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I think you'll find that CO requires all programs to be CAAHEP accredited and they use their requirements for training hours, they also use NREMT standards. Actually, CO requires that people are NREMT if they want a state cert. For better or for worse CO keeps it fairly simple. CAAHEP standards...

Interesting argument. I had never even considered this angle. Personally I believe that the machine is more reliable than a person. That being said, I have noticed that any amount of artifact for the NIBP tends to skew the results wildly, if the patient is moving or the ambulance is bumping down...

This is a poor argument for wages. We know that physicians command a very high wage, yet less than 2% of students in medical school drop out for academic reasons. If we use the argument that high attrition should = high wages then we would expect to see attrition in medical school at a much...

Just because people do not pass EMT/Medic school does not mean that the course is difficult. There are a large number of reasons people do not do well in school; personal problems, lack of time to study, lack of drive to study, et cetera will cause someone to fail a course, this does not mean...

Bravo! Every time I hear a paramedic complain about their wage (or EMT for that matter) I have a good laugh. This is the problem, anyone, and I mean ANYONE can do my job. When all it takes to become a paramedic is an EMT card (aka. First-Aid for firefighters) and 4-6 months of your time, then...

We use an atomizer, however I am sure the jet of liquid has been used by someone out there :rofl: I will also second that I have some patients that would have rather gotten an IV than deal with the sensation of the atomizer, I have heard it is rather unpleasant. However most kids have a fear...

I like using IN Fentanyl, especially with kids. Several times I have used IN fentanyl on a kid with an isolated extremity injury. That being said (anecdotally) I have noticed that it seems to work half as well as an equivalent IV dosage. I personally think any protocols should leave the route of...

The City and County of Denver is serviced by Denver Health Paramedic Division, with most of the metro area EMS provided by fire departments. However the medical directors for the majority of the Denver-metro EMS agencies get together and write a unified protocol for the Denver Metro area...

Most exams I have seen for protocols really like to ask questions like "what to do with avulsed teeth?", and what meds you have to call in for, standard fluid bolus amounts, and procedural stuff. If you can pass NREMT then Denver metro protocols shouldn't be too hard, although IV stuff is new to...

HA! I like that. As many have said, DO NOT BACKBOARD PENETRATING TRAUMA. Read the study that was posted. Just think about it logically, if a bullet bounced around in a victims thoracic or abdominal cavity is your chief concern really spinal immobilization? How about any of the well fed organs...

Yeah, I'm just waiting until the hospital figures out how many of their MRSA/C-Diff/VRE etc. infections were not hospital acquired but actually ambulance acquired. Infection control has been a major part of hospital culture for years and it's been reinforced lately by Medicare rules that don't...

Court ordered holds are different than MHH. 72 hour (MHH) holds are placed on people who are gravelly disabled or they believe pose a danger to themselves or others. I'll cite the depressed suicidal person who goes to the ER because they don't know where else to go for help. This individual is...

Yes you can absolutely get a job. Mental Health holds are private information and will only be revealed if someone request that you release your health records. People placed on MHH can still buy guns because a hold doesn't mean you have a lasting mental illness that will prevent safe gun...

We are talking in general terms here. Kudos to you for attaining a real education and having a strong background in the sciences! However, you are far from normal, many paramedics are not required to have any A+P education at all, or just a brief intro to A+P. Graduates of the worst nursing...

Yeah, don't do it, if you live in BFE and work for a volly fire department I would understand getting lighting and might not make fun of you for it. In Denver, I promise if you show up/ or present at a scene you will told to go away, heck you might get the cops called on you. Recently we have...

The power does not lie in the piece of paper, but rather in what was required to obtain it. A degree has a set of requirements that must be fulfilled by all that wish to get it, military service or prior experience guarantee nothing to employers. My point is that a degree guarantees a depth...

I recently read a study regarding this not too long ago. It was a retrospective study with a decent number on pts that had CPR preformed by bystanders that was not continued by EMS. I won't state numbers until I find the study but I remember the incidence of complications was very low. Usually...

I wonder if there are any studies regarding this. We have those cheap crappy NTG tabs, so to continue NTG treatment we have to discontinue CPAP. I wonder if you lose some of the effectiveness by taking CPAP off? Kinda like CPR where you stop the pressure and you're back to square one. While it...

This has been discussed extensively on this forum. The standard answers are anatomy and physiology, then some will add courses like microbiology, pharm, chemistry etc. My suggestion is, if you want to be a medic, start taking anatomy and physiology now, it is by far the most useful but...

Any of the privates are a good choice to work part-time for. Action Care, AMR and Rural/Metro-Pridemark all have operations in those areas. The only places to work 911 that aren't fire based are Rural/Metro in Aurora (mostly driving fire-medics around though), Pridemark in Arvada, and AMR in...