Eydawn

Hmm... so you mean I can't be a soprano and a pastry chef? I think you can definitely achieve adequacy and even COMPETENCY at multiple skills. I think to achieve MASTERY, you must pick one or the other. Because you do both doesn't make you automatically bad at both, just keeps you from realizing full potential in one or the other... Personally, I think I'm a decent cook, choir girl and EMT... and am not really advocating pursuing fire based EMS as your best option, just saying that there was a logical fallacy there. Wendy CO EMT-B

Wow! Amazing how up in arms we become over something as simple as a joke... yet we do and say nothing about some of the more important issues. This particular thread reminds me of certain female classmates of mine who insist that "human" be spelled "humyn", and that the word "female" is inappropriate because it partially contains the word "male" reinforcing the sinful Eve/Adam's rib idea.... by trying to emphasize the small issues and blowing them out of proportion, the larger picture and their greater goals are obscured. If it is important to you and offends you, I respect that. But as much as I respect that, I still choose to exercise my rights, since spelling things a certain way or telling certain jokes does not oppress you nor take away *your* rights. Something comes to mind here... No likee? No clickee. NO READEE! If you accidentally clickee and readee and realize that you didn't likee, don't blame the postee. Wups! Sucks. You read something you didn't like. You know... I complain a lot about the left-wing bent that many of my college classes have, and how much I have grown to despise literary fiction because of the themes of children get raped, life sucks, men are evil etc. BUT- I choose to take the classes. While I may not be aware of the contents of every book before I read it, I am still responsible for having undertaken the reading. This is a free forum. Moderated for safety and a modicum of decency- with those guidelines being in the eye of the moderator. If you don't like the level of restriction here and the fact that you may be exposed to something you don't like, then you might consider reading elsewhere. Feel free to comment on the tastelessness of jokes or posts... I certainly did a couple months ago... but do not suggest that posters should be banned for exercising their rights and posting things they find to be acceptable or funny. What if I hated bunny rabbits and anyone with a bunny avatar or any thread relating to rabbits was extremely distasteful to me and offensive? It's all in the eye of the beholder, folks. What's funny to you is not to someone else... so take everything with a grain of salt and give each other some elbow room. No need to send out the assassins! Wendy CO EMT-B

Could be to protect himself so folks don't target him as a kid? PM me if you're really interested in an interview. I will answer questions you ask, but I will not give you my life story for a single question. Just FYI. Wendy CO EMT-B

Awwwww! What a sweet kitty! I love kittens and hate cats. Kittens are sweet... cats are... well... cats. Wendy CO EMT-B

Hmm... might have to do some creative spinal immobilization with these guys! What about a KED type thing (seated restraint) with padding to get them to sit as in-line as possible on the cot? I'm just going at it from the angle of NOT removing the gear... seems to me you could get some pretty good immobilization with all this padding, just a matter of figuring out how to pad and support around it. Definitely looks like this gear needs to be revamped with the prehospital care provider in mind though. The theory behind their stuff is great... but if they're planning this stuff as crash protection, shouldn't they take it that one step further to make care AFTER the wreck easier? I know we've had some similar issues before in the SCA (Rennies on steroids essentially... the folks who actually recreate period-piece armor and rumble in it) and a lot of it involves being very knowledgeable with the equipment and where your wiggle room is. Definitely not an easy extrication! Wendy CO EMT-B

Methinks my google skillz owns yer google skillz.... :wink: In any case, it's perfectly fine to state you don't own any whacker tees... until the n00b gets better acquainted with us anyway, she doesn't know what the whole "whacker bash" thing is into anyways. I personally have always wanted a shirt that says "Asthma is Sexy" from T-shirt Hell. Wendy CO EMT-B

Damnit y'all this is lame... I found this in 30 seconds!!!!! Where were you guys looking? Wendy CO EMT-B [web:a2ae2f29c6]http://cgi.ebay.com/AOx1-EMS-Fire-EMT-Paramedic-Firefighter-shirt-XL_W0QQitemZ310005756659QQihZ021QQcategoryZ53293QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZVie wItem#ebayphotohosting[/web:a2ae2f29c6]

Damn, Dwayne! Lay off spenac a touch there! EDIT: HOLY crap within 30 seconds of posting this... Dwayne edited his post!!!! WHOA! It's like I actually have... POWER or something! Dawn's rule, (since you invented it) is being invoked here! Call a truce already! Ebay would be your best option... good luck finding the shirt. Is your brother a college student? Would be a perfect thing for the college moron... Wendy CO EMT-B

ROFL! That's great... Must have been an official notice that someone decided to mess with! Gotta love it though! Wendy CO EMT-B

