Lone Star

What I find surprising about that entire argument? From all the information I could find, the following people only had ‘one offense’: Martin Bryant Theodore “Ted” Kaczynski Theodore “Ted” Bundy Walter Whitman Wayne Williams With the exception of Martin Bryant, each of the rest had also attended college, (whether or not they graduated is irrelevant). Each one had the opportunity to become ‘useful members of society'. While in no way am I comparing this girl’s actions to those of the serial killers mentioned above; I am however using them to illustrate the point that just because this girl’s in college and has no ‘prior criminal history’ shouldn’t excuse her from having to face the consequences of her actions. Ultimately she even ADMITTED that she attacked this EMS responder. She also tried to use the excuse that she’d been drinking heavily as a justification for her actions. With that logic, I should just excuse the driver that wiped me out in November. After all, it was just an “Oh shit! Moment”. We won’t talk about the lasting effects of the injuries or the psychological impact this crash has had on me…. After all, the guy felt so bad about his actions, he even split town! (And he was never arrested or spent any time in jail over it) While we're at it, we'll just let the first time drunk drivers go with a similar slap on the wrist if they didn't hurt anyone. After all, they might be 'productive members of society'; and it's not like they hurt anyone by driving drunk..... The responder was a 20 year veteran of EMS, not some ‘rookie’ fresh out of school. Additionally, since when is rendering care the actions of someone with that ‘cowboy mentality’? By the girl’s own admission she had been drinking heavily that night. Again, I state; if you can’t control your actions because of alcohol intake, then you need to steer clear of the bottle so you don’t have to worry about what you did ‘the night before’! Just because this girl is a college student and it's her first offense, we should just give her a slap on the wrist and a pat on the top of the head before sending her on her way?

Kind of makes you wonder about the personal 'all in one' copier/scanner/fax/printers now, doesn't it?

In a lot of States, the penalty for laying your hands on ANY Emergency Personnel is 2 years in prison. I don't think that 56 days in a local jail cell is going to make them 'bitter and resentful'. I personally don't think that what she recieved as 'punishment' was all that 'atrocious' to begin with; and there's no reason she shouldn't be expected to serve her time. Back in the 70's, there was a television program called "Baretta". The one line from the opening theme sticks out, and comes to play here: "If you can't do the time, then don't do the crime." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQeVIJ8e_z8 People need to learn (obviously 'the hard way') that we're not 'the enemy' and that there are serious repercussions for smacking us around! This Milquetoast approach to meting out punishment for violent actions is NOT reinforcing this concept. I really don't think that 180 hours of community service and $506.40 is an acceptable punishment. Her defense in this situation was that she was 'too drunk to know what she was doing', and I call 'Bullshit!'. If you get that 'out of control' when you're drinking, then you shouldn't be imbibing!

You've never taken a patient out of the ER to another hospital? Better yet, you've never taken a patient out of the hospital? Even parking rigs at the hospital is no guarantee that it's 'safe to prank' that crew. I can understand people working on production lines doing stupid pranks (like loading someone's glove with small parts), but in this field; theres far too much room for a bad outcome of the prank. Besides that, we're supposed to be 'professional', which means that this type of childish behavior (especially in the work place) should have been left at the door of the station.

Here in the States, as soon as you're arrested, you've got a 'criminal record' for life. With the court imposing punishment, it's the same as a conviction. She was wrong, she admitted to being wrong and ultimately was handed a punishment for her actions. I disagree with the courts for reducing the sentence in any fashion. All that does is send the message that if you're a 'basically good kid' and you break the law, you shouldn't have to spend any time in jail.

Do Roman nurses refer to IVs as 4's?

I was sent this story in an email. I don't know how long the link will remain active, but it's something you REALLY should check out! Evil Copy Machines Hold Nasty Surprise

While I agree with purging "Technician" from our titles, its not the title that makes us 'professionals'. Increasing education (even if it's not mandated), pushing away from the 'cookbook bandaids' toward evidence based medicine is only the begining. You can call the guys that go around picking up trash 'Sanitation Engineers' all you want; but at the end of the day, they're STILL picking up trash. Until NHSTA, D.O.T., NREMT and other associated organizations stop advocating their minimalistic approach to education and training and start pushing to require REAL education like an advanced degree (like the other Allied Health fields require); EMS will continue to be looked upon as nothing more than a 'job'. It will just be a job with 'really cool sounding titles', and nothing more.

Yes, by 2014, it will only list the position as "Paramedic". But since that hasn't happened yet....My point is valid. http://www.emtcity.com/index.php/topic/18424-is-there-an-i-85-to-i-99-upgrade/page__p__241887__fromsearch__1&#entry241887 This is exactly the kind of 'title love' I'm talking about! You'll notice in the article directly from the NREMT that it clearly states EMT-Paramedic. I'm not here to quibble about titles, I could really care less. I've got more important things to worry about; like getting my advanced degree so that I can be a better practitioner, and treat my patients to the best of my ability.

