iMac

I currently work on an ICU and we have Nursing attendants on at all times. Part of their job description is also to do compressions. You being a basic I wouldnt worry to much, when codes are ran internally there a lot of people. Make sure you are confident with your ability to give good compressions and make sure you are familiar with where all the equipment is as well as how the paging system works. Here our NAs are responsible for running and making the initial call to everyone while the rest of the staff focuses on the pt(s). Good Luck.

Here you have to be at least an EMT to even be able to work for the city. Other than that it all depends on patient needs. Some dont require ALS others do. All depends on what condition she/he is in.

It's quite critical to continue talking to them. Many years ago I was a patient in a similarif not identical situation except I was on a board in 2 feet of snow and it was about -25. I think what kept those of us involved "calm" was being told what was going on around us. The emotional roller coaster associated with having been a car accident is one thing, being strapped down and not able to move and see what is happening is another. ALWAYS talk to your patient and I mean always. It doesnt matter what you talk about, use common sense. Let them know briefly without going in to much detail what is happening, explain to them that crews are awaiting for ambulances to arrive, explain to them why you are holding c-spine, maybe go over what they should be expecting from emergency crews once they arrive on scene. I can't stand those EMTs who say nothing and allow their patients to panic. I just beat them with a stick

good post. Never heard or seen this before but very insteresting.

bah, sad sad-more food for the rest of us. It is a known risk and sadly no matter where you are, it's something you have to aware of. It is very sad for the family. Lets move on.

Computer based testing wont happen for another couple of years at least, a glitch was found and now a lot of paper work along with a lot of proving the whole system is actually going to work needs to happen first. The scenarios will be at King's University College.

Congrats, takes a lot of work, time and money to get there so congrats on all the hard work!

What I find amusing is they flag the frequent callers (and not for the reasons you would thinking of)

Full respects to nurses but it seems it's always easier for them to make a judgement on what is going on when they are sitting in their cushy hospital. I can almost guarantee you it would have been a lot different if she had been on there on scene with you.

Psych emergencies can and a lot of the time require medical assistance. If you are in an ALS service depending on the situation chemical restraint is the way to go, if not get an officer to climb aboard, you would be surprised to see how much easier they suddenly become to treat.

what about you are in health care yourself and require and ambulance and get a paramedic whom you know couldnt save his own if he depended on it, someone who you know for a fact barely passed the exams to make to where he/she is and you see them arrive on scene? Always been worried about that situation with myself or my family/friends. I have had calls where I have been the attending because of the type of call it actually was. Also had a call where I would have been attending and the patient was just being way to creepy and strong and would make the switch with my (much bigger than I, male medic) partner. Other than that I have not had anyone request another ambulance or someone else to attend nor would I have given them the option in any case.

That was just cute. I agree Itk!

That was hilarious!

gay men are ALWAYS physically very attractive. I'm convinced there is a regulation among gay men about that. :toothy2:

We have always used the Alpha, Brave Charlie or Delta responses along with the subsequent letter and or additional lettering depending on the type of call. This system decides for you the level of response. The one service I worked for allowed us to make the decision but because of demographics we made our decision based on the location of the call. We were a BLS service with the possibility of ALS intercept(in 40-60 mins depending on the weather and the location). We were a rural area so far out that on a good day we couldnt get a chopper to come out. The nearest trauma centre was 2 hours away. Needless to say, one of the main reasons why I left, just to much stress on my shoulders. At the end of the day you have to make an educated decision as to how you are going to respond to the call. You are no good if you kill or injure yourself in the process.

Out here the service I worked for would have not allowed that. It has to be written down and known that yes if this situation presents itself as an ALS service and registered paramedic you are allowed to do this or that. I have been put into situations where I was given certain medications or was told to do a certain procedure if the patient were to crash during transport, BIG NO NO. Against ALL protocols, laws and regulations. Easy for them to hand out unwritten info, meds and treatments to save themselves some staff. Your medical director and your ALS supervisor need to sit down and figure things out before the "situation" presents itself.

I would like to assume 100% of paramedics out there check their ABCs. I dont know of any of them, myself included who will make it vocal but I ALWAYS do my ABCs. Do I make it obvious?? NO, not always. All depends. If I arrive in someone's home and patient looks at me and says something I will already know what I need to know, just check for the quality of the pulse once I actually make physical contact. Someone's general appearance will usually tell you what you need to know in the first few seconds you meet someone. If on the other hand I arrive on a scene with a patient hunched forward in the driver's seat and appears unconscious, you can bet you will be able to watch me check the ABCs. All situational.

One of the local services I work is doing a study regarding the treatment of TBI by taking the body temp down in the hopes to diminish brain damage. Read articles below. I want to see some opinions. Any of you seen or believe hypothermia can in fact have some significant long term effects, any of currently have any of this in your protocols??? http://www.cochrane.org/reviews/en/ab001048.html http://www.pulmonaryreviews.com/apr01/pr_a...ypothermia.html http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?d...;indexed=google

I think questions have a time and place. As long as you don't ask questions at a really ridiculous time, you should be fine. It's very easy to make a question sound as tho you are trying to learn or understand something better. A good paramedic should always recognize that, but we do have a lot of "gifted" ones out there that will shut you down no matter what. Good Luck.

glad I could help =D>

shannon, breath.

It's actually really funny. It happens a lot more than they let you know, I'm thinking mainly with Entonox tanks. So easy to sneak a few puffs. :twisted:

only seen that in Disneyland elavators...

woops, forgot about this post. Sorry guys I can't even remember where that thread was going.

minus everythin gthat has already been said, Terri...why did you give us that horrible scenario :twisted: