# Burning Man



## akflightmedic (Mar 7, 2013)

Here is a neat short term adventure...go to Burning Man!


Job Description

Humboldt General Hospital (Winnemucca ,NV) the Advanced Life Support Medical Services contractor for the iconic 55,000+ participant Burning Man festival is currently seeking medical professionals to fill temporary positions for the 2013 event.

Medical professionals will work under the medical direction of doctors Bryan Bledsoe DO and Jeff Westin MD. Medical professions will provide care to ill and injured event goers inside the onsite mobile medical unit, EMS professionals have the ability to also staff on of the event’s onsite ALS ambulances.

Successful candidates will work alongside a number of America’s top EMS professionals and leaders, resident physicians from the University Medical Center in Las Vegas NV, and top notch medical professionals working within Burning Man’s own Emergency Services.

All new employees must work a minimum of three 10 hour shifts. Employees who elect to work additional shifts will have access to lodging, meals, and other on playa amenities. Employees will be provided one event ticket in addition to an hourly wage.

The 2013 event will take place on the world famous Black Rock Desert in rural Northern Nevada from August 26th through September 2nd. 
Job Requirements

Applicants should be experienced EMS providers with a desire to provide excellent patient care in a remote and austere environment. Applicants should be open minded, and able to adapt to interesting situations. Humboldt General Hospital will assist out of state providers gain all required state certification and licensure. All interested parties are strongly urged to apply. Current openings include:

    EMT
    Advanced EMT
    Paramedics
    EMS-RN
    EMS Supervisors and Managers
    RN (ER and ICU experience required)
    EMS/EM Physicians
    Grounds Keepers
    Receptionist's

For more information on Burning Man please visit www.burningman.org, for information on Humboldt General Hospital’s Burning Man Medical Operation please use the provided link to read Dr. Bryan Bledsoe’s article featured in JEMS magazine. http://www.jems.com/article/news/cardiac-patient-receives-miraculous-trea
APPLY FOR THIS JOB
Contact Person: 	Tori Stephen		Phone: 	775-623-5222 Ext. 264	
Email Address: 	tori.s@hghospital.ws


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## Hunter (Mar 7, 2013)

akflightmedic said:


> Here is a neat short term adventure...go to Burning Man!
> 
> 
> Job Description
> ...



Where do you find all these jobs???


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## mycrofft (Mar 7, 2013)

If my experience of field support is instructive, a "primary care" presence might be of use since the majority of stuff will not be emergent and could be handled at a much lower level (i.e., sunscreen, HC 1% cream, fingerstick glucose test, antacids,  Advil and "RTC/PRN (return to clinic as needed) if such and such occurs or you aren't better tonight". Or "Siddown and drink this while we watch you".


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## JPINFV (Mar 7, 2013)

mycrofft said:


> If my experience of field support is instructive, a "primary care" presence might be of use since the majority of stuff will not be emergent and could be handled at a much lower level (i.e., sunscreen, HC 1% cream, fingerstick glucose test, antacids,  Advil and "RTC/PRN (return to clinic as needed) if such and such occurs or you aren't better tonight". Or "Siddown and drink this while we watch you".



...because there's no drug use at all at Burning Man?


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## mycrofft (Mar 7, 2013)

That too.

Looking into it, after I get the temporary nursing license and attendant mandatory fingerprinting, I would need to work at least three shifts to break even, before taxes.

I'm looking into it though.


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## wildrivermedic (Mar 10, 2013)

A podcast interview with Bledsoe and friends:

http://emsgarage.com/846/burning-man-ems-garage-episode-148/

This podcast gives a good inside look at large scale event medicine. It's been a while since I listened, but as I remember the event has its own first aid volunteers who  hand out the sunscreen and do a little light triage. The crew that works the advertised contract handles the messier stuff.

Listen for a guest appearance by the Precordial Thump!


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## DeepFreeze (Mar 14, 2013)

I've always wanted to go to burning man...this could be a nice way in. Do they pay for travel to the event?

I'd take time off the full time gig to do this for a week.


