Eydawn

Hm! Creepy! The likeness thing is not that bad... but then hacking it apart and eating it?! *shudders* I don't know about that! That's just a little weird! Wendy CO EMT-B

Ah jeeze, come on... I don't even know what to say to this one. Yeah, it sucks that parents can refuse care for their children, but social services is so freakin' overreactive that it's not even funny. Sending a SWAT team for a "sluggish pupil" and a "hematoma" on the word of a caseworker? Helllllll no... unless they can prove they've got some medical or EMS background to justify what they've seen. It was probably a sleepy kid and a goose egg. *sighs* why are all the crazies in Colorado? Wendy CO EMT-B

Hmm... in my boy scout camp setting, regardless of certification, we're all referred to as "medics". "Medic 4, can you come back to the yurt?" --> referred to an EMT-B friend of mine "Medic 1, they need someone at the pool" --> referred to an RN So... since we referred to each other as the "medics" and others called us "medics" are we guilty of impersonating paramedics on our scenes? I think what I'm trying to get at here is that it really is a matter of context. I think Anthony has it right... if they don't get it... "You know, like the paramedics? The guys in the flashy ambulance? Yeah, we're like them, but we don't do as much stuff as they do and they have more school..." Wendy CO EMT-B

Kalamazoo, MI does indeed have a DPS. While attending college there I spoke with a few of them... mostly they're firefighters and police officers. Medical care is/was provided by Life EMS, which runs most of the ALS and primary response in the city, and Pride Care, which runs a lot of the interfacility transfers and occasionally ends up running hot for something. Life EMS would not take a Basic on a 911 car unless they were in paramedic school. Dust would have loved 'em. From what I understood after speaking with some of the DPS guys, most of them were trained to the First Responder level, and all of them were dual cop/firefighter types. They did not run city based EMS, due to the companies mentioned above handling it. Kalamazoo was a great little town... lots of meth labs and drunken college escapades though, due to Western Michigan University and my own little Kalamazoo College... Wendy CO EMT-B

necrosis

I've got one in mind. Won't put out too many details but let us just say that some of us considered writing "living wills" stating death before "this guy whose name rhymes with Dead"... He's grown up a touch now... but he's still a *really* bad EMT... and before that, I hear he was a *terrible* first responder. Wendy CO EMT-B

Allergic to poultry! That is one I haven't heard of before! Applies to all birds, huh? How interesting! Wendy CO EMT-B

Congrats, AZCEP! Good for you! Wendy CO EMT-B

Yum. New England Clam Chowder... I love that stuff. It's absolutely delicious! I like duck pretty well... I haven't had it very much though, so I don't really remember much about it. I remember it was a darker meat that tasted good with oranges... Wendy CO EMT-B

I think it depends on the provider. Think about your younger paramedics and EMT's... many will be in debt from school, just learning to establish their adult identity, hopeful, looking for that sense of place that validates them. They think, "I can make a difference here" but as they get into the field, they realize that many of the older providers really don't value the 3am granny runs, and just want to talk about the blood guts and glory calls. Is it any surprise that they will then come to only value the "hairy" calls? Now, this isn't true for everyone who's a younger EMS provider... some of them learn to see the bigger picture and thus enjoy more aspects of their job. These are the guys that don't burn out after 4 years. Then there's your mix of older providers. Many of them are jaded because OH MY GOD SHARLA it's the 5th drunk tonight. Can't we just go home? (Sorry... I think I must have been watching too much Scrubs lately!) What I'm trying to get at is that dealing with the elements of society that we do on a daily basis wears at many people. Some people take the time to process how they react to it, others choose to create the jaded facade to shield themselves with. That in turn affects how they interact with coworkers... I have to agree that many people don't realize that EMS is not going to be difficult emergency runs for most of your day. A lot of people come into the field, old or young, thinking that it's going to be just like 3rd watch or Rescue Me... and then they experience a severe let-down when they realize that much of it is NOT going to be the adrenaline run. Thus, the fleeting and rare adrenaline run is the validation... it's the intermittent reinforcement thing. The one or two calls that meet that expectation reinforce that this is "what EMS is all about" for those providers; since it's the most "fun", it becomes the most important kind of call. I like all of it. That's how you can tell I'm a younster... Wendy CO EMT-B

