Why do urban EMS fear on-site treatment?

[Laura Anne]

You've got some good insight already. I don't think I'll have more to add. At least not right now. Good luck in your new gig. Delco? Upper Darby? Or down at Crozier? You're certainly not up in Montco or Bucks. >>>>>paramedicmike quoted... stupid thingy didn't work...lol.

HEY!?!?? Whats wrong with Montco and/or Bucks? :?

I have never had the lovely experience of working in Philly, but I do work in the suburbs of this 'lovely' city. I don't think I could get paid enough to work there due to hearing from other providers that did/do work there and how much they hate it. The reason is call volumes, clientele, pay rate( nothing is ever enough for this field ), and some others I cannot think of, but deal with systems management.... :roll:

Treat the patient accordingly in the environment provided. I may work a code in a house on one block, and then scoop n run on the next code. The difference is safety factor, not call volume. One is in a lovely home where the family wants to help and are anxiously assisting with any info I need. The other is a known drug dealer who is throwing his mom's pill bottles at my head while I was trying to intubate her in the back of my rig. Then, he stated he was gonna shoot me and my crew if we didn't save her. YEAAAH...those scenes you scoop n run. :shock:

I am truly hoping that you were able to pick up on the scoop n run factor as opposed to the stay n play one. I'm assuming this was portrayed to you by the preceptors if they are as great as you say..... 8)

[sirduke]

All this just affirms my choice to stay in Rural EMS.

As Hank Williams said, Send me to Hell or New York City, it'd be about the same to me.

Depends on the patient and the situation, too many varibles to make a blanket statement.

[CTXMEDIC]

So you have my space in your truck. Interesting. To each his own I guess. I do wonder why you take patients to your truck though? I prefer to take them to my ambulance since it has the equipment I need.

Im sorry, did i miss a funny? down here in these parts we refer to our 'ambulances' as trucks and rigs.

[Laura Anne]

Ambulance. Bus. Rig. Unit. Truck. Taxi. BAMBOOLANZE.... all the same. Just pokin some fun at ya for your choice of wording..... 8) :wink:

[VentMedic]

Ambulance. Bus. Rig. Unit. Truck. Taxi. BAMBOOLANZE.... all the same. Just pokin some fun at ya for your choice of wording..... 8) :wink:

So along with the 50+ different recognized titles in the U.S for EMS providers, we also have just as many for "ambulance". No wonder not many people, including the providers themselves, know who or what EMS is.

[Arkymedic]

Any of that can happen just as quick in rural areas as well. I have had large family fights, weapons pulled on me, threats, and some of the same safety issues as well. Add in the joy of discovering a meth lab during a call and you have a party. Granted it does not happen on the frequency that it does in urban, but it happens. It does not matter where you work it can go bad anytime and NO one should or can afford get complacent.

All this just affirms my choice to stay in Rural EMS.

As Hank Williams said, Send me to Hell or New York City, it'd be about the same to me.

Depends on the patient and the situation, too many varibles to make a blanket statement.

[Laura Anne]

Well gee, VENTMEDIC... don't know what to tell ya. Sad but true I guess. Why do you think this field is the way it is? No one can agree as to how to run it. Each region, each COUNTRY is different. No one place is right or wrong.

It wasn't until this morning that I understood about the PCP, ACP, and CCP of Canadian EMS. Learn something new everyday, but I sure as hell will not ridicule someone for what they are accustomed to. Doesn't make sense. What makes sense is to educate them, hence the reason this site exists, right? 8)

[sirduke]

Any of that can happen just as quick in rural areas as well. I have had weapons pulled on me and some of the same safety issues as well. Add in the joy of discovering a meth lab during a call and you have a party.

Yep, very familiar with finding the Meth lab after you are on scene. We worked a fire call last week that was discovered to be a meth lab explosion after we'd started treatment on the patient.

I just wouldn't want to work in the big urban areas due to the traffic, concentration of idiots, high rise buildings, etc. etc. Anyone who does has my respect, but for a country boy like me, Oh Hell No.

Rather deal with farm accidents, drunk rednecks smashing their trucks into oak trees, falling out of deer stands way back in the woods, or the 3 am shooting at the local watering hole.

We treat in the house if neccessary, try to move them to the unit as fast as we can do it without endangering the patient, and transport. Our transport times to the nearest trauma center is appx. 30 minutes, same for definitive cardiac care, so delay on scene isn't a good thing.

Anyway, hats off to those who work urban, it just isn't my cup of tea.

[Arkymedic]

Same here. I worked for one of the bigger cities in AR but it was nowhere near like what the cities of PA, NJ, NY are. We have a level II trauma locally, but the nearest level one is Dallas,TX, Oklahoma City, Memphis, or Springfield, MO. All of which are greater than 3 hrs by ground.

Yep, very familiar with finding the Meth lab after you are on scene. We worked a fire call last week that was discovered to be a meth lab explosion after we'd started treatment on the patient.

I just wouldn't want to work in the big urban areas due to the traffic, concentration of idiots, high rise buildings, etc. etc. Anyone who does has my respect, but for a country boy like me, Oh Hell No.

Rather deal with farm accidents, drunk rednecks smashing their trucks into oak trees, falling out of deer stands way back in the woods, or the 3 am shooting at the local watering hole.

We treat in the house if neccessary, try to move them to the unit as fast as we can do it without endangering the patient, and transport. Our transport times to the nearest trauma center is appx. 30 minutes, same for definitive cardiac care, so delay on scene isn't a good thing.

Anyway, hats off to those who work urban, it just isn't my cup of tea.

[spenac]

Im sorry, did i miss a funny? down here in these parts we refer to our 'ambulances' as trucks and rigs.

lol. No wonder the public is so confused. Maybe they think we really are just taxis.