I feel bad for whoever that patient is. Ow. Could it be complications from an untreated GSW to the thigh? I'm trying to think of something that could create a pocket like that and facilitate an infection that bad. Stab wound gone wrong? Cactus non-extractus? (ok that was a very bad rhyme... cactus needles or other needles still in the thigh?) Wendy CO EMT-B

No sputum culture... after the duoneb my lungs sounded crystal clear to the doc and the RT in the ED. So they didn't have a high index of suspicion for bacterial. Peak flows slightly diminished but not even into the "yellow" zone *most* of the time. Haven't been coughing up anything funky looking, but overall secretions have increased markedly, and yes, now that you mention it my sinuses have been killing me. Thanks, ventmedic... Wendy CO EMT-B

I am thankful for the ability to interact with a wide variety of people. I'm thankful for the things my patients, and clients, teach me every time that I am around them. I'm thankful for everything that I am able to do for my patients, even if it is only a simple word or gesture. I'm thankful for a loving significant other who takes care of me and does everything he possibly can to make me happy. I am thankful for so much, that if I were to continue, this post would never end. Wendy CO EMT-B

Something is bothering me and I feel that I might feel better for sharing it instead of letting it percolate by itself in my head. My asthma's gotten very bad in the last couple of weeks. I've had a viral infection that just won't seem to go away... but despite upping my controller med and using the albuterol quite frequently of late, I feel like this is slipping out of my control. Don't get me wrong. I've had bad times before with this... but something feels different this time. I feel like I might be headed for buying an ET tube in my near future, and it scares the ever-living daylights out of me. I've already been to the ER once this week, on the other end of our business. And I hate it. I don't really know what to do, or why I'm so scared. I guess that's part of being human... I don't necessarily want everyone to tell me that everything's ok... I just want to know that I'm not crazy for being scared. Hope everyone else's week is treating them well! Wendy CO EMT-B

I hate miscommunication or lack of communication between supervisors and the folks out on the ground. In any job. I hate people who think that it's a "waste of time" to document appropriately and thoroughly. Or that it really shouldn't be their job to clean up the work area in periods of downtime. I hate seeing children get hurt. For any reason, be it neglect, abuse, or just being kids... kiddos in pain or who are scared break my heart. This goes for vulnerable adults as well, be they DD, elderly, senile, medically fragile... it sucks. Wendy CO EMT-B

OMG... I hope that medic was pulling someone's leg... *cry* Sticky cancer cells? Wish it was that easy! Then you could go in with velcro wipes and *poof*! Problem solved! Wendy CO EMT-B

Obvious life threats? Airway? Breathing? Skin color/radial pulse? Does he respond to anything you ask him? If so, how? Wendy CO EMT-B

It collided with a telephone and this happened? Hot dang! Also waiting for info before proceeding... Wendy CO EMT-B

Ya know what? I have no problem with the thread wandering becuase that's how a discussion in real life goes. And yes... watching scientists argue is a privilege... makes you feel a lot better about your parents! Anyone else reading this, feel free to post more about my original rant or to play off of anything that's been introduced since. Wendy CO EMT-B

Depends on who they are and what they're teaching. Can my first responders teach Readyman and First Aid to different levels of Boy Scouts? Absofrickinlutely and everyone has a blast as well as learning some good first aid. Now, teaching first responders... they're basically just first aid and CPR, but you can still take your calls, simplify them and let them try to figure out what they'd do on that call. And there are some who get FR certification for a job that doesn't require EMT-B... so don't automatically assume anyone going thru the course is Rescue Randy- Extra Lite Brains. Wendy CO EMT-B P.S. I wonder if Zombies, when they go on a diet, seek out Rescue Randy and his ilk... mm... Lite Brains....

It's actually a little better here than it was in Michigan. Profs are all left swingers, but there's a better mix in the student body. Wendy CO EMT-B

Your Name: Wendy 1. Famous singer/band: Wendy Woo 2. 4 letter word: Whip 3. Street name: Washington 4. Color: White 5. Gifts/presents: West Highland Terriers 6. Vehicle: Wakeboard 7. Items on a menu: Well Done Brisket 8. Girl Name: Willow 9. Boy Name: Walter 10. Movie Title: West Side Story 11. Drink: Water 12. Occupation: Waiter 13. Flower: White Orchid 14. Famous Person: Woodrow Wilson 15. Magazine: "W" 16. US City: Wichita 17. Famous Sports Team: Wings, Red Wings 18. Reason for Being Late for Work: Wiped out in the driveway 19. Something U Throw Away: Worms 20. Things You Shout: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! 21. Cartoon Character: wonder woman :roll: (they tried to make that my radio handle out at camp)