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## mycrofft (Mar 14, 2013)

My experience was that the cost and uncertainty of getting my license endorsed to Nevada and the providers' absence of a guarantee of how many shifts I would get made it made it too dicey.

My understanding is: you cover your expenses unless you are going to work three or more ten-hour shifts, in which case you will get a pass and there will be food and bivouac on the venue (not SURE about billeting). Remember this is in NEVADA, and your certificates and licenses may mean diddly; that means less money for you.


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## DeepFreeze (Mar 14, 2013)

So did you talked to them mycrofft? 

I just checked with Nevada Office of EMS, it doesn't seem hard to get the reciprocity:

"The Nevada State Health Division’s Office of Emergency Medical Systems has reciprocal agreements with all 50 states, as well as the National Registry of EMTs.  What this means is if you are currently certified as an EMT Basic, EMT Intermediate or EMT Advanced (Paramedic) with one of those entities, your certification may be transferable to Nevada..."

This sure is tempting. I might just have a temporary case of Wanderlust since I just got back from vacation.


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## mycrofft (Mar 14, 2013)

We corresponded by email.

My RN license could have taken upwards of four months and hundreds of dollars to process, requiring statements of when I had passed the NCLEX, graduated college, been originally licensed (all by originating agencies and costing money), and the fingerprints either had to be by LIVESCAN _in Nevada,_ or I could have two cards done by a law enforcement agency (??) here and send them in for manual reading.I am sure this is to protect Nevada's RN's fro being poached out of jobs by Californian RN's and immigrants from overseas, and not caused by the employer at Burning Man.

They offered me a job as a tech of some sort, not EMT, but it paid twenty percent less (about).

Dunno about nationally certified med techs or paramedics. Move on it, time is wasting.


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## fm_emt (Mar 17, 2013)

Hi. Me again! I have been on the staff there since 2007 (on the Burning Man side, not HGH) and I can say that it's a lot of fun but it's definitely not for everybody. 

If you are unfamiliar with the event, please see the website - burningman.com 

There is NO commercial vending. No food court, vending machines, nothing like that. You're pretty much on a camping trip, although I *think* that the HGH staff has some sort of in/out privileges. That being said, there's nothing around for miles and miles. A few of the HGH folks just camped with us at one of the other BLS medical stations and they paid for the meal plan set up by the camp. While the HGH folks operate the higher level of care at the main medical tent, the outlying stations are also staffed by ALS providers and MDs/RNs. (just operating at BLS, although there is the possibility that this will change in the future) A lot of awesome and intelligent folks there. 

Bledsoe's article was spot on too. It's really a lot more than just dehydrations and sunburns.

Deepfreeze: no, they don't pay for travel to/from the event. You're on your own for that.


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## DeepFreeze (Mar 17, 2013)

Just sent in my application. My buddy wanted to do it with me but he can't get the time off this year so I'm going to go to scout it out.

I figure most people who aren't from the west coast fly out and rent a car or do a ride share. I'm more intrigued how the whole system works out there, and I think burning man would be an interesting thing to have on my resumé. I'm excited to see what happens next.


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## mycrofft (Mar 18, 2013)

We will need full documentation upon completion, including videos and still photo.


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## rwik123 (Mar 18, 2013)

I'm considering doing this. As an AEMT would I be placed in the clinic as a tech or do they have actual ground ambulances that they staff?


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## Handsome Robb (Mar 18, 2013)

mycrofft said:


> That too.
> 
> Looking into it, after I get the temporary nursing license and attendant mandatory fingerprinting, I would need to work at least three shifts to break even, before taxes.
> 
> I'm looking into it though.



Nursing may be more difficult but EMS certifications in Northern Nevada are pretty cheap and not very difficult to get. 



DeepFreeze said:


> So did you talked to them mycrofft?
> 
> I just checked with Nevada Office of EMS, it doesn't seem hard to get the reciprocity:
> 
> ...



Like I said above, it's not very difficult to get an EMS cert here. The people that work at the office are all pretty friendly, it's a small office and they're good about returning phone calls. Never emailed them, I've always either called or usually just driven down there. Every time I've driven down there I've handed them the application, copies of certs and a check and a couple minutes later they'd come back and hand me my cert. 

