mobey

We just switched to those recently and I gotta tell ya, I love em! First tone wakes you up..... just enough to realize there is a noise in the room, second tone, you realize it is the radio and there is a call, third tone, You KNOW there is a call and you quickly get annoyed with the radio. Out of a dead sleep I can usually turn the radio down before the third tone saving that "pop your eyes open, jump out of bed, holy crap" moment before you realize it is just a call and not an air raid!

Allow me to claify What are the border-guards credentials anyway? Similar to: Cops? Soldiers? Security guards?

Shhhh, don't say anything too loud Dust, I am banking on that to get to EMStock next year!! What are the border-guards credentials anyway? Similar to Cops, Soldiers, Security guards?

Ahhh, yes.... allow me to clarify the title. Emergency in this document shall mean; a "for hire" responce by emergency services to a scene after being summond to do so by a dispatch centre or; an activity or person within an Emergency room setting.

As a former 2nd year apprentice plumber... I thank you spenac I guarantee I know more about water flow/pressures in responce to friction, grade, temperature, and volume than ANY FF out there. (well I used to). And yes, I can also put pipes together .... without leaks, and I don't run over them when I'm done http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBTgG9E_2dc

Just for fun, I thought we could share stories of stupid things people do/say at calls (not dispatch, for that has been covered previoustly). At a call with a patient in metabolic acidosis, I asked a FF/EMT to "spike me a line", he opened the 2 bags, ran the "spike" through his mouth (to lubricate it) then stuck it in the bag of saline :roll: I threw it out obvioustly.

I won't trust the answers he gives me anyway... but Ask about drugs & Meds ( he may change his story) Significant past med history Ask about pain at present. Keep on using the glucose in small amounts, and wait for the Ambulance. How is his skin? 02 sats improve with nasal cannula? Air entry sounds? Abd exam too please

below 3mmol hey...... Well you could swab his oral mucosa with the glucose, and suction...... but I would be pretty careful. Mine as well get vitals and start a nasal canulla.

Of 18,179 accidents up to 4500 patients sustained injuries serious enough to require being addmitted to the hospital. With these numbers, it is clear to the ambulance management that we must send at least 1 ALS unit to EVERY accident scene, no matter how minor it may seem. There now the argument is made the other way, using the same info

MySpace is for teenagers and old guys who chase teenage girls *cough*Dust*cough* I do however have a Facebook acct.

Lots of times I have to tell my Paramedic partner to "back off" so I can perform bls on our patient that he forgets all the time. In fact, the majority of my job is babysitting the als providers, and "saving them" from major screwups.

Can we get more info to keep the scenario going? Or were you just wondering our assessments?

One time I was called in a panic to help with a severe difficulty breathing 22 y/o female. I arrived on scene just as the ambulance was leaving. I jumped in the back with a 20+ yr veteran EMT who has chosen not to keep up on her/his education. I looked at the patient, looked at the EMT, and asked What her air entry sounds were. The EMT said "I haven't had time to check them! I stuck my head up front and told the driver to pull over and shut the siren off..../ Every patient gets assessed before they are moved! I heard some wheezes in the lung fields, but not much to worry about. SP02 99 I think on room air (no time for 02 ya know) but resps like 40. With the carpopedal spasms present it was clear to me this was a hyperventilation. I asked the other EMT to put 2.5mg salbutomol in a neb as I began to coach the patient. She tore the bag open and spilled the neb parts all over the floor she was shaking so bad. I told her "Just sit back and watch" Anyway, the patient who was originally going in and out of Cx, eventually walked out of the rig into the hospital. And we were able to transport with no sirens!!

Actually Ruff, I recently read an article on Epilepsy that talked about seizure with this presentation, good thinking.

I personally have a pet peeve with this term. I usually say "Non-priority" or "patient comfortable at this time" I personally believe that without enough time and data I can not determine a patients stability. I used to use it when my transport times exceeded 2 hrs, but at my current non-remote job, there is rarely time to determine whether a patient is truly stable. Although I am pretty quick to use the word unstable I must admit :wink:

Droop? Drift? Trouble speaking? any motor or sensory deficits? Temp? What time of day is it? Has she left the house today? Get any drinks/food from friends? Recent headaches/vision disturbances? Has she been sick in the last few days?

Omit

I dunno guys.... I am gettin blue in the face, but not backing down yet. If the major issue it how the public views us...... What about being called EMT's. What does EMT mean to the public, I can tell you that to me it is someone who took a 2 week course slapping on O2 and "rushing" someone to the hospital. That is what the media has led them to believe. Another food for thought, do we really want to carry the same title as the US EMT's?? I remember when I took my PCP/EMT, my father said "It is just an EMT course... If (insert 50 y/o EMT name here) can do it, I am sure you will have no problem. Hmmm, I don't think the public's perception of an EMT is what ya'll think it is.

Ahhh yes.... there it is I work with health care professionals whom have completed pre-hospital medical programs..... Yup, I'll stay here

I have found myself compressing to "Into the night" by Nickleback. Not intentionally, and I don't even know why it was playing in the rig since the radio is usually off during calls.... but it made for a good laugh later. *I don't know about timing and I do not suggest it*

WOW, thank you Quake, I had not heard yet. Pest in peace ol' boy, your work here is done.

Aha, my flatland friend, the only reason your nametag says EMT is because of the service you are involved in. Did you know it is one of the lowest paying services in Sask? can you believe it!! I worked about 2 hrs south of you and made a third more than my buddies at ..... well a major city. Get this, as a PCP, I actually had a different scope than my EMT co-workers. My health region chose to recognize the cert and bam... more money, wider scope of practice, little more respect too. The "old" EMT's that chose not to "bridge" up to the PCP level are forever stuck slapping on O2 and racing to the hospital mumbling something about how they save Paramedics, and don't need that book learnin. So why does your major city choose not to call you PCP..... well the same reason as Ab, so they can keep the pay low, and make sure we don't get any respect so we keep our heads down and don't ever stand up for ourselves. BTW: for all you narrowminded monkeys who suggested I go to medic school..... I am, midterms comin up soon...... Hell no I am not giving up! EMT's should be called PCP's, and EMT-P's should be called ACP's! The more I grow into a professional healthcare provider, the stronger I feel obligated to advance the profession.

Dust... check out the first post in this thread, if you want more info I can get it for you. http://www.emtcity.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=12205

Hey iMac, are you talking about Alberta? If so, that is not entirely true. Although ambulance services will be ran by a provincial "superboard" there is a contract back clause that allows private services (such as my own) to remain the employer.