medicgirl05

If you have no knowledge of firearms that is one thing, but don't assume you know that they are not safe if you know nothing. Unloading a weapon is not rocket science and you never ever point it at a person so even if you have an accidental discharge it isn't that big of a deal. It is one thing to share ideas but it really is aggravating when people start judging others on something they have no idea about!

Yes it is a written policy that has been in effect about 2 years. It came about because our previous policy stated that we could have no weapons in the ambulance, but an inmate can not be transported without a guard; causing issues with transport.The new policy was made to save time in getting inmates the treatment they need.

I would clear the gun and lock it in my narcotic lock box. The only key would be in my pocket and I would ask law enforcement to meet me at the ER and turn the weapon over there. Leaving it on the patient, in my opinion, is not a safe idea. When we have deputies ride with us we lock their weapon in the narc box. It wouldn't be much different from that scenario.

I'm saying that 10 hours is incredibly short.

I took my EMT-B during my senior year of high school and had no problem. I was also working 30 hours a week at a grocery store. It depends on what you can handle and how motivated you are. I am amazed how short some of the clinical times were for you guys! I had 48 hours on the ambulance(24 as 911 and 24 as transfer), 24 hours in the ER, and 4 hours with respiratory care. I think I benefited more from the respiratory care than any other department.

Yep. I remember seeing it and looking at your facebook pics. I understand, you've been busy being a proud papa. Congrats!!!

Hey I actually knew that word. And Yes...BUMMER!!!

I completely understand your position of newbie. I have been here 6 years now and from the beginning I noticed things that could be improved on or fixed. While others here recognize that problems exist they resent the idea of a new person trying to fix it. HLPP suggested you just change it then present it to management, while that may work in some places it did not work for me. I was met with much resistance and rather than changing anything I spent lots of work on nothing. Good luck to you. Don't get so centered on what you could do to better things that it causes you to burn out. Just my 2 cents.

My step father hung himself a few years ago. It was the most traumatic experience for my mom...I hated the man from the first time I met him. I knew he had something off. After he did what he did everything made so much more sense. People are sick. He planned killing himself for at least 2 years that we could track. I know that things are bad in your life, but I don't understand how it can get to the point where you don't care what your family and friends would go through. Is it ever really that bad? I have seen suicides where a terminally ill patient wheels themselves outside with their oxygen tubing trailing and shoots themselves. At least in that scenario you can see a bigger picture... but I can not wrap my head around a young-middle aged healthy person actually ending their life. I just don't understand it.

We don't have a policy about it but I learned my lesson one morning while we were working a code at the nursing home. In the middle of trying to get the tube my alarm went off with the song "I'm Here For The Party." I was mortified. Thank goodness there wasn't anyone in the room but EMS personnel. I have since learned to use actual alarm sounds for my alarm. It aggravates me when someone I'm working with has an obnoxious ringtone and I wish we had a policy in place to deal with it.

I also work for a rural 911 service. We have at least a 30 minute wait for mutual aid. We had a MVA with 3 adult patients, one of which I deemed critical. We took out the stretcher mounts, tossed 2 BBs on the floor, one on the bench. EMERGENCY situations require different methods than nonemergency IFT. I had my partner drive as we were down a long,curvy, gravel road. I had a first responder assist me in the back. Extra pair of eyes/hands is always good, especially if you trust the brain behind them. Only time I've ever done that but I saw no alternative at the time. My medical director backed my desicion. When you work rural you have to sometimes do things out of the box. You have to weigh risk Vs. benefit.

You men are just jealous because "Everything is BIGGER in Texas!" :-P

I have learned so much from my patients. That is one of my favorite parts of EMS. Most elderly people will spill their life stories if they think you care, and most are rather interesting. We have 30< minute transfers so I get to learn a lot! I have been invited to patient's birthday parties but I am afraid of becoming too attached as there is a fair chance that I will work on these people when they die. Maybe a weakness of mine...

Question number 1-How can you say it is not a risk? There is always a risk of a traffic accident wether the ambulance driver is at fault or not. Failing to properly secure a patient increases the chance of injury to said patient. Common sense is the source for that knowledge. Question number 2- I am not risking my patient or my safety in order to transfer a perfectly stable patient to a facility that is for long term care. There are situations when you take risks, when there is no alternative, when it is likely that your patient will die if you don't transfer them as in an emergency transfer.

HLPP what point are you trying to make? Or is there a point? The availability of a bariatric stretcher doesn't change anything in the presented scenario,

As far as I am aware that is correct.

I was only referring to private as I am unsure of the 911 capabilities in the area. Sorry for not clarifying. There are 4 privates in the immediate area.

The private service I work for doesn't have a bariatric stretcher. There is only one bariatric stretcher in my area.