akflightmedic

I have no clue what the video is as I can not access that link, but coming from Asy I am sure it is full of wit and humor. There have been many great responses, some accurate, some reaching. Some of the responses did not seem to actually get to what I perceived to be the intent of the question. By this I mean some of the responses described some behaviors such as disucssing a call in a restaraunt. This seems to me to be nothing more than loose lips, not being aware of your surroundings or your company. When I first read this question, I took it to a much more deeper level, internalized it more. I actually sat back and gave thought to many of my personal behaviors, beliefs and actions and tried to imagine how they would be if I never were in EMS. Had I never set foot on an ambulance, how would my life be different? How would my beliefs be different? Did EMS make me into who I am, shape me over the years, or was I already that person who found a job that fit what I was and then allowed myself to grow in certain directions because I was in a field which fostered what it was I felt or believed? Its quite the challenge to think of these things and be honest with yourself. A few of you (three to be precise) know me well enough to know I have issues with being honest or true to myself, however I am working on that. I am following my path to what I know at this time to be best for myself....or am I? As for the question at hand, "what are the imbalances in perception", I am sure I have my fair share, we all do. But as the old cliche goes, Perception IS Reality, therefore how can my perceptions be seen as an imbalance? It is my reality. What is right for me definitely is not right for others, but that does not matter, does it? I will add more later, just being distracted at the moment and not able to give 100% attention. I hope my ramblings made some sort of sense...

I hope Asy does not mind, but I did find this very interesting question in her blog which warrants further discussion as not everyone reads the blogs. I am working on my own response but in the meantime, enjoy... "They say every job has it's effect on the worker's life notions. For example, detectives suspect everyone. HUMINT recruiters and advertisers learn that we can all be bought for the right mental price. Ice cream truck sellers get used to seeing addicts everywhere. EMS workers -- what are their imbalances in perception? Can we generalize and say certain characteristics go along with the average medic/emt etc.? What do you guys think..? "

Wow! You are hardcore! You took PCP for your own pain management??

Got anything against Ketoralac (toradol)? At least its something...

Great job!!! Just remember....BLS before ALS and you will be fine... :wink:

Yeh Dwayne, I echo that...hope you get a job soon buddy!! :wink:

Alaska is the only state where I carried and administered antibiotics prehospitally. I also did antibiotic therapy in the Philippines under my Oregon license and of course over here in the desert it is common but we are not under any state guidelines here.

After reading this article, one can argue it was unfair as they did not know their radios were keyed up. Regardless of that fact, if they feel a certain way or use slurs as such in their lives when they think they are not being monitored, do you think this would affect patient care? My question more directly is, can a person who is/displays racist tendencies perform medically unbiased? Would they under treat those that they dislike? Would they view complaints as less serious? Would they talk certain ones out of transport? How can a person use racial slurs, have racial issues in their personal life, yet then say it would not affect them on the job when it comes to patient care? Here is an article that triggered these thoughts... http://cbs2chicago.com/local/paramedics.ra...r.2.723914.html 2 Paramedics Suspended For Racial Slur Over Radio Department Spokesman: 1 Suspension Is 'Unprecedented' CHICAGO (STNG) ― Two Chicago Fire Department paramedics were suspended after their conversation -- in which one of the two used a racial epithet -- was beamed over a communications radio, fire officials confirmed Tuesday. The incident happened Jan. 9 when the two were having a discussion and one used profane language. Apparently unaware their radio microphone was on, the conversation went over one of the radio dispatch channels, and a high-ranking fire official heard it. Both paramedics were put on leave within two hours and an internal affairs investigation was launched. A paramedic, described only as a man who used the racist language, received a "long suspension," said Fire Media Affairs Director Larry Langford. He said an agreement with the union prevents him from saying much more about the disciplinary case, but characterized the suspension's length as "unprecedented." The second paramedic, also a man, received a shorter suspension. The paramedics, assigned to an ambulance that serves O'Hare Airport, have already been disciplined and have returned to work. In 1999, Fire Commissioner Edward Altman and his son, Edward Altman Jr., were forced to resign after a video showed firefighters using racial slurs.

HA HA...nice thought Matty... Have you ever seen a thumper??? Anyways, no I would never put one on cause of a maybe. Autopulse I can not speak intelligently of, as I have very limited experience with one. I have however attached the pads from the monitor as a "just in case".

Excellent Dwayne! Could not have said it any better...

Lets not sidetrack into Alaska. We all have agreed EMS nationwide needs improvement, it is not just there. But yes in Alaska your options are very limited, I mean there are more reindeer than people in Alaska...come on. You can not even complete your medic in state; a student has to go to the lower 48 for clinicals. This is why they have the EMT III which is a pseudo medic who can intubate and do ACLS drugs. Anyways, this thread was about the vets and them fast tracking into EMS and whether or not it would be a disservice to them and the community which they serve. There are other threads about state EMS systems.

