emtdennis

EMT-B with a lot more learning to do.

Got my cert last July

911 based Volunteer Ambulance Company that handles about 2200 calls a year

I'm still not sure yet what to do with him - is there really a chance to develope him into an enthusiastic and commiting responder or will it just be a whacker in uniform causing trouble in the unit? Since I think about those boy, I try to remember how I were or how some of my friends were in our younger years and if there is some indicator to tell the difference...

I copied just a small portion of your message, since I didn't want to take up a lot of space:

Hang in there with him, I do remember when I was a young pup in my teens many years ago, I was very cynical and sarcastic. I had a supervisor who one day, sat me down and had a little chat with me in a non-demeaning way. Considering you have a couple of years to work with him he could turn around and become one of your better people at some point. At 16 years we think we are grown up and ready for greater responsibilities, than we actually are.

I do agree with Kaisu, this is no time to raise a child (much less someone elses), but my advice may be a little patience and a good chat with the lad to let him know how things are to go. Personally I hope he does work out.

JMHO.....

BTW: is there some special meaning to the term "Whacker", don't get to hear it here in the USA?

This is not an ad, I just thought it was funny

Paramedic Joke

Due to a power outage, only one paramedic responded to an emergency call. A woman was on the verge of having a baby at her home.

The house was very dark so the paramedic asked Kathleen, the woman's three year old daughter to hold a flashlight high over her mommy so he could see while he helped deliver the baby.

Very diligently, Kathleen did as she was asked.

The mother pushed and pushed and very soon, a little baby boy was born. The paramedic lifted him by his little feet and smacked him on his bottom. The baby began to cry.

The paramedic then thanked Kathleen for her help and asked the wide-eyed 3-yr old what she thought about what she had just witnessed.

She quickly responded, "He shouldn't have crawled in there in the first place ... smack his ass again!"

Heheheh ... please say you got it at MediJokes.Com

Welcome to the cachophany (sp) of wisdom to be shared.

Lots of great people and topics!!!

Bernhard,

Just a simple thought here:

This is why you have policies in place, to keep everything and everyone on a level playing field. I can appreciate the person's enthusiasm but he has to abide the same rules as everyone else.

Sit down with the lad and tell him how it is supposed to be and point out that he has to abide by policies regarding attendance, training, and other in house issues and tell him he has to make a decision (or stop wasting your time).

Chosing to send you desparaging email will not win him points with those that are in a position to vote him as a part of your team.

Hope all works out for you and the young lad!!

JMHO

Captain,

Katrina and your family are in my prayers....

Fantastic blog, Sure gives you some insight to the vast differences in medical services available (or not in different parts of the world. How did the lady make out? Hope all went well!!!!

Actually you can be sued for literally any reason what so ever. The question is can you be succesfully sued. Unfortunatey, civil court in the US isnt about truth, or justice, or right vs wrong. its simply who tells the best story in many cases. And even being unsuccessfully sued can bankrupt the average american.

Do I get annoyed, yup, especially when we get called at 2am on a Saturday and are asked to transport an individual who was injured 2 weeks prior, and just felt pain in the previously injured area. I sooooo agree with last two posts, because they are true.. But we have to cover our gluteus maximus. The ones that really get to me are the frequent fliers, but we have to deal with them, including the one that insists we take him to a hospital that is really outside our area. BTW we have surrounded by four very good hospitals.

Fill out an application

Interview with Committee

Police Check (Criminal + DMV)

General Background Check w/references

Physical

Drug Testing

Initial Acceptance by Officers, then membership

Completion of Probationary period

(I am sure I missed something, this was two years ago for me)

Can you display the actual "message from your kids teachers"?

Hey there 411Medic,

Welcome to the boards. Lots of great people and and discussions here.

Enjoy!!

Great Going Kaisu..

The gentleman is very fortunate that someone took the time and the concern to tell him like it is.

BTW: hope you enjoyed the lemonade from the tree.

When life hands you some lemons, make lemonade (ok that was corny, just had to throw it in)....

Stephanie and family, you are all in my prayers.....

Trev mate, if we're playing that game I am a Redneck republican christian conservative who drives a large pick up truck with confederate flag in the back windown, gun in the glove compartment, dixie chicks, sugarland, shania twain, garth brooks and toby keith CD's in the console, triple bacon cheeseburger wrappers spread everywhere, a bible on the passenger seat and the radio tuned to redneck talkback radio that continuously hates on obama trapped in a pale Kiwi's body

Oh and I have a jump kit, a star of life and a big ass air horn on said truck cos this is EMS week god damn it!