What I still don't get is this: Why are people so hung up on titles? It's not like there's any more glory or praise in a 'superior title'. Like it or not, according to the NREMT and NHSTA a Paramedic's actual title is NREMT Paramedic or EMT-Paramedic. So essentially a Paramedic IS an EMT. Rather than quibble about titles, we SHOULD be banding together to increase educational requirements, health and safety issues and compensory wages (just for 'openers'). The sooner we stop worrying about badges (and other shiny things on our uniforms) and who works for what kind of service (volunteer, fire based or private carrier), the sooner we can start working on the true 'issues' we face as health care providers. Through the miracles that happen on television, the cops can solve a case in a half hour to an hour, forensics results are instantaneous; the bad guys ALWAYS get caught. Additionally, firefighters can take out a fully involved structure (no matter how large) in an hour and no one gets hurt or goes to the hospital. EMS will always show up at the 'right time' and everybody lives (at least till the doctors get ahold of them). Doctors can diagnose ANYTHING and cure everybody. Since we all live in 'the real world', let's leave Hollywood out of our daily stressors! It's 99% schlock, and people need to realize its true nature; and leave what they see on television left in the 'For Entertainment Purposes Only' column!

The biggest 'problem' with the baby powder in the vents is that you may not 'get' only the crew. I got 'pranked' by another crew with that very same trick.....except we were taking a respiratory distress patient to the ER. Needless to say, while we were both impersonating "Casper the friendly ghost", our patient didn't find the joke funny at all...

I guess Meth Labs Я Us® is looking to recruit new customers!

Give the article to your seeing eye dog, Ben. Notice that it says: "The Four New EMS Provider Levels Beginning 2014" Since at least 34 States use the NREMT to replace State testing, it stands to reason that they will follow the NREMT's lead on titles. Additionally, the article references 2 separate 'Paramedic' levels, I'd have to say that there will be 2 levels of Paramedics. I'm waiting until it happens to sit back and watch the slamming of the 'fake paramedics' by the 'real paramedics'.......

Q: Why don't sharks eat lawyers? A: Professional courtesy. _______________________________________________________________ Q: What's the difference between an attorney and a prostitute? A: The prostitute will quit screwing you once you're dead. _______________________________________________________________ Nothing like the greedy leeches sucking a cool 41% off the top! And people wonder why attorney's are called 'sharks'.... *Edited to correct spelling error*

Mine's in the office, right behind the booby-trapped door. Uh, wait a minute....guess I shouldn't have mentioned the part about the booby-trapped door, hey?

Your overt attempt at fire bashing aside... Isn't HR (Heart Rate) and PR (Pulse Rate) the same thing? If so, how can you have two different readings at the same time? Presuming that the vx were assessed at the same time...

