CoyoteMedic

To start off... Someone forgot a "I" in the title. As for unions. You know, if they do their job, I'm all for them. But I've heard to many horror stories out there in EMS about people who are in a union, get fired for something thats little and stupid, and the union not backing the employee. Yea sure they are great when it comes to trying to get you raises, but there is a strike going on right now in sacramento with the county workers, and a quater of the unions refuse to sit down with the county. Its stuff like that that puts me on the fence when it comes to union related issues.

Have fun, but keep your head down.

Its not EMS related, but I used to work for a Long's. When we got a new hire, I'd go to them and convince them that they'd have to shake the salad dressings because noone wanted to buy salad dressing that was layered, especially the itailian. So they'd spend hours on end shaking the bottles.

You hit it right on the money. Most people don't have health insurace. And healthcare is so expensive, they cannot afford to buy into the plans, and thus get a PCP. Even those who do go to the ER, how many of them do you actully think can afford to fill whatever scrips they get in the first place? I'm sure there are more then a few ER docs and RN's that read these boards that can probably give a good guess. As for the universal healthcare, I know it works wonders in Europe, and I think its going in Canada to, someone please correct me if I'm wrong. There are some states out there that have a universal healthcare system, basicly all it is is government run. I know that here in california, there is something like that on the ballet for this november, but I havn't heard much past that.

A woman takes her 16-year-old daughter to the doctor. The doctor says, "Okay, Mrs. Jones, what's the problem?" The mother says, "It's my daughter Darla, she keeps getting these cravings, she's putting on weight and is sick most mornings." The doctor gives Darla a good examination then turns to the mother and says, "Well,I don't know how to tell you this but your Darla is pregnant - about 4 months would be my guess." The mother says, "Pregnant?! She can't be, she has never ever been left alone with a man! Have you Darla?" Darla says, "No mother! I've never even kissed a man!" The doctor walked over to the window and just stares out it. About five minutes pass and finally the mother says, "Is there something wrong out there doctor?" The doctor replies, "No, not really, it's just that the last time anything like this happened, a star appeared in the east and three wise men came over the hill. I'll be darned if I'm going to miss it this time!"

could also be refering to a IO

Fare

Its either that or go all out with having the kid extricated, put into full cervical spine imobalization, and transported.

so true... they are all so true... :shaking2:

I've given both Narcan and Versed IN in the field. Where I work, there are alot of current and former IVDA people. While some are smart enough to "save a vein", alot don't. True you can go Versed IM, but you also need to look at the absorbtion time for IM injections. IN narcan works 75-90% faster I read somewhere then it does IM. I do applogize for not having that artical to back up that stat. As for IN versed. Lacking IV skills or not, it still takes time to get a bag and a dripset out, or even just to set up a saline lock. As your partners getting O2 on the pt, you can already be drawing up your versed for IN admin, and you can have the first dose onboard at about the same time you would be dropping your line. When you have the IN option, and to wait to get a IV to give the versed, it could easily be looked at as withholding treatment.

I've even heard of animals that were able to sense when their owners were going to have a seizure.

I SO want a pair of those pants!! They'd keep you safe while on the highway, while at the same time providing a target for those drunks that always wanna stear right where they are looking. :dark1:

Took the words right out of my fingertips...

I've had a little background in ePCR's. It really all depends on what kind of program and equipment that your company goes with. I've worked at companies that just have a little tablet and a wireless keyboard/mouse that you just go in and click here, and type in your narritive. But I've also worked at a company that had a tablet, along with software developed in house that was just basicly tap and go. My personal oppinion... I love them. Especially the ones with the keyboard, because I can type faster then I can write, and when I am writing by hand, sometimes I outthink how fast I'm writinig, and skip ahead. ePCR's look not only alot more professional and uniform, but are easier to read. God knows I'm one of them, but you know there are field personel out there with handwritting that would put a Doc to shame. The downsides: Cost. Not only in the inital start up, but in maintiance. You know that whatever equipment they go with, its going to get dropped. Its going to cook in the sun. Upkeep... gotta maintain them. Basicly either have to have a IT department, or a contractor that can update the program, trouble shoot program glitches, etc. Gotta have a place to print them. One of the places I worked, they carry little HP printers with them in the rigs, and plug them in at the hospital. Another place has laser printers and docking stations in the hospitals of the area, and a printer hooked up in the back of the rig for places that don't have printers. Those have to be kept up also. Anyway, I was kinda rambeling, hope something helps.

Another shining example of how little the general public knows about the field of EMS. Props to the guy for atleast asking about training. It could be looked at as him trying to do his homework on a possible career field. Some of us could have been a little easier when answering him tho. A couple of the posts seamed to come down kind of hard. But oh well.

I was sitting in traffic one day and saw a bright yellow porshe with the plate reading 2YELLOW

Was working in a metro region as a EMT-B, my partner was a medic, and recieved a code 2 call out into the county for a "unknown medical". It was about a 15 minute ride out there. We pull up to the address given, and here is a lady sitting on the porch of a house with a overnight bag next to her. She called 9-1-1 because she had a hang nail on her big toe and wanted to go to the hospital, thinking she was going to be there over night. 20 minutes, a $600 BLS 9-1-1 bill, and a very long wait in the ER waiting room later, she got her wish.

