akflightmedic

Fark...I did what you said but can not find it. This is all I got...http://www.emsresponder.com/publication/pub.jsp?pubId=1 oh well......

Yeh no luck here and I have Adobe.

Brandi, I have apologized over and over, I am sorry how it was when we worked together...:)

What you have described is a hostile work environment. It is illegal and does not have to be tolerated. The decision is yours. DO not allow yourself to be the victim. Document, document, document. I have said this before and to many, many different people, all who have claimed hostility, sex harassment or pure out non job performance. Remember with your report writings...if you didn't write it down, it did not happen. Same thing with this situation. Time, date and what was said and quote if you can, include yourself on how you asked him to stop and said it was offensive. When it comes time to go in the office and you whip out a notebook that is detailed and time stamped and his jaw is on the floor cause he sounds like the cocky, arrogant type that would walk in unprepared cause he is "untouchable", who do you think they are going to believe? Being a medic will be irrelevant. You also said this is a private company. When you make your complaint, not only do you have your personal issues, you also have the image of the company to protect as you are a dedicated employee and aspiring paramedic. You are more of an asset to them than he is eventually. Document how he is representing the service to the nurses, docs and patients. Yes this takes a little effort on your part, but if you are upset enough then you now know what you need to do. Do not be afraid to get people writen up or even terminated. I have done it and will do it again. It is they who put themselves in the predicament, not you, and it is they who must accept the consequences of their actions. Good luck!

http://www.emtcity.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=10737

Asa medic or EMT? Wasnt there a thread on thsi very subject a week or so ago? I will look for the link.

Thank you Dwayne for defining ignorance for me. My intent was not to call anyone stupid or imply it, as that has nothing to do with the meaning of the word. I have always used the word for its proper meaning and I did so in this case. That is why I took the time to explain several things so you would no longer be ignorant. Great discussion, I love it when it spurs passionate ideas and many wonderful tangents.

As with all religions, there are so many different levels of belief within the same religion. To say and assume they all are covered head to toe smacks of ignorance. Turkey, Bosnia, Macedonia, Albania, numerous African countries...all loaded with Muslims who do not take that hardline attitude. I work with all of these groups everyday and quite honestly for a few months, never even knew they were Muslim. Remember the Balkan war, we fought for these Muslims so they would not be persecuted. As far as saying in their own country they would not even be medics....WRONG, guess again. Here in Afghanistan we have female medics that are Muslim as they are the only ones to tend to the women that do not come out from under the veil. Also, I believe I posted an article on here about the first graduating class of medics from Dubai that came to America to learn how to be medics so they could take it back to their country. So, aside from the ignorant comments I made reference to, yes I agree that they should have to wash the same as everyone else and roll their sleeves in order to do so. Otherwise find a job that does not compromise my health standards for your beliefs.

For what?? Inflating them to lift the object off the guy?? LOL Just kidding. Actually no where in the state of FL do we carry those anymore and we did not carry them in Alaska either. So quite frankly they did not pop up immediately in my mind as I have not had them for many years now. Plus, once again, this is an EMR not an EMT B, so I doubt he has been trained on them. (I could be wrong). And everyone who keeps saying air support this or air support that...per the original poster, there is NO air support. You are looking at a minimum of 4 hours road time plus however long it takes to extricate him and stabilize before moving. But yes, doc...MAST pants may come in handy provided he does not have any of the other contraindications...or would there be any when it is your only choice to try and stabilize a life for transport??

WOW! Yes it has been that long or very close to it. Holy Toledo....LOL. Hope you are doing well and yes thanks for the brews; its always fun to meet good people and have good conversation. As for the original hostesses, I know how to get a hold of one of them, the other two I have lost contact with, have no idea where they are now or what they are doing. I guess another trip to OR is in order (or I can send a gift cert for congrats to ya!)

Its cheaper to not have ALS and there are endless amounts of EMR willing to do the job for lesser rates.

You tell Dust to go do something... He IS doing something. He is educating and reeducating with logic. To me, that is taking an active part in making something better. I do not view it as chronic complaining with no care or initiative to make something better. He is doing what he can and that is getting the information out, in the hopes that younger, smarter, more driven individuals will take up the fight and make our field go where it needs to be. Those that can do...do Those that can not...teach For the record, Dust is doing a little of both.

There is NO air transportation available. None.... Does this change any of your decisions?

Here is some food for thought just to generate some more responses. Lets look past the immediate care and focus on final outcomes. If you lift the object and haul arse to meet ALS en route, how much is he actually going to decompensate during that trip? Will he lose a significant amount of blood and go into shock or arrest? If you leave him pinned for 2 hours to a cold ground and when ALS arrives, then lift the object, have you done him any favors. He has now waited 2 hours and has a 2 hour trip to definitive care. Also during that time of being pinned, did you consider compartment syndrome? Did you contribute to the patients final outcome actually being worse by leaving him pinned to the ground? Please discuss.

You have received all the correct answers. Hopefully, you already have a degree to assist with your transfer. When I went through the process of getting my OR reciprocity, I called the lady and asked what was needed. After informing me of the degree requirements, she then asked when I became a National Registry Paramedic. When I told her, she said "Oh never mind about the degree, you are grandfathered"...LOL Sheesh, at least let me pretend and show you my degree, I worked hard for it! Don't grandfather me, check it out..please. But to no avail, I was grandfathered and admitted to the OR paramedic club.

