Are most EMS personnel THIS unprofessional?

[VFFforpeople]

Welcome to your first taste of the outside classroom time. Yes the words to the PT were not of good nature but I think just about everyone on here has had that moment were they were not always "nice". Example would be a drunk driver hitting a family and all that stuff that goes with it.

Hazing and all that, depends on where you go. Just because we let you in, does not mean I will trust you to have my back on calls. You always will be the last person to ride in my truck. Yes I drive it, so yes I own it.

Ya we sound and talk alot like that, in public I censor my self up because people around. In my house (station), I speak like it is my house. If someone I trust and close to in my station says calm down or cut it out, then so be it.

NC to NRB, for NREMT it will always be NRB or BVM, for the real world NC and if NC can't fix it I am usually grabbing the BVM.

It is a great job and the best group of people to work with. you get close witht them. They have seen your best, your worst, your anger, and tears. Ask anyone in FD,PD,Military, and working the truck. We trust noone else to talk about except eachother, no one understands outside our world.

So, keep it in mind as you go on ride alongs and get your FTO and all that. You got a taste of what daily life is for us. Hope you are ready, and I wish you luck to your future advances into this world.

 

[eveningsky339]

I recently completed my ride-along time for my EMT-B class. My knowledge is not that expansive, I will readily admit, (even though I am at the top of my class ^_^) but I was still absolutely shocked to see how the "real" medics behave.

Just to clarify, this is not a rant in any way, because I still had a good time: I just want to know if this is what I get to look forward to for the rest of my career. :wacko:

For starters, these folks' vocabulary appeared to consist only of the necessary medical terms, a few verbs, and primarily the F word.

Every other word, pretty much. Then, of course, there are the conversations. Horrible. Laughing, joking, and even just talking about absolutely inappropriate matters. You know what I mean.

Then there's the attitude. I got a sampling of more whiny drama, gossip, and downright nastiness in 6 hours in that EMS station than one should normally expect in... oh, I don't know, a month! This includes your typical backbiting sessions, and one woman becoming extremely angry and yelling because the kitchen was dirty and then basically stomping around from that point on. (Yes, I was hoping and praying for a call to come in so I could get out of there h34r: )

The standard professional behavior one would expect from trained medical personnel was nonexistent. This includes insulting the 96 year old verbally-responsive patient right beside her in the ambulance... "She BLEEPing reeks!" and ranting about how much of a %&*( @!)% )$(! ^&%* idiot her primary caregiver is because she was reluctant to send the DNR with them in the fear that it might get lost. Then relating the entire thing to the hospital staff as he wheeled her in on the cot, all the while ignoring the actual patient. :sad: Another squad exhibited the same type of behavior when we pulled up to a trailer park. The scorn was just seething from them.

Not only this, but the EMT/Patient communication one is taught in class to use was not displayed at all. Not once throughout the day did any of the medics I saw introduce themselves properly, ask consent to treat, or even really talk to the patient as a human being. If any actual addressing was done, it was in the form of, "Hun," "Old girl," or simply implied, "you." Then the patients just had to sit on the cot in the ambulance while the medics worked on them in virtual silence (save for the two standard questions, "how old are you? are you allergic to anything") all the way to the hospital. No reassuring, no explanation of procedures and treatment as administered.


And then, to top it off, the level of care seemed downright unprofessional even to my own inexperienced eyes. Not once did any of the shortness of breath or difficulty breathing calls receiving anything more than 3-4 liters of O2 via Nasal Cannula. What happened to the non-rebreathers that are supposed to be used? One woman who could hardly breathe and speak only 1 word per sentence was forced to walk to and climb into the ambulance by herself. A patient who fell and had severe left shoulder pain was mercilessly jostled by the medics manning the stretcher. Trust me, they could have been far more gentle.

These are just some of the things that took place, and let me tell you, it was not what I expected! :unsure:

I don't believe I saw even one good example during the entire time period.

So that's why I make this post here. Is this really the way things are? I understand the job can be stressful but come on, the people with whom I was acquainted there wouldn't have been able to hold a job as a gas station attendant acting like they did, let alone medical professionals. And I wouldn't be so concerned, except I saw the same thing in every case If this is the norm, then I guess I'm in for a fun ride. :excl:


Your thoughts and input be much appreciated.

Do not work for this company.

I happen to work as a Basic with a company that has a patient satisfaction avatar of 97/100. Our website posts comments and thanks from the patients (which obviously are not obligatory), and there is literally at least one a week. We love our jobs, we love our patients, and are company would instantly fire any EMT who showed a fraction of the "unprofessionalism" that you recount.

 

[zaboomafoozarg]

I'm seeing a lot of nonsense here. Again, just because everyone acts like cliquey kids does not make it acceptable. Even though most people have to accept it.


