Eydawn

I was with your train of thought, bro (because I know Airborne thinking patterns) until this last bit. Here, I think you dropped the ball, and you're going to catch a LOT of flack for it(not just from me, either I bet.) OK, I get the whole "balls to the walls" hero mentality... and I understand that combat medicine involves treating while under fire. WTF is wrong with you that you don't take the 15 seconds to protect yourself? How about popping a pair of nitriles on under your tactical gloves, so that you don't increase your chances of exposure to bloodborne pathogens? I know there's not always time to stop, put on gloves, etc... but you can prep yourself as your unit's medic. Lead by example, dude... you're smart enough to wear a condom, right? This is no different. You wanna die of hepatitis? Nasty way to go... and the thought of going to the VA for care for that for the rest of whatever life you've got is scary indeed. Way to disrespect the SISTERS AND MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS who are fighting just as hard as you are. I dig that there's no chicks in the Airborne, and there's not as many women on the front... but there are women in intelligence and support and medical who are just as vital to the operation of the military as you are. One of my acquaintances just graduated boot and is on contract to be in an aeromedical drop unit. Your first phrase, "it's about a soldier's life" is absolutely spot on. The rest is realllly narrow thinking. Get your head out of your ass. Just because your unit is a bunch of hopped up male adrenaline plane-jumpers doesn't mean that you wholly represent the entirety of the armed forces. No, it's not, from our perspective. We're looking at your education and understanding of medicine, not your setting. I understand that "medic" is a near and dear term to you where you are. It's a badge of honor. Medic means something different in the military- it means "the nearest dude who can maybe plug my bullet holes" and I get that this is different from civvy EMS. But you're on a civilian forum, discussing *medicine* with a group of people who are mostly civilian with some former military and reserve mixed in. We appreciate YOU for what YOU do... don't piss on us and get all touchy because we refer to your actual civilian EMT level. You are indeed a separate breed of EMS, but when it comes down to it you're an EMT-B with some EMT-I skills and less education than nearly any paramedic on this forum. Have some respect for yourself. Step back and try to think outside your military box for a little bit. If you don't protect yourself with something as simple as gloves and don't recognize that you are speaking from a viewpoint that many of us will never be able to fully understand, you're just going to piss people off here. Have you ever stopped to wonder WHY 101st Airborne has such high suicide and mental illness rates? Couldn't have anything to do with the mentality and culture of the unit, could it? Sure, you're getting exposed to gnarly shit... but I bet the special ops folks have a lot more skeletons than you, and for some reason they don't seem to have as many issues proportionally speaking when they get out of the service. Just food for thought. Stay safe out there. Wendy CO EMT-B

Hey, I figured there was more to the story... just the way you put it out the first time didn't make sense to me, lol. As far as the person who says not to support me, free country, free forum. I own my opinions and put them out there, and sometimes I put my foot in my mouth. My opinion based on the lower amount of information stands- if you don't have medical need, don't do it. 4c6's story, with more flesh to it, is quite obviously one of medical need... I also didn't know that "silly" was part of a brand name... haven't played with the emo kids for a while, not up on their latest gig. Sounded like a dig at their fashion, sorry 'bout that! As far as armchair medic-ing... isn't that what the forum is FOR? Duh... Wendy CO EMT-B

If you cut someone's property without an imminent medical need, you're really not thinking clearly and just being a douche. Sorry. You can dislike the "emo kid" and all his jelly bracelets... but unless you can't get them off without cutting, you have no right to destroy his property. What's wrong with you? If there's a medical need, you do as little damage as possible but do what needs to be done. If there's no medical need, and the original post doesn't really indicate whether or not there was, then keep your scissors to yourself. I'm actually really disgusted by this... is it OK to cut off someone's coat because you don't like the designer? Because you think it makes them stuck up? Where do you draw the line here? Wendy CO EMT-B

Heal quickly!!! Yikes. I think she's referring to her out-of-state deployment... home turf for her is AZ, but she's on the East Coast right now. I don't think she's referring to her career as a whole being over. As a matter of fact, I'm willing to bet she won't give up on returning until she's exhausted all possible options... coz she's just that stubborn! ;-) Hang in there!! Wendy CO EMT-B