Crips are/were blue, Bloods are/were red. I've still seen the colors thing in Denver, at least I used to when I was still in high school. Tends to be more subtle, like a bandana or color band around the bottom of a pant leg, rather than being a certain color shirt. How do you operate in a gang territory? Just like you would in any other territory... trust your gut and don't enter without PD if you're not comfortable with what's going on around you. Treat your patients the same, just have a higher index of suspicion for stab wounds, needles in the pocket etc. Don't act scared; that makes them think they have an edge over you! Keep your head up, and your confidence going and you probably won't have a problem. Keep your radar on! Like I said... just like anywhere else.. My favorite gang experience was when a bunch of inner city kids came up to my camp and scrawled a "north side" sign on one of my tents. Thanks, guys! The funny part was, I went out there to check it out, and the leaders were like "sorry, they tagged the tent..." and I said "Oh. North side. Great... wish the kids would leave this stuff at home." The looks on their faces were priceless.... it was to the effect of "How in the hell does the white chick know what a North side sign is?" See, thing is, I grew up in the inner city... so I got well acquainted with it. It was pretty funny though! Wendy CO EMT-B

http://www.nremt.org/downloads/duplicate_c...equest_form.pdf I believe you can call to request a duplicate, and since they look up the info by your NREMT number or your social security number, I think you can make a notation on the form when you fill it out that your last name has changed. That's what I might try. Just a wild guess though! Congrats on the name change! You go girl. Wendy CO EMT-B

Asys, I will agree with you that generally speaking, human development shows trends and that there are striking differences between 16 year olds and 20 year olds. Hell, there's a difference in a lot of cases between 18 year olds and 21 year olds. But you can't say that it doesn't depend on the person. The level of maturity displayed, regardless of the physical developments in the brain that help lead to that maturity, is wholly dependent on the person's life history, experiences, personality, and cognitive tendencies. Human development and all of its associated theories, including Piaget et al, is absolutely fascinating. I absolutely loved my developmental psych class. But you know what I learned more than anything? That the individual is more important than the theory, and there is *no* absolute that says you are going to behave with X amount of maturity at Y age because of Z physical reasons. Just saying. You can't just throw out "human development" and a chapter from a book and assume that it explains maturity differences for individuals you've never met, or even those you have met... Wendy CO EMT-B

Sweet! Glad to hear you actually have someone invested in teaching you, rather than making you wade through your learning alone! It's never fun to get stuck with a bad teacher. Sounds like this could be the turning point for you, Dwayne! Wendy CO EMT-B

Hey, wait a minute! If she's a good catholic girl and you recognize the land as belonging to the MINISTER, she must be a rebel! Catholic priests don't have kiddos! LOL.... sorry, couldn't resist. I'm now changing my differential diagnosis to possession by an evil spirit... Wendy CO EMT-B

Well, you're obviously saying it ain't the food... but here's where I'm coming from. My future father-in-law loved seafood his WHOLE LIFE. Ate the stuff like there was no tomorrow. Never had a reaction to it- EVER. Red Lobster was his FAVORITE restaurant... no problems until that random night after eating at PF Chang's. He didn't develop symptoms until about 45 minutes after returning home... so there was indeed a time delay. That's why I got stuck on that one for a bit. Hmm... she's allergic to horses! I'll bet she is... and the allergens are all over her clothes and hence in the back of your rig now. Ergo, your recurrence of symptoms. I'm allergic to horses... and got triggered by a friend who worked at the corral at my camp... I picked up her sweatshirt and lo and behold... coughy wheezy time! Maybe? Wendy CO EMT-B

Holy crap! I didn't even know that EXISTED... wow. The human body is a strange thing indeed. Here's a link for y'all in case you want to know what it is... thank you google... Overview of Exercise Induced Anaphylaxis Could this really be her problem? If so, not much we can do for her except treat symptoms. I'm still leaning towards the chinese food link and maybe hypersensitivity to mosquitos. That would really suck for her, since she runs a lot, if she's got EIanaphylaxis... Wendy CO EMT-B

Interesting. Recurrence of symptoms is always a bummer! Any changed laundry detergent recently? How about personal hygiene products, like deodorants, etc.? New towels perchance? How about removing the gal's shirt completely (if you haven't already done so) and wiping down the skin with wet wipes or dampened gauze? Let's try to remove the allergen if it's a contact type thing. If it's an inhaled thing... not so much luck there. I'm still leaning towards "Mr. Wong's Fry Pan Dinner Family Combo 5" as part of our culprit here... for this to be coming back like this with her in a different environment, I'm leaning towards an ingested allergen. Did she manage to stick herself on any of those plants she encountered? Any puncture marks noticeable at all on her? Could she really and truly be freakin' allergic to mosquitos and be having issues from a large quantity of bites? Wendy CO EMT-B

Yes, 'skeeters bite through shirt and bra.. been there. Has she had any recent illness, or has there been any recent illness in the family? Other than the pneumonia? Has she had pneumonia before? Did they give her any meds for it? If so, when did she quit taking them? Can I see the shampoo bottle and any other substances she might have had in the shower with her, just to verify they're good ol' herbal essences and not contaminated with something? Thinking devious little brothers here on this one. My brother has done more stupid stuff than I care to name... Any molds or moldy substances in the barn? The hx of allergy to penicillin makes me wonder. Since penicillin is in fact a mold in origin... Ah hah! Lunch at the chinee restaurant. What did she eat? Any family history of allergy to shellfish perhaps? This sounds actually suspiciously similar to what happened to my soon to be father-in-law... came home from PF Chang's, anaphylactic reaction soon afterwards. Turns out his body decided to randomly sensitize to shellfish and lo and behold, there was clam juice in the sauce... So, I want to know what she ate, if she shared entrees with anyone else, and if anyone in the family has any sort of food allergy. What was her running route? Did she go by any chemical sheds or recently fertilized/pesticide sprayed fields? Did she run a different route than she had before? That should do for now. Wendy CO EMT-B

