Dustdevil

Because I was envisioning a first responder organisation, not a transporting ambulance service. I have never heard of a campus with their own transporting ambulance, so that didn't even cross my mind. It has nothing to do with the quality of care, level of care, paid vs. volunteer, or age of the participants. Remember, I am one of the few here who speaks out against age limits for medics. It's all about feasibility. And from a feasibility standpoint, the whole campus EMS concept just doesn't seem to be viable from any point of view. And I don't appreciate people putting words into my mouth that I never said.

Ha! Now there's irony at its finest right there! :twisted: Seriously, thanks y'all. I am humbled by your care and concern. It's no big deal. I'm looking forward to it. This will be my first deployment in twenty years. I had forgotten what a hassle it is to get all your affairs in order and say your goodbyes, even with a month's advance notice. This next few weeks is going to be busy, busy, busy. I plan to squeeze in a visit to my beloved Canadia before I go. That is still where I expect to end up when I come back, so I will be boning up on my Francais while overseas. And yes, I will have plenty of Internet access, so you haven't heard the last of me! You will hardly notice that I am gone.

Hmmm... I see those as complimentary points, not contradictory. But you know more about the place than I do. I just know that in many years of working college towns, it was rare to make an EMS run to the campus. And in 9 years as a college and university student, I don't recall ever seeing an ambulance respond to my campus. Obviously, mileage will vary by location.

Hæmorrhagic shock is hopovolemic shock. As ERDoc said, there are multiple ways to create a hypovolemic state of shock, but hæmorrhagic is one way. And yes, non-arterial bleeding can cause hypovolemia. Such is commonly the case in internal bleeding. Whether venous or arterial, internal or external, it will always be "major."

Spock's opinion is irrelevant. Did either of you even read the original post? This isn't even about volunteers! Brock is talking about a paid service that allows students to ride along. :roll: Actually, this is the very first time I have ever even considered the question of campus EMS before, so I have no "track record" on the subject. Perhaps you guys are hearing voices in your head. :? Again I as, WTF are you talking about? The original poster asked for honest opinions and I gave mine. I didn't rip anybody. I didn't say a goddamn thing about "basics" or "volunteers." All I said was that there was usually no statistical justification for Campus EMS programs, rendering them pointless, unnecessary, and fraught with liability whether basic, advanced, paid, volunteer, or otherwise. That's exactly what Brock asked us for. Opinions. You obviously agree with my opinion. And you didn't hesitate to give yours. So what's the problem? Only certain people are allowed to give opinions around here anymore? Feck off :thebirdman: Show me a campus that actually has enough EMS runs to justify such a program, and I'll show you a campus that needs to crack down on drinking!

Good point. There really aren't many things about this job that are hard. Damn few, in fact. But paperwork is at the top of that very short list.

Excellent point. Always keep all loose equipment fore of you. My knee is farked today because the Lifepak hit it at 60 mph from the squad bench. And don't even think of transporting a patient with a monitor or oxygen tank between their legs or on the cot next to them. That's a moron move.

Hæmos are good to have around. I probably use them most often for hanging IV's. They also come in handy for removing over-tightened needles from Luer-Loc syringes. Yes, they are stereotypically wankerish, and I did not carry them for years. But once you discover that they have several really useful functions in the field, you can get past the fear of the stereotype and start carrying them again. Basically, if you can explain and demonstrate why you would commonly need them, you're safe. If you can't, you're a wanker. And please... one pair per medic is fine. You don't need three to five pair in your EMS pant pockets. Those pockets are there in case you need them. It is not mandatory that you fill them all.

WTF are you talking about? I was commenting only on the proposal at hand and said nothing at all about basics. It doesn't matter to me if they are basics or CCEMT-P's. It is irrelevant to the topic we are discussing and has no bearing on my opinion. You disappoint me with this nonsense. I thought you were an intelligent and respectable guy. Did you really fail to understand my post, or do you just have a problem with me that you aren't able to control? :?

Yes sir, you did. I apprecite it, and I did not mean to imply that you had missed the mark. It's just that almost everybody else did, and continued to even after the first clarification.

I would ask you for the same clarification as from PRPG. Are you saying you will NEVER wear them at any time in the back of the ambulance? Or are you simply saying you won't wear them if they keep you from performing patient care? There is a difference.

LMAO!! It depends. Are you talking on duty, or off?

I believe the question is, when it does not interfere with you doing your job, do you wear it? Sounds to me like you're saying you don't ever wear it at all.

Good times! It's going to be a great summer for you, bro! No amusement parks for me this summer. Just a big farking sand box.

Yes. And anybody who doesn't should be fired. Safety violations are intolerable. No excuses.

