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Do you believe that 1 medic + 1 basic could handle a call where a patient is circling the drain (for lack of better words) as efficiently as 2 medics?

EMS systems vary dramatically from one part of the world to the other. Some variations are 911 and transport, 1 Basic+1 Medic = ALS ambulance, 2 EMT=BLS ambulance, 2 medics=ALS ambulance OR medic fly car. Some people have bases that they can go to during their downtime, others require...

I usually treat patients complaining of the urge to hurt themselves and/or kill themselves the same way in the pre-hospital environment. As such, to me it's more logical to simply ask if they wish to hurt themselves, because the question itself can include in it others things they have done or...

I've gathered it appears to be a gray area in EMS. Thus far, you've all been very helpful, especially for reminding me to differentiate between medical and legal intoxication as well as who is a patient and who is not. Anyone have some examples of indicators they use to determine weather a...

Rapid Interpretation of EKG's by Dr. Dale Dubin Basic Arrhythmia's by Gail Walraven

I understand your responses to my scenarios as well as the reasoning behind them however I am still unsure of EXACTLY what disqualifies a patient from refusing aid. Is it simply any and all altered mental status or the opinions of on scene EMS to determine based solely on how the provider feels?

Occasionally for me I come across a scenario were I question a patients ability to sign a Refusal of Medical Aid/Assistance form. Sure, it's no question that minors without parents can't sign for themselves and require transport. However, what if an adult friend of theirs wishes to sign for...

Thank you guys for outlining the problems I'm facing. What I'm starting to realize is there are obvious communication errors going on. There is little general organization. Also, the way our system is set up, the most experienced person is the driver.

Hey all, first post here. I've been a jolly-volly EMT for a year or so now in an organization which is as professional as I would imagine a volunteer organization gets (proper uniforms, 12 hour shifts w/ ~10 calls a night, correct documentation, etc.), however one primary problem I've noticed...