I would be calling dispatch to have them get in touch with every available beekeeper in the area. I might try the fog, but I would also consider using smokers... those calm the bees down. Not sure how much impact it would have with a swarm that large. I think scoop and run is the best option- anyone allergic to bees stays off the scene, and people not allergic get into suits, extricate victims and remove them from the bee contaminated area. Then the beekeepers can deal with the bees themselves. What a mess! That would be a really tough call. Too bad there were so many hives lost. Wendy CO EMT-B

I've also had problems with the multi-quote function... I think there's a glitch in the editor somewhere. Bad line of code, maybe? Admin? What is going on?? --Wendy

I kinda have to agree with the other posters here. Either 'fess up, tell us what the skill was and how they didn't prepare you for it, or your posts are pointless. It is true that some people require more intense instruction as opposed to self-study, and this may be the case here, in which the instructor should have been accommodating this particular student's learning style. Without having the rest of the information, this is mere speculation... Wendy CO EMT-B

I am also bringing God into the equation. Here's the rub- God is all powerful, omnipotent, and far more complex than humanity can ever understand. Therefore, God speaks to each individual as they need to be spoken to, sometimes overtly, sometimes not so much. Therefore, the way that you conceptualize God may be wholly different from the way that I conceptualize God... and it is very arrogant of me to assume that I can tell YOU how to communicate with God. That my definition is somehow better or more complete than yours. Without the grace of God, as I conceptualize Him, I would not be alive at this moment. (There are many levels to that statement; if you know me, you already know some of the levels.) We are here to live life to its fullest and to help each other through the journey called life. Each of us has different strengths, a different purpose in life. To ignore that which we are is the ultimate dishonesty. Existence, no matter how short, is a precious gift that should not be taken for granted or wasted. Live your life as fully as possible, live in an upright fashion that allows you to help others to reach their full potential, and never forget that there is a greater plan, even when you can't see the blueprint lines. --Wendy

Holy shit! Wow. That's ridiculous. Why was the asshat shooting at the ambulance? I mean... really now... I would be investing in body armor if you haven't already. Stay safe out there. Wendy CO EMT-B

I've got a total stab in the dark, spurred by something in my brain that remembered hearing about bulging infant eyeballs and thyroid disorders... Could it possibly be Graves disease? (Hyperthyroidism, essentially) That's a cause of bulging eyes in infants, and according to some of the literature I read while thinking about this case, it happens due to macrophage infiltration behind the eyes (an autoimmune response). I don't know how that would factor in with the fever. It does, however, explain the bulging eyes and staring, glazed gaze. It can cause premature closing of the fontanelles, and if the thyroid gland is enlarged it could cause pressure on the windpipe, and positionally account for periods of apnea. What would I do? I'd monitor airway intently and be prepared to manage it aggressively. I would also use some lubricating eyedrops on the kiddo's eyes to protect them. I would paint the picture for the doctor just like you painted it in this scenario. Definitely a weird one. Wendy CO EMT-B

I would never have thought of that effect with regard to lung inflation. Whoa! That had to be trippy. Excellent thread, Chbare! Wendy CO EMT-B

Actually, I thought it was interesting subtle commentary on what you are and are not taught in EMS education. House was disdainful... and rightfully so, when he's got a paramedic ASKING him what to do. Ok, so they showed EMS as not so with it again... at least he didn't call him an ambulance driver and the guy was actually down there providing patient care of sorts. And it didn't glorify fire... which I am also OK with. I was more interested in the psychology of this episode. Hugh Laurie is doing a fantastic job with that character. One tiny extra nail in the TV EMS coffin didn't distract me too much. Wendy CO EMT-B

