Dumbest thing you have been asked

[WuLabsWuTecH]

Ok, that makes sense--I guess you'd want to see what EMT's learn and what they can do and such.

It does seem funny though that he carries a card that says he is allowed to work under his own license!

And I guess since you do CEUs already for your MD, keeping your EMT certs isn't that much more work! (Just filling out paperwork right?)

 

[VentMedic]

Back to the stupid questions...

My partner and I responded to transport a fall patient from a SNF, located less than 1 block from the local hospital. You can actually see the ED from the SNF lobby, it's that close. The RN asked me, "What hospital are you going to?"

I looked at her for what felt like a solid minute, blinked a few times and just pointed at the hospital.

Just because the patient is in the SNF doesn't mean you just take to the nearest facility and dump if they are having an MI, have the possibility of a head injury or are having a stroke. Just like any other citizen they are entitled to the appropriate facility. They should not be considered second class citizens because they are in a SNF.

Of course, if you are only BLS you may not have much choice but SNFs do contract with ALS services also who can usually transport to the appropriate facility. It is just difficult for other medical professionals, such as nurses, to keep that stuff straight since they don't pass off their patient responsibility to a nursing assistant because the patient isn't an "emergency".

 

[vquintessence]

Just because the patient is in the SNF doesn't mean you just take to the nearest facility and dump if they are having an MI, have the possibility of a head injury or are having a stroke. Just like any other citizen they are entitled to the appropriate facility. They should not be considered second class citizens because they are in a SNF.

Of course, if you are only BLS you may not have much choice but SNFs do contract with ALS services also who can usually transport to the appropriate facility. It is just difficult for other medical professionals, such as nurses, to keep that stuff straight since they don't pass off their patient responsibility to a nursing assistant because the patient isn't an "emergency".

n7lxi, I'm surprised they even asked you, consider that in itself a demonstration of their faith in you as a provider. I doubt that'll cross his/her mind next time however, after your reaction of staring blankly and quasi-rudeness (pointing). Hopefully not though.

Back along the lines of what Vent said, usually they will at least tell you what hospital the pt is affiliated with. Appropriate facility always needs to be your determination. You/we do the transportation on a regular basis and will be more up to snuff on each facilities capabilities.

 

[JeffDHMC]

Many years ago after watching a medic from another service nasally intubate an awake pt.

After placing the tube she listens to BS and declares the tube good (tube is still fully 2/3 out of the pts. nose).

Me: Your tube is no good, not deep enough.

Pt.: Take it out!

Me: See?

Other medic: Nah, she's just awake enough to talk around it.

 

[WuLabsWuTecH]

I'm sorry to off track us again, but just thinking about it for a second:

If the MD is on the back of the truck, can he start an IV? Now i know he'd probably let the medic start the IV since the medic will have started a lot more IVs in his time, but could the MD start the IV if he wanted to since his license allows him to do that? Or can he only do basic interventions?

 

[usafmedic45]

I'm sorry to off track us again, but just thinking about it for a second:

If the MD is on the back of the truck, can he start an IV? Now i know he'd probably let the medic start the IV since the medic will have started a lot more IVs in his time, but could the MD start the IV if he wanted to since his license allows him to do that? Or can he only do basic interventions?

He can do whatever he dang well pleases is the way I understand it.

 

[CAOX3]

Oh I have heard some good ones, I have also dropped a few myself, so I will pass on. this one.

 

[Dr Boom]

not too serious to laugh

Was working with a partner on a pt who colapsed from hyperthermia. Pt came to while partner was taking vitals and I was on the radio. We passed some info back and forth and after my partner called out the pulse the pt looked right at him, "that's amazing- how could you take my pulse when I was holding my breath?"

Its so good, it never gets old!

Dave

 

[firecoins]

I'm sorry to off track us again, but just thinking about it for a second:

If the MD is on the back of the truck, can he start an IV? Now i know he'd probably let the medic start the IV since the medic will have started a lot more IVs in his time, but could the MD start the IV if he wanted to since his license allows him to do that? Or can he only do basic interventions?

an MD can do whatever the standard of care as long as he accepts responsibility.

 

[NomadicMedic]

Ah, the interwebs. It's so easy to be off the cuff. I'm sorry I didn't make this entire call clear and that I came off as being "quasi-rude" to the staff.

