AnatomyChick

Our current Administration is hesitant to appoint an EMS Captain, and QA is a part of the EMS Captain's role.... I tried doing QA on this call.. which is why I noticed the lack of documentation... I brought the subject up, hence the question posted here. Thanks for your input Dust!

I was having a discussion with a "colleague" yesterday and we disagreed on the following scenario... please read this and give me your opinion on how you think this situation should be handled. Your on a Rural Volunteer Fire Dept, that also runs Medical calls(but does not transport). You receive a dispatch that ends up being a "full code"... you arrive at the same time or shortly after the ambulance.... you administer CPR, and provide "assisting" care (suctioning, being the IV Pole, loading the patient, etc).... The ambulance has obtained their information on the call.... Do you as a member of the Rural Volunteer Fire Dept. need to follow up with your own documentation, or can you just let it go, because the ambulance personnel on scene completed theirs. The argument is.. since this is a BLS call (somehow we're now separating running "CPR based" calls from other medical calls).. that documentation is not needed. What do you think? I'd tell you what side I was on, but don't want to slant opinions posted.

I love the flu shot... works wonders on me... too bad they don't have one of those for the Upper Respiratory stuff.

It's called Plastination... oddly enough.

JAKE.. you ARE still alive.. never hear from you anymore... good to see your (well Alfred E. Newman's) smiling face!

Lately it's been around 10:30 PM... but, historically... between 2:30 and 3 AM. Jo

My Paramedic Instructor told us on the first day of class that we were all sponges and would be "soaking up" tons of information, but he also encouraged us to "wring out the sponge" every now and then... I found that I did most of the "wringing" on test day ! If this career line is the right thing for you, then yes... it will all come together for you in the end... Some of my very best and brightest students didn't really "get it all" until the very end, when everything all of the sudden made COMPLETE sense. Some of the students who struggled the most ended up being the greatest EMT's. The best advice I can give you is to study, get involved in hands on as soon as possible (don't stand back and be a wall flower) and ask questions.. if you're embarrased to ask them in class, then pose them here... Good Luck, and let us know if there is anything else we can help you with.

We did Cats in my A & P class (I think the thing that is most similiar about cats if my memory serves is their musculature)... it was pretty cool... we had the only male cat in the class so.. ummm we had to disect down to genitalia... as the entire class watched. :oops: We Also did Sheep Brain, Cow Eye, and something else (been a long time - and obviously I wasn't impressed ) It was amazing, and I really enjoyed it. The formaldahyde is an issue... if you can't take the cats, you won't be able to take a Cadaver. Years prior, right after I became an EMT, I was allowed to be a guest in the Gross Anatomy class at our local college (My friend was a nursing student)..... I didn't get to touch, but it was pretty cool... the smell was interesting though... LOL.. not one of those things that you soon forget. IF you have the oppourtunity it would be a good experience, but it honestly isn't imperative to your training. Jo

It's going to sound mean.. but.. Practice.. Practice using different manikins, practice using different face masks, practice using different BVM's.... Each has it's own unique difficulties, so my final word is .... Practice.

Clarify with your Lead Instructor / Coordinator to verify which of the Guidelines you will be using for your test.... The NREMT went to the 2005 Guidelines in July... so, I'm guessing that your state will follow suit... if so, then vs-eh has given you the new info. Always ask your instructor... we can help, and are more than willing to do so, however as an instructor I will tell you that I may have different rules for my class than some of the information that you will receive here. Just my 2 cents, Jo

Ummm is that Donny Osmond in the background? too funny!

Nice to hear from you Savoy...I couldn't agree more... the solution is not to dilute down the courses or testing any more than it is (although, I will admit that I thought the State written was more of a challenge than the NR seems to be.... ah, those were the days), heaven forbid that we encourage, nay, INSIST that our EMS providers are meeting "minimum" entry requirements. This whole thing sounds to me like nothing more than a HUGE excuse for not doing things right in the first place..... UGH... Sometimes I wonder where we are headed as a profession.

