DFIB

When will people learn that children are unable to care for themselves and thus require responsible adults to do it for them. The adults don't have to be smart just diligent. Adults that care for and cherish their children will properly care for them. I have seen mentally handicapped people who make wonderful parents because they cherish the child above all things and follow all the rules for their safety. Funny how people no disadvantage can be stupid and careless when those that have not been so blessed are not.

I agree with everyone about continuing straight to PreMed if you want to be a Dr. One of the biggest dangers is that you will finish nursing, have a good job, family, kids, responsibilities and never get back to your original dream of being a physician. If being a Dr. is your dream, directly follow your dream.

I completed my EMT-B when I was 43 and am continuing school. One of the cool things about being entry level at our age is that the young guys have to take a lot more crap for initiation and stuff. Us old guys .... well I guess they just assume we either have a lawyer or will knock them on their butt. Good on you for going for it! Congratulations!

Kaisu!!!! I love the way you think girl! I think that the issue also speaks to our professional attitudes, I am an EMT (soon to be medic, keep your fingers crossed for me) because I enjoy helping sick people, no matter what their infirmity may be. A "nutter" is in as much pain or more than a trauma patient, only we cant splint a broken heart or mind. In trauma patient we rarely really save any lives but with mental patients our kind evaluation, attitudes and words could indeed be a life changer, or even a life saver. When I work I am there for whatever the shift may bring. Any medic that does not want to help people who are mentally ill should reevaluate the reasons that they are a medic.

Thanks Bro. I am up to my eyeballs in school work right now but will most likely go ahead and order. Thank you!

I consulted with a friend who has ample experience in the field and she told me that fluid resusitation and raising their legs usually resolves this condition but if not vasopressors will usually pull them on up.

You are correct that it refers to a bullet. The caliber is a .45 which is a large caliber for a handgun. The .45 caliber pistol is best known for it's stopping or knock down power. The letters ACP are an abbreviation for Colt Automatic Pistol and is a cartridge type. The .45 ACP cartridge is not exclusive to handguns as the Tompson Machine gun (Tommy gun) fires the same round.

For some reason this subject is painful to think about and I am not sure where I will go with my ideas at this point. In a weird kind of way I see merit in both arguments and agree somewhat with both philosophies. First I have to say that at least for me, animals do not rank in the same class as humans and bring a degree of imperfection to the argument by diluting the idea of the sanctity of human life. I say this is I affectionately pet my dog. I don't despise animals but only consider them valuable in the measure that they provide pleasure and well being to humans. That said, I am writting without having read the article so that my thoughts are not mired by a single argument but to approach the subject generally speaking. I think one of the difficulties of physician assisted suicide is deciding who gets to go and who still has the chance to live. ie; How much pain would a person have to be in? What would our litmus test be? What would the threshold for living and dying become? This argument is terrifying in the sense that these societal evolutions never cease to progress. It would begin with a patient decision and progress into a family decision and then the Dr. or hospital board calling the shots. The ultimate loss of freedom would be the Government deciding through mandated health insurance who lives or dies. This aspect of the issue scares the crap out of me. Oddly enough the very thing which we would initially perceived as the ultimate expression of freedom would very possibly turned into the ultimate loss of liberty. Broad legislation would not be an answer as each case would have to be considered individually. I agree with cbare's original comment only to the point that we can ascertain that the Dr. is an ethical person and not a psycho out to kill people. The dichotomous nature of the assisted suicide line of action and the balance between ethics and humanity are the basis of our conundrum. Even so it is very clear to me that there are situations that are immensely worse than death. From a Hippocratic point of view we would have to redefine death as the not being the ultimate harm in order to "do no harm" defining the loss of quality of life as the ultimate harm and death as a cure or solution. The more I write the more I realize that I am not intelligent enough to come up with an answer. From spiritual point of view I have a different perspective. God decides the time of each of our deaths not to imply the this does not involve free will. So the conundrum continues. I think I would have to love someone very much to agree to help them die.

Wouldn't lights and sirens scare the horses?

