Anybody had to report to their state's Medical Board - advice?

[RocketMedic]

OP, if you were terminated with this as a cause, you must have pissed some people off. Generally, benign clinical errors are kept local and remediated. State-level intervention comes when Examples Are To Be Made or Feathers Have Been Ruffled.

 

[ffemt8978]

Thank you for your reply. I was just looking for any advice on how I can prepare, nothing legal, I just want to make sure all my bases are covered. If I crossed a line, I do apologize.
To answer your question I was turned in for "Unprofessional Conduct - failing to exercise technical competence in carrying out EMT care" by my Medical Director. The company is NOT being sued and the patient had a good outcome. Yes, I was reprimanded - 3 training sessions on the Lifepak with Lead Instructor, ACLS class, Rthymn Strip interpretation test, and suspension on my ALS privileges till the above was completed. I have had a clear record since I became an EMT 3 years ago. I was ultimately terminated due to ongoing interpersonal issues that I had tried to resolve and they used this incident as part of my termination.

My thoughts as well.

I dont agree with your company reporting it to the state. They handled the remediation and I take it were comfortable with you continuing to work as a paramedic and only reported after your employment ended.

We've had a few employees do similar things, they were remediated and continued on. Nothing was reported to the state.

Seems like it was the OP's Medical Director that turned him in to the state, or had the company do it.

 

[Sandog]

I would refrain from discussing this any further on a open forum, for your protection.

 

[WBExpatMedic]

Well in all honesty, this was not a "honest mistake". From the description, this sounds like operator error or lack of knowledge in the equipment. And the positive outcome was not the result of his mistake. The patient recovered despite his mistake

I mean let's be honest, we continue to demand higher educational standards for EMTs and paramedics, yet a paramedic shocks a cardiac arrest while the monitor is not reading a rhythm due to operator error and we say, "everybody makes a mistake"?

Do I think the guy should lose his cert? No. He mentioned that he had remediation and retraining, and I think that's probably enough. I'm sure he feels bad enough already. But it's certainly not an excusable mistake with, "oh well, things happen."

I have to agree that it’s not an honest mistake. I couldn’t imagine shocking any patient without knowing what rhythm they’re in.

 

[phideux]

If the lead was loose enough to not pick anything up, did it even deliver the shock???
Maybe the CPR alone worked, or the patient wasn't as pulse-less and aepnic as you thought.
Here EMT-Is don't use the monitor, just the AED. Lifepack and Zolls are for Medics.

 

[TransportJockey]

If the lead was loose enough to not pick anything up, did it even deliver the shock???
Maybe the CPR alone worked, or the patient wasn't as pulse-less and aepnic as you thought.
Here EMT-Is don't use the monitor, just the AED. Lifepack and Zolls are for Medics.

Zolls and Lifepacks here are used by everyone. They are just set up to come on in AED mode instead of manual.
But yea honestly if you shock and have no idea of the rhythm on manual mode, then that is negligence. You just got lucky with a good outcome. That being said, if you have been disciplined by the service you were with, it sounds like you pissed off someone to cause them to report you

 

[kaisardog]

being called before a professional licensing board is sometimes a first step in a license revocation proceeding. what you say at such an initial meeting will be used against you should the board later decide to hold a revocation hearing. You should get a lawyer ASAP , and be sure you understand the performance standards in effect and also the ramifications of the 'loose lead'/ 'battery not properly charged ' issue . it sounds as though your med director who reported you will be a witness against you. this is a very serious matter for you, which demands immediate attention ..