I think that primarily, it is whackerism with no significant benefit. Its only value is as a first responder organisation. And even then, in a town big enough to have a college, EMS is going to be there pretty quickly, usually before a volunteer FR organisation can muster a squad and respond. If you are using such a squad as primary responders who then decide whether or not EMS is summoned, you're doing your patients a disservice and just looking for trouble. And really, how often is EMS called to your campus? Do the numbers even come close to suggesting a need or feasibility? This is definitely not "experience" for the students. It's just negligible exposure that probably won't even happen unless there are riots on your campus. So, best case scenario, one or two students end up responding to take the blood pressure of a couple people with dizziness, headache, or stomach ache during the entire program. Big deal. You're a student, not a medic. So you're not going to be performing any real procedures. And those few things you are doing (vitals, oxygen, maybe BLS CPR if you really get lucky), are simply the mundane monkey skills you should have perfected by now anyhow. So that shoots down the whole angle of it being a benefit to the students. So, the campus doesn't need it. It provides no significant benefit to the school. And it provides no benefit to the students participating. And it is fraught with liability. Yeah.... sounds like a great idea to me. A real wankers dream.

*sigh* :? I don't know whether to delete this thread altogether and start over, or try to salvage it. This is not a "pet peeve" thread. That has already been done. This is not an invitation to bitch and tell people what to do and what not to do. What I am asking for in this thread is... Tell me what the public should know about EMS SYSTEMS. I want defining characteristics. I want to know what people should read if they look EMS or Paramedics up in the encyclopaedia. Please take your pet peeves and your one-liners to a more appropriate thread. Thank you.

Great shears, no doubt. But a total waste of money for the job you work. I never had a problem getting fabric, or any other clothes off of anybody in the ER with regular shears. My money says you won't have them in your scrubs for more than one shift before sticking them in your jump bag and leaving them there.

You're correct. Although, I might question the thoroughness of the job if it only takes you ten to fifteen minutes. I would fire the other shift.

Any fire chief who actually bought that stupid thing should be de-certified and prosecuted for fraud. :roll:

I'm happy I could help. But really, none of this is what I was looking for. I wasn't asking for people to vent or bitch. That's a whole nother topic. I am asking for specific points about EMS systems that citizens should know in order for them to understand exactly what EMS, paramedics, EMT's, and all the other components are all about. I'm looking for definitive points. If you were to describe EMS in the encyclopaedia for all to see, what would you write? What are the most important things that the public should know in order to understand the system and us as individual providers?

Because of a combination of the "cool" factor and the abysmally low entry standards, a huge percentage of the newcomers this so-called "profession" draws are complete losers. The professionals try hard to run off the losers who are screwing up the profession. And the existing losers try hard to run off the sharp people because they are a threat to their status quo. Consequently, everybody is out to get everybody. That's why. The answer? Same as the answer to each and every other question facing EMS. Education. Period.

I think it is possible that you are jumping to an erroneous conclusion. There is a very big difference between rapidly infusing massive amounts of fluids and simply establishing two large-bore IV's. Just because you have the access doesn't mean you actually run them wide open. Before this becomes a pointless controversy, I would recommend you clarify if he is actually advocating aggressive fluid resuscitation, or if he is simply asking for access to be established in case they are needed later. After at all, once you have circulatory collapse, it's a little late to start looking for veins. It should also be clarified SPECIFICALLY which "trauma" victims he is referring to. Even the permissive hypotension proponents don't say it applies to all trauma patients. Not all trauma is the same. This is one of those situations in EMS where you have to actually understand your patient, his injury, and the physiology involved, in order to determine whether permissive hypotension or fluid resuscitation is the most appropriate course of action. Of course, this would require education instead of a cookbook, which most systems don't seem to be interested in. :roll:

I hate to let this topic end this way, because it is very misleading. As it stands, we have made this look like a rare and complicated ALS scenario in which there is very little a BLS provider can do, and therefore should not be particularly interested in or concerned about. Wrong! The reason I said to work this scenario out logically is because, at the EMS level, it really doesn't matter what diagnostic label you put on the condition, the treatment should be glaringly obvious to providers of all levels. Short and sweet bottom line: ABC's. Rapid cooling. Fluids. Rapid transport. Anybody who wants to call themselves a healthcare professional should absolutely be familiar with what the condition actually is, the pathophysiology involved, and the goals of the treatment regimen. But even a basic Emergency Monkey Technician should immediately recognise the fever as being the primary problem facing them, as well as how to treat the patient. It's not rocket surgery. And if your service isn't carrying thermometers, your service sucks!

During discussions of our professional woes, the topic of public image and perception frequently comes up as a significant concern. We all know how misunderstood that EMT's, Paramedics, and EMS systems are by the average citizen, and even those in government. We frequently find ourselves rolling our eyes at those who think we are all firemen, or that we are all Paramedics, or that we are nearly doctors, or that we are nothing but ambulance drivers. I always find myself saying, "If they only knew...!" Clearly, public image ranks only behind education as the most important issue confronting EMS today. So here I ask you to tell me what key points you would have everybody know about your profession. I'm not asking for a discussion. I'm not asking for essays. I'm just asking for a list of very succinct and specific points and concepts you think it is crucial for the public to know about us and the profession. Please limit yourself to specific original points and let's not engage in discussion of the points. I am not interested in your opinions of anybody else's points. Just give me your own points and leave it at that.