Do you take Vital Signs ???

[owley medic]

This is not a joke but all you can do is laugh at it.

I am sure many of you have experienced situations that make you shake your head in disbelief.

I am refering to the times when someone (Usuallu anorther health care provider) states things like "The Ambulance Drivers Are Here !!!"

or

Asks " Do You Have Oxygen On The Ambulance? "

But today I was asked a question by a, I assume educated, Recovery Room RN,

"Do you take Vital Signs?”

This is realy not a joke,but it is so rediculious you have to laugh.

I am sure the look on my face expressed my absolute "disgust" at the RN's ignorance about what we do. In my 20 +++ years of working in EMS I have never heard of such a ridiculous question. It would be just as ridiculous for me to ask this RN "Are you allowed to empty that catheter bag?"[/b]

:evil: :roll: :x

Owley (and I Do Mean OWLEY)

[Richard B the EMT]

Not funny in the LOL sense, but I almost caused the loss of a contract with one nursing home, because I took vital signs! When directed by the company (a non 9-1-1 server, mostly doing non-emergent transports on pre-arranged schedules) to do the V/S in the ambulance, instead of the patient's rooms, I had nurses actually follow me out to the ambulance, and bang on the 'lances windows, demanding to know why my partner and I were stalling taking the patient to the hospital! We finally started transporting, but stopping on the roadside for the minute needed to do the V/S, out of sight of the sending facility.

[paramedicmike]

"Do you take Vital Signs?”

To which you reply, "I do. But don't expect them back. I'm keeping them for my collection."

-be safe

[AnthonyM83]

"Eww, no, I'm a medic, I don't touch patients." *point to your EMT* "HE takes vital signs*

8) 8) 8) 8)

[MedicNorth]

I have a couple of STOP signs in my basement - are they considered vital? If so, I guess I should not have taken them!

[emt322632]

"Do you have oxygen on your ambulance?"

No, but we do have alot of booze and drugs....want some?

[CoyoteMedic]

did you ask that RN if s/he kept the crackerjack box they got their license out of?

[Brady]

"Do you have any o2 on board?" this is what I got asked last week when we had to transfer a pt. Slap on the face...duh!! We have an o2 tank as tall as you. I get so sick of people and their stupidness.

[mstovall]

Vital signs..................no, but we do take American Express.

[EMTBgirl]

I am currently a nursing student. All my nursing profs seem to be clueless about EMTs and what we actually do. One of the nurses asked me were I work. When I told her that I work for an ambulance service, she responded "Oh, so you drive ambulance." Gosh...this stupidity at a Master's degree level...I think I will go back for paramedic after I am done with nursing. Paramedics have more common sense than nurses!