The TB vaccine (BCG) has been around for a while and it seems more popular in Euro countries, Canada and parts of the middle east more than the US. As for the "new" Hep A vaccine, that has been available for any years. One of my old employers used to offer it to everyone along with the Hep B as required by law. Over here in my current position, we administer Twinrix, which is a combination of Hep A and Hep B vaccine. I probably have given in excess of 1000 of these injections as we vaccinate all employees and the local nationals. As for TB being transmitted state side in an ambulance, first of all it is not all that common that someone has active TB and is being transported by you. If however you are unsure and a patient is hacking away and has the other factors or symptoms indicating TB, place a mask over them and one over yourself. Turn on the exhaust fans or open the slide window if you have one. The risk of you catching TB by being in close quarters for that short amount of time is slim, however you should still take reasonable precautions.

WOMEN OF WRESTLING....

Great idea! Its already been done several times over the last year or so... for all those interested, here is the link to the poster. http://www.emtcity.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=9171 (search function capt is your friend...lol )

Great topic! No I do not close the door. I hardly ever close it period, regardless of who is around...

http://www.wxii12.com/news/15136432/detail.html

Ok, now I will add my two cents. Some of the older members may remember but we did a city meet up in '05 I think it was. We met in Vegas then as well. However we timed the event to coincide with the EMS Expo which allowed us to get CMEs as well. The other benefit to going during an EMS event was those of us that itemize our taxes were able to deduct the trip as we were there strictly for acquiring necessary CMEs to keep our certs and our jobs. We did have a blast and I would love to see this happen again. The pictures are priceless!

Ahhh the old days of working a code with just you and your partner. For me, it was the first few years of my career but Rid and Dust may know what I am about to speak of. Rural county service, cardiac arrest in the middle of no where. You grab the patient on a backboard, get in the truck, intubate and hook up to the vent while partner is compressing. After that is done, we then hooked up the THUMPER....whoo hoo what a treat that beast was. Now you got the Thumper compressing, the vent working, it is time to do your IV and start some drugs while your partner drives. What a fun time codes were then....

Good topic Dwayne. Dust isnt the only one from the city making those decisions, so...lol. Anyways, in the past have I put myself in danger on scenes by determining what risks are acceptable to me at that moment? You betcha! Did I regret them afterwards? You betcha. Were there times I did not regret it and would do it again? You betcha! I do not believe there is any solid answer to what you have presented. It depends on the day, the call, the weather, my partner, backup support, my mood, my year, so many factors influence what level of risk is acceptable at any given time. Each situation is unique and must be considered independently with no blanket policy applied to everything. What I have found is as I become more experienced (older), my acceptable risk level has shrunk considerably. Yes, I have the tools, knowledge and gift of medicine to help others...and yes I am willing to do so, but only when certain factors are in place. I find myself thinking more now and saying it is not worth it. MA 1 My Ass First! What good am I to anyone if I am injured or dead due to me determining this one time was an acceptable risk? Can I sit back and watch someone die or get worse? Yes, I can. I have done it and will do it again. What you have to remember above all else is this... IT IS NOT YOUR EMERGENCY. It is their emergency and you will help if you can without injuring or killing yourself in the process. You did not create their emergency, so you should not become part of it. All the heroes I know are dead. There are many fools still alive but no heroes. To some this may sound shocking or ghastly but it is the truth. No, I am not burnt out and needing to retire. These are the words of someone speaking honestly about how they feel inside. I have no desire to have a street or park named after me. No one else's life is worth mine with the exception of my children. They are the only people on this planet I would willingly die for. Does this mode of thinking and operating detract from my level of care or compassion. No it doesn't, as I give the best possible care when it is safe for me to do so. I am very empathetic and at times have become sympathetic, which I always try to stay away from. As a flight medic for several years, I determined me responding was an acceptable risk. Anyone in the business can tell you how dangerous flight is. Everytime we took off or landed, my stomach was in knots, but I had decided me flying to your emergency was an acceptable risk. However, there were times I cancelled flights as well. In the business it takes 3 people saying yes to fly. The flight can be cancelled at any time by one person saying no. Dwayne, I once had a 3 year old girl run over by an ATV in remote Alaska. The weather was dangerous but the pilot was feeling brave. My partner was being overly emotional about the call as we were recieving constant reports of the severity of this child and she was wanting to fly. I refused to launch and we stayed on the ground. Air support was/is the only way as there is no road system. The weather did turn and become extremely severe and we would of been caught in it. We were not able to fly until 26 hours later, during which I recieved hourly updates from people in the village telling us the child was unconcious and seizing at times. It was a very long day, I assure you but the risk was not acceptable. We finally made it to the child and flew her to a trauma center 3 hours away (by plane) and left her in critical condition. My partner and pilot later thanked me for being somewhat level headed and refusing to fly as they both admitted they were anxious due to it being a pedi call and the severity. The pilots up there are not full time medevac guys so they do have hero syndrome. Now I could wrestle with myself for the rest of my life and wonder what if, and beat the call to death in my head, or I can say..it is what it is and leave it at that. I know that child suffered and was deteriorating due to no care, but it was not worth three lives to help her. Big risk for big gain...little risk for little gain This story is just one of the multitude I experienced flying in the arctic. One of the few people who can relate to the experience is Squint (tniuqs). I had to make many, many decisions that affected peoples lives by evaluating whether or not the risk was worth it to me personally and then to my crew. Ok, I realize I am rambling now and I hope I have made some sense and addressed your question. Feel free to ask any clarifying questions and again thanks for a great topic.

10 points for a nice recovery attempt. I smell the BS, but valiant effort. No, not off yet as I am just finishing mandatory 100% drug testing, been a long day...

No it isn't, because there is no such thing as HIPPA. Now if you meant to say HIPAA, which is the proper term, it would still not be a violation; however it would display your total understanding of EMS/medical terms and a wonderful display of your infinite knowledge.