rigmedic

When I got out of aviation (I was in corporate), it amazed me the number of people that are just dumbfounded that anyone would give up "such a good job". LOL They have no idea! As for the bodily fluids thing, yes you have to learn to deal with it. I started out in medicine as an EMT, then a Paramedic, then an RN. Last year, I made $115,000 (FO pay at a major). So, I am quite happy to wipe the occasional butt.

What would you like to know? I work internationally offshore, and have for several years now.

Thanks for the offer, but this is MY gravy train. LOL Oh, I forgot to mention that if I have to do schools or meetings on my offtime they pay it at Double Pay. Yep, just like the hospital.......NOT!!

If you want to know why I keep working offshore in Industrial Medicine, this is why. For our bonus this year, we all got $300 Seiko watches, engraved. For our weekly safety meeting prizes, they give away MP3 players, digital cameras, etc. I don't think I will ever go back to the hospital environment. Not as long as gas is $3/gallon. LOL

I have one of them, and it works very well in noisy environments. I rarely use it, though, because it will not hang easily around your neck. The tubing that goes from the bell up toward the earpieces has a controller, that holds the batteries. Because of this, it will not hang normally around your neck and it is a pain to keep in your pocket. But, for performance you can't beat it.

the one thing i know that would upset me (and i admit i am impatient) is when i wanted information and the primary nurse was no where to be found to give it to me. -Allison2008 Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner!! As someone who knows both sides of this fence, this just drives me crazy. If you are an RN in a LTC facility and you call 911, please be prepared to give report to the PROFESSIONAL coming to give care to your patient. The medic has to do an assessment, develop a care plan, etc just like an RN. Knowing the pt's history, baseline mental status, meds, etc are all part of that assessment. I hate to generalize, but it always seems that whenever we go to a LTC facility the staff just melts away and we are left alone in the room with the pt that is blue, O2 sat of 72 (on 2lpm by NC) and no idea what the history, meds, normal status, etc is. Also, the staff doesn't seem to understand that EMS has protocols for different procedures and we can't "just put the line in and leave".

Well, what is "serious" in the ER of a Level 1 Trauma Center in the States and what is "serious" 45 miles off the coast of a third world country are two different things. LOL We have everything from dengue fever, lots of skin MRSA (incision and draining abscesses), the routine upper respiratory viruses that run rampant through the rig, etc, etc, etc. Not as much trauma as most people who are not in the oil business seem to think. There is a lot of emphasis on safety. We also do food safety, potable water testing, first aid training, vaccinations, etc.

That is correct. I run my own 2 bed clinic for 115 people and get to bank TONS of frequent flyer miles. It is a great job.

Being a rig medic is, without a doubt, ONE of the best jobs in healthcare. You get to travel the world, have complete autonomy running your own clinic far at sea, and the money is at least as good as I would make as a nurse manager.

"just being "street medics"???????????? Grrrrrrrrr:madface::trout:

For all the warts of "Big Government", and there are many, at least the citizens get a vote in how it runs. Corporate America answers ONLY to the Board of Directors of that particular corporation. Individual shareholders have virtually no say so in how the company is run, let alone a non-shareholder. So, having demonstrated the fact that their greed knows no bounds, Corporate Healthcare's days are numbered.....

It all ultimately comes down to, "Who do you trust more; Big Government or Corporate America?". After decades of watching Corporate America downsize, rightsize, outsource, create "preexisting conditions", deny coverage, and generally allow their greed to get the best of them, I think most people are ready for a change. It is a rightwing fantasy to suggest that "If only people saved more, all would be well". Meanwhile wages are flat, energy and food are going through the roof, and the Republicans want to steal Social Security. The American people have had ENOUGH of risk and uncertainty. We need to at least be able to count on the availability of healthcare.

I am certainly not a troll, and will not flame nurses. I will agree with Keith that certain aspects of my paramedic education were far superior to that of nursing school. The reverse is also true in certain areas. I think that if the pay, benefits, and job variety which exist for nurses were available for paramedics you would see VERY few medics becoming nurses. It is simply for the Benjamins.........well, that and it doesn't rain in the ER. LOL

That is good, and it should be even tougher! When we have American citizens beating down the doors to nursing schools, trying to get degrees, there is no reason to let foreigners have the few good jobs left in America. The nursing boards in the various states need to stand up NOW to block the increase in the number of H-1b visas. The things that are happening now to IT professionals could happen to nurses if we don't band together and snuff it out before it gets started.

With all due respect, you are completely kidding yourself if you think that importing foreign nurses won't diminish your own standard of living. Globalization is simply a race to the bottom in terms of wages and benefits. The only people that benefit from it are the shareholders in multinational corporations and the desperately poor in other countries. For American workers, it is a horrible deal and the nursing organizations should be working NOW to stem the tide. This can be done by requiring stringent qualifications, etc. Look at how other countries (such as Canada) handle immigration. You can't exactly just waltz into Canada and start working as an RN. We need to enact similar, very strict, rules or we will pay the consequences.