This guy is a dead ringer for a whacker we had for a while in my Venturing Crew. I had to do a double take. "______ is that you??!" (Name not used because I don't wanna TOTALLY embarrass the guy...) The sight forumlae are fishy. I would not have hesitated to arrest him for having those and a weapon around the president. Now, whether or not he really was aiming to off O'Bunny, we'll never know... the only thing that is clear is this guy's lifetime membership in the Loser Club. Wendy CO EMT-B

I won't speculate. I will say hang in there and see what pulmonology says, and good luck!! Definitely quit smoking. With your history of smoking there is always the possibility of cancer, but you knew that already. Sit tight, I know the wait sucks, but trying to speculate is just going to make it worse. Lots of good vibes headed your way... Wendy CO EMT-B

Pay is higher for EMT-P. Denver Health ranges somewhere in the $21/hr range for starting paramedics, I believe.

#1: CBI/FBI takes a while to process fingerprints. It depends on what their backlog is. Anywhere from 1-3 months. State can take about a month, but usually they're waiting on your prints as the last part. #2: Decent companies to work for... well, down in that area you might want to message DwayneEMTP. He did his clinicals in the Springs. Denver has Action Care, AMR, Pridemark, and Denver Health. Do not look for a job with Denver Health without medic cert in progress- they have done away with BLS only cars and are going to all paramedic. They're currently getting all their BLS providers through medic programs. I hear that the other three privates are not bad to work for. For most companies you need your IV before they'll let you work. #3: Pay can range from $9-14/hr in Colorado from what I've seen. I really am not sure. Down in the Denver area, you're not going to make much... not sure about the Springs. Again, message Dwayne- he'd know that better than I would. Have you considered looking into ER tech positions as well? Or are you committed to working field? You're probably going to end up working IFT somewhere... there's a glut of EMT's right now. Wendy CO EMT-B

What JPINFV said and one of your questions during an interview should be "what is your pay range, benefits, and expectation for advancement?" --Wendy

When are you sitting the dunk tank? I'm so coming down to watch this. "Y'all play with hoses coz ya ain't got no hose of your own..." "You play with flamers, huh? That's right... flamers...." "Your dog is the Dalmatian because they're deaf and don't have to listen to you toot your own horn..." "Good thing bunker gear leaves everything to the imagination" "Heeere, hosemoney! Goooood monkey!! I'll give you a banana if you go break something over there..." That's off the top of my head. Wendy CO EMT-B

Holy thread resurrection... lol. ;-) Wendy CO EMT-B

This whole exercise is irrelevant with the amount of information given. You have no idea what people's subspecialties and personalities are and you don't know what their genders are. The only gender known for sure is the priest. Those would be the deciding factors for me! Perhaps the priest is one from an agricultural abbey, who knows how to grow things small scale... Perhaps the historian is a good diplomat who happens to be a crack shot and would be much better at enforcing order... perhaps the prostitute is a broke and desperate engineer who decided to start turning tricks to pay off student loans... No way to know. I think the overall lesson here is that it doesn't matter what your profession is, it matters who you are as a PERSON in entirety in this sort of situation. Wendy CO EMT-B

Never mind! You're just a prick! LOL. Wow. Again, you infer things that are not there. I know a couple of DNPs who shouldn't be. I know DNPs who are awesome, as well. You seem to only highlight that which agrees with your original, mistaken perceptions... I did not imply that I find the NP/DNP to be an inadequate physician extender, either. Nor did I imply that I would discourage anyone from pursuing a doctorate in any given field. Do you actually READ? I mean... seriously. My post did not read like that of an education advocate? Did you READ the second post where I laid out my views on education? And it's generally considered good form, before attacking someone, to go to their profile and read "posts by user." This does not involve more than a modicum of effort... apparently that's too much for someone like you, because you know everything about everyone! WOW! I did not go to high school with Paramedicmike. Way to make another mistaken assumption. I befriended him when *I* was 17. He is much older and far more experienced than I am. I am now 24. 17 + 7 = 24... I do not rely on anyone to back me up, nor do I need to "rally the herd"... I have stood apart from the masses for most of my life, and I intend to continue doing so. I begin to smell a troll... *sniff*... Snrk! Wendy CO EMT-B