I have read all your posts, I wish you would have read mine. Obviously you glossed over them thinking you were digesting, but in fact you were only formulating your response and had already determined your position with no logical think through process. A lot of the things you stated in your first post on this thread had already been addressed and countered by others, as well as myself. Does that make it right? Who knows, but the difference was that we used facts, logic, and proper writing skills to convey our side. We did not attack nor make blanket truths or untruths with no support provided. What you have done is essentially hear someone, yet not listen. There is a HUGE difference between hearing and listening. When someone is talking to you, do you often find yourself thinking of your response or the next topic you wish to discuss? If so, you may only be hearing and not listening...there is help. Anyways, the others have already given you great responses in regards to your unsupported statements above. Please take the time to cool down, re read with an open mind, and say, hmmm yes there might be a point there, let us discuss it further and see if it evolves. Since they already quoted and addressed one of your statements which was shown to be quite hypocritical, I would like to add another one to the mix which caught my eye. At what point was it determined to be past your level without an ALS assessment? I would imagine the moment you walked up it was past your level until it was determined to be BLS in nature and then handed back over to you for completion, no? I find it amusing that from one who is in medic school (did I misinterpret that?), makes a statement of "until the pt needs a med pushed or something along that line". I find that to be one of your most ignorant statements. Ignorance means unknowing not dumb or stupid. And the casual "something along those lines", I mean come on, please clarify, like totally, I don't understand dude. Anyways, I am sure you will not answer most of my questions, however deep down I hope you do. I hope you are able to counter with well thought out logical responses and not degrade this to a pissing contest. However, if anything at all, the one question I want you to answer is the first one I wrote above after your quote. At what point was it determined to be past your level without an ALS assessment?

Congratulations on all your hard work!!! For those of you that do not know or did not notice....A Licensed Paramedic (LP) in the state of TX means she has a degree along with that medic title. Congrats again! This degreed medic thing is becoming contagious...

I have only done the flashlight trick when starting IVs on neo nates or infants.

Oh boy, this thread could turn into a great learning tool for all of us, noobs and vets. One that stands out in particular was when we were requested by PD for unknown medical on side of highway. When we get there, there is a woman in her early 20s, standing beside an officer. The officer states he found her walking along and she will not respond to anyone, nor will she make eye contact. I asked her a few questions and she starts to sniffle and cry. She is also hugging herself like a woman who is scared or just been through something bad. In my mind I am thinking she has been assaulted somehow and since I dont see any obvious signs, I am thinking sexual assault. I asked her if she was sexually assaulted and she starts to wail, but then goes back to this "catatonic state" after a minute. I guide her by the arm to the ambulance and tell the officer we will take her in for evaulation. She goes compliantly with no issue, and I have to lift her leg to make her understand to step up in the unit. I placed her on the stretcher and secured the straps (all of them). I proceed to sit on the bench seat so I can see her and note nothing out of the ordinary. Basically I did not exist to her as she would not acknowledge me. I started doing my paperwork and after a few entries I put it down so that I may take a blood pressure. At this point, we were en route to ER maybe 8 minutes out with a police officer behind us, not close but back there somewhere. He was simply going to ER to do follow up as well, not that we requested him. I picked up the BP cuff and then lifted the womans left arm and it was at that moment that she went total ape shit. She started screaming and attacking me. She swung at me and scratched me as well. I jumped on top of her with a knee to the chest and pinned her to the bed and then restrained her arms. SHe was shaking me off, it was quite the struggle. Her eyes were maniacal. My partner is wondering WTF when all this happens and I screamed to him do not slam brakes but pull over and HELP. He immediately got over and ran to the back to assist me. I am 6ft andat the time was in the 240lb range, my partner was 6'3 and 260 and this woman was tossing us all over the rig. One of the things that helped us was I had buckled all the straps. The chest strap prevented her from harming me more than what she did initially. When she tried to sit up fast it had enough slack where she got some momentum but then jerked her back to the cot. The officer pulled up as we were on side of the road with back doors open as traffic was flying by and me and my partner are wrestling this woman. He comes running over with his mace and I am like NOOOO, not in the truck! Man I hate that shit. Anyways, he jumped in and helped us handcuff and cravat her limbs to the stretcher and then we proceeded on into the ER. The woman was on and off again, between catatonia and violence. The ER did their assessment and found she had a whole assortment of drugs in her system. She had not been assaulted, she was just whacked out. Morals of the story: 1.Always use the cot straps. 2.Never drop your guard, always think they are going to swing at you, even that sweet little old lady from the nursing home with Alzheimers. 3.Maintain a high index of suspicion for everything, from differential diagnoses to how can this scene go from good to bad to worse. 4.After thinking about #3, always have a plan of what you will do if anything should occur. This call blew my mind, cause I went from the gentle, empathetic caregiver for a possible assault victim to placing my knee in her chest, pinning her arms and dodging bites and spit in a matter of seconds.

Nice to see the old clips resurfacing. I actually had a more in depth article explaining this when the video first made rounds but to no avail, I can not find it at the moment. However, snopes.com adds a little insght. http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/babycobra.asp The article I had stated how this was a cultural tradition and the cobra is defanged and mouth is secured shut as to prevent any real harm. Seeing as how these precautions are done, it is still wrong because its different?? Right??

