Aretha after catching "The Blues Brothers" (with Arabic sub-titles :? ) on the satellite dish a few nights ago. She rocked in that movie!

I like the concept of EarthBags! That's pretty cool! I'd like to check out their product sometime myself.

I disagree, as does (if I dare speak for him) the site Administrator. On many occasions, he has asked us to take our one-on-one exchanges that have strayed from the original topic to private messages. I find that to be a good policy. It's not like anybody is attacking anyone in these PMs, which would be an entirely different situation. It appears to be simple adult conversation to me. The childish part is running to the group with it. It creates the appearance that one is more interested in performing for the crowd than engaging in actual constructive adult dialogue. And it breaks down the trust that is crucial to the harmony of this community. I don't have to agree with everybody here. I don't even have to trust their professional judgement. But if I can't trust your civility and ability to play nice, then you are useless to me and the community. Personally, I'm all for the immediate banning of those who violate this policy.

I submit that they are. They are both people who selfishly decide to disregard the law and society for their own personal reasons, knowing full well that they are breaking the law and risking their careers. That is more than a minor crime. It is a major character flaw. I choose not to hire people with seriously flawed character.

Yep. Most little boys grow up with the urge to play army. Most outgrow it. Some don't. Some don't until they realise that real bullets aren't nearly as fun to dodge as paintballs. Regardless, I'd sure like to know which tactical medic course is teaching "operators" to competently diagnose and treat headaches. :roll:

I'm not really saying there is no need for SWAT medics as much as I am saying that there is no need for SWAT teams themselves.

Yeah, and of course, federal and NY state taxes would eat over half of that, making it not even worth it. I'd rather work less, stay in the lower tax bracket, and take the same amount home every month, myself. I know RNs in Texas making $100k, but they are working 80 hour weeks too. Screw that. Even in a no-income tax state like Texas.

Thanks! I put a lot of time and effort into that article. I'm glad you liked it!

This is pretty much my position on the matter in theory. Although, I do not agree with it in this particular scenario for several reasons: 2. It was not a medication that could be given without regard to administration rate. Given too slow, you're not providing any benefit because the patient is suffering and the medic could have finished what he was doing and done it himself in that time. Given too rapidly, the patient hurls on you. 3. There was no emergent need for the medication that overrides standards of professional practise. The guy was not crashing, and this was not pre-filled Epi in an arrest. 4. I cannot think of a single thing this paramedic could have or should have been doing that kept him from providing his own ALS care. What was he so busy doing, tying an ankle hitch? If he can't trust his driver to be taking care of all that BLS crap, then I damn sure can't imagine that he would trust him to push drugs! Yes, I agree that there are situations of great urgency, where you have an exceptionally sharp, competent, and trustworthy driver (usually a medic student himself) who can be entrusted to push a very select few drugs for you while you are busy managing the airway or something. I have done it and can envision situations in the future where I might continue to do so. But this definitely was not one of those cases. Not even close. Paramedics and RNs with many, many years of hardcore experience make med mistakes every single day. I've done that too. So any naive contention that this cannot be screwed up by an EMT is just plain stupid. This isn't Canadia we're talking about. This is America, where your driver is lucky to have 120 hours of night school, where he learned that there are 206 bones in the body, but can name only about 20 of them. And you're trusting this person with your licence? Ha! One other issue of concern here is the trustworthiness of your partner. Forget about it. Damn few EMTs have the self-control to get to perform an ALS manoeuvre without running their mouths about it to their loser friends later. This will NOT remain between you two alone. Know that before you make this fateful decision and decide if your career is worth it.

Did you press your clothes and shine your shoes before you came to the job interview? If not, I wouldn't have hired you. If so, I expect to receive the same respect and consideration after I am paying you as you gave before I was paying you. Disrespect me and you will leave the way you came. Unemployed.

Me thinks they should be used to embarrassment by now.

Yeah, that's not called an expanded scope. That's just called new drugs in the system. Advancement that is technology based is not really advancement. It's just change. As for real advancement, it was solidly shot down by the firemonkeys nationwide last year. It ain't gonna happen.

One need not train in the US to know that their system sucks arse. You can smell the stench all the way across the pond.

I would like to add that, no matter what you ultimately order, Allheart.com is indeed a good source. They advertise on this site, so if you see their ad here, click on it to order and you will be helping to support this site, as well as getting a good deal and good service. You could also consider ordering the Cardiology II copy sold by our friend and fellow forum member at Big Shears. It's an excellent scope. Every bit as good as the original Littman, but for a better price. That way you get a quality scope, get to look cool because people will think it's a Littman, but not have to look like a tool for spending much more money than you should have. And again, you'd be supporting one of our own.

You misunderstood me. A cheap stethoscope can do all that for them as well as most Littmanns. Side by side comparisons have shown that to be the case repeatedly. The old addage "you get what you pay for" only holds true to a certain level with stethoscopes. After a point, you're just paying for vanity that cannot be quantified. So personally, I would not buy either one of the scopes he mentioned if I were him. Get the least expensive stethoscope that you can find that has a single tube and a single sided head on it, with soft sealing earpieces. After a few years, when this one wears out, and after you've had plenty of time to try different models in the field, and after you are making good money (okay, maybe that part never comes, lol), then consider replacing it with something that has features you find particularly useful. But as a newbie, you simply don't know, which is understandably why he asked. If you spend more than $30 bucks on a stethoscope, you're doing it simply for vanity, not because you know you're getting something that works better. I don't know where exactly you searched for your answers, but it couldn't have been in the forum search function that Bushy was referring to. There is enough advice on stethoscopes in this forum to fill a book. Good luck!