My Taxi Service

[ShockDoctor]

So, I just got home and need to vent. You may want to stand back.

Today I was on lunch with my partner and we receive a call over the radio. Dispatch informs us of an accident on a back road, and the county sheriff was requesting EMS assistance. We were dispatched on the radio to respond code 3, so we tossed our lunch (which we had just gotten) and ran out to our bus. My partner began to drive, siren blaring, I logged into the MDT and got an update. The call was reprioritized code 2 and additional info started coming in stating that it was only a minor fender and one of the participants was requesting EMS, and there was no additional info.

As we turned off onto the road we got more info. The patient was 42/F, no further (thanks for the update).

We arrived on scene to find a pickup truck and an SUV with no visible sign of damage. A Sheriff's Deputy was also on scene. I got out of the bus and made contact with the officer who told me that the vehicles had a low speed collision at about fifteen miles per hour. Both occupants got out, the woman wanted to call the police, the man in the other vehicle advised against it and offered to settle out of pocket. She called the police and when he arrived he took a report and she said she wanted to see a doctor. The officer recommended that her passenger drive her, but the woman told him that she wanted an ambulance.

The officer told me he asked if she thought she had an injury, and she said that she didn't know. He again recommended that the passenger drive her (she had a license and the car was operable), but again she demanded an ambulance, so he called for one. He warned me that she was "kinda out there".

By this time my partner was already approaching the woman. He asked her if she thought she had an injury and she said, "I don't know I very well could have. I want to be safe."

-Fast Forward-

As we were transporting the woman another calls come in. Another accident (this time its more serious, involving a truck and a motorcycle). Oh, and guess what? The accident took place inside our response zone. And guess what? We were the only bus inside the zone! The RA in the next nearest zone took the call and I watched it update on the MDT. The State Troopers had an unresponsive patient... great, all while the bitch next to me was explaining how fun it must be to be an "ambulance driver" (I'm not joking).

We got to the ER and the patient started having doubts, "I feel silly now, I'm fine. I don't think I want to see the doctor." Fast forward some more... as we were leaving, her last comments to us were, "Thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanks! You boys have fun now."

We got back in the bus, went 10-8, and checked the status of the last call. Code 4, no more assistance needed.

At the end of shift, I checked with the guy who responded to my call, and he told me that the patient was DOA, and it took him sixteen minutes to respond from the time the call went out. I could have been there in way less time had I not been tied up. Don't know if it would have made an ounce of difference (probably not), but I can't stop thinking about it.

[BushyFromOz]

Ya know what, i was trying to write a reply to you but i dont really know what your after here.

[NYCEMS9115]

People do call for the Ambulance for the dumbest reasons. Yes, she could have went by car but so can many other "patients"... Would it have made you feel less stress if the lady was c/o of neck pain and you'd miss the DOA MVA?

[Hutsy]

What would the repercussions be for you if you had kicked her out and rushed to the other site?

If say this had happened to us we'd have gone, 'she can wait'. I asked a coworker of mine what he'd done if say we were taxiing a 90 y/o home from hospital (just an example). He said, "I'd take her with me". If there's one thing I've learned so far it's that things aren't always black and white; if rules & regulations stand in the way of patient care - screw 'em. On one of my first days I was sitting in the back as the 3rd man, we were on the highway on our way back home, the guy driving had not taken the test you need to take to be able to drive code 3. He got a bit nervous as we got a call in, but was told to, "just drive, don't worry - I'll teach you". If he had pulled over and switched sides with the other guy like he was supposed to, according to rules and regulations, that patient would probably be dead today.

I've also heard of instances where people have (successfully) "intubated" with one of these:

Edited July 11, 2011 by Hutsy

[hatelilpeepees]

welcome to EMS, if you have not realized yet, only about 4-5% of your calls are true, life-threatening emergencies.

[Just Plain Ruff]

What would the repercussions be for you if you had kicked her out and rushed to the other site?

If say this had happened to us we'd have gone, 'she can wait'. I asked a coworker of mine what he'd done if say we were taxiing a 90 y/o home from hospital (just an example). He said, "I'd take her with me". If there's one thing I've learned so far it's that things aren't always black and white; if rules & regulations stand in the way of patient care - screw 'em. On one of my first days I was sitting in the back as the 3rd man, we were on the highway on our way back home, the guy driving had not taken the test you need to take to be able to drive code 3. He got a bit nervous as we got a call in, but was told to, "just drive, don't worry - I'll teach you". If he had pulled over and switched sides with the other guy like he was supposed to, according to rules and regulations, that patient would probably be dead today.

I've also heard of instances where people have (successfully) "intubated" with one of these:

You don't know what the repercussions would be? You have a patient you are transporting and you want to kick her out of the ambulance to respond to the dead guy. That is patient abandonment and that's a big No-No. Had you not have had her in the ambulance and the call came out, yes you probably could have explained to her that there was a higher priority call and you could have another ambulance to her in say 15 minutes but once she is in your ambulance you are out of luck trying to kick her out of the ambulance to handle a glory call that actually was a dead person.

Didn't you learn about the legal effects in basic EMT Class that were reinforced in medic school if you are a medic.

I didn't even read until now your statement of rules and regulations and if they stand in the way of patient care, screw-em. They are there for a reason, you better have a good reason why you broke the rules. Be careful with that thought process. I'm all for putting the patient first but I'm sure going to weigh the consequences of breaking the rules and whether or not they benefit the patient or not.

To the Original poster: People die, every day. Unfortunately you have now had first hand experience with someone who didn't need a bambulance and it took you away from the major call. Either which way, you just deal with it, educating the patients who abuse the system and hope you make a difference when you do get that big call. The motorcycle driver was probably dead right there so your closer response time would probably have made not difference in that cyclist's fate. Maybe it would have, maybe not.

Keep your chin up, keep your perspective and keep posting. Having the balls to come here and post your frustrations is good.

Take care.

[paramedicmike]

You take the calls to which you're dispatched and not the ones you want. That's how the game is played.

[NYCEMS9115]

Duty to Act...

[Hutsy]

@Ruffems

I am no medic just yet. But thanks for the heads up, it's what I'm here for.

And for the record I am in no way supporting abandoning a patient.

[Happiness]

Welcome to the world of EMS......... To the OP there was nothing you could do to save the dead guy, and with that being said the pt you had is the one that you needed to tend to even if you thought it was bogus in the first place. It kind of sounds to me that you may be taking your frustrations out on them because you missed the glory call, if that is the case fix it as she will not be your last taxi call so dont bring that attituted with you to them you are getting paid in the end. I have alot of taxi calls because of ETOH but eveytime I get them they get the same attitute of professionalism as if they were having a serious medical condition.

You stated you could have gotten there faster are you counting from where you picked up the original pt or where you were having lunch?