Best food for the road?

[medicgirl05]

I know you asked about food but this statement really bothered me. Why would working as a paramedic not let you keep up on your "BLS skills"? Working as a medic isn't a matter of BLS or ALS skills. It's a matter of providing appropriate patient care. Appropriate patient care may take the form of hand holding or it may take the form of IV access and advanced airway management. It doesn't matter what the end point is because it all starts in the same place.

We all strive to provide appropriate patient care (at least we should be). EMS-ers do it. Hospital staff do it. Physicians do it. We all start in the same place and move forward from there. (Ever take a trauma patient in? What's the first thing you hear them talking about? "Airway's intact!" or "Airway's not intact!". Sounds an awful lot like what you're doing when you assess each and every one of your patients, no?) If you're thinking your BLS volly squad is a great place to keep up on your "BLS skills" then you're setting yourself up to be a very poor paramedic.

Not trying to be harsh. Just something I didn't think should pass without comment.

edit: point clarification.

I am glad you addressed this as I didn't know how to get my point across. You did a great job and I agree. BLS skills will be in your tool box as a paramedic.

[romneyfor2012]

Sandwiches do not have to be boring, buy different kinds of meat each week, different breads, different condiments (honey mustard instead of mustard), and different cheeses. As suggested earlier, making wraps with tortilla shells breaks up the monotney.  Try egg salad, chicken salad, tuna salad.  I keep packs of peanut butter crackers in the top of my lunch bag in case I need more food, or can not heat up my food at the time I like.  I like to bring my dinner left-overs instead of sandwiches, but I cook for a family, I realize if single, you may not cook muchAnd from time to time I will do something off of a fast food restaurant's dollar menu. When you bring your own drinks, you can eat cheap. My partner and I also keep coupons in the truck, places like Capt D's and Arbys usually have a coupon where 2 can eat for $4-6.00.

Edited December 28, 2011 by romneyfor2012

[MetalMedic]

I know you asked about food but this statement really bothered me. Why would working as a paramedic not let you keep up on your "BLS skills"? Working as a medic isn't a matter of BLS or ALS skills. It's a matter of providing appropriate patient care. Appropriate patient care may take the form of hand holding or it may take the form of IV access and advanced airway management. It doesn't matter what the end point is because it all starts in the same place.

We all strive to provide appropriate patient care (at least we should be). EMS-ers do it. Hospital staff do it. Physicians do it. We all start in the same place and move forward from there. (Ever take a trauma patient in? What's the first thing you hear them talking about? "Airway's intact!" or "Airway's not intact!". Sounds an awful lot like what you're doing when you assess each and every one of your patients, no?) If you're thinking your BLS volly squad is a great place to keep up on your "BLS skills" then you're setting yourself up to be a very poor paramedic.

Not trying to be harsh. Just something I didn't think should pass without comment.

I knew the comment would get a few raised eyebrows either way. To clarify: All Paramedics should have BLS skills done as well, but I know that I could potentially fall into habit of going straight to ALS after ABC's. It's not meant as a dig, but a personal preference to keep my skills in good practice and good check and so I have a clear line of what is ALS and BLS as I have a feeling that they could possibly become blurred when I first start. Then again, I'm not a paramedic yet. The few paramedics that work on the BLS only with me have stated it's a good way to make sure they don't lose sight of their BLS skills (beyond ABC) or practice.

I also know that a handful of paramedics have god like complexes (I've worked with a few), so it's a way to keep me humble and grounded. I don't think I'm setting myself up to be a bad paramedic by showing I want to routinely have first patient contact and not being able to rely on machines to tell me what I should already know or to rely on meds as a first resort. So essentially, I'm taking all of the bad paramedics practices I've seen and vowing to do the opposite. DISCLAIMER: NOT ALL PARAMEDICS DO THIS. Does that clarify?

And thanks for all the awesome food tips! Should I throw a monkey wrench and see what vegetarian road foods anyone has taken?

Finally off to get my first real meal of the day after 14 hours... Crazy shift!

