JakeEMTP

"One Tin Soldier" I believe was the name of that song. I always liked " You know, just because you pay taxes, doesn't mean I work for you." Of course, who can forget the words of the immortal Jim Morrison with "Hello, I love you, won't you tell me your name"

What a sad state of affairs. One can almost read any thread here to realise the context of the article is true. I have to admit, I haven't purchased a book this year other than some textbooks. I am however, a frequent patron of the library.

I'll be arriving on the 2nd at night. Driving up from NC. Going to the class on the 3rd and will be leaving on the 4th. I look forward to meeting up! 8)

Ok, I registered for the 12.03.08 session. See ya there 'zilla!

Fixed that for you. Education is the way to go.

You can't say crotch here.

Kewl. Ours is the one which you describe. Has a programmable thermostat. Lately, we've been using quite a bit of IV fluids (just the run of calls we've had) so they never get to the temperature I stated. Sorry for not being more clear. Where are you in Canada? I went the reverse route of you. Canada to the U.S.

Yeah, we have a heater that one can place 4 bags of IV fluids on and they are heated to 98 degrees. They work great with the hypothermic patient or anyone for that matter with the colder weather setting in. Great little device. I'm surprised you don't have this on your ambulance in Canada.

:roll:

Are they strictly Paramedics or Firefighters first? There is a difference. If they are strictly paramedics and not involved in fire suppression at all other than rehab, which I doubt, then I say thanks IAFF. If however, which is more likely the case, they are firemen first paramedics second, then all the IAFF did was help the FF's, which is their agenda.

I get offended when my partner watches The 700 Club. I feel it's inappropriate television. There is no nudity or profanity in any of the shows content, yet I don't want to watch it. To me it is offensive. What I do is find something else to do or retire to my sleeping quarters and read. You/we cannot force our beliefs on others. We have the availability of satellite television at the station and as such, can watch any channel available. My partner and I have never watched pornography, it shows bad form. R-rated movies are ok as long as we are in agreement. Very seldom can we not find something mutually agreeable to watch, when we watch TV at all. Most TV shows suck. I much prefer a good book.

Just an update on the MD Medevac accident. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal...0,5142908.story As I suspected, it was the Uber Whacker Rescue Squad that didn't want to drive to the hospital. Gotta get some sleep so they can go to their real job in the morning. http://www.waldorfvfd.com/sta3ems.html

Every year we here the same smack from the Big 10. Right up until they play a team from the SEC.

My thoughts exactly. I mean, is there ever a good time for the FD to take over EMS?

Exactly. Using the same figures as the Chief, 218 out of 1677 medical alarms required the patient to be admitted to hospital. I don't know, but that sounds as if an ALS ambulance should be dispatched to every call. Wait, let's dispatch a engine, with a medic, then call for an ambulance because the pt. actually does require a trip to the hospital. That sounds much better :roll: ](*,). Delaying definitive pt. care is not the answer. EMS is not about making money especially for a City run service. IT IS ABOUT THE PATIENT! Cancel the order for the new engine (with grant money I'm sure) and purchase 5 ambulances. That is being more fiscally responsible.

The problem is, they received these statistics post hospital discharge. We as a profession for the most part, do not have the education required to make such a determination. Of course there are some obvious transports that we all know will be discharged quicker than we can put the ambulance back together. Everyone deserves a thorough assessment. If we cannot find a problem and the patient still hurts, they need further evaluation which we are either unqualified or under equipped to provide. Just because the patients weren't hospitalised, doesn't mean they didn't require some form of treatment in the ED. Stitches, X-rays, you know, just in case, etc. Heck, I've seen patients with casts placed on a arm and be sent home, thus not requiring an overnight stay. I do not understand the thinking. As always, you can read the statistics anyway you want. It's all in the presentation.

Kaisu, All I can say is dispose of them immediately after using them. Have a sharps container handy to you. In the Wheeled Coach ambulances we use, there is a sharps container at the front of the bench seat close to the side door. I dispose of them immediately after I have used a sharp. Also, there is a small sharps container in the bag we carry on calls. The same principal applies. As soon I use a sharp, it is immediately disposed of. You just need to teach yourself this is part of the job. Use it, dispose of it. You'll get the hang of it, I have faith in you. :wink:

You can. It may take some time however. Don't forget the sweet tea and hush puppies' date=' 'nana puddin for desert. [/quote']

Not out loud, but definitely in my head.

The hospital cops use them here for patrol and parking infraction detail. They don't even need to get off it to come inside. Pretty cool.

I saw this when I arrived at work this morning. I am deeply saddened by yet more loss of life. I will keep the crew and surviving family members in my thoughts.

Depending where I am in my district, our transport times to the hospital can be anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes. The need for my to utilise a helicopter is really minimal. I have called for a helicopter once in the last year. That was due to an extensive extraction with multiple trauma in the most outer region of the district I cover.. The helicopter was on the ground before the pt. was extracted so in that instance, I believe it was warranted. I was also thinking about the use of helicopters after this mornings tragedy. I think the solution to ending or at least minimizing these accidents is greater than just allowing flight crews to say no. MD took a step in the right direction by the ground crew having to make contact with an Physician before dispatching a helicopter. Once again, proper education of advanced providers who could recognise the need for HEMS transport or not is paramount in beginning to reduce the number of accidents. It's really simple math. Less flights = less accidents. I read somewhere that some services call for a helo so that they can keep their ambulance in their district is happening. WTF? My immediate thought was some vollie whacker rescue squad not wanting to make the trip because they have to go to their REAL job in the morning. That may be a knee jerk reaction, but I'm sure it happens. I don't know what the answer is. I know that these accidents have to stop. Make certain your pt. would benefit greatly by the use of HEMS. If it takes longer for them to arrive than it does for you to load your pt., HEAD FOR THE HOSPITAL! Do not wait for them, that's just stupid. Cancel the helicopter. There will always be a need for HEMS. However, the number of times it is required cannot continue to rise. In fact, as education of providers SHOULD increase, the need for them SHOULD decrease.

Good choice. However, what is normal? Some pt.'s have a low HR which is normal for them, but would be bradycardia for someone else. BP's very from pt. to pt. We can't treat numbers, only how the pt. presents.

Exactly. If you (not you sirduke, generic you) don't want to provide pt. care, please leave my profession. We don't need your ilk. You are not alone my friend.

Depending on transport time, I always have a minimum of 2 sets of vital signs. I thought the current EMT curriculum states " V/S should be taken every 15 min for stable pt.'s and every 5 min for unstable", or a reasonable facsimile thereof. Of course, if I feel I need to monitor the pt. more often, I will. That does not mean staring at the monitor looking for changes in SPO2 numbers. Actually palpating a pulse, taking a manual BP, auscultating lung sounds etc. As you are aware, I'm new at this. However, my partner is a preceptor and we had a student with us Sunday. Once we had the pt. in the ambulance, the student immediately started hooking the pt. to the monitor. My partner handed her a stethoscope (since she did have her own :roll:) and a BP cuff. "That is how we take a BP, the monitor is for monitoring" she said. I guess students aren't being taught correctly or, seasoned medics are just lazy. I dunno. But seriously, how hard is it to reach over and press the NIBP button? :?