Well, think of the garden area... and all the daiseys being pushed up. stupid I know...

This is to great, and I've gotta agree with JPINFV...

Superman: While your at the hospital, take a disposable sheet, open the rear loading doors, put the sheet ontop of the roof, and have part of it hanging down in the doorway so that when they take off, it flaps like a cape. Morning supprise: someone posted a couple versions of this one... Where I used to work each day carwas on a 12 hour rotation. you'd go back to the ops station, and swap crews. Well, you take a 1000 IV bag, and a 10 drop set. Put the bag up behind the brake. Then string the IV tubing around the center console, and have it aiming at about croch level. So when the driver goes to step on the brakes, the person in the passanger seat gets a wet supprise. Wait for me!! I heard about this one... a new hire was riding third person during her orientation shift. Everytime the crew made it to a post, she would go inside and spend about ten minutes in the bathroom. One of the posts is at the far end of a complex. So one day she goes inside to go to the bathroom. The crew pulls the ambulance up towards the street enough to where it can't be seen when you go outside from the post, but the crew could still see the door. They called up dispatch who sent a page out. Just a test page. Well, the next thing the crew knew, someone came barreling outside, stopping dead in their tracts, ghost white and half dressed. Needless to say the trainee didn't leave the bus that often. I actully pulled this one. When I was a EMT-B, I was working a BLS transfer rig. My partner and I were posting at a park, kicking it in the back of the rig. I was on the jump seat, and he was on the bench seat. A Wheelchair van driver, from the same company we worked for, pulled up, and started BSing with the both of us. Well, my partner distracted her, and I reached into the airway compartment and grabed a tube of KY. I gingerlly made my way outside and to the front of the rig, acting like I was getting something out of the front, and then made my way around to the otherside of the rig where she couldn't see me. I lubed up her door handle, got rid of the evidence, and went back to the rear of my rig. A few minutes later, we get sent out on a transfer. My partner knew what I had done, so we made haste to get the heck outta dodge. As we were driving off, we saw the shock on her face as she held up her hand... I couldn't quite make out what she was saying, but I knew it wasn't a thanks. Need a hand? I have been both on the receiving end of this one... Take a latex glove... go to the passanger side, and fit it around the fish eye mirror. Or, if the rig has fog lamps, streach a glove over each fog lamp. word for advice for those who want to throw garlic powder, or chilli powder in someones bed... it itches like crazy and leaves a nastey little rash. While funny to some, it really sucks to be the others. Keep it real and stay safe.

First off, my applogies, I only have the very short baseline EKG, anyway onto the fun... Your called out code 2 to a Doctors office in a town about 20 miles from the nearest receiving ER. Upon arrivel, the MD meets you saying that she has a 30 yo male pt complaining of dizzyness. That they ran a 12-lead on him and that it came back in SVT. No vitals given, thats about all she had other then a printout of the 12-lead. On assessment, pt laying prone on a exam table, A&O x4, C/O dizzyness, even while laying down. Denies any C/P, SOB, ABD pain, n/v, or any further C/C. onset was aprox 30-40 minutes ago while working on a farm. No chemicals were in use by the pt or in the area at the time. Inital V/S: BP 80/p, P: 180, R: 20, skin Pale, warm, dry Monitor shows: Now, the protocols for the area I was working in at the time call for Cardioversion if a pt is unstable (one or more of: C/P, SOB, ALOC, Systolic BP less than 80, or pulmonary edema), or base contact for a adensoine order if the pt is boarderline. I'm basicly just curious as to what those of you think. There are 50 differnt ways to attack each problem, and I'm curious as to some of the other approaches out there that others would take. The info above is about all that I recall from the call, it happened about six months ago, but I'll try to answer what questions I can. I'll post what happened in a few days.

Well... based off my counties protocols... Baseline Field Findings: pneumonia * Lung sounds * Fever * Productive cough & color sputum * Increased pulse rate and resp rate * Skin signs Treatment; -Monitor -Albuterol, 2.5mg in 3cc pillow nebulized w/ O2 *Many reasons why the O2 sat could be low, cold hands due to poor circulation, new onset of COPD due to the smoking. Field diagnoses of cardiac vs Resp wheezes is almost impossible, could be new onset CHF (BP & increased pulse rate), but unlikely (sputum color & other signs). -IV, *Will most likely be reciving IV antibiotics uppon arrivel at the ER Reassess during transport after alubterol treatment. Repeat if V/S's are within limits (pulse was elivated to begin with) Keep pt on high flow O2 & monitor pulse ox and mental status

Actully, when I was a EMT-B, i did. I was doing a ER to ER transfer of a pedi pt who was on a NS bolus via a pump. Where I work, BLS personal are very very limited on what they are allowed to do. They can monitor IV's that are at a TKO rate, but they are not allowed to adjust IV's that are currently running, only to shut them down if they infultrate. It was one of those cases of being out of my scope at the time. But I've had my share of problems with MD's before and their looking down on EMS personel. But there are those Doc's out there that actully do respect field personel. Every bushel has a few bad apples. My 2.340958 cents

I know its been up for a while, but I just hadda toss this out. To Many Birthdays Syndrome.