Yay! Dust gets to be the bad cop and I get to be the good cop! Haha! But seriously, thanks for reading my rant. Connie- offensive is in the eye of the beholder. Witness the ambulette thread... Hang in there and keep posting. If you give up because it's frustrating, you're allowing yourself to be silenced. I went through a period of that about a year ago in college (heaven forbid you be a conservative white Catholic convert female at a small private liberal arts school) and I realized that yes, while it is frustrating and painful, it is still worthwhile. I will always listen, and try to critique in a non-personal fashion. And there is always the no likee, no readee approach... I will admit to skimming certain posts because, as I read left to right, I see the poster's name first. No likee poster? No readee post! (Not meant to be sarcastic or patronizing... just an attempt at humor way too early in the morning.) Wendy CO EMT-B

Statistics. And YES, it is discrimination and it would be great if there was a political voice for the under 21 drivers... but those 18 and up don't vote. Bummer! Most old folks, btw, get in MORE wrecks than the younger bracket, but they are low speed lower damage collisions. I'm not sure what you meant about your sister leaving a scene? Lost me there. And I carried over "underage" from EMT's to drivers... sorry. I mean under 21 drivers. Wendy CO EMT-B

There's a reason insurance for under 21 males is astronomically high. Don't even start. You missed the point... I don't think adrenaline was the issue in your sister vs a parked car (maybe it pissed her off?)... and you just further reinforced my point about UNDERAGE drivers as a whole.... Won't argue here though, women usually don't work as well spatially, and generally are more timid drivers leading to certain kinds of unsafe driving conditions. All the dents in the family Aerostar are from mom... none from dad.... lol! But you can't tell me that the insurance companies just decided to hate dudes! Teenage males tend to drive fast and wreck hard when they do wreck.. throw in some lights and sirens and well.... Wendy CO EMT-B

Here's your warning. This is a slightly frustrated rant... and I have a head cold, so perhaps my logic won't be the best. But if you're not interested in the purely personal opinions that I'm about to throw out here, now would be a good time to hit the "back" button. :wink: First off, since when is it ok to just complain about the problems we're seeing and then do nothing to fix them? How hard is it to devote 5 minutes towards actually acting on something, like actually taking the time to talk patiently to someone who's confused or really just not getting the message, either here or in the chatroom? How hard is it to send a polite "hey, because you don't seem to understand this, here's what's bothering folks and what you probably don't know about the forum/chat yet because you're new" private message?! I swear to God, I've done this about 7 times in the last 3 months, and every last person has said "why did everyone else jump on me instead of just saying this?" to me. It's called being a n00b. Lend a hand and jump AFTER they've been given some polite hints- not just right off the bat. Some of the folks I've talked to have become much better at the whole shebang. Or like googling your state EMS contact info so you can figure out who the education coordinator is instead of yet again slamming basics. We get the message already. If you'll notice, many folks who've taken the time to read all of the discussion we've had on this matter have concluded that yes, the EMT-B curriculum is severely lacking. No disagreement here. What I don't get is that y'all (a generic, directed at many people in here) expect every single brand new forum member who's a basic or FF/EMT of some kind to implicitly know that is our position here when they've not been exposed to it *and* they've been brainwashed by the very system we're trying to fight. Talk about making it harder to get the message across... if you attack someone who's operating from a position with less info, they're just going to think you're an arse. If you really must, keep a Word file of links to the threads where we explored this topic, tell the person "hey, I think you'll understand my position more if you look over this, *really* it isn't personal" and shoot it to them in a PM. And I think what's really been my breaking point is the way folks have responded to the ambulette and high school EMS threads. No argument from me that I crack my fair share of jokes about folks eating the soap... but the picture struck a raw nerve with me after learning in the last few months that some really beautiful souls exist in many folks who are physically disfigured or mentally challenged. Maybe' I'm just PMS'ing or something. But the high school EMS thread... you think that kid will never show up in the City? How do you think he's going to feel about all of us "professionals" when and if he finds out how y'all made fun of him like that? Jesus folks... he's working with what he's got in his system there, I'm sure if he was exposed to some better ideas he'd probably go for it. So he looks kinda geeky... so did I in high school. And as for the "saved a life" deal, he's an adolescent, and he knows he did something that changed someone's life. To him, it's a big deal, because he hasn't fully learned what medicine is really about yet. Making fun of a 16 year old who's already been set up in a bad system is just stupid... it's like shooting fish in a barrel. We talk about educating people and moving into the future... but doing stuff like this is going to keep us right where we are. Here's the less talk more action crux part: I want to see who REALLY wants to PERSONALLY contribute to this change, and who just thinks it's a good idea but is waiting for someone else to get the ball rolling. If you're just going to bitch, then fine. Quit whining and dissing basics- it's old and makes you look really stupid after a while. If you want to really do something, by all means, let's get together on this and change things. *rant off* Wendy CO EMT-B