It would seem that this person is getting the Unlucky Medic Award! Pre-hospital child birth is painfully nasty.

i had noticed you had dropped out and an glad that you are back again. congratulations on your scholastic advancement. i hope you do well on your nremt test. it is good to see you. EDIT: I had noticed that you had dropped out and am glad that you are back again. Congratulations on your scholastic advancement! I hope you do well on your NREMT test. It is good to see you.

Please let us know how your test turns out for you. I would appreciate your feedback. Good luck.

I have not seen the books that you are describing but will purchase one in short order. I learn well in the outline format, in fact i outline every chapter of the textbooks so I can have a quick reference guide while studying. Thanks for the heads up on the books. I am all over checking them out.

On a side note. If you need contact information about how to reach the right people send me a PM and I will be honored to help you get that contact information. I mean, I don't know what kind of communication restrictions you might have but I do know that there is a Dr. in Afghanistan that participates in the classes as well as special schedule classes for you guys over there. You might be close to someone who can give you better on site information.

Good job on passing the test! Keep "goosing" your instructor so they can complete the required reporting.

There are some websites available that you can use to become familiar with the testing format, practice your question answering ability and, of course, reinforce your knowledge. I have heard that JBlearning is a good site to practice on although i have never used it. After talking to lots of people that have both passed and failed the NREMT I have come to a personal conclusion that first you have to know the material in detail as well as understand the practical application. One of the constants in the NREMT test (in my experience) is that the test relies heavily on the order of the skill sheets you learned for your practicals, The Patient assessment / Management - Basic Trauma skill sheet was Particularly useful. Memorize your skill sheets well, understand the physiology of the human body and remember all the details possible and you should be fine.

I was reading but have never experienced that a patient in this condition could require 2-3 lts of fluids STAT ans still not maintain BP.

Welcome and thanks for keeping your guys healthy in Afghanistan. Military medics are rock stars in my book. I am studying Paramedic online with PERCOM that is associated with Kilgore College in Texas http://percomonline.com/percom/. There are several Medics taking the course that are serving in Afghanistan. They also have special financing considerations for active service members. Here is a link to a thread where we discussed the program and has a rare note from the Program Director responding to some of the comments from regular posters. I hope that this is helpful to you. EDIT: I have no personal or financial interest in PERCOM online.

Backwoods Virginia judge and a good 'ol boy system might be a likely explanation for the verdict. You cant fix stupid but apparently you can find a judge to defend it.

Kathy. Welcome to the forums. I think you will need to begin preparing to take the NREMT test by getting an account on the NREMT website and paying your fees. Get back with us when you have done this and we will go from there.

I can see how complicated the care would be and there is no assurance that the hospital would of had the medication the could have helped you on hand anyway. I am going to have to read some about the progression of DVTs before continuing. I am very glad the the thread and you my friend are still alive. Cheers.

Great Gobs Of Galloping Gorilla Grunt! Your original post is scary even to read! I can only imagine how spooky it was to live it! I really don't have anything intelligent to ad to what everyone else has already posted. I would mention a thought that being a remote medic you should be careful not to fall into the mentality that you somehow have to hold yourself to the same level of care that the indigenous patients can receive or afford. It is sad that they cannot receive the same level of care that you can, but that is no reason for you to think that you have to constrain your healthcare to the same limitations that they have. Dwayne, buddy, Get the care you need and deserve, find out if you need to be on anticoags or clot busters or whichever is the best and most appropriate care you can get off your butt and take care of yourself! I mean that in the kindest and fraternal way. Love you brother but you worry me sometimes.

Tactical medic intellectually shouldn't be much more challenging than being a "regular" medic. The main difference is the Tactical training that really is not rocket science. I have done the SWAT training and really consider it to be more about tactics and less about medicine simply because of the MOI that is most common in their line of work. I agree with the Capitain that it would seem to be a very difficult position to get, especially considering all the veteran medics with combat experience that already in line. I consider that rank and file medics are much better practitioners because of the great variety of their calls. Tactical Medics basically do high velocity trauma, bleeding control and shock.

Like making the grownups play with the children in bunker gear. Will probably go bad for EMS.

i am taking the Pharmacology course and enjoying the content.