Nate

Your 100% right, just like most cop shows aren't what really happens. Sometimes I wonder if it would help if people knew what really goes on. Most are clueless as to what we do all day, what we know, and that most states have more then two levels of providers. Heck I met a nurse today that didn't even know could push drugs. I think 90% of the people who replied here need to take a vacation...they are over reacting to a freaking non-fiction TV show geared towards drama. It is only TV, most educated people understand that concept. If you conduct yourself in a mannor that is that of how a medic should be, then you won't have anything to worry about.

I didn't get to see it, was sent on a call in another district. However, my crew did and a crew from another station did. They liked it, said it was a good drama and were along the lines you are (greatful they showed us doing something other then just driving the ambulance). One should note that most people aren't really going to judge us by simply what they see. If anything they learn to hate characters, not the job they perform. I would rather them show us as normal people then heros, we all know that there are more then enough people in this industry with a God complex.

If we are going local our transports are only like a few miles (usually under 6 or so). We will stay on scene because of the rough roads and usually get a line, EKG, blood, etc. (depending on the call) to help make it easier on the patient and the staff at the local ER. However, if I'm going to the medical center we will usually just start transporting because we have a 20 mile trip in rush hour traffic (more then enough time to get everything done).

What's that red stuff. I can't have blood. Don't worry, it's just Kool-Aid.

Freaking codes, down here your just shot in the freaking head. No code, just shot in the head.

Yeah...down here that would get you a police officer and only a police officer. Then again there isn't much tolerance for religion down here in Texas outside of the traditional (just look at the uproar that polygamist dude is creating).

I have to ask, who called EMS?

Yeah, so we are still alive. Anyone have any funny calls so far? I had a guy who thought he was Satan. When we put him on the LP12 the monitor's service now light came on and the screen went black. It worked fine when I put it on one of my crews after the call with no problems and no service now light. :?

They started in the City of Orange recently, they will probably take Port Aruther since no one really wants it. But Champers County is alive and strong, so that is probably as far West as they will go.

So I was reading the ACLS text for my recert, and....... Wow, I never realized how poorly the writers of AHA really are...someone could have made this a little more interesting. It is so plane jane...

He must not be a native Texan, we don't make those mistakes.

Bay Star EMS & City of South Houston

Silly paramedic, common sense is for nurses.

I saw we chain one to every ambulance and make it a requirement along with the stupid reflective triangles for when you break down.

Dude, you need a real air horn. Like one that runs off of compressed air, not that electric BS. Truth be told, the ride in most new cars and trucks is so nice you don't hear the siren or "eletric air horn" until they are on you. I also have no idea why this is in ALS.

:shock:

Yeah...in Houston we seem to have a problem that all the girls with cleavage have the size 18 pants to go with it. :roll:

I just call them my b*tch. Just playing....guess I should start running.

In regards to what sense?

We just hired two of their paramedics, and one of them is now my supervisor (hey, at least they finally found one that I didn't run off ). Anyways, him and the other guy brought with them a strong work ethic, quality skills, good bedside manor, and a drive to learn and teach. Now I'm not saying that is a SW thing, but we've compared their in house paramedic program to my college paramedic education. They were required to know a lot, and like I said, maybe it is just these two guys. The four things they like about Texas over Arizona though: [*]Green Grass [*]Lower Cost of Living [*]The Women [*]The hire pay

We have our own, but since no pump accepts another pump's tubing, we just use the hospital's pump. We haven't had any issues with this, as the trucks all have invertors to charge the pump and our LP12's on the longer transfers that we get from time to time. For the most part, we dial-a-flow a lot of stuff.

There are a number of reasons why I don't become an instructor with AHA, that is only one of them. Keeping up with AHA and their changes is a part time job.

I remember the text book we used was actually for nursing students. There are a few allied health and nursing pharm text books that are really good, you might consider reading one of those as well. :wink:

Basically setup for the worst case, that's about all you can do. I've had three patients with this problem, only two had bad units. The patients wasn't comfortable, but they weren't really in pain. I just put them on the monitor, asked what hospital their cardiologist was from. If it was reasonable, I would transport them to that hospital (if they were able to handle it). If I was a BLS provider, I would just go to the local hospital and let them stabilize and treat, or transport out via helicopter or ALS transfer service.

Very well said, and I would like to add onto that. There are 50 states in the US, there are 50 individual versions of these programs. This doesn't just go for EMS, this goes for every degree field, every subject, and every law. Generally they all meet the national standards, but they are all different in their own ways (and similar to each other in ways as well). I have met a few of providers from Canada of both levels in real life. I was no more impressed by them then I was by other American paramedics and EMT's. It seems to be easy for our friends up North to poke at the American programs, but I would also like to point out the sheer volume of EMS providers that is required in the United States compared to Canada. There is good and bad in both countries, but if you want to pass judgment on an entire country; you must have the ability to say you've judged at least one program from every state for a random sampling. :wink: Back to the subject at hand. I agree with Dustdevil, we should be on the C level, although most are only on the B level. My program didn't teach the C level on every medication (as there is no time); however we did get nearly every EMS drug on the C level and most other common medications seen in the field on the B level. One question to throw out there, how many people can honestly say they have reference material (beyond a field guide) on the ambulance? I'm willing to bet not many.