BLS Medical Director Interaction

[Akulahawk]

None of the places I've ever worked have I actually met the Medical Director. The BLS company I worked for needed him because we occasionally needed to order certain medical supplies and drugs for the CCT program. I don't think there was anything (except maybe for medical grade oxygen) that required his approval for the BLS side. One of the companies I worked for had a Medical Director that provided us a protocol that would allow us to transport patients that had potassium up to 20 mEq/L in a running IV bag. At the time, no other local company was allowed to do that.

 

[Sentinel641]

You would have to move to Michigan!

Do you work at U of M by any chance?

 

[ZombieEMT]

I have to say at my volunteer squad (which also has a career division), we have a very active medical director. Our medical director is active in all policies/procedures and does a lot of Q/A. We get a ton of feedback on charting. He is also a very visible medical director. We see him regularly on meetings and occasionally does ride along. I do not think having a medical direction that is this active is a bad thing, it is great. It is as important as for an ALS provider. BLS providers can make mistakes or bad judgement just like and ALS provider would. Not any EMT or Paramedic is perfect.

 

[Flying]

I have to say at my volunteer squad (which also has a career division), we have a very active medical director. Our medical director is active in all policies/procedures and does a lot of Q/A. We get a ton of feedback on charting. He is also a very visible medical director. We see him regularly on meetings and occasionally does ride along. I do not think having a medical direction that is this active is a bad thing, it is great. It is as important as for an ALS provider. BLS providers can make mistakes or bad judgement just like and ALS provider would. Not any EMT or Paramedic is perfect.

Dr. Lavelle by any chance? He seems to have built a small empire throughout PA/NJ.

 

[samiam]

Do you work at U of M by any chance?

Nope

http://med.wmich.edu/node/912

 

[Sentinel641]

Just the ability to interact that much with MCA Director really makes me want to move out there and apply for EMS jobs..

 

[samsbgm]

Very curious to hear how much/little BLS providers have with their service's medical director -- I, for one, have met mine once, but only in passing, and this is on an ALS service. what do you feel is the appropriate level of BLS providers/medical director level of interaction?

We had to test with our medical directors. We often are giving room reports to our medical directors. Ours are pretty awesome and will support you.

 

[Sentinel641]

We had to test with our medical directors. We often are giving room reports to our medical directors. Ours are pretty awesome and will support you.

By "test" do you mean that you had to take practicals, or written tests? I'm a little confused. But regardless, I believe that interaction with your MedDir makes the EMS team work so much better.

 

[Tigger]

I test with our medical directors every year, as does every employee (both part and full time). It's a practical scenario where you are paired with a paramedic. At different junctures the physician will state that a certain ALS intervention is not working and then will ask the EMT to provide something within his scope (i.e. supraglottic airway when the patient cannot be intubated, monitor fails and can only be used as an AED, that sort of thing).

 

[samsbgm]

By "test" do you mean that you had to take practicals, or written tests? I'm a little confused. But regardless, I believe that interaction with your MedDir makes the EMS team work so much better.

We did a practical with our medical directors to be able to be on the streets. All the written test were given to us by the company.

 

[gotbeerz001]

A practical WITH the MedDir? You must have a tiny system.

 

[samsbgm]

A practical WITH the MedDir? You must have a tiny system.

I wouldn't call it tiny but it's not the biggest. We Only run 100,000 calls a year.

 

[gotbeerz001]

I wouldn't call it tiny but it's not the biggest. We Only run 100,000 calls a year.

Well that is pretty impressive that he takes the time to meet every provider working in the system. With our system, both in regards to size and turnover, that would be all our director does.

 

[Tigger]

A practical WITH the MedDir? You must have a tiny system.

My old medical director had 50,000 plus calls a year that he lorded over. You tested with him and him only every year, medics and EMTs.

 

[samsbgm]

Well that is pretty impressive that he takes the time to meet every provider working in the system. With our system, both in regards to size and turnover, that would be all our director does.

We do have a team of 5 medical directors. That helps with testing. Not everyone tests with the same medical director.