The SNF is affiliated with the hospital in question.
The company I work for is contracted for BLS from this facility to the hospital in question.
Furthermore, the hospital in question is in plain sight from where we were standing in the SNF.
The hospital in question was not on divert.
The hospital in question is the closest appropriate facility for the PT. (i.e.: PT was not in need of a Level I Trauma Center.)
The PT was in no distress and not complaining of injuries, pain or any other discomfort.

Also, I didn't stare at her for a solid minute, it just felt that way.

All of these factors combined make the nurse asking me, "which hospital are you going to" one of the dumbest questions I've ever been asked.

And after I pointed at the BIG RED SIGN that said "EMERGENCY AMBULANCE ENTRANCE" she laughed and said 'Oh, of course..."

Think of it this way...

You and your partner are parked directly in front of a KFC and you say, "Hmmm, I wonder where I can get some greasy fried chicken and a styrofoam bowl of fake mashed potatoes?"

So, to sum up, I have never been rude to staff or patients and in the Seattle area we have a myriad of hospitals to chose from, dependent on the patient's condition and complaint. Patients in my care always go to the closest appropriate facility. Sorry if it appeared that I was acting as an uncaring provider.

 

[VentMedic]

The SNF is affiliated with the hospital in question.
The company I work for is contracted for BLS from this facility to the hospital in question.
Furthermore, the hospital in question is in plain sight from where we were standing in the SNF.
The hospital in question was not on divert.
The hospital in question is the closest appropriate facility for the PT. (i.e.: PT was not in need of a Level I Trauma Center.)
The PT was in no distress and not complaining of injuries, pain or any other discomfort.

Still you should not ASSUME anything. Actually many of the BLS/ALS runs that tie up ambulances are from patients who have been taken to the wrong facility because of the "closest facility" thing and then must be transported again just a few blocks away to another facility. Some are due to protocol and some are due to laziness or "this hospital is good enough" mentality.

We have a SNF that is also attached to the hospital but we may have to send the patient to another hospital due to insurance or specialty. Yes, we also get weird remarks from EMTs who sometimes don't understand that we may not do a certain type of radiation therapy or the patient belongs to an HMO that dictates acute situations return to their facility. There are even some SNFs located inside the walls the hospital that must dial 911 for their emergencies. I believe that is still the arrangement for the SNF in a well known trauma center in California.

If you ever get the opportunity to sit at a nurses' station you would be surprised at the "dumbest things they have been asked or told" by those in EMS who don't understand the system or the many avenues of healthcare.

 

[WolfmanHarris]

This story is taken from my preceptor, so if he's here somewhere and I get some details wrong, sorry. But it was a good story.

So this Paramedic is on standby at the indy race in the inner track. As part of the standby the organizers arranged to have the head anesthetist from the regional trauma centre (as well as professor) on the standby. At the beginning of the day this medic was oriented the physician to the truck and their equipment layout and explained that in the event of a crash they would go out to the scene with the crash-rescue crew, extricate the patient, bring him back and the doc would be able to work.

Doc takes a look around the truck from the captain's chair and says:
"Do these lights get any brighter" Medic responds, "Nope."
"Does this bed go any higher." "Nope."
"Does the chair go any lower." "Nope."
Thinks it over for a second.
"Ya... this sucks. New plan. If we need to intubate someone, you do it and I'll help you with whatever you need. I've got nothing to prove."

 

[Sail195]

This story is taken from my preceptor, so if he's here somewhere and I get some details wrong, sorry. But it was a good story.

So this Paramedic is on standby at the indy race in the inner track. As part of the standby the organizers arranged to have the head anesthetist from the regional trauma centre (as well as professor) on the standby. At the beginning of the day this medic was oriented the physician to the truck and their equipment layout and explained that in the event of a crash they would go out to the scene with the crash-rescue crew, extricate the patient, bring him back and the doc would be able to work.

Doc takes a look around the truck from the captain's chair and says:
"Do these lights get any brighter" Medic responds, "Nope."
"Does this bed go any higher." "Nope."
"Does the chair go any lower." "Nope."
Thinks it over for a second.
"Ya... this sucks. New plan. If we need to intubate someone, you do it and I'll help you with whatever you need. I've got nothing to prove."