Edited December 31, 2011 by MetalMedic

[Asysin2leads]

Maybe you should finish your paramedic coursework before commenting on the delineation between ALS and BLS and appropriate interventions. I'll tell you a dirty secret, don't let it get out. Sometimes I did an ALS maneuver before a BLS one. Like, say, starting an IV so I could give the patient pain medication BEFORE I went playing with their fractured extremity. Oh God! Horrors! The shame of it all. One day I will be in charge. And when I am, I shall stomp this ALS and BLS nonsense from the face of the earth and replace it with a modern approach to patient assessment and care. I will replace basic first aid techniques with a modern understanding of orthopaedics. I shall find those who say "BLS BEFORE ALS", and they shall feel my wrath.

[paramedicmike]

Does that clarify?

Unfortunately, the only thing it clarifies is that your paramedic program is failing you.

Best of luck.

[Kaisu]

BLS before ALS irritates the crap out of me. One of my former partners was an EMT for 7-8 years. She was hell on wheels, bossy, opinionated and domineering; also, smarter than the average bear. She finally went and got a 9 month medic mill cert and has been running for less than a year as a medic. She consistently states that being a medic is easier than being an EMT. I guess being a cookbook protocol monkey with no understanding and even less interest in pathophysiology is easier than attempting to control every scene as an EMT. What I see is someone that has painted themselves into a corner, unable to admit they were wrong because it would cause them to change the attitude and opinions they nurtured for 7 -8 years.

It also irritates the hell out of her that I went directly to medic with no time as an EMT, especially as that option is not available in this ass backward EMS backwater I run in.

My advice to you MetalMedic, is forget all that EMT crap and concentrate on the medicine. Good luck to you.

[Bernhard]

It totally confuses me always to hear when someone is ALS educated and not allowed to do it just because riding on a BLS unit. This is strange and thankfully, over here I'm not bound to the unit's level but to my personal level. If some fancy equipment is not available, then the fun begins...err,no, politically correct it defines just the line between a helpless medic and a medic who knows the WHOLE stuff.

Back to topic: a truckdriver friend once told me how to warm and even cook food on the motor during his rides, involving lots of aluminum foil. Obviously there are some recipes for that based on miles instead of cooking times, maybe even a whole truckdriver cookbook. I remember having found something on the internet back then but can't google it anymore now. It probably is of less use when sitting on stand-by, desperately waiting for a call to get the food in the motor hot enough. On the other hand, truckdrivers may be a good source of information about cheap food on the road.

[paramedicmike]

...forget all that EMT crap and concentrate on the medicine.

Quoted for truth.

[romneyfor2012]

A little late, but would be a great present for any EMS worker:

http://rednecksnackbaskets.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=39

[MetalMedic]

Geeze, I didn't realize that some people would be so up in arms that I want to make sure I keep my BLS skills sharp when I start working ALS. Just out of curiosity, are all those offended/ those who posted Paramedics?

Sometimes I did an ALS maneuver before a BLS one. Like, say, starting an IV so I could give the patient pain medication BEFORE I went playing with their fractured extremity.

I agree there are times when ALS can help before doing BLS... But if you gave meds before doing the ABC's then perhaps you've shown the point I was trying to make.

It totally confuses me always to hear when someone is ALS educated and not allowed to do it just because riding on a BLS unit. This is strange and thankfully, over here I'm not bound to the unit's level but to my personal level. If some fancy equipment is not available, then the fun begins...err,no, politically correct it defines just the line between a helpless medic and a medic who knows the WHOLE stuff.

It's our state protocol. The majority of the local town volunteer companies are only allowed to do BLS skills. We have Hospital Medics that are called on scene as back up if needed. If they aren't available, the local private companies intercept. Just had one not too long ago where my FTO at the private company intercepted with my volly service with me on board. Made patient care go a lot more smoothly. I know there is some push back by locals to have that changed into possibly having paramedics join services and ride along... but most of it is politics right now.

Unfortunately, the only thing it clarifies is that your paramedic program is failing you.

I haven't started my paramedic program yet. I'm getting road time and making sure that I'm the best EMT that I can be and 100% comfortable with that before I start.

But I digress, who knew that working at both an EMT and a Paramedic would cause so much hostility... I thought that working both would perhaps close the rift between the two. Guess not.

Thanks everyone for the food suggestions! Making myself a nice sandwich for the long week tomorrow.

Edited January 2, 2012 by MetalMedic