samson722

Thanks very much. Exactly what I was looking for! Cheers! Samson

Sorry, I apologize for being curt, I just tend to get defensive sometimes, as it seems that things like intent and attitude don't always come across well in text-based situations such as this forum. I also get a little upset sometimes because I might come to this forum with a legitimate question asking for help and get pounced on. and I'm certainly not talking about you. I just get the feeling sometimes that there are a lot of people here who don't remember what it was like to be new at this and needing advice. again, I do apologize if I came off sounding like some jerk. that was not my intention at all. that said... i've only really been asked for ID a couple of times, and I just thought that picture IDs could be a more practical solution to a little piece of paper that doesn't mean that much to anyone other than fellow EMTs/Medics. Cheers! Samson

Actually, in MA we are REQUIRED to carry them when working. We are not considered to be EMTs by the State if we do not have them on are person. We are also required to present them to anyone who asks us to produce them. Dial it back a notch...every time I post here, I feel like I'm being made out to be a whacker. I may be new at this, but I'm just trying to learn and trying to do the best I can at this job. I know people who have never taken them out of their wallet except to make a photo copy, and they're falling apart. They're the same material as our AHA CPR cards. FYI, all of my cards are laminated, I was just trying to illustrate a point.

I didn't mean to sound like a whacker at all, Dust. I work in a rural system where for a lot of people, myself included, it can sometimes be better to respond POV and wait for the truck to come. In MA, it takes 2 EMTs to roll with an ambulance, and because we have a hard time getting a crew together, we might respond POV with a jump bag waiting for mutual aid or for more people to show up at the station. I'm talking along the lines of a call on my street, or a couple blocks over. The only reason I brought this up is because I was ASKED for ID. I'm not one of those sh*theads that would swagger onto a scene and announce loudly that I'm an EMT, but I'd be a little nervous too if someone runs into my house with a jump bag, but wearing a tshirt and jeans. If I pissed you off, I'm sorry, it's just that our system out here is far from perfect. We have 35 EMTs on the roster, but a lot of times, it's pretty difficult to get people to show up to the station. Just as luck would have it, most of the time my pager goes off when I'm on my way back to town, or when i'm horribly far away from the station, but closer to the scene. Responding POV is optional, but encouraged, as we want to at least get the ball rolling in terms of patient care. The way I see it is that I'm a lot more helpful to a patient who's in trouble and scared if I'm actually there, rather than going 5 minutes out of my way to get to the station. On several occasions, I've turned around to try and make it to the station, and missed the truck altogether. That really made me feel like an ass. I just want to do what I feel is best for the patient. I'm not trying to boost my ego and feel all important by screaming onto a scene. I don't have lights in my car, or a siren, nor do I really feel they're necessary. Although, it's tough to get there as fast as people who are as crazy as some of my coworkers. Sorry to have upset you. I hope you can see my point of view on this. Samson

I'm curious...apart from company IDs, is there anyone out there that has a photo ID for their state card? I heard that CA issues EMT cards as a photo ID, but MA is pretty lame...paper cards that bend, rip, and become illegible pretty quick. I don't wanna sound like a whacker, but I think that it would lend a bit of legitimacy in the public eye for us to have something a little more official than a ratty piece of paper in our wallet that says we're allowed to work on you. Being on a volly squad, I don't always have something on me to signify that I am indeed an EMT (other than my card). What I'm getting at is that I'm not always wearing uniform pants or a t-shirt/job shirt. So, a couple times when I've responded POV, I've been asked for ID by family members or other people on scene that didn't know me. Smart on their part, I would too, if I didn't know the responding parties in question. But all I had to show for it was my ratty State card. Any solutions? I DONT want to wear a badge (I do have one, but it was given as a gift, and I rarely have it with me), as it tends to destroy people's trust when they see someone that could look the slightest bit like a cop (we get that all the time when we're in uniform and on-shift). On the bright side, I laminated my state card, so it's a little more presentable, but I would really like to know if anyone knows of a place to get a photo ID done. I'd heard of FF's being able to get them done at Fire Chief's conventions, but nothing for EMS. Thoughts? Thanks in advance. Cheers! Samson

no, I'm still here. sorry I didn't have the chance to respond. things have changed a lot since i was here last. i've got a year left at berklee and then i'm off to LA. i might try and work out there for a private on the weekends. EMS is something I feel very strongly about, and it's something that I want to do no matter what the cost. things have gotten better between the management and myself, it was mostly an issue of communication between myself and my supervisors about what's going on and how i'm feeling. they explained to me that they weren't there to hang anyone out to dry, and that they'd be willing to work with me to resolve the situation. now that that is place, i do feel more confident working on the truck. it's honestly less often that i'm having a problem with the patients, in that my biggest asset has always been my communication skills, and i work very well with people. the biggest part of the issue was that i was getting scared, not thinking about things one step at a time, and screwing up. it was a lot of little things happening that i would dwell on, which soon became a big confidence issue. it wasn't necessarily that i didn't feel i could do it, it more that i felt like i didn't have the support of my partner(s) or supervisors in my education while at this dept. i hate to be long-winded, but this has pretty much been resolved, aside from the fact that business is painfully slow right now, and we have no pagers, so even i wanted to work regularly, it wouldn't happen. i'm making time wherever i can to hang around the station and learn things from the more experienced, whether that means taking the truck for a drive, or talking about pt. assessment, or even drilling on CPR or whatever. they seem to be satisfied, and the important part is they're showing that now, which in turn has made me feel more confident in myself. ok...i'll stop there... i can't type anymore. thanks everyone for your kind words and helpful suggestions. who knows? i might take you up on them when i get myself out to LA. take care everyone, and stay safe. Cheers! Samson

This might seem like a weird question, but does anyone know of a small, soft-sided, rollout bag that I could use to pack an impromptu FAK? I've seen some kits that look OK, but I'm more interested in the bag, in that I have all the goods in terms of supplies. I just want something that I can stock a comprehensive kit in for soft-tissue and other minor complaints, hopefully under the seat of my truck. It needs to be less than 14" wide. I plan to squeeze into my bug out bag. Thanks in advance for the help, guys and gals. Cheers! Samson

I have a problem I was hoping someone could help me with. I been with my dept on and off for probably a year, on summer vacation, and I'm still trying to get well-adjusted and feel confident in myself. Seeing as we have a very low call volume out here, I'm not sure how to rectify that. I'm also going to college for music out in Boston. I've always had a huge desire to work as an EMT, but I am finding that I lack confidence. I've been as active as I can with a full time job during the summer, because my parents insist that I maintain another job. This presents a problem because I really do need to get experience to gain confidence. Right now I'm on the verge of tears because I had a talk with my boss, and he had said that as a probationary EMT he had very little confidence in my abilities (which only compounds my issues). He knows that I'm trying, but in his mind, he doesn't see any way that he can help me improve. Basically, I'm distraught because he gave me an ultimatum...When I get back this summer, if I don't successfully gain his confidence as a crew member, he'll cut me loose. I understand that if I'm running around on calls, trying, but sometimes failing, this is not a positive thing. I just wish I felt that there was help and support for me out there. I really want to make this work, more than anything else I can think of, and I've NEVER quit at anything, I just don't know what to do about this situation. Any thoughts?