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Thanks all for the well wishes. As Mycroft blabbed, I fell on slippery steps on my front porch and fractured three bones in my lumbar spine. I'm healing, but have had to take a hiatus from EMS and SAR. I've let my EMT-B lapse as it was coming up for renewal and ditto my Instructor certs. Some...

Soy as it is generally marketed in the US is not in a form that breaks down well in human digestion. If you want to get protein from soy, you are best eating the fermented soy products like Miso or Tempeh. I am not a 'true vegetarian' because I do eat seafood. I just dislike the taste of...

My favorite helpful bystander story is about a frequent flier. We've run a number of assault, drug ODs, trauma calls on this guy for many years. We get toned out to 'unconscious male/head injury'. We find the guy passed out in his own vomit on the living room floor. The whole family is there...

Grief is normal. Being affected emotionally by traumatic events is normal. It's not normal when it last too long, doesn't get better and continues to bother you. I wouldn't race to a counselor until the normal processing of the event that occurs with time has a chance to work.

Let it go! Your post states that you didn't think it was a big deal until the rumor mill started telling you it was. Having strong personal boundaries is a life skill. If you are being 'bothered' by others asking you to help them when you don't have time, its because you are either helping them...

As a new EMT one of your biggest challenges is the transition from emergencies to normalcy. A big shift occurs when you get that call for CPR in progress or big MVA and your brain goes..."Okay.. another one" instead of "WhooooooHooooo!" Having been both the spouse at home and the EMT, I can...

I love the human interaction. I've met some amazing people in the back of my rig. Holding some little old lady's hand all the way to the hospital because she's scared and alone. I dislike the frequent flier, annoyance calls, like the ones who know what they have to say in order to get you to...

I can get most of that information in my general get acquainted conversation with the patient. Hi, my name is.... what's yours? (Knows self) When did this start? (Knows time) Where were you when this happened? (Knows Place) Then I usually toss in Do you know what day today is and Tell me about...

I call medical control and tell them that the patient has benedryl or whatever and get their okey-dokey. That way if there's an issue, it was the doc's call but if its going to help, the meds get a head start. But my average transport time is 30 minutes and my MPD is extremely supportive.

I usually ask the pt if they know what their blood pressure is normally and then go a bit above that. I have extremely low blood pressure and remember when my husband was first learning and practicing on me. He'd inflate that cuff until I thought my fingers were going to explode!

My point was that an infection that develops over two days time isn't an issue with a 15 minute transport but can be on a three day pack out. Especially with a burn.

One of the biggest areas where wilderness EMS differs from street EMS, besides the thermoregulation mentioned in a previous posts is recognition of signs of infection. In urban EMS settings, our bandages need to stay in place while the pt is lying on a cot for the time it takes to transport to...

Like all jobs, some adult edcuators have the aptitude and not the knowledge, others have the knowledge but not the aptitude. Its rare to find both. I've taken adult education classes from a wide variety of instructors. Some have a goal of leaving the classroom with all the students very...

Also the bag can be compressed against the pt's forehead.

The families of the deceased should be able to rely on the remains of their loved ones being treated professionally and with courtesy and respect. Snohomish County learned this the hard way. Medics left a deceased in the driveway to go answer a cardiac call. They were sucessfully sued.

No, it was Pierce County in our mutual state, many, many, many years ago.

As a new EMT I would suggest something other than online CME until you get some calls under your belt. If you are in a very busy system where you are using your skills constantly in a wide variety of calls, the online system can be helpful. There is no substitute for interactive classroom...

Your bicep is proximal to the elbow and the elbow is distal to the bicep. So if someone has an injury to the bicep, it could be described as a lac to the upper arm proximal to the elbow or distal to the shoulder. Remember, if you are going to use these terms, know what they mean. It's a lot...

I think there's a certain amount of starry eyed enthusiasm that can be excused in those new to EMS. The first big MVA is a huge adrenalin rush, of course the 131st, not so much. When you finish a gnarly call, it's an odd adjustment to re-enter regular society where the details of what we do...

While technically this may be a non issue, if you are applying in a highly competitive area and the HR dept has a choice between you and someone without the history you describe, they will choose the other applicant. In order to overcome a past like this, your resume, grades, skills and personal...