Dustdevil

Hmmm... I kinda like that idea! I will have to experiment with that one. Will probably have to consider a reduced shelf life after tampering though, right? May have to e-mail a pharmacist at Ft. Sam with that question. Yes, we have the plastic SpecOps intubation kits here (with the Pelican light handle), and I will probably throw one in there for visualisation sake, if nothing else. The Combitubes fit fine in the back slot. I have no experience with a King, but we have them around, so I'll check them out. No doubt about that! I'm at the mercy of the Naval medlog system, and they only have the FAST. But there is an Army guard unit here that might have something different. I'll check with them. I'll try anything once! Clinda is plentiful here. I'm on it myself right now, haha! In fact, we could get by on Ancef and Clinda alone in trauma. I love those little lights! Great for not waking up the entire tent when you move around at night. Those who fly have to keep one of each colour because each aircraft utilises different colour interior lights. They're 4 or 5 bucks at the PX, and I have them on my vest and my flight suit zipper. Having the time of my life, Bro! Somebody's gotta do it. It may as well be me. But I'll tell ya, I'd rather see fifty viral GE's a day than another kid with his legs gone. It's more fun to look at my pack than to actually use it.

It's all been pretty well covered here multiple times. This is a pretty small forum, so if you haven't already found your answer in the topics below, you should. The bottom line is, your chances are slim to none. Like flight medics, there is damn little opportunity compared to the billions who want to do it. Even worse than flight medics. And, like flight medics, most people want the job for the wrong reasons. What are your reasons? Very few teams utilise non-sworn personnel. The ones that do are mostly rinky-dink small town teams that I wouldn't trust my life too. If you are not CONSTANTLY training (as in FULL TIME JOB), then you are of no help. You are a detriment. How many teams do you think make so many tactical incidents that they can actually justify a medic? It's not like television. These things are few and far between. Tactical medicine in the civilian sector is vastly overrated and over-glorified (which is exactly why so many people think they want in). In fact, a good argument can be made that it is almost useless. Sorry if this reply isn't as encouraging as the one I gave last time I answered this question. I guess I'm becoming cynical in my old age. Good luck!

Well, my image host died, but I found another, so the pics are back up! And after getting excited about the IO suggestion, I went and tracked down a box of F.A.S.T. 1 intraosseous sets last month. Got to use one a few nights ago on a multiple shrapnel patient who was in circulatory collapse. He's now a triple amputee, but he's alive! Agreed. And the more I carry this monstrosity around, the more I look at dumping things. The heavy intubation kit has now gone in favour of two Combitubes. Both points taken! A small tube and a small dropper bottle add nothing to the weight, but do indeed cover some serious situations that I might have to deal with for hours. I'd love to, but 500's are nearly impossible to come by here, except for the Hespan. It's 1000 or 50, and not much in-between. I don't risk austere conditions here at camp, so I am okay there. My only real exposure there is if I were to get shot down while travelling from camp to camp. I carry survival items in my flight vest for that. I have specifically tried to stay away from minor "first aid" items and concentrate on lifesaving trauma care. I won't ever be running an aid station out of this bag. Just either caring for casualties on scene until evacuation, or manning a casualty collection point. But yeah... I have attached the little band-aid box to the side of the bag for those little cuts and scrapes that people tend to get when diving into a bunker without watching WTF they are doing. Good point! In fact, I do carry a smaller little bag to the bunker with me that contains drinking water, Gatorade packets, energy bars, and a deck of "Iraq Most Wanted" playing cards. Most of that gets left behind at the aid station because again, this is only for mass casualty events, or being stuck in a bunker with wounded for an extended period. I'll let the headaches wait for the "all clear." But, if time permits, I do grab a couple morphines and fentanyls before I bug out. Versed would be nice, but it's not currently available to me. I would replace the Rocephin with Ancef, but our stock list got "simplified," and now Rocephin is all I have. I think I'm going to appropriate some Ancef from the hospital though and stuff it in my bag. I do stay close to my M4! And, although they get on my nerves at times, I do find the battalions of Marines surrounding me to be a comfort. Crazy bastards! Speaking of Marines, I've been using a funky pouch I stole from them on my vest for holding a few Izzy dressings, a couple of HemCons, an Asherman, and a CAT. But I just ordererd a nice Spec-Ops pouch that should arrive in a few days that will match the vest. I'll post a pic when I get it together.

/ trying to visualise a non-graphic rape scene. :?

Plan A - Urgent medevac to Balad or Baghdad. Plan B - Urgent delivery of antivenin from Balad or Baghdad. Plan C - Prepare a body bag.

I had a diverticulitis today that I took to the hospital for lab and x-ray. PA intercepted me and said no way was it diverticulitis. Surgeon came right behind him and diagnosed it as diverticulitis. I love the small victories!

There were several models of the DynaMed smock. The original one from the early-mid 70's was a poly-cotton blend that was actually pretty comfortable, once washed a few times. Navy blue body with white sleeves and a white zipper down the middle. The short sleeves had red, white, and blue stripes, with the white being reflective. There was a chest pocket with a square SOL patch on it (like the one on my Left sleeve in my 1973 photo in my gallery), and two front hip patch pockets. They were all the rage in the mid to late 1970's. It was followed shortly by an orange version with the same markings and white sleeves. Sometime in the mid 1980's (maybe a bit earlier), they came out with a solid white version, still with the goofy sleelve stripes. If it was polyester, I am unaware of it. I never had one. I did have one of the original blue ones. I probably still have it somewhere in my mother's attic, but I wouldn't know where to begin looking, even if I were home. I hope you find one! It does, indeed, belong in a historical display. They were ubiquitous in the 70's.

