island emt

The books for a Basic EMT cost more than $110.00 Here the course costs vary from $700 - $900 plus national regisrty testing fees and state exam fees. !60 hrs didactic and 48 hrs clinicals.

for stopping the woman"s monthly flow ???????

stop typing and read what people with decades of experience are trying to tell you.

Part of the problems are that the ambulance crews get tied up in the ER's waiting for a bed and a nurse to turn their patients over to. Yes they need more ambulances per shift , but then those additional crews will be sitting in the waiting Que at the ER's with long offload delays.. Still have the same problems getting trucks to the pt's in a timely manner.

Since you are obviously new to EMS we'll go easy on you. Yes it was an exposure probably not an exposure worth worrying about unless you know the pt is positive. You should have been required to take an OSHA bloodborne pathogens course before you were allowed to respond to calls. this is mandatory, which would have explained the process and how to make determinations of exposure or not. If you are a germaphobe then you might want to reconsider your life activities.

You've got points going for you already Seth. Many folks come here and get the kind of responses your getting and fade away to never be heard from again. +1

I'm with medic girl: What was the underlying cause and history behind the arrest? Drug use/ abuse might explain the thin build as would anorexia.. S&S of abuse? if anorexic then electrolytes are likely way off the scale 21 yo's don't normally have cardiac arrests without underlying medical condition or OD/ trauma. What are her pupils like? responsive & accommodating? fixed? was an echo done? enlargement or pericardio effusion? Pressure seems a little low considering the Levophed drip Management for now is maintain sedation to prevent shivering keep the core temp at directed level per rosc protocol & handle gently. maintain pressure at best possible level and hope she doesn't code again.

AHHH/ A product of the educational system that teaches them basics are useless without a medic, That is the underlying problem that she is having trouble getting past as she was taught and drilled that she was dirt and not really capable of making decisions. need to find a way to re-instill the confidence that was crushed as a basic. time to get back to basics , before moving forward into medic.

Thats waaaay cool. Lets see some pictures.

Steve: Maine has has a selective spinal immobilization protocol in place for about 12 years. It originally came from the Wilderness medicine folks and was fine tuned after the NEXUS study. It is similar to what you posted and the newest update due this fall is leaning towards less reliance of long boards as an immobilization requirement. Last time I attended a conference on this, EMS's correct application following the protocol had very few missed spinal FX;s on par with the ER's using radiographic review. Criteria are very similar to yours. I believe our protocols are now posted on the Maine EMS website along with a draft copy of this years updates. Ed

Mike : I worked the night shift for years and became a night owl. come home at 7:30 relax, have a shower and sleep till 2 or 3 and get up and do my chores . then eat and take a couple hour nap until time to go back to work. The big city had a different vibe after midnight and the ER could be hoppin, depending on the night. Best shift I ever had was Thursday, Friday Saturday, Sunday 10 am till midnight. built in overtime every week and 3 days off during the regular work week when everyone "normal was working to go out & do the shopping or the beach or skiing on off price weekdays. Did that for almost 4 years till we moved North to Maine. My wife works 2nd shift from 2 to midnight at the hospital, so we still run on a altered time zone compared to the rest of the world. today is her sunday as she works fri, sat, sun, mon this week.

A compassion code is not going to make anyone feel better if the pt is dead before your your arrival with obvious signs such as lividity or rigor, Are they cold ? or warm ? Are they cyanotic and have fixed pupils? Do they have a shockable rhythm on the monitor or AED ? was the arrest witnessed and how long ago? greater than 5 minutes? Was CPR started soon after arrest and continued until your arrival? If the answer to any of the above is wrong , then don't work them. We don't abuse corpses for the benefit of the family. The family becomes your patients for you to care for

is it because she is not comfortable being extroverted and has a hard time with "new " people? Or did she just not get the skills to interview as a basic?

Seth: everyone handles the cumulative stressors of this profession differently. Some play the macho man "nothing bothers me and end up eating a gun barrel , or drinking themselves into a stupor after work, others cope by doing the very best they can according to their training & knowledge , then afterwards find a healthy release of those emotions. Anyone who has been in EMS for more than a few years will tell you there are calls that affected them deeply. It's all in how you let those demons out that will determine whether or not you can continue to do this for a long time. In over 4 decades in EMS I've seen and dealt with things that would make many "normal" folks run away screaming and learned how to deal with my emotions in a healthy release that doesn't involve alcohol, drugs or other destructive behaviors. no one else can predict how you will be able to deal with them other than yourself.

We encountered a gentleman from out of state 6 years ago with an LVAD. They were here for the summer and called me to make us familiar with the device, his medical HX and how to get more info from his clinical co-ordinator down in Boston. I went to meet with him & his wife, it's kind of scary when you check for a pulse and there really isn't one while talking to him. You could feel a slight pressure wave peripherally , but it was stronger at the carotids. He had a base power unit and three backup batteries for traveling. Called the care co-ordinator who faxed me all sorts of info on that particular unit and how to troubleshoot problems.. Biggest thing was if pt is in distress transport them on to the big city hospital an hour & 1/2 south where they could care for him and not stop at the local ER as they are not capable of dealing with the equipment. the pt did call us for assistance one time during an extended power failure and we brought him to the station so he could plug in to our generator power and get all his batteries recharged. other than that no issues. Last I knew he was still on a transplant list.

Gotta agree with Doc: The scary thing is that he has no idea of what he doesn't know. 40 years ago we gave this pt air & a chair and a ride to the hospital. I'd hate to think that the state of prehospital care in NYC hasn't advanced any further than that in the past 4 decades. glad I don't live in the city.

Welcome to the City.

I've had students get their results e-mail within 48 hours and some it took several weeks. The fact that it shut off @ 76 questions means you did very well or very bad. Though usually those doing badly get a lot more questions.

maybe ha was a necrophiliac.

If there is lividity or rigor then yes, we do not work them and put false hope in the family's eyes. The family is now our patient. We are really good at fixing a lot of things::: DEAD is not one of them. Now if they are warm & pink with vital signs absent we will make an attempt and see if we get any response and treat appropriately from there. If no changes in status we will call it at the appropriate time. Age shouldn't matter how we treat our customers.

Kate: Some states license EMS providers and others have a certification to provide care . In Maine , I hold a license to practice at my level. Other states I've worked in certified that you met the minimum requirements to practice under a medical director. Semantics :Yes, But there is a difference National registry certification means you have passed a standardized test that shows minimum competence & knowledge for a given EMS level of training. Most states have gone to the nat reg test as the cost to continuously update their own individual testing materials requires too much time & $$$$.

The difference between a Cadillac and a Kia

Had a partner with OCD once years ago. She would clean the bus like no tomorrow. Then she got some med changes and developed a coping mechanism. She chewed black licorice as a trigger to calm her mind. Think it was a suggestive thought given to her by her DR.

The national registry is a test writing organization. They don't even administer the test anymore. Pearson provides the testing service for fee. This allows the states to give a test that they don't have to develop , administer or keep updated.

still looking for us to do your homework for you I see !