stunt

My thoughts exactly. The 911 service I'm with offers us flu shots for free. I get one every year, and I definitely will be getting one this time too. Hard to argue with free, and when I get the flu (and I mean the actual influenza, not some stomach virus), I feel so bad that I'd pay hundreds of dollars to feel better.

^ I was just about to post this. It's on the recording of the automated menu when you call, I'm sure he has to know about it.

You know, the MA's there seem to be pretty good overall, and one of them is fantastic. But that's not the point. I can understand how you all must feel about MA's being referred to as nurses. It's probably the same as how I feel when people call me an ambulance driver (paramedic). Anyways, it's not the same thing and I think what it boils down to is what was said earlier... people willing to work for less money. Furthermore, I agree with what MrsCrypes said... if someone wants to be a nurse than they should go do the education and classes and be a nurse. It's as silly as an ECA claiming they're a paramedic. Sorry if this is an issue that is re-tread frequently. I'm new here, and mostly lurk because I find it interesting to read about the "other side" of patient care that begins after I drop mine off. :)

Why are people objecting? Fear of reactions? Fear of side effects? Or is it that you don't like the idea of someone 'mandating' that you get a vaccine? Just curious because people seem to be pretty strongly objecting to the idea.

Just a little rant... was wondering if anyone else has experienced this... Called my doctor's office to see if I could get something called out for a returning ear infection. They transferred me to the "nurse." Long story short, this person is not a LVN or a RN, they are a medical assistant. Does this bother anyone else? Isn't this a little shady, calling people nurses who aren't?

This made me laugh. :) To the OP: honestly, there isn't much you can do aside from BLS and manage ABC's. The fact remains that if you're off duty you're not carrying the supplies and tools you need (most likely). Manage ABC's, Do a quick assessment, try to get a history if possible and when EMS arrives tell them what you've found and see if they need an extra hand. If they do, they'll tell you what to do. If not, just let them do their thing. If you're truly interested in the prehospital emergency side of things, I highly recommend taking an EMT basic course. Most community colleges offer them as a 1 semester course. Even if you don't learn much that you didnt know before, it will help give you the confidence you need. While not trying to generalize nursing (because its scope is so vast), remember, EMS is all about emergent short term care, while nursing tends to be geared towards longer term care. They are equal yet different components of a patient's well being. My point is, I wouldn't be comfortable knowing how to treat a patient from a long term perspective, so don't feel bad about not feeling confident what to do on the scene of a MVA. :)

just registered to say that this has been one of the most interesting medical discussions i've ever read. i actually read every post, took a couple hours. i'm also very impressed at how reasonable and civil everyone has been throughout the discussion (with the exception of the "no means no" people-- wrong, there are exceptions). i'm glad i found this forum. while not a nurse, i'm a emt working towards paramedic and there's definitely a lot of knowledge to pick up here. :)