MedicNorth

This is tragic news. My sympathy to everyone who had the privilege to know him and call him friend. He will be missed.

So, it actually happened, and it was very successful by all counts. We learned a lot too, and have plans to extend the program over a period of several years. The need here is huge! The real planning and work will start when we return to Canada next week. Here is the link that actually works: https://www.facebook.com/UgandaEMSPilotProject/ As you can see, there was a lot of work, but we certainly found some time to play and explore as well.

Well, spread the news and lets see if we can get a few people together. MO is a long way from me, but then, so is almost everywhere! I could probably swing it if we found enough interest

Haha, you poor old fart.... the ancient and debilitating Half Century! I wish I could go back to that and realize how great an age it was! , incidentally, would be very interested in Reunion 2.0 if there are enough of us old farts left still above ground. Any takers?

Hi all In February 2018 I will be doing a project in the outskirts of Kampala, Uganda with the long term plan to hopefully create a self-sustaining EMS program that does not only cater to the rich and famous. You can find the general information here: https://www.facebook.com/KampalaEMS I would greatly appreciate any advice or observations from those of of you who have experience internationally. I will be happy to answer any questions about how we plan to make this work, though I know it will be challenging!

I do miss the old days and the "old" people. I think that it was the right time and the right people, and the circumstances have simply not occurred again. Chat was a huge drawing point, and people who chatted lots were likely to post lots too. We did have some pretty amazing natural leaders, but the big thing is that it was fun as well as instructive. I will be volunteering in Uganda for 5 weeks in February on an EMS pilot project. Odds are good that there will be some issues I want to mull over with those of you who have experienced overseas work. Hopefully We can get a bit of action going on that!

It breaks my heart. She was a sweet and amazing young lady who dealt with all her trials and tribulations with grace and strength. No matter what happened ( and there was a lot), she shook her head, dusted herself off, and forged ahead. I will miss you, Munchkin

Narcan protocols allow our EMT-As to administer .4 mg IM or .2mg IV to a maximum total 4 doses. This is based on patients who are in severe respiratory depression (<6 ) with symptoms of opioid overdose. These are small amounts, and are highly unlikely to cause the patient to come up swinging. The research shows that this is one of the safest drugs around, even in much higher doses. I am with the pros on this - You can't fix dead.

Mixed feelings, to let a long-time career go, and I am sure the field will miss you. I hope the surgery goes well, and that the day job continues to be rewarding.

Welcome to the site. There isn't much doubt that some basic A&P knowledge will help, but in most programs the A&P classes are very basic and aimed at people with little or no previous exposure. If the school is any good the course will be sequential, with guidance from the instructors throughout. Watching one video is not going to make you an instant expert, but if you work through the class, do the reading, study in your spare time, and generally do the student process you should be able to do just fine. If you are not an auditory learner the lecture would not stick with you very well either. Many of us learn better by reading, or by writing, or by saying, or maybe by the old process of flashcards. Recruiting other members of the class to form study group is yet another effective activity. Don't start with a negative attitude. EMT-B A&P is very superficial, and in most cases just requires memorization of parts and terms. I am sure you will find methods to get the information to stick in your brain. Good luck!

RockShoes, it looks like a lot of resources have been mobilized here to care for refugees adequately, especially since in will be midwinter by the time they start arriving. I do not see any likelihood that any refugees will be freezing or starving to death, and medical attention will be available as well. It may not be as flawless as we want it to be, but they will be cared for far better than they would be on the streets or in refugee camps as they are now. A warm place to sleep, adequate food, warm clothing - I am sure we can provide that!