It would take a very specific assessment of the levels in your specific vehicles to make that absolute determination. There are indeed *average* levels that are listed for such exposures, but to be in violation, an actual reading at the actual site must be taken. Then they have to calculate the average exposure time that each employee endures. It is the combination of levels and times that combine to make the determination, not just levels alone. Regardless of whether they are in official violation or not, if you suffer damage, they are liable. Well, *technically* they are liable. When it comes down to it, it's their lawyer against your lawyer.

Really? Cops are idiots. What could be funnier?

Plus 10 to Paramedicmike, Ruffems, and hammerpcp for excellent answers. Personally, I haven't seen anything gross yet.

Before we throw out the baby with the bathwater, do any of these studies or opinions address uses other than the "autotransfusion" shock treatment? I see a lot of lower extremity trauma out here. Legs with a dozen or more shrapnel holes in them. Although I have not utilised the MAST for this (tourniquet is quicker), I still see potential benefit to the MAST is these and other situations.

Congratulations, Tig! I don't know much about FB, except that it is a county service, which is frequently a good thing. Can't say I've ever heard anything bad about them, at least. Nice area. I'm a little behind on reading here, so I suppose you have already started. How is it going?

Gender conflict? You mean like a hermaphrodite kinda thing? :shock:

Sounds like an awesome opportunity, as well as an awesome humanitarian mission. You'll be a different man once you've participated in something like this. It changes you to share with those who have so little. And, of course, it is a change for the better. Not that I am insinuating that you need to change or anything! Man, as much supply and equipment that I see stagnating and being wasted here, I sure wish I could send you a whole CONEX full of gear. We'd never miss it. But alas, they watch our outgoing parcels like a hawk. Good luck on the lightbar. I just bought one myself off of eBay for our Medical Officer's response Excursion. Uncle Sam supplies only a gumball right now. They say that two lightbars have been "lost" in shipping over the last year. I hope the one I bought fares better! Good for you, Steve! Best of luck.

Okay, I'll bite. I can't believe that nobody else has asked this. How do we determine a patient's ideal body weight?

Bummer. Sorry to hear that you guys work in such a restrictive system. That's inevitable in a state that is dominated by fire EMS though. Minus five for using codes in conversation. Nobody knows what that means, and it makes you sound like a wanker. Excellent point, despite the inappropriate use of codes. That is indeed the bottom line.

All my bitching must have done some good! I talked to an NR rep late last year and complained that they ask people to mail in forms, yet their mailing address was neither on the website, nor on the forms they wanted us to mail in. The guy argued with me until I finally convinced him to go look for himself. :roll:

Meh... I haven't seen a computer without MS Word in it since the early 1990s, so there is still no excuse for poor spelling in posts. And MS Word lets you choose your language, unlike the Spelling Cow, so it doesn't try to tell you that colour, and neighbourhood, and flavour, and rumour, and behaviour, and programme, and oedema, and paediatrics, and diarrhoea are misspelled!

Must be the power of suggestion, but I have had two cases of cholecystitis this week that I've had to fly out. One of them had the most textbook-perfect Murphy's sign that you would almost swear she was faking it. Sono and x-rays says she was not faking! She had all the F's except for fever, so it was pretty cut and dried. But she also had rebound at McBurney's point, so I had to consider the differential.

As much as I hate to say so, it seems to me that, after all that eloquent post, you're breaking it back down to the lowest common denominator again, which is skills. Advanced practise? I'm not talking about advanced practise. I am saying that a four year education is arguably the most logical starting point for today's ENTRY LEVEL Paramedic. I'm not talking about four years of learning extra "skills." I am talking about four years of learning the scientific foundation of the profession, as you suggest your programme is currently doing. Hell, a physical therapist -- who gives no medications and performs no invasive skills on anybody -- usually has a BS before even being admitted to their school! Same with an OT and an MT/MLT. All of their education is relevant, yet they aren't doing an "advanced practise." The problem with the inadequacy of the current educational standard is that it leads people to the erroneous assumption that medics already get everything they need to know in 960 hours, so anything above that is just "advanced" fluff. Those of us who know better know that's total BS. And I don't mean the good kind of BS.

I think I'm going to like this guy! :thumbright:

1. 120/80 is not a "stable" blood pressure. Yes, it is a good blood pressure, but stability is a dynamic term. That means that stability is determined by serial measurements. If it stays 120/80 over 30 minutes of evaluation, or if there are no significant orthostatic changes, then that would be called "stable." But, despite what the majority of EMTs in this country seem to think, one good blood pressure does not a "stable" patient make. 2. This nimrod should have told you how he wanted you to drive. If he doesn't, and he disagrees with how you drove, then he has nobody but himself to blame. And what exactly kept him from sticking his head up in the cab and telling you to step it up if he felt it was that important? 3. If I hear another amateur parroting that tired old cop-out "we don't diagnose," my head is going to explode. :?

:shock:

Yes, I do have to admit that even if you do find the NREMT website, finding the info you want there is an exercise in futility. Their website sucks. It is horribly arranged. Last I looked, they didn't even have their own mailing address or phone number anywhere on the site. That should tell you just how anxious they are to answer your questions. :roll: