Grammie1

A few years ago my paramedic partner and I went to pick up a drunk out of his head 16 year old. We put him on the cot, loaded the cot and were climbing into the rig ourselves, My partner was a huge scary looking (but really sweet) guy, and he climbed in first. When he stepped aside and the patient saw me (a 5'4" grandmother) he started screaming and clinging to my partner screaming "Don't let her kill me!" No matter what my partner said he wouldn't stop screaming, so I elected to drive to the hospital to avoid having to really murder him. My partner tried (rather unsuccessfully) to call report to ED over the sounds of the patients' shrieks and my laughing my *** off. The entire staff was waiting at the door to see what treat we'd brought them. I'm still known as "Killer".

I work as a paramedic in a semi-rural area for $8.00 an hour, and pay my own insurance. Other benefits? None. This is a step up, since I started as a volunteer, but by the time I finished all the classes I had the equivalent of an associates degree but didn't get credit. All that liability and responsibility for about what I could get working at McDonalds. However, I love my job. Would I work as an RN for $11.00? Absolutely not. I am currently in nursing school, living on student loans and will end up with quite a load of debt. I think $11.00 would be a slap in the face to any RN, and like I always say, "if I am crazy enough to work for that little then I don't think I'm sane enough for anyone to trust tme with the care of their loved ones!"

Indy can be my nurse any day! I was taught by an excellent preceptor to do the first set of vitals manually, then if the machine agrees, ok. However if the machine later tells me something else, check it and see if I agree. Another thing she said was "Before you do CPR on a patient who's telemetry says they've coded, ask them if they have a pulse, if they say yes then don't start CPR!" Of course we all know about v tach with a pulse, but the basic principles she taught me still work.

Hey, KellNY, I know what your are saying, and yes if it were the situation you describe it would be appropriate. You don't have to apologize to me, though because I sure didn't take any offense to what you were saying. In our area the fire depts. are all seperate from EMS and all volunteer. They are very well trained and can handle most anything. However, sometimes they are really short handed and there were only a few people there and I thought it might be an arrest I absolutely would offer a hand This doesn't help you, you know, I say no and then yes. Ignore me, my family does! Actually, just use your own best judgement. As long as you are as sensitive as you seem to be, you would always be welcome on my scenes.

I think you need to check with the facility she works for, giving her the benefit of doubt. If indeed she is what you suspect I would confront her. If that doesn't work then reporting is the only ethical thing to do. You are not the one doing wrong. On the other hand having a genuine nonjudgemental talk to explain why you are concerned for her future is appropriate and compassionate. If she continues she will get into trouble sooner or later and then will never, ever become a nurse. Nor will she be allowed to work in health care. A heart to heart with out threats is a good first step. Good luck, glad I'm not in your position.

As a Paramedic, myself, and former volunteer EMT I say that if the ambulance is on scene I am not needed for help in that way, but I may be needed to help with family members. If it is something outside my neighborhood I keep going, if it is someone I know I go to one of the MFR's that isn't busy and ask if the family needs anything. Sometimes they need a babysitter, a ride to the hospital for themselves when upset, sometimes a good hug, and sometimes nothing. If there is an entrance to the house that won't put me physically in the way, I use it. On the other hand, if the fire dept. is not really trained medically I may stop to see if they need help, though honestly, what am I going to do? If airway is being managed then there is nothing really to do. We should not give the patient any of his meds, unless aspirin or 1 more nitro and even the nitro is iffy without a blood pressure, we can't start an IV, intubate, etc. just as long as the airway is being managed. To be brutally honest, and remember, I'm finishing my nursing program so I'm not slamming nurses, about 3/4 of the calls I've been on where a nurse is on scene have been nightmares. Some have been fantastic and I've been really greatful, but....I have seen some of the most boneheaded "treatment" you can imagine. Again, if the family needs help or fire needs help, I'm there. Once an ambulance is there I back off and let those who are specifically trained for pre-hospital work do their thing.

I have had experiences with bad, rude, mean ED nurses, too. However, as a street paramedic and student nurse I can also say that most are truly caring and deserve highest praise. Just because you vent does not mean you don't go back to work the next day and treat each patient with the best your training has to offer. If we don't have a safe place to vent we might just explode. I've been forced to transport the guy who had a sore rectum from picking out hard stool. No matter that it took the last ALS ambulance in two counties out of service for 2 hours. He didn't care. He knew his "rights". Even being told that his insurance wouldn't pay for the ride didn't matter. (We never did get paid for that one). Take my word for it, I apologized to the ER nurse I turned him over to. I wish they HAD ordered him to the waiting room. While we were tied up with this joker there was another man in our area that nearly died from a massive GI bleed because he had to wait nearly 40 minutes for an ambulance from another area to arrive, plus transport time. My point? We all see very sick, very needy patients every day, but all too often we see stupid or selfish ones. I give utmost kindness and compassion to those who aren't so much really sick but are scared. I go out of my way to be helpful, compassionate, make them comfortable, etc. I just don't appreciate those who abuse the system. The phony chest pain who calls 911 when her husband makes her mad, then expects us to transport her back home because he might be cross with her and so doesn't want to ride with him. If it were a case of abuse I'd understand, but after the first 10-20 times I get cynical. I am happy to go check a child who has fallen and mom is scared. Not so happy when another mom calls us during the worst ice storm in years because her son has had an earache for three days, (she didn't take him to the pediatrician because she didn't have time), and doesn't think it is safe for her to drive him to ER. The earache isn't worse, she just thinks it better be checked out. We were scared to death that we would, with all our weight in that giant box, accidently strike someone else. It wasn't safe for us, either. I'm not afraid for myself, but for those we encounter. So, am I a bad medic who will make a bad, mean nurse? Nope. I just filed her and the other guy under my category of "too stupid to breed" and when the next earache comes in I give all my best. I strongly suspect the ER nurses who have vented in this thread do the same. I'm glad they do vent. It keeps them on the front lines longer with less of the burnout we see in those few truly mean nasty nurses that are out there. God bless each one who keeps going back to their job (calling) with grace.

Talk about stupid, my husbands niece let(s) all three of her children go unbelted in their vehicles. Has from birth. She is the sister of a state policewoman, the daughter of a recently retired state policeman who just happened to be a post commander, not to mention my husband being an EMT and me being a paramedic. Neither of us have ever been able to talk any sense into her, and apparently her father doesn't care. Now the oldest is going to be driving in another year. It makes me furious.

57 now, 58 1/2 when I finish.

My school has anatomy and physiology seperately. I took (after I got my chemistry out of the way), Anatomy first, then physiology, currently in Pharm and will take Micro next semester. With each I've gotten some other "lesser" prequisites out of the way. Pharm and Micro are part of the nursing program but can be done ahead of time along with the last Psych. I figure since these courses are the most important and weighted the most heavily, I only want to take them on their own. I work 36 - 48 hrs. a week as a paramedic, and always feel overwhelmed even though my grades are great. I have felt like I've been more able to master the material more fully this way. I jump in on the second year of the nsg. program in June, then will have one year. If I survive that long. Good luck :trout: