Basics and Intermediates ONLY No more BLS 911 ambulances?

[Medic26]

ALS doesn't need to be out on toothaches, simple nausea/vomiting, etc. That being said, it is up to the EMT to find out if it is being caused by an underlying problem which could require ALS intervention.

Exactly

[brentoli]

ALS doesn't need to be out on toothaches, simple nausea/vomiting, etc. That being said, it is up to the EMT to find out if it is being caused by an underlying problem which could require ALS intervention.

What do I have in my arsenal to tell if this isn't a underlying cardiac problem?

[TylerHastings]

I am still pretty new to the field but I think that experience needs to be gained by a basic on a 911 Car before he/she goes on to medic school. But on the flip side of the coin I also think that a Basic should work a BLS car that is not in the 911 system also to gain respect for the scut that also comes with the job. I have been an EMT for a little over two months now and am contemplating either becoming an EMT-I or going straight into medic school. I think that no matter what decision that I make I will be better at either EMT-I or EMT-P because of the time that I spent on a 911 rig with an experienced medic that cared enough to take me under his wing and teach me. But I also think that I will have a large amount of respect for the EMT-B's because of the time that I had to spend doing the scut patrol before I went on a 911 Car.

[mediccjh]

What do I have in my arsenal to tell if this isn't a underlying cardiac problem?

Your assessment.

I don't bust out the ALS toys until I'm done with my assessment, including vitals, to determine whether or not my patient is sick or not sick.

I HIGHLY recommend the AMLS program. I finished it today, and it was worth it.

[ERDoc]

I think that experience needs to be gained by a basic on a 911 Car before he/she goes on to medic school.

I don't get why? Should I have to go through PA school or nursing school before I become a doctor? This is where real education comes into play. Making medic school a 4 year program would allow enough basic sciences and clinicals that you could turn out a decent medic who didn't go through EMT school and could function in the street without calling medical control for every little thing.

[CBEMT]

So you would rather work with an EMT with no experience than a medic with no experience?

Where I used to work there was no choice. Dual ALS trucks were avoided like the plague for money reasons. When I first got my ALS license, I asked the scheduling supervisor to either give me a basic I knew I could work with (she knew which ones I meant), or someone fresh out of EMT school.

I got the new grad. With no bad habits to drive me insane or impede patient care, I was able to teach him from the ground up how to be a great Basic (which I was), how to help me and anything else he wanted to learn. I taught him to be a thinking provider. I taught him lights and sirens are a quick way to get dead. I taught him to ignore such statements as "I hate this place, I'm not cleaning this truck," or "It's just a ____, they don't need ______." "You don't need all those straps, tuck em in behind the mattress and let's go."

Yeah, sometimes we stumbled together in the beginning. But pretty soon we had the partnership that most people dream about, and our combined patient care was the best in the company. When he had days off I prayed for no bad calls, but together we could work a train wreck.

Now I'm gone, and he's awaiting his ALS license in the mail. I couldn't fix that company, but I think the best thing I did end up doing for it was train my partner. If I left him with enough of an impression to pass along what he knows to somebody else, IMHO the company and EMS in general will be well-served.

Mentoring- it's where it's at!

[Dustdevil]

Wow. All these questions raised, and all of them already addressed without me even lifting a finger.

My work is done here.

[BushyFromOz]

Wow. All these questions raised, and all of them already addressed without me even lifting a finger.

My work is done here.

Funny........

Seriously folk, look at the answers that are for 911 BLS, talking of toothaches and vomiting etc etc...... would you classify those as "emergent" calls worthy of a 911 call to begin with?

[AnthonyM83]

Funny........

Seriously folk, look at the answers that are for 911 BLS, talking of toothaches and vomiting etc etc...... would you classify those as "emergent" calls worthy of a 911 call to begin with?

I can't tell which direction you're leaning toward with that post? So, I'll just say those are the type of calls that EMS responds to and they sometimes are indicative of underlying problems requiring ALS that might not be readily apparent.

[BushyFromOz]

Im not really sure what i meant by that, i was half asleep when i posted it, it made sense at the time i swear! :?

What i think i was getting at is that people who support BLS emergency ambulances cite clinical conditions such as those listed in order to justify their existance, but the examples given are hardly emergent conditions that didn't warrant a 000 call to begin with. Kind of makes it a senseless argument from my twisted perspective

-5 to me, i still make no sense :?