DwayneEMTP

From what we were taught as basics, and the scenarios I've seen since, I'm guessing legal had to say it was abandonment... No release to a lower level provider after contact... Though, I'm guessing there is a twist here...I can't wait!! Dwayne

http://www.emsresponder.com/article/articl...p;siteSection=1 Florida EMT Student Killed Helping Crash Victims A 25-year-old man training to be an emergency medical technician was struck and killed by a car as he rushed across a highway to aid victims in a fatal crash, authorities said. Lezerick R. Williams and his longtime friend, Neil Hall, both of Jacksonville, were crossing Interstate 295 about 2:30 a.m. Saturday to get to a deadly head-on collision when they were hit by a Chevrolet Malibu, Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Bill Leeper said. Williams died at the scene. Hall, also 25, was in critical condition at a local hospital. "It's how he's been all of his life," Williams' father said of his son's desire to help. Henry Williams said his son was training to be an emergency medical technician. Two people were killed in the initial head-on collision. Caralisa L. Mack, 35, of Kingsland, Ga., was driving south in a northbound lane of I-295 when she collided with a Jeep Grand Cherokee, Leeper said. Mack and the Jeep's driver, 26-year-old Amanda Higgs of Yulee were killed. Two passengers in the Jeep were critically injured. Leeper said it was unclear why Mack was driving the wrong way on the highway.

Got it...Thanks Doc. Dwayne

Man, I still think of Jay as 'the new guy'...I really have to upgrade my thinking... I don't really think about age until something like this comes along...and then just for a second, God willing, that list will seem silly compared to the things we see before we're done here... Asys, did you see that article about the New York trains (Do they mean subways?) being held up because of skinny women? (Now that makes me feel old) If not, it's the last post (or was) in the "lifting big people' thread...I don't remember what it's called... Now that's funny! Dwayne

Thanks guys, that's awsome. And Doc, that's interesting about pulse ox being so valuable! I've seen it argued on here that it should be removed from ambulances.. Perhaps that is because of misuse? Cold hands, poor circulation, nail polish, etc. not being taken into consideration? Sorry, I can't remember the arguments, it just seems that after your comments that misuse would be the most likely argument against them... Thanks again! Dwayne

The people who are starting college this fall across the nation were born in 1987. They are too young to remember the first space shuttle blowing up on liftoff. Their lifetime has always included AIDS. The CD was introduced the year they were born. They have always had an answering machine. They have always had cable. They cannot fathom not having a remote control. Jay Leno has always been on the Tonight Show. Popcorn has always been cooked in the microwave. They never took a swim and thought about Jaws. They can't imagine what hard contact lenses are. They don't know who Mork was or where he was from. They never heard: "Where's the Beef?" "I'd walk a mile for a Camel" or "de plane, Boss, de plane" They do not care who shot J. R. and have no idea who J. R. even is. McDonald's never came in Styrofoam containers. They don't have a clue how to use a typewriter. Do you feel old yet? Jay Leno always on the tonight show?!? I thought he was just filling in until Johny came back!! Dwayne

That was great! So it sounds like you're saying the body isn't really dealing with a lower O2 sat level, only it is reported incorrectly due to the redirection of the highest volume of blood? Is that right? Though I certainly appreciate the physiology lesson (truly!) I was most curious about the body operating properly with such a reduced level of oxygen. Wouldn't that cause a break down in the Kreb's cycle (probably making an ass of myself now)? Your explanation makes great sense...thank you for taking the time to answer... By the way, Amazing Blog!! Normally I would rather set my hair on fire than read a blog...I look forward to your entries, I hope you're real proud of it!! Dwayne

If they exist. Your post and advice was clear to anyone wanting to move forward as opposed to get into a peepee measuring contest... This is a perfect example of your tagline in action... (Waiting anxiously for somedic to tell me not to rile him up... :roll: ) Dwayne