The only 'error' I can see in that logic is that the new changes aren't scheduled until 2014. Since the NREMT is changing the names, it's not changing the cirriculum. Yes, NREMT-I (I-85) will become the new NREMT-AEMT, but the I-99 will become "NREMT Paramedic". According to what I've been able to figure out, there will be two levels of "Paramedic" when the new changes take place. Just because the NREMT is changing their titles, how long will it take for each NREMT State to get on board with the changes? LS The Four New EMS Provider Levels Beginning 2014 Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) formerly First Responder (FR) Proposed is 48-60 hours of education required for those entering the EMS profession under this new provider level. The 2004 EMS Practice Analysis indicated most FRs in the nation are already authorized to deliver the interventions that will be required by newly licensed EMRs. The SOP calls for EMRs to know self-administration of medication with a Mark I kit, and some splinting techniques that may be new to many FRs. However, some states continue to follow the 1996 First Responder National Curriculum. In those states, such interventions as AED, BP measurement, oxygen therapy and some additional techniques will also have to be included in transition courses. This means the length of an FR-to-EMR transition will vary depending on the existing competencies of the FR. The NREMT will accept the education covering this information in place of current refresher courses; nationally registered FRs can use transition course completion to meet all of the NREMT recertification requirements. Because the gap between FR and EMR knowledge won’t be extensive in most cases, the NREMT will issue current FRs the new EMR certification when the appropriate transition materials have been completed. Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) formerly EMT-Basic (EMT- Proposed is 150-190 hours of education required for those entering the EMS profession under this new provider level. This transition does not include a lot of new educational material. In some states, transition material may cover pulse oximetry, new approaches to patient assessment, automatic transport ventilators, administration of aspirin and other minor techniques. Therefore, the NREMT will apply the transition course toward the current NREMT two-year recertification requirements, with all of the transitional education recognized as part of the recertification process. When an EMT-B receives a transition course certificate and produces that as part of their NREMT recertification requirements, an Emergency Medical Technician National EMS Certification will be issued. Advanced EMT (AEMT) formerly EMT-Intermediate/85 (EMT-I/85) Proposed is 150-250 hours of education required for those entering the EMS profession under this new provider level in addition to EMT certification. The gap between the I/85 and the new AEMT level is the largest under the SOP in terms of knowledge and skill. Although the 2004 Practice Analysis indicated much of the AEMT material is already known by many I/85s, the NREMT has never measured the AEMT material on any I/85 examination. For example, in many states, I/85s already administer nebulized beta agonist to patients. However, the NREMT has never measured current I/85s’ ability to accomplish this task. Because of the large gap, the new material will most likely have to be tested to be evaluated by the NREMT. I/85s will most likely have to complete a transition course, which can be applied toward NREMT requirements (72 hours), and then take the new NREMT AEMT National EMS Certification examination in order to validate their competency. Paramedic formerly EMT-Intermediate/99 (EMT-I/99) One of the most diffi cult decisions facing SOP developers was whether to discontinue the EMT-Intermediate (I/99) at a national level. Currently, the NREMT has about 3,000 I/99s who are certified. Although I/99s are certified to perform many of the same interventions as paramedics, educators and supervisors have reported that I/99s lack the depth of knowledge of a Paramedic. Because the gap exists regarding knowledge and a few additional drugs that can be covered in a classroom, the NREMT believes the gap between the I/99 and Paramedic levels can be effectively bridged via a transition course without clinical or field internship. Although the gap of material between the I/99 and Paramedic levels hasn’t yet been identified, it appears this transition course may run over two or even three recertification cycles. Therefore, the I/99-Paramedic transition may take a number of years to implement. The ultimate goal, however, is that I/99s must show completion of a transition course that bridges the knowledge gap, however broad the gap is. Once the I/99 completes this transition course he/she can take the NREMT Paramedic examination up to six times. The NREMT does not plan to test I/99s for practical skills since the I/99 practical exam is almost identical to the Paramedic practical exam. Paramedic formerly EMT-Paramedic This transition will replace the Paramedic refresher process. After an EMT-P completes the transition course, the NREMT will issue the new National EMS Paramedic Certification. CONCLUSION To make the transition as smooth as possible, organizations such as The National Association of State EMS Officials (NASEMSO), the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the EMS Profession (CoAEMSP), The National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) and others are willing to send an implementation team to your state or stakeholder organization to explain the agenda and the SOP. You can learn more about this service by visiting www.nasemso.org. The time has come for EMS to be recognized by other healthcare specialties as a true profession instead of a trade. Implementation of the SOP will reduce fragmentation, lead to better patient care across the nation and help the EMS profession obtain the respect and credibility it deserves. With adequate planning, cooperation and general support, a successful transition as a unified group can be accomplished. NREMT Source Article

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqImkDgDwHU

Yeah, they would; but it wouldn't count....bug guts has nutritional and caloric value, so therefore since they partook of 'that matter called food', they could no longer be considered a 'Breatharian' any longer. A true 'Breatharian' draws sustinance from prana only. I wonder.....would that be what they consider 'fasting'?

Rich, After doing some research, I came up with the subject of Breatharainism. I think this might be what you were referring to. *DISCLAIMER*:: I am supplying this link for 'informational purposes only', I do NOT endorse, advocate or otherwise support this behavior! Breatharianism

First off, just because they didn't know where some 'new street' was (or one that sounded like a different one on the other side of the coverage area' isnt 'lost'. LOST means, "We have no friggin' clue where we are, or how to get back to some place we know!" To be fair, there's no way that one person is going to know each and every street in cities like NYC, Detroit, Atlanta, Pittsburgh. Philadelphia, Los Angeles, New Orleans....you get the idea. Not all trucks are kept to a specific area either. Not long ago, a crew was using GPS to transport a patient to some facility, and ended up 250 miles away from their destination because of GPS. Crews got along just fine with maps LONG before GPS, and as far as I'm concerned, they'll do just fine without it.

