Transport EMT
- Thread starter rc2nd
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That just means things are working as planned. Having said that, I've had several "routine" IFTs go decidedly south. We ran primarily 911 at my old service with transfers in the city as well. We were the only ambulance service, and all trucks were ALS, so it wasn't considered a huge deal if something changed. IFT services that do primarily hospital back to SNF/home or dialysis runs really aren't expected to run into many "emergencies." Just the way it works. If you think of this as a bad thing, start looking for a new job.
Kevinf
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Rare indeed. We always assess each patient before we load and take a quick look over their medical history and talk to staff familiar with the patient if we aren't (you get to know your regulars pretty well). We've arrived to transport patients and determined they are in need of higher levels of care occasionally (i.e. SNF or Dialysis to ER) and treat and or transport them to the closest ER. One of my patients that I walked into was completely unresponsive due to sepsis from not being able to complete dialysis for several treatments. Unfortunately the aides that got that patient dressed that morning were apparently unable to tell when a patient is in severe distress and unresponsive so the patient laid there in that state until we arrived to pick her up for transport to dialysis. Fortunately the hospital was a literal (and I do mean literal) stones throw from the facility so it took all of about 1 minute to get the patient to the ER. That was a fun radio patch... "CG be advised we have begun transporting an unresponsive pt from next door, ETA less than one minute. Suspected sepsis. Vitals will be given at the door. Any questions?" and I gotta give them credit, they were ready and waiting as soon as we got there. Unresponsive patches tend to get bodies moving. We've had a crew walk into a transport to find a dead patient at a different facility as well.
Since we are on the road a lot and cover a large area we are also witness to traffic accidents from time to time and we'll stop to act. We've had 4 or 5 witnessed accidents in a few months time. Just this week we had a crew drive by and notice a man in a ditch off the side of the road. Turns out he'd been there overnight and wasn't sure if he'd been hit or not and wasn't sure how he got there. I just got bits and pieces of that but I do know they called in ALS for his transport. Not sure how roughed up he was or the details exactly.
The times where it is likely that a routine transport will go south it's usually expected and there is a DNR involved.
Since we are on the road a lot and cover a large area we are also witness to traffic accidents from time to time and we'll stop to act. We've had 4 or 5 witnessed accidents in a few months time. Just this week we had a crew drive by and notice a man in a ditch off the side of the road. Turns out he'd been there overnight and wasn't sure if he'd been hit or not and wasn't sure how he got there. I just got bits and pieces of that but I do know they called in ALS for his transport. Not sure how roughed up he was or the details exactly.
The times where it is likely that a routine transport will go south it's usually expected and there is a DNR involved.
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I wonder what his PBT and tox screen looked like at the ER...
Kevinf
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I'm curious too. ^_^
I just remembered another incident that happened at an extended care facility a few months ago (looks like today is going to be transport EMT story day) during one of their staff meetings. We had just dropped off a patient from routine transport in a different hallway on the opposite side of the building and were heading out to the ambulance exit (the meeting room is adjacent to the ambulance exit) and what happens next is we round the corner to find a facility nurse on the ground postictal surrounded by other facility staff and a pair of 911 EMTs. One of the ECF staff nurses "got sick" whilst in a staff meeting and they called 911 for her (this was all unknown to us at this point). Unfortunately the 911 EMTs that were dispatched were two of the smallest women I've seen in our profession and the postictal nurse was not. They were having clear issues lifting this nurse onto the stretcher and one of the men from the meeting is attempting to help but it isn't working. So we immediately head over to help and we do a 5 person lift onto the stretcher. Problem number two arises a minute later. The ambulance entrance is on an incline in such a way as the tail end of an ambulance sticks into the air if parked with the loading doors facing the facility doors (we park perpendicular for this very reason) something the 911s didn't register when they saw our rig parked and they chose to park doors to doors. What this meant however is the 911's sub 5 foot tall EMTs attempted to load an extremely heavy patient but were unable to do so. So then they asked my partner and I to load her which we did and they went on their merry way. I'm kind of curious what would have transpired had we not been at the right place at the right time.
I just remembered another incident that happened at an extended care facility a few months ago (looks like today is going to be transport EMT story day) during one of their staff meetings. We had just dropped off a patient from routine transport in a different hallway on the opposite side of the building and were heading out to the ambulance exit (the meeting room is adjacent to the ambulance exit) and what happens next is we round the corner to find a facility nurse on the ground postictal surrounded by other facility staff and a pair of 911 EMTs. One of the ECF staff nurses "got sick" whilst in a staff meeting and they called 911 for her (this was all unknown to us at this point). Unfortunately the 911 EMTs that were dispatched were two of the smallest women I've seen in our profession and the postictal nurse was not. They were having clear issues lifting this nurse onto the stretcher and one of the men from the meeting is attempting to help but it isn't working. So we immediately head over to help and we do a 5 person lift onto the stretcher. Problem number two arises a minute later. The ambulance entrance is on an incline in such a way as the tail end of an ambulance sticks into the air if parked with the loading doors facing the facility doors (we park perpendicular for this very reason) something the 911s didn't register when they saw our rig parked and they chose to park doors to doors. What this meant however is the 911's sub 5 foot tall EMTs attempted to load an extremely heavy patient but were unable to do so. So then they asked my partner and I to load her which we did and they went on their merry way. I'm kind of curious what would have transpired had we not been at the right place at the right time.
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