medicgirl05

From personal experience, there is no way I could have been on a backboard when I broke my back. I loaded myself into the car in a bent over position to get to the ER for some pain relief. Since then I absolutely hate putting patients on a backboard.

What kind of history does she have? Is she on birth control? Does she smoke? What are her lab values? ST depression indicates that the heart is not getting enough oxygen. I would leave the vent settings where they are for now.

I just feel like I can't get away from this call. It has been a month and it seems like everyone in the community still talks about it. Everyone has an opinion about what really happened and it makes me SO mad because I know what happened and they spread these stupid rumors about the people involved. Tonight I went to my grandparents house and they discussed it, they know I was there because they know what day it happened and they knew I was on shift. It seems like every time I feel like I'm finally moving on somebody brings it up. I talked to a CISM counselor and that was pretty much a waste of time. I'm frustrated at work because I haven't helped anyone in weeks, I just am a taxi service and I have little patience with our frequent fliers. I just started the degree program at UTHSCSA for Emergency Health Sciences and it should be pretty intense, but I just can't get my head in the game to give a crap, which is pretty awful since I just spent 3,000 on the semester. I just keep waiting for things to get back to normal, but I feel like I'm climbing a mountain and every time I get halfway up an avalanche takes me right back to the bottom. Thanks for the advice, and really it is nice to have people that seem to understand, since nobody I work with seems to ever have a bad call.

Ok. There is no way you can possibly imagine what you are up against as an EMT/Paramedic before even having stepped into a classroom. Then even after you have become an EMT you still cannot imagine what you are up against as a paramedic. I'm definitely not bashing EMT's, I love them, but being a paramedic brings a whole different way of thinking and a whole new set of responsibilities. I am still shocked at what I have to face and I have worked a 911 service for 8 years. I'm not discouraging you, if you have the support and ability to try it out-go for it, but in my opinion you can throw everything you think you know about being an EMT/paramedic out the window. Either way, good luck to you.

People dying after hours of CPR is a good thing, they have very little chance of being anything but a vegetable anyway. This call was nothing like that. I have done CPR on people for an hour or so, I have pulled bodies out of cars, I have seen some really traumatic injuries and never responded this way before. My reaction did not cause me to miss any calls, or interfere with work in anyway. And why do you have to make it a sexist thing when you say "girls that cry and get upset"? I don't think that has anything to do with it. And yes I had an emotional as well as a physical reaction to the event, at least I waited until we cleared the scene. My MALE partner froze at the scene causing an issue where I had to work harder than I should have.

I recently was involved in a call that really messed with my head. It took me a long time to be able to sleep and eat after this call. I got to the end of my rope and told my supervisor that it was really bothering me. I have been in EMS 8 years and have never been affected by a call this way. I think it was because it hit really close to home for me...anyway, my question is how do we in EMS become so callous that we don't care that someone is bothered? Why is it considered a weakness to have an emotional reaction to such an event? Have you ever been affected by what you have seen and how did you get through it? And, I was not bothered while on the call, I was not affected until we cleared the scene and I thought about what had just happened. Patient care was not affected in any way... Please don't chew me up and spit me out for saying I had an emotional reaction, I've already had enough of that. Thanks.

I really know the feeling of not knowing if you will ever get back on the truck. I fractured L1 in 2 places and herniated L5-S1 last year. I was out for 3 months initially, then went back, but shouldn't have as I was in extreme pain. Then I had surgery and was out again. My surgeon told me the same thing, to rethink my career. I'm rethinking it, but my pain has subsided despite an occasional flare up. My advice is, don't be discouraged yet. Give yourself time to heal before you really start thinking about giving it up.

Thanks everyone. There is some great advice here!

I'm looking for some advice on dating in and out of EMS. I know some of you have been around the block a few times and I'm wondering if you think it is better to date inside the profession or outside? If you are married is your spouse in EMS? Any advice appreciated. Thanks!

Wow. In this instance I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was a party, nobody was exceedingly drunk, and I had no idea they were going to play this game. Are you saying you have never been at a party where people were drinking?

Sorry I meant cric! We didn't discuss how it would be performed, just that they thought I would be obligated to do so. I wasn't playing the game, nor was I drinking much. I was on the side that I wouldn't do anything beyond the Heimlich and CPR, but my coworkers disagree. I was looking for other opinions. Thanks.

I was at a party this past weekend where some people were playing Chubby Bunny. In case you aren't familiar this game is played by stuffing a marshmallow in a players mouth and the player not being able to chew and saying "chubby bunny." The game continues by increasing the number of marshmallows until there is only one player left. At this particular party the winner stuffed 15 in his mouth and won. Participants usually end up losing their marshmallows and then some, however I thought it was a ridiculous game due to the risk of choking...so... I was telling my fellow coworkers about this stupid game, and we started talking about what would have happened if someone had choked. They insisted that I would have been obligated to eventually perform a tracheotomy, as the heimlich wouldn't dislodge the sticky marshmallows. I argued that I was not on duty, had been drinking, and was not even in my service area. They then said I could call my medical director and get authorization, which I don't think would happen either. The location of the party had at least a 15 minute response time for the responding EMS agency. My coworkers think I'd lose my paramedic cert if I didn't do anything, but I'd also lose it if I did try to help after I'd been drinking. So my question is, what would you do?