Just when I thought I'd heard it all, this came up: 70 years without eating? 'Starving yogi' says it's true Posted on Monday, May 10, 2010 7:00 PM PT By Brian Alexander Prahlad Jani, an 82-year-old Indian yogi, is making headlines by claims that for the past 70 years he has had nothing -- not one calorie -- to eat and not one drop of liquid to drink. To test his claims, Indian military doctors put him under round-the-clock observation during a two-week hospital stay that ended last week, news reports say. During that time he didn’t ingest any food or water – and remained perfectly healthy, the researchers said. But that’s simply impossible, said Dr. Michael Van Rooyen an emergency physician at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital, an associate professor at the medical school, and the director of the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative – which focuses on aid to displaced populations who lack food and water. Van Rooyen says that depending on climate conditions like temperature and humidity, a human could survive five or six days without water, maybe a day or two longer in extraordinary circumstances. We can go much longer without food – even up to three months if that person is taking liquids fortified with vitamins and electrolytes. Bobby Sands, an Irish Republican convicted of firearms possession and imprisoned by the British, died in 1981 on the 66th day of his hunger strike. Gandhi was also known to go long stretches without food, including a 21-day hunger strike in 1932. Jani, dubbed "the starving yogi" by some, did have limited contact with water while gargling and periodically bathing, reported the news wire service AFP. While researchers said they measured what he spit out, Van Rooyen said he's clearly getting fluid somehow. "You can hold a lot of water in those yogi beards. A sneaky yogi for certain," he said. "He MUST take in water. The human body cannot survive without it." The effects of food and water deprivation are profound, Van Rooyen explained. “Ultimately, instead of metabolizing sugar and glycogen [the body’s energy sources] you start to metabolize fat and then cause muscle breakdown. Without food, your body chemistry changes. Profoundly malnourished people autodigest, they consume their own body’s resources. You get liver failure, tachycardia, heart strain. You fall apart.” The yogi, though, would already be dead from lack of hydration. If he really went without any liquids at all, his cardiovascular system would have collapsed. “You lose about a liter or two of water per day just by breathing,” Van Rooyen said. You don’t have to sweat, which the yogi claims he never does. That water loss results in thicker blood and a drop in blood pressure. “You go from being a grape to a raisin,” Van Rooyen said and if you didn’t have a heart attack first, you’d die of kidney failure. I'm not sure which is more worrisome, those that make the claim, or those that 'defend' it...

Having grown up (at least part time) in the 'poverty range', I know first hand that it affects all ages. I'm not an alcoholic, I don't use drugs and I'm not a thief...even though I grew up 'poor'. I'm not uneducated (graduated high school and currently attending college), I've worked most of my life as 'unskilled labor', and am currently trying to change that. Yeah, 45 years old may be considered 'late', but I've always been working, trying to 'get ahead' enough to be able to do what I'm doing now. Because of being 'unskilled labor' and low wages, I've worked two jobs (sometimes 3) to just make ends meet. Granted, I've never had the 'top of the line' possessions, but that doesn't mean that I didn't have them because I was 'too lazy' to get them. It means that I placed higher emphasis on keeping a roof over my head, food on the table and at least most of the bills paid rather than have all the 'bling' that life offers. I've always known that it's difficult to be 'materialistic' when you can't afford the 'materials'. It's a bitch trying to support 'champagne taste' on a 'peanut butter budget'. I not only pay property tax, I pay income tax and sales tax ....just like the 'rich folks' do. I just don't happen to have 'cool things' like health insurance, life insurance or dental insurance. My father used to work for General Motors. He used to make comments like, "I paid more in taxes than you made all year!". This was while I was working more than one job. I never have 'topped' what he's made yet. This was one of the reasons I went to college. Now that I've 'opened the door' to be able to go to college, I plan on getting as much 'higher education' as I can, so that I can 'move up' in life. Unfortunately, society places too much emphasis on appearances and stereotypes. These questions are a prime example of that. I may not have the latest 'designer clothing', but what I DO have is neat, clean and not full of holes. I'm not 'well off' by any means, but there are people out there that are even worse off than I am. I also believe that the 'social assistance programs' are abused, and reform is imperative. I further believe that illegals in this country should not qualify (but that's for another thread).

Herbie and kiwi, Thanks for the advice, but maybe I need to clarify my 'comparisons' just a bit. I'm not looking to compare scopes of practice to see who acutally does more, has more autonomy or who can provide more life saving procedures. This is not an "Us against Them" comparison. Ultimately the 'comparison' would be more along the lines of "While EMS has greater autonomy in the field, the practitioners are turned loose on the unsuspecting public with only a bare minimum education." I'm not trying to diminish any allied health care providers role in the treatment of the patient, but realistically, if we screw up in the field; none of the other practitioners are of any benefit to a dead patient. That in mind, we should demand higher educational requirements before turning EMS loose on the public so that we can actually attempt to do what we were educated to do, keep the patient alive so that the other allied health care practitioners can do what they've been educated to do.

Hey guys and gals! I'm trying to write an arugmentative essay in support of higher educational requirements for EMS. I've run into 'writers block'! I'm looking to compile a short list of careers within the Allied Health field that require at least an Associates Degree for entry level. From there, I will attempt to draw a correlation to EMS and attempt to justify increasing educational requirements to at least an Associates of Applied Science degree. Currently, the NREMT courses are too focused on 'minimum requirements' to get certified and licensed. I figure if I can compose a logical argument, then maybe I can be another voice in this quest. Thank you for all your help!! LS