EMSChild

How does this surprise any of you? The EMS system is abused! I work in an inner city ER, we see it all and we are the first/last/only medical providers for our patients. Are there other options? Yes there are hundreds. Unfortunately, if you've worked an inner city ER, you know why they are not accessible to the patients. On a good day, there will be less then fifty in our waiting room with another fifty plus in the back. We are busy. The ER gets it all. I have heard this call from the ER waiting room. "Yes, 911 I'm at (insert hospital name here). I've been waiting for ten minutes because my nail hurts. The b*tchs at the desk said that you won't pick me up from the waiting room so I'm gonna walk up the driveway and wait for the ambulance there." After the pt hung up, they did indeed walk up and wait for the ambulance. The patient was walked back into the ER after she decided she did not want transport to another hospital, she just wanted to "get seen faster." My true home is in the back of an ambulance. I've gotten calls for blisters, hangnails, and my favorite, "We lost it, you know inside." I have written a two page report on a scraped knee. Two pages for a knee. Why? Because I gave the 10 yo a placebo band aid. Thus, ruining the family vacation because "she can't do anything now!" This was stated right before the ETOH mother took a swing at me. Like the ER, ambulance cannot refuse transport. "You call, we haul." Is uttered everyday. Our EMS calls are prioritized, but the pts know there way around that too. There is no way to determine if there is a real emergency until we get there. So every call is lights and sirens. Putting my partner, the public, and myself in danger. I cannot tell you the feelings I have when I get to the call and it is a FF who has the education to know what an emergency is, and they choice to ignore it all. While I am transporting the pt who states "I have this prescription and it has two refills left, but I think I need to go to the ER to get another. Just in case." I think about the emergencies that have to wait because there is simply no one available. When the tones go off and there is no one to answer that call, how many people may die? I have to bit my tongue. Heaven forbid, it was one of our own that needed help. How do you tell your brother or sister to wait because there is no one available? They would know why, but that does not take away that feeling of guilt that you can't be there for them. The guilt does not go away, believe me. There are no easy answers, no easy solutions for this problem. Often EMS is between a rock and a hard place.

Banditos By: The Refreshments Everybody knows That the world is full of stupid people So meet me at the mission at midnight We'll divvy up there.. Every shift I work this song goes through my head!

Please take a CPR refresher! You'll be a better help to your patients and the random shootings you care for.

Wow, I've never even thought about it. We use sterile disposable blades in the ER and on the ambulance. However, in the ER the OPA's lay on the most disgusting shelf. It's not so bad when their bagged but when you grab one and their in the open, you're not so sure. I have actually seen someone wipe one off, write the size on the side with a sharpie, and stick up for the next patient. So much for clean and disposable.

No one can tell you if you did the right thing or not. They can only guess if they may have done the same. Only you can decide and it sounds like you choose correctly for yourself at that time. Do not doubt what you did. Believe me, I'm a second guesser and it will eat you alive. Your instincts told you something your heart did not. Listen to your instincts. When I first saw your post, 'scene safety' popped into my head. There was no way you could of known if the other man walking around was the one who did the shooting or even the family member could have been the one. PD's mind may have been in the same place, the safety of themselves and their partners comes first. I can only guess, but had you gone into the scene, PD would of turned you away. Because they would have had someone else to look after. On a violent and confusing scene that's not something they want to be responsible for. Trust your actions and yourself. :icon_hug: Jill; When you step out of the relatively safe "walls" of med/surg and geriatrics, and step into a situation you have no training or experience in, I'll respect your GUESS a little more. A car accident and a shooting are two very different situations. A shooting is going to make the safety voice in my head scream a lot louder then a wreck, period. Also, just because PD is there does not mean it is safe. I have had a patient force me into a locked room with them alone, while PD watched. This patient had called because they were having homicidal thoughts. Because they were not under arrest PD did not search them. I had no idea what this person was capable of and I was cornered in a room with them. PD was close by, this patient was in my dominion, I was not in theirs, I thought I was safe. I was proved very wrong. I was lucky a very scary situation ended with only me getting a big lesson. My lesson for you is; Don't belittle how someone feels or acts if you were not there or if have no experience similar to the situation.

Between three shifts, meetings, and training, I once worked a 48 hour shift. Believe me, I tried to get out of it but with no luck. I was so tired!:smilecoffeeIlovecof My advice is drink lots of coffee, go outside every once and awhile, keep moving, and if the hospital has a shower use it. A cold shower will do a person wonders! Oh, if you are completely wiped take a nap or have someone else drive you home. I still don't remember how I drove home after that shift. Dangerous and stupid, definitely.

Wow thanks everybody! I am neurotic about reapplying any sunscreen I wear so, that won't be a problem. I will try all of the suggested sunscreens and hopefully something will work. Because of the dress code, I am only allowed to wear the uniform. I do not know yet if it will be pants or shorts. The summers reach 110 degrees plus, so covering up really isn't an option anyway. I found my job by getting onto the amusement park website and interviewing my butt off. It should be a fun summer! Keep them coming.