Not LODD in EMS, but a Canadian medic none the less... Calgary Paramedic Killed While Serving In Afghanistan CHQR Newsroom 5/6/2008 Calgary paramedic Michael Starker has been killed in the line of military duty while serving in Afghanistan. Corporal Starker was deployed to Afghanistan in December 2007. He began his career with The City of Calgary EMS in June 2005. Starker was killed and another soldier was wounded when their civilian military affairs team was ambushed in the Zhari district. Brigadier-General Guy Laroche, the commander of Canadian troops in the war-torn country, says the gunfight happened along a road in the hotly contested region. Starker is the 83rd Canadian soldier to die in the war-torn country since the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001.

Yes, medic students start IVs...was not sure where you were going with this? As far as him assaulting patients, he probably never even had to do anything remotely ALS. In a system flush with medics, 3-4 on every call minimum, he probably did as little as possible, carried bags, stretcher fetched and stayed out of the way. This is only a dreamy assumption on my part, but I hope that is what he did....LOL

No, a rescue in FL can be any of those things, not just that pickup with supplies. The counties I worked for and the municipalities within those counties all referred to an ambulance as a "rescue". The term is going to vary by department or geographical location.

I think I was looking on google images...did you see me Ruff? I am in a red survival suit floating in the ocean. From my Alaska days... I am famous..I am on google!! As Steve Martin said in the greatest movie of all time (The Jerk), when he notices his name in the phone book..."I AM SOMEBODY!!!

OK, so i was bored and have never ever googled my name. Lo and behold, there I was on Page 2, there is even a picture of me. WOW!

WOW! A medic in Afghan...can you get me a job??

I found this article interesting and relevant, since in that original thread we discussed multiple units responding and priority dispatch. ....... . .... ....... Emergency calls can lead to danger for others - Florida When emergency vehicles rush to save lives with lights and sirens going, death can follow. It's March 29, a Saturday afternoon, and Janet Mauriello is on the back of a Harley-Davidson Ultra Classic heading east on Park Boulevard. Janet is 67. Her husband, Robert, 70, is up front, gripping the throttle. The Indian Rocks Beach couple have ridden motorcycles together for nearly 50 years. It's sunny and warm, with little wind. A fine day to ride. Police reports, interviews and 911 recordings detail what happens next: At 4:09 p.m., a worried man in Pinellas Park calls 911. "I have an emergency here with my son and a dog that bit him," he says. "And the owner is trying to, I don't know, be aggressive against me." The call taker gets the man's location, then asks, "Do I need to send paramedics out for your son?" It's the only time the call taker will ask a medical question during the 1-minute, 40-second call. "Not now," the man says. "Well, just to make sure that he's all right, please, if it's possible." "Sure," the call taker says. "I'll send them out there." Dispatchers send an ambulance, plus a fire engine. The Pinellas Park rescue unit assigned to the area is on another call, so a nearby unit is sent. The rescue vehicle, lights and siren on, heads down 52nd Street, toward the dog bite call and Park Boulevard. David Monroe, who teaches ethics at St. Petersburg College, is driving his Honda Prelude east on Park Boulevard. He has a green light at 52nd Street. But hearing the rescue unit headed south, he slams on his brakes, allowing the vehicle through the intersection. Robert Mauriello's motorcycle is about 70 feet behind Monroe. He leans on the rear brake and grabs the front. White smoke flies as the bike's tires lock up. The Harley begins to slide, falling to the right. Janet Mauriello is tossed into the next lane. Her helmeted head strikes the left front fender of a Dodge Dakota pickup, and she is pulled under the truck. At 4:13 p.m., virtually the same moment or just seconds after Janet Mauriello falls, dispatchers downgrade the dog bite to a nonemergency. The 8-year-old boy's injuries are found to be minor. Mauriello is pronounced dead at Northside Hospital at 4:45 p.m. • • • No charges are being sought in Mauriello's death, which police have determined was an accident. Mauriello's family declined to speak with the Times, saying they've been advised not to. Deputy Pinellas Park Fire Chief Steve McCarthy likewise declined to talk. "Not because we have done anything wrong," he said, "but because I'm sure it's going to end up in court at some point." Alan Craig, a researcher and deputy chief of Toronto EMS, said there's a name for the chain of events that took Mauriello's life. In the EMS community, it's called a "wake effect" accident. "All lights-and-siren emergency response carries with it a risk," Craig said. "And we need to take steps to be certain about the risks we take." • • • The day of the accident, the driver who ran over Mauriello was heading home to celebrate his 18th wedding anniversary. That night, James Harrison of Lithia didn't tell his wife he had accidently killed a woman. That took a few days. "I'm not dealing real well," said Harrison, 36, who restores hot rods and show cars. "But I'm dealing better than her husband is, I'm sure."

Seattle, Oregon??

Locking the ER doors has been a standard for me since the early 90s, never worked anywhere that didn't do that. Same with the trauma room, have to keep that locked, otherwise you end up with gawkers, distraught family members, or some moron borrowing supplies from the one room that should never, ever be touched.