I love it! "Wildland firefighters suck at structural tactics and most dermatologists suck at obstetrics... DUH..." Dust, you always make me laugh! Wendy CO EMT-B

If you know nursing is for sure what you want go for the BSN. If you want, take the EMT B over the summer and work as a part time person.. if you're like me, you have to work during school just to make ends meet. So you might as well do something that is going to expose you to the medical field. It's your life. Live it the way you want to. If you know for sure you want to be an RN, then go for the BSN- start taking prereqs or courses that apply to that course of study right now. Wendy CO EMT-B

I've always worn the men's. Much more comfortable and a lot better selection available. Army navy is a good idea, also a public service uniform supply type store in your area... don't buy anything you haven't tried on first unless you have a 100% return guarantee on it. Wendy CO EMT-B

Let me translate. I believe what Kim is saying is that with a motivated group of students who badly want to enter the medical field and are self motivated learners interested in all aspects of our field, a boot camp environment could be equivalent to the traditional classroom setting. If all of your "EMS boot camp" buddies, going through the class with you, are like-minded and willing to put in the effort, the material can be mastered. The same level of dedication must be shown by the instructors, who would have to have a teaching style compatible with this course. And of course, the know-it-all is an arse and nobody wants them in any course. The bunny with the pancake always makes me laugh! (Having had to translate between my mother and father... and between friends... and between DD clients... this paragraph made perfect sense to me. Is that scary?) Wendy CO EMT-B

As my father put it, 2 good ol' boys must have been drinking out in the crawdad boat and one says to the other... " I got this here great idea for Thanksgiving! Here's what you do... you take a duck... n' shove it up a chicken's ass... then you take that bastard and shove it up a turkey's ass... stick some fillin' in there... and bake the sucker for 15 hours! Don't that sound like the best idear ever?" Never tried it. May some day, but yes, it is a dish for the more well off. Look at all the weird stuff that rich people eat! Fish spawn, raw fish, cheese that smells like it came out of a teenage boy's gym socks, goose livers... come on now! Wendy CO EMT-B

Talking about the videos of the two classes... one of the professionally dressed paramilitary class requiring uniforms and one of the "I'm a hippie college student so I look like crap hey nice sandals" class... Were I to see both of those, only one thing would concern me and it would be the sole basis for my decision. Audio. What are the folks in the hippie class saying? Are they actively discussing what's going on, or is it forced discussion, like pulling teeth? Are they discussing to the minimum to avoid getting slammed by their professor? I hate it when that happens in my classes... where I'm the only one who really wants to talk about what's going on and everyone else wants to bitch about their favorite latte disappearing from Starbucks. What are the folks in the paramilitary class saying? Are they bitching about how uncomfortable the uniform is the whole time, or are they focusing on the topic at hand and again, really discussing it? The content, depth, and length of discussions would be the factor that would make me decide who I was more comfortable with having work on me. Know-it-alls from either side? Go away. Obvious dummies asking questions and then asking more questions to figure it out? You have a chance. A slim one, but a chance. People actively taking time to explain things to their peers and ask for clarifications on the bits they aren't understanding? The ones who don't want lecture to resume because they weren't done wrangling that idea yet? Winner. The bottom line is, yes, the way you're dressed has an impact on how I view you and you should always be clean and completely covered in clean clothes. No skanks need apply. But- the factor that will make me be comfortable with or uncomfortable with your abilities as a medical provider is whether or not you are truly invested in it and communicate that to me. Case in point... off duty EMT up in the mountains, comes across a wreck. The local EMS there need a hand. He's dressed in hiking gear and unshaven... but the second he opens his mouth his assistance is welcomed. It's all in how you present yourself. How many of us have found ourselves dressed less than ideally in a situation and still been able to make it work despite our clothes? And I'm not just talking EMS here. I'm talking showing up at an interview and realizing that your idea of professional, which has worked for every interview before, is different from that of this company. THAT sort of thing. The ultimate point I am making here is that while clothing does have an impact on people psychologically, it is not the deciding factor. It is the content of someone's brain and their ability to use it, while communicating their thought process or at least a portion of it to me as they work, that makes me confident in their abilities. Not how clean their uniform is or whether or not they decided to take out the nose stud today. Side note- almost ALL of my superiors at my current job have visible piercings and tattoos. Kind of surprised me to be honest. Guess it's part of the field I'm in where folks are a lot more liberal in general. Yeah, it made me dubious at first but you know what? My top supervisor is much smarter than many of the college professors (well dressed, sans pierces/tattoos) I have encountered and I trust her judgment. Wendy CO EMT-B