The funny thing about the "Trust and respect is earned, not given" qualifier that some of you people are tossing around like a buzzword here is that YOU still demand trust and respect for YOURSELF in full from the start, even from people whom you are unwilling to extend the same offer.

If one has to demand respect, he does not deserve it. But if he deserves respect, he need not demand it.

Did we own it? no. did we pay for the equipment on it? no. but it was still OUR truck.

I cannot begin to comprehend the stupidity of the "My truck and my rules" mindset.

You're a bloomin' employee, providing a service, with someone else's equipment, under someone else's license. Good gosh. You get PAID to work on said truck. Just because it's your JOB to work on it doesn't mean it is YOURS. "Hey, I built this building for you and you paid me to do so, but it's really mostly mine because I did the work."

Try pulling that in absolutely any other industry. I mean, heck, if you really want to talk about a sense of entitlement... sheesh.


Sure, I don't have experience in this industry, but I have plenty, and in fact far too much, experience with people. People who act like this. People who make up this industry. I don't have to be a "veteran" in a certain career to spot and call out craptastic behavior of those who comprise that industry. I may not understand the full extent of why people do what they do, but the means never justifies the end in a professional environment.

Clearly people resent any implication that they may be doing anything wrong. Guilty pride kicks defensiveness into high gear. And God forbid, that anyone who doesn't have what they deem an acceptable level of experience, say anything at all. Non-veterans should be seen and not heard, I guess. -_-

DrParasite, I feel completely sorry for you that you felt you needed to essentially kiss butt for the duration of your career. But then, you don't mind, because obviously you're just patiently waiting for your own chance to make "their rules" become "your rules." Your own chance to be top dog. I get it. That's the easier route for some. But it's sad, because it comes at the expense of dignity.


I reasoned with logical objectivity with many of you. Because reason without objectivity equals personal bias, which equals the enemy of logic. But now it's deteriorated into the majority of replies involving biased, proud chest thumping. To be quite honest, though, I'm impressed, since I expected this point to be reached about 6 pages ago.

So, anyhow, now I'm going to ask a mod to close this thread because it's just so far off the original topic. I've got the info I needed, and now I just hope to find a service where people with the above mentalities are not approved of. And thanks to many of the helpful replies, I'm confident that professional places such as I seek do exist.

 

[VFFforpeople]

I'm seeing a lot of nonsense here. Again, just because everyone acts like cliquey kids does not make it acceptable. Even though most people have to accept it.


The funny thing about the "Trust and respect is earned, not given" qualifier that some of you people are tossing around like a buzzword here is that YOU still demand trust and respect for YOURSELF in full from the start, even from people whom you are unwilling to extend the same offer.

If one has to demand respect, he does not deserve it. But if he deserves respect, he need not demand it.



I cannot begin to comprehend the stupidity of the "My truck and my rules" mindset.

You're a bloomin' employee, providing a service, with someone else's equipment, under someone else's license. Good gosh. You get PAID to work on said truck. Just because it's your JOB to work on it doesn't mean it is YOURS. "Hey, I built this building for you and you paid me to do so, but it's really mostly mine because I did the work."

Try pulling that in absolutely any other industry. I mean, heck, if you really want to talk about a sense of entitlement... sheesh.


Sure, I don't have experience in this industry, but I have plenty, and in fact far too much, experience with people. People who act like this. People who make up this industry. I don't have to be a "veteran" in a certain career to spot and call out craptastic behavior of those who comprise that industry. I may not understand the full extent of why people do what they do, but the means never justifies the end in a professional environment.

Clearly people resent any implication that they may be doing anything wrong. Guilty pride kicks defensiveness into high gear. And God forbid, that anyone who doesn't have what they deem an acceptable level of experience, say anything at all. Non-veterans should be seen and not heard, I guess. -_-

DrParasite, I feel completely sorry for you that you felt you needed to essentially kiss butt for the duration of your career. But then, you don't mind, because obviously you're just patiently waiting for your own chance to make "their rules" become "your rules." Your own chance to be top dog. I get it. That's the easier route for some. But it's sad, because it comes at the expense of dignity.


I reasoned with logical objectivity with many of you. Because reason without objectivity equals personal bias, which equals the enemy of logic. But now it's deteriorated into the majority of replies involving biased, proud chest thumping. To be quite honest, though, I'm impressed, since I expected this point to be reached about 6 pages ago.

So, anyhow, now I'm going to ask a mod to close this thread because it's just so far off the original topic. I've got the info I needed, and now I just hope to find a service where people with the above mentalities are not approved of. And thanks to many of the helpful replies, I'm confident that professional places such as I seek do exist.

You come in and bash a group of people ask our opinion, then we give it the bash us. You do not understand because you do not know. You are in class, no field experiance. I ask that I am respect as a human, no a member of the company or team right away. This right there will take time, and trust. We see alot and go through alot not just everyon that wants to play hero gets to be in on our team. With the attitude you are showing I dont see many jobs in your future. Join a vollie company get used to what you can expect then come in here and explain to us what we go through and how to act.
Again best regards to you and your career. (yes it is a career and a life..not just a job).