It's not very expensive either. I'm not sure if you have to have an ambulance attendant's license to work out there. That has a background check, fingerprints (I think, that may have been for my company though, I can't remember) and a skills portion that has to be signed off by a physician but once you get that it's pretty quick as well. 



rwik123 said:


> I'm considering doing this. As an AEMT would I be placed in the clinic as a tech or do they have actual ground ambulances that they staff?



There used to be ambulances out there as well as rangers and things like that, not sure how it's done now but I'm sure it's similar. 

Unfortunately I can't work out there. :-/


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## geotuna93 (Apr 10, 2013)

I worked for them last year and let me say that they are the best. You actually get to do hands on care. You are not some gurney jockey, you are making a difference. If you go out there as a basic you will learn so much it will blow your socks off. As for the AEMT person, you need a special license to drive the ambulance but you can still work in the clinic. Last year we saw close to 3000 patients in 10 days. We have a great relationship with ESD, burning mans in house BLS cars. All in all it is the best thing I have done thus far in EMS. Go and apply you won't be sorry.


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## mycrofft (Apr 11, 2013)

As soon as I seemed hesitant about the gig they stopped answering my emails. I suppose they have many more applicants than they need so they have to concentrate on the likely candidates.  Wish them luck.


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## DeepFreeze (May 13, 2013)

*Hgh ems?*

Just got off the phone with them for a second time. And I have to say it is confusing. tl;dr: Turned down a "job" in the clinic...but just to share:

I'm not really sure about the operation organization. I uploaded most of the documents needed, they emailed back and forth pretty well at first. They called me twice, but each time seemed to find more stuff "missing". No big deal because their website seems user friendly, but it was strange that anything I uploaded didn't work (uploaded in March, now in May they contact me saying it didn't work)

But when it came to reciprocity, at first they said they would cover the fee. Then they said I had to pay it, submit the paperwork. Then later they mentioned that their Medical Control Guy is hesitant to put people he doesn't know under his license (seems strange if you are hiring ems staff and you can't trust them, right?) But I figured I'd get the license, prove I wasn't going to go all crazy at Burning Man, and they'd work with me...
So I mail in the $40 after the first phone call and I'm awaiting to get the reciprocity (which everyone on here says it is easy to get). I get the phone call today; They mention that it is impossible to get the reciprocity (even though I am National and Massachusetts certified). And that they won't give me my ambulance attendant license because I'll be "temporary employee".  So I can't work on the ambulance; but they'll take me in the clinic, where I can work as an EMT sorta. I say "emt sorta" because she mentioned that I would not get reciprocity as an EMT, which is strange and contrary to everything up on this forum.

I told them thanks for the offer, but I'm not interested in the clinic, just working the ambulance, as those are the jobs I applied for. Wish they called me about the only clinic jobs before I donated $40 to the state of Nevada for a license. :wacko:  But if anyone does make it out there, let us all know how it goes. It just was too many hoops for me to jump through.


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## yowzer (May 16, 2013)

Like ff_emt, I'm a Burner, and volunteer with the emergency services department. I thought about applying for one of the paid jobs, but the paperwork just seemed too much of a hassle and as an EMT-B, I wouldn't be able to do anything on one of the Delta ambulances that I can't do riding on an ESD QRV. Plus who wants to _work_ at Burning Man? :beerchug:


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## yowzer (May 16, 2013)

JPINFV said:


> ...because there's no drug use at all at Burning Man?



Little bit late, since I just noticed this thread, but...

Actually, drug and alcohol related calls aren't much of our volume -- under 3% of total responses in 2011 had them as a chief complaint. See http://afterburn.burningman.com/11/playa_safety/emergency.html for a breakdown of 2011's numbers (2012 isn't available yet.)


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## Handsome Robb (May 16, 2013)

Y'all need to stop bumping this thread cause every time I read it I realize I can't work out there and it makes me an angry, sad panda.


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