The other night I was watching a series on a group going up Everest. When they were at about 24,000 ft (I think) the Doc (an ER Doc hired for the trip) was taking pulse ox readings from the members of the group. He was showing them to the camera and saying "See that? 65! Man, in the ER we hate anything below a 90, yet up here this is pretty much average" How can that be? I've spent some time in the hospital with sick relatives and if the pulse ox dropped below 90 for a short time, steps were taken. If it dropped below 80 people started to get pretty motivated... Is it just attributed to their acclimation time? I just don't get it, dang it.... Of course, other than the static acceptable numbers I've been exposed to, and hearing here that it has limited value in EMS, I know nothing about it really... Thanks all! Dwayne

ukcanuck, your response was very appropriate! No offense taken here, in fact, I thank you for taking the time to answer so thoroughly! paramaniac, ukcanuck, It sounds like your situations suck! I'd imagine the management is beating you over the head with this press...Given your situation, man, I don't know what the hell is best to do. Answer the calls and nothing changes, in fact it most likely gets worse for you in the long run. Don't answer and this situation arises and the unwashed masses believe you would trade a life for a lunch break. I wish you good luck, with hope that this is resolved well, and soon! Dwayne

You're just a math stud!! I caught the symbol changes, and notice that like symbols where in equal stages, but couldn't manage to put the two together...thanks for that!! Have a good one! Dwayne

Yikes. Math is not my strong suite, and I'm sure that's where the answer lies, but I don't get it... Pretty cool effect! Dwayne

I'm not an instructor, but I believe you can teach the material and the test. I went through a two month academy and we were responsible for all the material in the book. In class we had standard tests each class, labeling for anatomy, simple physiology essay questions etc. that I found very challenging. But we were also responsible for an online test each week that was fashioned after the NR test. It was open book, timed, but if you failed you needed to call the instructor to have it reset. So you could take it as many times as necessary, but you had to pass it before coming to Thurs. nights class. Looking back I can see that these tests had very little value except prepping for the National Registry. When I finaly sat for the NR, it was pretty anticlimactic, as the question format had already been addressed over 300 times in my online exams... Mike Messina is the Director of EMS at Hancock College, Santa Maria CA, He may be able to give you info on the online testing we used. I believe it made a huge difference...Each of us that sat the NR passes first time through. Hope that helps. Have a great day! Dwayne

Yeah, I know, but you have to admit it's a pretty funny headline! Dwayne

ukcunuck, it wasn't my intention to put you on the hot seat, or even claim that this was an employee failure issue,...I just meant to generate debate on the subject. If I understand you correctly above, you say that you don't like to have a non-paid lunch, that you can choose to take £20 and respond (during a lunch break I'm guessing)...I don't see the problem? Why doesn't everyone take the money and respond then? Honest question, I'm not judging you or your system (Hell, I don't know that much about our system), I'm just curious... Good luck with your labor issues.... Dwayne

Does this help at all? Skinny girls to blame for train delays Instead of cursing the transportation gods for subway delays, we should direct our anger at skinny girls who put their vanity before everyone else's commute, according to amNewYork. Crash-dieting women who pass out for lack of food are one of the top causes of New York subway delays, according to Asim Nelson, a Metropolitan Transportation Authority emergency medical technician. "You have women trying to get their bodies tight for the summer and they won't eat," he said. "Not eating for three or four days, you are going to go down. If you don't eat for 12 hours you are going to get weak." amNewYork spells out the moral of the story: "Subway late? Blame the lady wearing a size 0." For lack of actual statistics -- the MTA doesn't keep track of the nature of "sick customer" incidents, and amNew York concedes that flu symptoms and hangover complaints can also delay trains -- this wholly unscientific report attempts to bolster its claims by marching out 17-year-old Talisa McGraw, who "sheepishly" admits to having skipped breakfast and dinner prior to her fainting spell on a train last month. "I felt dizzy and light and dropped down. Luckily someone got me a seat and called the conductor," she said. That morning, Nelson treated McGraw, as well as four other women who had passed out or felt weak. I suppose if there's one good thing to be said about this article it's that it doesn't go so far as to blame transportation delays on, say, "the vapors." (Though we'd love to see the Onion's take on that.) Twisty of I Blame The Patriarchy isn't so kind; she calls it an example of "woman-blaming-as-national-bloodsport." Have a great day all! Dwayne

