kenny b

Thank you. I think I'll sleep a little now. It's been 36 hours.

Came pretty close a few times today. Not even the heated talk shows could help. The icy blast of Fall helped a little though. Yeah, the math degree was nothing compared to this.

You know, I see support like this all the time on this board, and I think, "It's nice, but it doesn't seem like it would really help." But it helped a whole heap, and I thank you much for it. I did have to pull an allnighter last night because of life-circumstances. However, (and this is going to shock you all to the core), the sun rose this morning anyway. I know because I watched it. I've been isolated from my classmates to some degree because I have a different way about me. But today they really rallied around me and it felt great. Thank you again! Regards, Kenny B. Smooth Jazz Ballads

It's midnight on Friday. I may be finished by 9 AM in time for class at 10. I don't know what to do. I never see my family. I just sit at this stupid desk and read and type all of the time, and I have a year and a half of this left. What am I doing at 38 blasted years old?

It's too early to stress out. I can't help you with the books, but go to fastweb.com and scholarships.com for the scholarships. You can also use google. If you make scholarship apps a 1 to 2 hour per week job, you should get a lot of money. Many scholarships ask for essays about similar questions, so once you get about 4 or 5 essays written (why I want to be a nurse, why I'll be a good nurse, etc.) You can use each essay for more than one application. Have a good time at UNM! Regards, Kenny B.

If you are, in fact, listening with a cuff, and you're releasing the pressure slowly, then make sure your stethoscope bell is rotated to the correct position. Some of them rotate, and you have to tap lightly on the bell to determine if it is facing the right way. Also, make sure the ear pieces are facing slightly forward (in line with your ear canal). Finally, try it in a quiet room first to learn what your listening to. It takes practice and it can be learned. If your ears still have difficulty listening at that level, and you're planning on becoming an EMT, you might consider an electronic stethoscope. They amplify the sound, but they are expensive. There are other high-quality stethoscopes that are pretty loud (much louder than the basic models in many EMT classes). Let us know what you learn. Regards, Kenny B. Smooth Jazz Ballads

If you have the time, and you really practice, Rosetta Stone seems to work pretty well. It helps a ton if you learn with a friend or loved one. It also helps if you have a fluent friend who can explain some of the grammar to you. Regards, Kenny B. Smooth Jazz Ballads

Great point. CPR and Basic First Aid are like that. They can be the difference between life and death. Rgds, Kenny B.

The EMS folks have resources for dealing with this kind of thing. You might contact them about it. I know this may not help, but when you look back at it practically, it sounds like you did the most important thing. The main thing they always drill into us during CPR classes is Call EMS first, and you did. Also, it sounds like anything else you could have done would have had a long-term effect. Sure, you could have covered him and reassured him, but that doesn't matter now at all. You activated a response and provided important details to the responder so they could prepare for the scene. I think you're great!:wink2: Please see if there is some resource out there for you. If you could talk to a professional, they could give you the techniques you need for processing and closure. Truly I think the EMS people could be helpful in this regard. Stay in touch and let us know how it goes. Regards, Kenny B.

Sure, but I didn't say anything about proving negligence. I said "held liable." Your comment about unduly influenced (or confused) juries lies at the core of my point here. I know it's cynical, but there are cases in which people have been held liable for rendering perfectly appropriate care, and it frustrates me. Just as it frustrated me that I was advised not to carry a jump pack after I receive my license. Thank you for the perspective of an experienced responder. Regards to you, and thank you for your service to the community. -Kenny B.

And I haven't met a single firefighter or paramedic who disagrees with this assessment. They all seem to feel that the response is adequate and they either won't stop, or they'll provide minimal aid. Rgds

I'm not trying to argumentative here. I just think it's important that people know possible repercussions of their actions. When I started my EMT class I asked where I could get a jump pack for my car so that I could assist if I ever saw an accident. The response was that EMTs work under the authority of an MCEP (the ER doc who defines their scope of practice). That authority only applies when they are on duty. If they do anything beyond basic life support (CPR and First Aid), the Good Samaritan Law no longer applies. And all it takes to be held liable for negligence is for a lawyer to dig up another EMT who says he or she would have acted differently in a given situation. In many cases an EMT can't even assist someone with their own inhaler without online permission from an MCEP. So yes, the Good Samaratin Law provides protection as long as we do what a common citizen would do. Regards now, Kenny B.

Memorizing which way the decimal goes works for some people, but it could cause you to make a mistake one day that could hurt someone (when things are going crazy, you have a lot of patients, and you just got off of a vacation - for instance). The example below seems complicated, but if you do a few of them, you get the knack, you understand it in your gut, and you're good to go forever (as opposed to memorizing which can be easily confused or forgotten). Give this one a try: 1) Visualize how big the unit is (a milliliter is a small cube 1 cm on each edge - like a sugar cube). 2) Visualize how big the other unit is (a deciliter is a square with 100 small cubes in it - 10cm on each edge). 3) Try moving the decimal to the right or left. 4) Check to see if the resulting number makes sense. Example: 2145 ml = 214500 dl? No, because how can so many big squares fit into so few small cubes? Let me know if it didn't come across, and I'll hook up with you offline. Regards, Kenny B.

I never said he doesn't render aid. He administers CPR and basic first aid if necessary. He won't got beyond that because of liability issues. It's the easiest thing in the world to judge him and talk about what's not acceptable, but he saves lives for a living. Your wrong about the idea that a gross act of negligence is required for legal liability. It's unfortunate in the extreme that people are held responsible for negligence by ignorant juries all the time. Surely you're aware of this. At any rate, our response time is 8 minutes here. Pretty darned good. His basic aid should be sufficient. If it is not, well, at least he's available to aid the community rather than embroiled in some stupid lawsuit that punishes great people who try to do a difficult job. Regards, Kenny B.

That's splendid, but I'd be careful with it. My EMT-B instructor has been a paramedic for years, and he says he doesn't carry a single band-aid in his truck off duty. Why? He does care about people, but he is concerned about lawsuits. Incredible! No? If you do decide to help in the future, just remember that you cannot leave until someone of your skill level or higher relieves you. If you leave and anything happens, the dregs of the law profession will be all over you. Regards, Kenny B.