Here's the obituary.... Tom Worsham, 46, of Fair Grove died Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2006, after a long battle with cancer. He experienced many miracles during his time on this earth, namely the birth of his two sons, John and Luke. After a career in the military and later as an EMT, he had the opportunity to be home and active in raising his children on a daily basis. He is survived by his wife of the home, J. Denise Worsham; their two sons, John, 4, and Luke, 3; his father and mother, Thomas and Mary Jane Worsham of Edgefield, S.C.; a brother, James A. Gunby and wife Susan of Savannah, Ga., and their daughter, Kristen; a brother, Michael A. Worsham and wife Crystal of Waycross, Ga.; one sister, Margaret Holman and husband Bill of Knoxville, Tenn., and their daughter, Lauren Holman; and numerous other relatives and a host of friends. Graveside services will be at 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 8, at the Missouri Veteran's Cemetery under the direction of Thieme-Shadel Funeral Service at Rivermonte, Springfield. There will be no formal visitation. Memorial donations may be made for his children at any Empire Bank, c/o John and Luke Worsham, or left with the funeral home.

I received a devastating phone call last night... one of my former students, (and one of the best EMT's that I ever had the opportunity of knowing) passed away yesterday afternoon. He had battled a lengthy illness, and at the end it robbed him from us. He is survived by his wife and 2 small sons, as well as a HUGE EMS family. We will miss him greatly. Please send your thoughts and prayers to his family. Thanks in Advance. Jo

Ok.. here is my 2 cents... Any knife larger than a standard "pocket knife" is meant for only one of two things... Hunting or as a Weapon (not including those that are used for industrial jobs).... if you're carrying something larger than the standard pocket knife with you, I'd have to agree that it is inappropriate. I know a guy who likes to play the "guess how many knives I have hidden on me" game... he used to ask my students that all the time... and they would come back to class thinking that he was the coolest ... I spent HOURS explaining why it was not a standard that I wanted them to learn. Here's the deal.. if you're carrying it "just in case" you have to protect yourself... well then it's a weapon. Weapons have NO place in providing care in EMS, that is why we ask the LEO to remove them from patients before we put them in the back of the ambulance... Whew.. ok.. I'll jump down off of my soapbox now. Oh, and no.. this site is not "my way or the highway"... My interest is in providing information for ALL providers, not just a select group who chose to step outside the DOT / SOP Guidelines. Best of luck to you... Oh, and on the pants thing... Dickies Work Pants from Wal-Mart work well... you may not have a billion pockets to put things in, but you'll likely never really need those pockets anyway.

I used to teach med - term.. and I agree..it should be a standard for all EMT's starting at the Basic level. jo

Wow... Awesome post Asysin.... I take back my "you're the meanest vote"... LOL. Read it again upcoming Paramedic students... truer words have never been written! Jo

My Heart goes out to the families affected, and their Fire Service Brothers. It's never easy when God calls one of our own home... all we can do is continue to stay safe, and offer prayers up for their peace. Jo

Rig..... closely followed by unit #. I think there is already a thread on this... might give you more information... just use the search key.

That's funny right there.. I don't care WHO you are!

After almost 20 years as an EMT-B, I'm actually getting ready to head back to school for something no where remotely related to EMS... I'm not sure if I'll keep my license and my Instructional stats up, or if I'll just let everything lapse... I have nearly 4 years to come up with THAT decision.... Anyway... I say follow your dreams. But keep in mind, that as an EMT-B you're truly not that marketable... very few services will pay you what you're worth OR what you have to make to survive... you have to work in EMS because you LOVE it... Don't get me wrong, I still love EMS, but I am at a point in my life where I truly need to consider my future. Just my 2 cents.

Nicely done... I like the idea of seeing the progression from beginning to end. Good job!

All the best things come from Missouri.... LOL

I'm with you Asysin... it makes me physically ill to my stomach! Sad times we're living in my friends.... very sad.

The classes that I teach run in excess of 260 hours... I just can't do a the field justice at 110-120 hours. I think a 4 week course that is of the hours that you listed is probably "ok"... it wouldn't be my choice of ways to teach... just like there are "diploma mills" springing up all over, there are also "EMT Mills" springing up all over.. until someone puts a halt to recognizing these programs they will continue to turn up.... The hours may be there, but the time to develop the appropriate care is likely not... Just one instructors opinion.