Hey all, I've heard people argue for and against mandatory lunch breaks for EMS...thoughts on the article below? http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53660 EU rule: Ambulance crews take break while man dies Heart-attack victim forced to wait 20 minutes, although emergency vehicles 5 minutes away 5:00 p.m. Eastern © 2007 WorldNetDaily.com When a 73-year-old Londoner collapsed at a betting shop on New Year's Eve afternoon, his luck had run out – thanks to European Union rules that required two nearby ambulance crews to be kept on their 30-minute breaks. A paramedic arrived by rapid-response car in a matter of minutes to the shopping center where the unnamed senior was stricken and began caring for the man. Witnesses say he made desperate calls on his cell phone in an attempt to have an ambulance dispatched. The London Ambulance Service, which has launched an investigation of the incident, confirmed that two crews were on a mandated break at a station five minutes away from the shopping center, but they could not be disturbed, the London Daily Mail reported. Under rules mandated by the European Working Time Directive, adopted in December, ambulance crews working shifts between six and 10 hours long are allocated a rest break of 30 minutes and cannot be sent out on 999 calls – the UK equivalent to 911 emergencies in the U.S. LAS dispatched an ambulance from a neighboring community, but it did not arrive for over 20 minutes after the original emergency phone call. "We dispatched a rapid-response car, which arrived at the shopping center within eight minutes at 1:30 pm, the member of staff being able to start treatment immediately," a spokesman for LAS said. "An ambulance was sent at 1:32 pm after it became available from attending another incident and, according to our records, arrived at the shopping center at 1:41 pm and at the patient a few minutes later. "The man stopped breathing shortly afterwards and efforts were made to resuscitate him both at the scene and on the way to North Middlesex Hospital, where he arrived at approximately 2:10 pm." "It is disgusting," said eyewitness Sheldon Trevatt of Edmonton. "The man worked all his life paying his national insurance. If that ambulance had been there earlier I think his life would have been saved.” Does this change anyone's mind? Could it be done, only differently? Have a great day! Dwayne

That's too funny! Man, that's like instant karma right there.... Dwayne

Does someone have a more precise definition of 'perimortem' than "at or near the time of death" That would seem to cover too much ground for a very focused study, although perhaps with such a small grouping over such a large period of time that is all you get. The reason I ask is that this seems like an amazing figure, "In 10 years, 40 perimortem deliveries were registered, of which 25resulted in neurologically intact surviving infants (62.5%)." But not so amazing if perimortem can mean anywhere from three hours premortem (is that a word?) to slightly after clinical death. Kind of off the subject, but I found the following paragraph, referenced from Doc's article above, kind of interesting... "Fear of litigation may prevent intervention in what would be, by all medical judgment, appropriate circumstances for a PMCD [Perimortem Cesarean Delivery]. However, no lawsuits filed on the basis of wrongful performance of PMCD have been reported in the literature. Only one legal penalty has been levied in regard to PMCD, the death penalty, which was given in the 18th century for failure to perform the procedure." Have a great day everyone! Dwayne

"Unipolar cells have one primary process that give rise to several branches. One of these is the axon and the rest serve as dendritic receiving structures. Unipolar cells have no dendrites arising directly from the cell's soma. These cells occur in certain ganglia of the autonomic nervous system of vertebrates." Found this online...though it doesn't seem right, or at least complete somehow.... Got me Doc. It seems like I was told, but I can't remember now.... Dwayne

Good for you Jenn!!! Dwayne

Man, when I started this thread I was actually pretty OK with my questions, and the logic used to generate them. Then I see this and think “Oh my God...I'm still a stone cold idiot!” The 'counsel of elders' constantly tries to force us to think outside the box, yet my questions were so far inside the box I think they might have been boxed inside the box! It's truly embarrassing when we have Dust, Rid, Asys, AZ, oh man...and a ton of other really smart people telling us to “look at EMS as a profession”, “find the big picture”, “be part of the changes”, and then come to realize I can't even find the right questions! They seem obvious after you have spelled them out. Thanks to all of you 'old guys' for taking the time to look out for the rest of us... Dwayne

Hell, pretty dang cool you used your name! You're legend here!! Welcome, and thanks for adding to the City! Dwayne