medic53226 Posted October 24, 2006 Posted October 24, 2006 Ok, This is the run, 60 y/o female that needs take to the hospital to talk to someone, and dosent want to drive herself, and would like a medic unit to come. You find a 60y/o female in the house with a dog that as big as cow and a dovermen pincker, and is helped to the back porch by the pt, before she opens the door. Pt intially says that she has been stressed since her husband had open heart surgery triple bypass, just 2 weeks ago, and her 40 y/o son moved back in and she just can't handle the stress. Ok, what would you like to know other than her V/S are stable, W/P/D.
Connie31079 Posted October 24, 2006 Posted October 24, 2006 I'd tell her "get in the back of the truck and sit down", just like I tell all my other psych patients who call 911 to transport them to hospital because they "don't want to drive themselves" to the hospital. We get far too many of these patients, and in my opinion, police should be taking them, not us. Unless they've cut themselves, OD'd, or done something medically emergent to themselves that requires an ambulance, then I think it's a police matter. Had a call the other night for a lady who took her entire bottle of Paxil, and wanted to be transported to "crisis", which is our mental health facility within our Regional hospital. So we did.....psychologist saw her, and released her before we were even done our paperwork, with.....what else?....a new perscription for Paxil!! :shock:
medic_ruth Posted October 24, 2006 Posted October 24, 2006 So, give us the scoop. how did this turn out? phsych pt? or something you're not sharing? I'm curious
Dustdevil Posted October 24, 2006 Posted October 24, 2006 We get far too many of these patients, and in my opinion, police should be taking them, not us. Unless they've cut themselves, OD'd, or done something medically emergent to themselves that requires an ambulance, then I think it's a police matter. Mental illness is not a crime. It is a medical condition. Like it or not (and by the way, I don't either), it's our job. We have no more right to bitch and moan about psych patients than we do about paediatric or OB patients. They're all patients who deserve the same level of respect and care.
Timmy Posted October 24, 2006 Posted October 24, 2006 Mental illness is not a crime. It is a medical condition. Like it or not (and by the way, I don't either), it's our job. We have no more right to bitch and moan about psych patients than we do about paediatric or OB patients. They're all patients who deserve the same level of respect and care. I agree 100%!!! Psych patients need to be treated the same if not more than a normal patient. I’ve been studying psych for 3 years. There normal people, they can’t help there condition. Police don’t need to be involved there mentally sick. Sick normal means EMS. Were supposed to be caring people, not just get in the truck sit there and shut up you retard! How would you like it if you had a mental condition and you were treated that way?
Connie31079 Posted October 24, 2006 Posted October 24, 2006 Timmy: If I had a mental condition (and some people claim that I do! After 16 years working in EMS, sometimes I feel like I do too!), then I'd DRIVE MYSELF to the hospital. Seems like too many people call 911 for things that we can't help them with? How am I supposed to help a psych patient who, with every word you say to them, they wanna slit your throat? You never know what to say to these patients that's going to set them off. No, it doesn't mean I can treat them with disrespect at all, but sometimes it just gets to you, ya know? And I never treat any patients with disrespect. When I said earlier to "get in the truck and sit down", I meant I'm not going to "coddle" these patients, and bring the stretcher to them, and wheel them out to the ambulance. If they're physically capable of walking, then they're going to walk to my truck, get in, and sit down. In my original post, I never mentioned the words "shut up", nor did I say I'd treat them like a "retard"...... :roll: And for those who have no idea what I'm talking about by saying things "get to you", then you haven't been working long enough in EMS! Give yourself a few more years, you'll see what I'm talking about!!
Timmy Posted October 24, 2006 Posted October 24, 2006 Well if they have a mental condition, should they have a license? If they feel they can’t drive them selves to the hospital then there well within there right to call for an ambulance. Sure sometimes things do get out of hand and things do go wrong but it’s part of our job. Your stilled paid no matter how many calls you get, if someone feels they need EMS or feels more comftable going by ambulance then why shouldn’t they? I know you haven’t said this in your post but, EMS isn’t all about getting the ‘good’ calls or traumas and getting covered in blood and guts. People look up to us as someone they trust and can turn to when ever they need a hand or things go wrong, no matter how big or small there problem is we should always be happy to help. If things are “getting to you” then maybe you should take some time out. You should never feel that things get to you, this is when things tend to go wrong. In your 30 years of EMS how many vacations have you been on?
nsmedic393 Posted October 24, 2006 Posted October 24, 2006 Well if they have a mental condition, should they have a license? If they feel they can’t drive them selves to the hospital then there well within there right to call for an ambulance. Sure sometimes things do get out of hand and things do go wrong but it’s part of our job. Your stilled paid no matter how many calls you get, if someone feels they need EMS or feels more comftable going by ambulance then why shouldn’t they? I know you haven’t said this in your post but, EMS isn’t all about getting the ‘good’ calls or traumas and getting covered in blood and guts. People look up to us as someone they trust and can turn to when ever they need a hand or things go wrong, no matter how big or small there problem is we should always be happy to help. Things getting out of hand and going wrong is not just part of the job. Timmy, that is just about as ignorant as you can get. My safety and my partners safety come first. If I took the attitude that I would just take whats coming because I get paid no matter how many calls I get, I wouldn't be around to do too many more calls. Its no about blood, guts and good calls. It is the fact that psych patients can be unstable/irrational and sometimes violent and that we as medics are woefully untrained in how to deal with these patients.
medic_ruth Posted October 24, 2006 Posted October 24, 2006 Things getting out of hand and going wrong is not just part of the job. Timmy, that is just about as ignorant as you can get. My safety and my partners safety come first. If I took the attitude that I would just take whats coming because I get paid no matter how many calls I get, I wouldn't be around to do too many more calls. C'mon man, that's not ignorant, its a fact. Of course we are putting our safety and our partner's safety first, but to think that nothing is ever going to go wrong in this profession is naive at the very least. It didn't take me 10 years in EMS to figure that out. Knowing that things could very well go wrong is the best way to prepare yourself to be protected, but only in a perfect world will you be 100% safe 100% of the time. For example: the last time you responded to the little old lady's house with difficulty breathing and were assessing her in the kitchen when the neighbor showed up and brought her big-old-mean-dog with her? you can't assign someone to be the doggy-look-out on every call so now you have to deal with this situation while it is staring you in the face. See what I mean?
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