Kiwiology,

I'm glad you mentioned squamous epithelium.

That choice has worked for me with many a patient.

At this point review the basics, techniques then go into

Scenarios, scenarios!!!

Look at the topics in your student book and ask yourself what would you do if came on this particular situation.

Get a close friend or family member and go through some techniques practice without trying to stickem with a needle or intubate or use an OPA on them while they are wide awake (ya could lose a friend that way).

Just a few humble ideas..

Good luck on the test..

Welcome to the EMT World.

Keep an open mind and always be willing to learn from team members.

I know you are new, but don't hesitate to start your CMEs.

Congratulations and the best of luck to you!!!

Welcome to the forums, lots to read and get involved with!! Some really great folks here, enjoy!!

After reading through the posts here, I wonder how the OP is making out. I hope he/she took the time to enroll in an EMT-B course to get started. I'm sorry I let it wait so long, Hope he/she didn't.

In my humble opinion, yes you do lose some of the skills. CME is a vital tool to stay sharp as far as the theory and refresher topics go. A person does lose some of the "edge" thay had if they don't use the skill. It is not to to the total point of "use it or lose it", but the rust settles in.

I am a firm believer in CME both on line and classroom attendance. I am taking the PHLST sponsored by NAEMT, but also signed up for classroom training.

Whether you get rusty on skills, is partly up to you (not totally). Either you can take classes or if possible work with more than one agency .

Just my brain cells rambling again........

Jason,

Welcome, you will find some of the greatest info on these boards.

Joined EMS when I turned 60. Was involved in so much other stuff earlier, just never had the time. I still wonder why I waited so long and put the other stuff aside. I have alwys been interested in EMS but never persued it.

One day I was on my way home and the sign in front of the ambulance company caught my eye, so I asked myself, Why not?? I am an EMT-B in Medford NY and I am sorry I didn't do this earlier. I work with different age groups, and get to learn a hell of a lot. Keep Learning and kep an open mind! JMHO..

I'm not going to argue with the first part, believe me.

There is still a need to teach people how to drive an ambulance though. Aside from the differences between driving the average car and a large, truck like vehicle (even van types take getting used to), there is a much higher need for evasive (or defensive if you like) driving skills while driving emergently than there is for the average driver. Not to say that everyone shouldn't know these things, or that having a solid foundation in driving fundamentals wouldn't help immensely when you first get behind the wheel. But a much higher skill level is, or should be, required. And that takes time, and practice, which is often hard to come by.

The bolded portion...while it isn't the root cause in my opinion, that is the culture that needs to be changed to increase safety. Of course, there is a lot that would go into changing that, beyond changing the mentality of new EMT's and paramedics.

I do agree with the last paragraph of your quote, There are some very good articles in the Jan-Mar-2012 Issue of Prehospital Emergency Care (Official Journal of the National Association of EMS Physicians). The article discusses areas from ambulance designs to patient transport. I don't have authority to reprint it here, but it may be worth looking into especially when they cite accident statistics.

Yes, I would like to see greater standards across the board in the US, I have become more aware of how drivers for other companies handle rigs. Saw one almost flip over a few days ago, taking a turn too quick.

Rigs are top heavy, almost nothing you can do about the design, but the "nut between the steering wheel and the seat" can hold things together with no problem. Attitude toward self-crew-patient should be the motivator to the driver. Guess it is just that I actually enjoy driving and have my desire to end my shift safely and "do no harm".

Assuming all else normal, breathing, pulse, no DCAP-BTLS,

Assuming no ability to communicate or show response to stimuli

Inclined to believe brain damage or stroke

Please guys, you need to make a movie together!!!! Pleeeeeezzzee!!

Let's get the internationaloscope out

Australia - class LR required

UK and Europe - Class C1 required

Canada - Class 4 (in Ontario Class F) required

South Africa - Code 10 required

Each of these are a higher standard than a regular car license, a commercial class medical exam and a theory and driving test

Each of these jurisdictions (not sure about SA) also has very strict rules about rest breaks and limits of driving

Once again US falls to bottom, breaks my heart

I don't know about the US faling to bottom. I think it is the locale that you are driving in. A major amount of areas have very strict standards, while of course others have as one poster described "a pulse and one eye" (hope I got that right). I personally prefer the stricter standards. It is the loose areas that make it bad for the rest of us. In our dept, a driver loses driving priviledges for screwing up. The residents in our area think nothing of calling the chief if a driver screws up.