I am willing to take part in this, though it is as a Canadian. First off, according to the newest information, NONE of the terrorists responsible for the Paris disaster were refuges. They were all European Nationals. One of the passports found was that of an Egyptian national who was a victim, and the other was a fake. Second, we in Canada are presently gearing up to accept 25000 Syrian refugees, planned for by the end of the year, probably not until some time in January due to logistics and increased security checks. We have a population 1/10 that of the United States. If we can do this with our much smaller resources, you in the States should be able to handle security checks on less than half our number with ease! Third, yes, the Boston Bombers were refugees, but tragic as that situation was, the number of victims in that incident pales in comparison to the home-grown terror that has been prevalent in the US - from Oklahoma City to Columbine, Sandy Hook to Charleston. Someone who is willing to kill innocents is a criminal, regardless of where they come from. Fourth, and probably the most important point is that these people are likely to be barred entrance to your country (and possibly mine) on the basis of their religion. Yes, the vast majority of them are Muslim. However, to put it into perspective, the vast majority if the victims of the Islamic State ARE Muslim! The latest conservative estimate is that 100,000 Muslims have been killed by ISIS (or ISIL if you prefer) in the past 2 years. These people who are try to get away from that frightening situation are not terrorists simply because of the religion of their fathers. Too many people use a religion as a justification for violence and murder - the KKK, Jonestown, Waco, Buddhist monks killing people in Myanmar, the list goes on and on. Once again, it is not the fault of the religion, though that is another topic - it is the fault of people who use that religion to justify their motivations. ISIS is a political entity, not a religious one. The end result of this is that there are over a million people fleeing from the terror in their homelands. Of course they have choices - join ISIS, or stay there and likely die if they do not support these sick individuals. They took the 3rd choice, to leave and try to create lives for themselves and their families in places of peace and acceptance. Those places are proving to be mirages in many cases. Imagine if things got to a point where you feared for the immediate lives of your family - would you not leave, looking for safer places? Would you be angry and frustrated if you were persecuted because of where you came from? The world has a responsibility as human beings, to BE human. To accept people as honest and caring individuals, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, or point of origin. These are men, women, and children who need our help to escape a situation that we in the western world have essentially created through our political, social and military policies. The least we can do is accept a mere handful. 10,000 refugees in the United States is peanuts. Your population would outnumber them 3500 to 1! Finally, God help us if we sit back and do nothing. The last thing we need is for these millions of people to become homeless, disenfranchised, and bitter. THAT is a perfect recipe for radicalization. The more we can accept and integrate into our rich and privileged society, the fewer will become ISIS members of the future. This is what ISIS wants. If we prove them right that the rest of the world is anti-Muslim they can justify much more, and the world will continue to slide into chaos. Thank you for the soap box!

Welcome Runner!

It looks interesting, for sure. There are a few things I would like to find out first before I threw support at it, like is it hospital specific? All too often a crew will have no idea what hospital they will be routed to until they are actually ready to transport. We don't ever give patient information on the radio, we do reports on a secure recorded cell-service, but that has its weaknesses too. One of the things I like about this is the form factor - most aspects of the report are covered.

Hmmm - Middle of the night, cold, 2 feet of snow, called to a private residence for a "machete attack". Arrive on scene, trail of blood across the yard, up the steps, on the porch. More blood everywhere on the floor, follow the trail to the kitchen. Patient is sitting at the kitchen table, alert, holding several soaked tea towels to his head. Examination shows blood flowing freely from a 5 inch slash just above his left ear. We managed to control the bleeding quite effectively with dressings and pressure, wrapped it up. Patient was ambulatory (tough cookie!), but hallway to the door he said he needed to go to the bathroom. We protested, but he said he would refuse to come if he wasn't allowed. Bleeding was controlled, alert and oriented, why not let the guy take a leak? He wandered into the bathroom, and closed the door - not locked. Two minutes later, the toilet flushed, the door opened, and he wandered out again, bleeding like a stuck pig even worse than when we arrived! Shocked, I asked what happened. He said "It was a BIG sh*t"" Never make assumptions, people! As you may have figured, he didn't take a leak. Odds are good that your trauma patient straining to take a dump will not improve things.