Hi all I'm a pale red head who goes outside for five minutes and burns. This summer I will be working in the medical unit of a local amusement park and need sunscreen advice. I have tried just about every drug store sunscreen with no luck. Does anyone have the same problem or have any advice on what sunscreen brands work well? Please help!

I don't want to take over the thread, but there are different levels of EMT's. It depends on your state\country\local protocols, on what care they are able to provide (either in the field or ED). The most common levels are EMT-Basic, EMT-Defib, EMT-Intermediate, and EMT-Paramedic. For example, in one state an EMT-Basic can start IV's, in another state they can't even spike the bag of saline. It just depends. In the field, an EMT has more authority and field training than an RN would, with the exception of transport nurses. An EMT does get paid less then an RN no matter what they do. I am not saying that one person is better then the other, just pointing out a few differences.

It may have been a mixture of everything. The second I put on a surgical mask, I feel light headed. I'm also a knee locker, so standing in one place for awhile leads to problems. Because you were fine for a awhile, it sounds like you may have locked your knees or your blood sugar may have dropped a little. Just my . Everything else should get better with time.

With my first code, the amblance radioed in and I remember thinking "Someone should call the ER... Ahh, I'm the ER!":eek: I was terrified. But I lived through it, no pun intended. There are some codes you will look back on and see that you were there at the right time and did everything like clockwork. Others you can look back on and wonder what just happened. It just depends on your team. Even if you don't get a lot of codes, ACLS or the like might be good for you to take. Just remember that no matter how many codes you're in sometimes your hands will shake, you'll have to remind yourself to breathe, and it will seem like complete chaos. My advice is take a deep breath (quickly), focus on the ABC's, and know that the chaos will clear.

My scrub preference changes daily. Keep in mind what you are doing. Are your patients grabby, then go snug. Do you carry everything in your pockets, then go loose. I'm big on top and tend to wear something snugger so there's no chance I'll show more then a under shirt.:imbar After awhile you'll get a feel for what you want/need. Good luck!

"I was drinking and..." day :beer: or how about "Bring a tazer to work day!":devil:

Everyday in the ER I am verbally abused and on a slow week I’m hit at least once. I have gone out to my car at night only to find a pt. leaning on my trunk. Got a new car REAL quick! Had a hep C pt. scratch me while drawing blood. I’ve gone in to answer a call light and had my nose broke by the pt’s husband. I’ve been kicked, slapped, punched, yelled at, and whatever else. I have a vivid memory of shoving a cop aside and throwing my self over a kid while the cops had their guns pointed at the other pt in the room. That was pretty hair raising. I have pulled gang bangers, trying to finish the job, out of the trauma room, while the police stood there. I later asked one of the cops why he didn’t do anything, he said “I’m not that stupid”. Okay, cop with gun versus woman with forceps. Yeah, I’m probably the stupid one. I’ve had a guy three times my size, grab my shirt and attempt to throw me across the room. Thank whoever for the two medics and the doctor that tackled him before anything happened. Security showed up five minutes later. Where were they you ask? Well, the “ER only” security guard was upstairs in L&D and the other one was patrolling our phych unit, a mile away. When I first started in this hospital, we had a minimum of ten security guards in the hospital, with two extra to patrol the area. Thanks to the brilliant security director we have (on a good day) two guards for the 600 bed hospital plus the surrounding clinic, phych facility, and the parking areas. I know and trust the security guards, but, I also know that I can’t count on their assistance. It definitely scares me. I’m soon starting at a hospital, where they recommend bullet proof vests for ER staff. If I’m wearing a vest, I want a taser!

Pt. was intubated by EMS while on scene. It was the five lead that showed flatline. Sorry, I can't remember what other drugs we pushed. I'm trying to find the chart. Yeah, maybe this wasn't the weirdest code 'ever' but it did freak the staff out for the night! Okay, anyone else have a story?

Hi everybody I had a weird code the other night and was curious if anyone has ever had the same thing happen. Or if anyone else wants to share another weird code story. Ambulance calls in with a 30ish male, code blue, meth OD, been down for twenty minutes, asystole the whole time. Pt. comes in and we run the code for another thirty minutes. Monitor still showed asystole after the last epi circulated. Our ER doctor comes in and gives the order to stop. Staff confirmed no pulse via monitor and stethoscope for a full minute. ER doctor is ready to call it when the pt. takes a breath. Pt. is intubated and we can see the condensation in the tube. Doctor gives the order to continue the code. After about two minutes of this we stop again. Pt. again breathes on his own. This time, there were four in a minute period, very shallow respirations. There was barely any chest rise, but there was condensation in the tube. He is still pulseless. Pt. stops breathing and is called five minutes later. I talked with the ER doctor later on that night, and he thought it was just a string of agonal respirations and nothing more.

i wish i could tell you that after awhile you will get used to it, i can't. a baby is never easy. in time this experience won't hurt as much but it will always be with you. for that i am sorry. you will always carry her with you, in your heart in your mind. it is hard, i carry two baby girls myself. you personally did what you could, in providing the family comfort. that is all you can do. you hug your children and you continue on.