HAHAHAHA thats great!

 

[Rob123]

Five of us were at a booth doing a standby at a local event.

A middle-aged woman walked up to us and asked:
"Are you lifesavers?"
We all bashfully smirked, tilted our heads and thanked her for her words.

After a few awkward moments of silence, she yelled at the top of her lungs
"Can I get a F------- cough drop????"

She walked away in a huff.
None of us spoke for a good five minutes.

(For the readers who may not know, "lifesavers" is a brand of candy)

 

[WuLabsWuTecH]

This story is taken from my preceptor, so if he's here somewhere and I get some details wrong, sorry. But it was a good story.

So this Paramedic is on standby at the indy race in the inner track. As part of the standby the organizers arranged to have the head anesthetist from the regional trauma centre (as well as professor) on the standby. At the beginning of the day this medic was oriented the physician to the truck and their equipment layout and explained that in the event of a crash they would go out to the scene with the crash-rescue crew, extricate the patient, bring him back and the doc would be able to work.

Doc takes a look around the truck from the captain's chair and says:
"Do these lights get any brighter" Medic responds, "Nope."
"Does this bed go any higher." "Nope."
"Does the chair go any lower." "Nope."
Thinks it over for a second.
"Ya... this sucks. New plan. If we need to intubate someone, you do it and I'll help you with whatever you need. I've got nothing to prove."

Sounds about right! How many Docs do you know that start their own IVs?

Five of us were at a booth doing a standby at a local event.

A middle-aged woman walked up to us and asked:
"Are you lifesavers?"
We all bashfully smirked, tilted our heads and thanked her for her words.

After a few awkward moments of silence, she yelled at the top of her lungs
"Can I get a F------- cough drop????"

She walked away in a huff.
None of us spoke for a good five minutes.

(For the readers who may not know, "lifesavers" is a brand of candy)

Gotta be honest with ya here--I'm not getting this one...

 

[Sapphyre]

My guess is, Lifesavers was handing out free candy, and, she being perhaps a bit ignorant, thought they were cough drops, and really wanted one?

 

[Rob123]

Gotta be honest with ya here--I'm not getting this one...

My guess is, Lifesavers was handing out free candy, and, she being perhaps a bit ignorant, thought they were cough drops, and really wanted one?

I really had no clue either... and I was there!
It may have been miscommunication on our part... perhaps she was asking for a candy and our egos assumed she was talking about EMS workers as lifesavers.

It may not have been the funniest line... but to me it was certainly the most memorable (non-medical) moment.
Then again perhaps you had to be there...

 

[medic417]

Overheard an older woman ask an EMT if he was a healthcare professional. I almost died laughing, literally triggered an asthma attack I laughed so hard.

 

[usafmedic45]

This story is taken from my preceptor, so if he's here somewhere and I get some details wrong, sorry. But it was a good story.

So this Paramedic is on standby at the indy race in the inner track. As part of the standby the organizers arranged to have the head anesthetist from the regional trauma centre (as well as professor) on the standby. At the beginning of the day this medic was oriented the physician to the truck and their equipment layout and explained that in the event of a crash they would go out to the scene with the crash-rescue crew, extricate the patient, bring him back and the doc would be able to work.

Doc takes a look around the truck from the captain's chair and says:
"Do these lights get any brighter" Medic responds, "Nope."
"Does this bed go any higher." "Nope."
"Does the chair go any lower." "Nope."
Thinks it over for a second.
"Ya... this sucks. New plan. If we need to intubate someone, you do it and I'll help you with whatever you need. I've got nothing to prove."

Sounds like a lot of the docs at the track. Good bunch.

 

[spnx]

Overheard an older woman ask an EMT if he was a healthcare professional. I almost died laughing, literally triggered an asthma attack I laughed so hard.

I was at a hockey game and a guy wanted me to look at his kid, then asked if I had "some kind of medical training".

I had been cleaning my stethoscope (not much to do), was in uniform, had a trauma kit with me and my provincial EHS (Emergency Health Service) badge attached to my uniform.

It was sooo tempting to say no, I just like to dress up like this and go spectate at hockey games...