Dealing with Paramedics

[COmedic17]

Why do you feel the patient "needed both of them" as you stated?

 

[triemal04]

Last night we got a call 4am, I am volunteer EMT. The ambulance service requested we come for assistance. We get there the male is having a heart attack. Get him in the bus and there are 2 from the ambulance service, paramedic and EMT. They are getting the patient set up - IV, monitor etc. and I said, would you like me to drive for you. The smarty pants Paramedic says, why would we want you to drive? Um, duh, cause your patient needs both of you? Nope forget, you deal with it buddy. Why do do a select few paramedics think they are King of the bus? What do you think? What if the patient coded enroute? Is my thinking wrong or his?

Perhaps the patient wasn't as sick as you thought. Perhaps there was no reason that they would need a third person. Perhaps you weren't really aware of what was going on. Perhaps the attitude displayed above explains everything.

Instead of complaining and whining, maybe ask yourself this: what was actually wrong with the patient? How stable were they? What were the chances of them decompensating? How badly? How were they being treated? How were they going to be treated between the scene and the hospital? Don't know the answer to that? Then don't get upset when someone doesn't accept your help when it's not needed.

Maybe you should also ask yourself, how did you come across when you asked to drive? Super excited and worked up? (on a patient that may have been quite fine) Pushy? Rude? Something else that may have (even if there was a potential need) caused them to think twice about having you drive?

But maybe he felt the patient was under control. I don't know.

You really should have considered this as the very first reason, and before you got pissy.

 

[Tigger]

Also OP, have you considered talking to the paramedic in question and asking when he would like a driver?

 

[squirrel15]

How long have you been with this service? Are there more senior guys the medic knew that if he had needed a driver he would've asked? How far was the nearest hospital? You say he was having a heart attack, how do you know if the monitor wasn't even setup yet?

 

[Carlos Danger]

Everyone is coming down on the OP for making an assumption about whether the paramedic wanted him or her to drive....but where I come from, pretty much the only reason a volly BLS service would be requested to assist an ALS transport service is if the transport service wanted someone to drive so that they can both be in the back....

So if I'm showing up because I've been requested to assist the ALS transport service, and they are already loaded up and I haven't yet been cancelled, then I don't think it makes me an idiot to assume that they might be wanting someone to drive for them. If they are already loaded up and don't need help why haven't I been cancelled yet?

Perhaps "what can I do to help you" might have been a slightly more appropriate question than "do you want me to drive", and perhaps the OP should have slightly thicker skin, but the response that was given on the scene was rude and uncalled for, and I don't see why the question warranted all the "because it's his ambulance and he is the king" attitude that she got here.

 

[CentralCalEMT]

It honestly seems like he probably had the call and the patient under control and did not need extra help. Maybe he was a little rude but I do not think he meant it personally. As a paramedic, I will absolutely take a rider if I need one. However, doing so takes both my unit and a fire unit out of service. I would rather leave the other unit in service and available for calls if I can. Once the ALS workup is done, and the patient does not need to be bagged, medications, is not about to crash, etc, all I do is observe the patient and do repeat vital signs. This includes critical patients. As a side note, we are allowed to let the fire department drive, but generally I still have my EMT drive and take the firefighter with me in the back.