This was a great post. Thanks for sharing. It definetely makes me reflect on my own actions, which I need to do every now and then. Last night I had a patient with chest pain, turned out to be a M.I. The best thing about the call was that while my partner went to get the stretcher closer the patient was scared and she hugged me. REALLY hugged me. After that I could see that she felt better. That hug that I felt awkward about in the moment did more for her, in my opinion, than any Nitro, ASA, or Morphine possibly could. It allowed her to relax and be comfortable with me. Too often I find myself treating the signs and symtpoms and forget there is a patient under there.

I have had my current partner for the last 4 years. Every time he thinks about getting a motorcycle we work a motorcycle wreck. Let's just say he never gets one. I am unsure how many motorcycle accidents I have worked, but I do know they never are in good shape. Most get flown, none have walked away from the scene. One guy was drunk, wearing all the protective equipment, didn't act like he was in pain. He had no road rash, but he had two broken clavicles, fractured arm, fractured pelvis, multiple rib fractures, a knee injury that required surgery, and a concussion despite the helmet. Just shows that the protective gear can't protect against everything.

Sorry, today is my first day...

When I obtained my EMT-B, some 8 years ago, all you needed was to have a high school diploma/GED, and be 18 years old. I have since obtained the ICS courses as required by my county. What is JUMP start?

My final is today! Hopefully then I will be done with statistics!

There is not much we can do for him because he refuses to give up his drug habit. He had county housing but lost that due to marijuana. Then he lost an apartment because of the meth lab. He doesn't want help, but he abuses the system. He has been arrested but that doesn't do any good because he doesn't pay for anything and he just doesn't care. We are a small town 30 miles from a bus system, we don't have public transportation. We don't have any homeless shelters nearby. The churches help people when they need it, but this guy had burned all those bridges. He has no friends that will drive him anywhere. At one point he was taken to a hospital 120 miles away but he still managed to get back to our county. We take patient to any of 6 hospitals that are all 30 miles from us depending on patient preference. He changes which facility he wants to go to and goes there until the hospital staff gets fed up, then he picks another facility. We can't force him to go to one particular facility due to protocol. He is a nuisance but I don't know what we can legally do with him. His complaint is ALWAYS chest pain. Occasionally he might actually be sick, but he is such a good faker that you never really know. He knows how to get what he wants, and while I usually know I'm being played, I am afraid that one day he may actually be having a heart attack so I always work him.

The only place I think it will fit is beside the stretcher. To do that properly it needs to be secured somehow so it won't become a flying/falling object. The seatbelt on the bench seat is not long enough/I don't know how to make that work. Yes it does fold. I think the reason that it bothers me is because this patient is a frequent flyer that we get frustrated with. I really was bothered by his reaction to me and it made me question if my refusing to take his wheelchair is a reflection of him, or a reflection of me. If it was a different patient would I have tried harder to make it work? I know that can't be answered by anyone but me. And I also know I have never transported any other wheelchairs, so I don't think I was treating him unfairly, but it still is a thought that I have... I was hoping for a clear cut answer as to how to safely transport a wheelchair, but I guess there really isn't one.

No he was not acutely ill, he does have significant medical problems though. We take him at least once a week. I did call my supervisor who was in agreeance with me that taking the wheelchair was not necessary. This patient is a drug user/alcoholic who has nowhere to really go. He rides his wheelchair through town and calls 911 at night when he has nowhere to sleep. He was living in an apartment until he got kicked out becuase he had a meth lab. The owners of the house where he happened to be this time(his cousin), were agreeable to leaving the wheelchair in their garage until the patient could retrieve it. I made sure of that before I told him we could not take it with us. I have never encountered someone wanting to take a wheelchair and he has never needed it before. I am just looking for safe ways to secure it when it happens next week. Thanks!

We don't have a wheelchair van and the hospital is 30 miles away and out of the county, so the SO can't take it. We were at a residence. I't won't fit behind the captain's chair. Any other suggestions?

I had an issue last night with a patient's wheelchair. This particular patient is a frequent flier and we have in the past taken his walker, and he was very mad that we couldn't take his wheelchair. He tried to hit me and called me a whole bunch of not so nice names. He refused to go with us until deputies talked to him, then we transported him without the wheelchair. I don't know how to safely transport a whelchair. Has anyone had any experience with this? If you do take the wheelchair, where does it go? How do you secure it? Thanks!

I don't carry any supplies. If I am in the county that I work for and off duty I am more likely to stop and see what kind of help is needed when the ambulance arrives, at which point I'm covered by our medical director. If I am in another county and I see other bystanders present I generally don't stop as there is nothing I can do that they can't. If I'm first on scene I will stop and activate 911 and do what I can with no supplies, which is generally nothing but hold their hand.

We have disposable blankets that are horrible. They don't do their job at all. I still use them from the hospitals unless for some reason I don't have access. If you decide to go with disposable be leery of what you buy.

This is a super great point. Thanks everyone!