 

[daedalus]

I would say, hold off your judgement on how we do things until you become one of us.

 

[Miss Xina]

I'm seeing a lot of nonsense here. Again, just because everyone acts like cliquey kids does not make it acceptable. Even though most people have to accept it.


The funny thing about the "Trust and respect is earned, not given" qualifier that some of you people are tossing around like a buzzword here is that YOU still demand trust and respect for YOURSELF in full from the start, even from people whom you are unwilling to extend the same offer.

If one has to demand respect, he does not deserve it. But if he deserves respect, he need not demand it.



I cannot begin to comprehend the stupidity of the "My truck and my rules" mindset.

You're a bloomin' employee, providing a service, with someone else's equipment, under someone else's license. Good gosh. You get PAID to work on said truck. Just because it's your JOB to work on it doesn't mean it is YOURS. "Hey, I built this building for you and you paid me to do so, but it's really mostly mine because I did the work."

Try pulling that in absolutely any other industry. I mean, heck, if you really want to talk about a sense of entitlement... sheesh.


Sure, I don't have experience in this industry, but I have plenty, and in fact far too much, experience with people. People who act like this. People who make up this industry. I don't have to be a "veteran" in a certain career to spot and call out craptastic behavior of those who comprise that industry. I may not understand the full extent of why people do what they do, but the means never justifies the end in a professional environment.

Clearly people resent any implication that they may be doing anything wrong. Guilty pride kicks defensiveness into high gear. And God forbid, that anyone who doesn't have what they deem an acceptable level of experience, say anything at all. Non-veterans should be seen and not heard, I guess. -_-

DrParasite, I feel completely sorry for you that you felt you needed to essentially kiss butt for the duration of your career. But then, you don't mind, because obviously you're just patiently waiting for your own chance to make "their rules" become "your rules." Your own chance to be top dog. I get it. That's the easier route for some. But it's sad, because it comes at the expense of dignity.


I reasoned with logical objectivity with many of you. Because reason without objectivity equals personal bias, which equals the enemy of logic. But now it's deteriorated into the majority of replies involving biased, proud chest thumping. To be quite honest, though, I'm impressed, since I expected this point to be reached about 6 pages ago.

So, anyhow, now I'm going to ask a mod to close this thread because it's just so far off the original topic. I've got the info I needed, and now I just hope to find a service where people with the above mentalities are not approved of. And thanks to many of the helpful replies, I'm confident that professional places such as I seek do exist.

how boring to end this thread!!

 

[JPINFV]

Try pulling that in absolutely any other industry. I mean, heck, if you really want to talk about a sense of entitlement... sheesh.

Go to any cashier and ask them who's drawer that is? I used to work for a movie theater as a box office cashier and that drawer, and the money inside it, was mine and my responsibility until the manager came around to do a drop. I worked at two theaters and at one we were even expected to lock our drawers if we left the box office.

 

[SEBeast]

Attitudes

I recently completed my ride-along time for my EMT-B class. My knowledge is not that expansive, I will readily admit, (even though I am at the top of my class ^_^) but I was still absolutely shocked to see how the "real" medics behave.

Just to clarify, this is not a rant in any way, because I still had a good time: I just want to know if this is what I get to look forward to for the rest of my career. :wacko:

For starters, these folks' vocabulary appeared to consist only of the necessary medical terms, a few verbs, and primarily the F word.

Every other word, pretty much. Then, of course, there are the conversations. Horrible. Laughing, joking, and even just talking about absolutely inappropriate matters. You know what I mean.

Then there's the attitude. I got a sampling of more whiny drama, gossip, and downright nastiness in 6 hours in that EMS station than one should normally expect in... oh, I don't know, a month! This includes your typical backbiting sessions, and one woman becoming extremely angry and yelling because the kitchen was dirty and then basically stomping around from that point on. (Yes, I was hoping and praying for a call to come in so I could get out of there h34r: )

The standard professional behavior one would expect from trained medical personnel was nonexistent. This includes insulting the 96 year old verbally-responsive patient right beside her in the ambulance... "She BLEEPing reeks!" and ranting about how much of a %&*( @!)% )$(! ^&%* idiot her primary caregiver is because she was reluctant to send the DNR with them in the fear that it might get lost. Then relating the entire thing to the hospital staff as he wheeled her in on the cot, all the while ignoring the actual patient. :sad: Another squad exhibited the same type of behavior when we pulled up to a trailer park. The scorn was just seething from them.

Not only this, but the EMT/Patient communication one is taught in class to use was not displayed at all. Not once throughout the day did any of the medics I saw introduce themselves properly, ask consent to treat, or even really talk to the patient as a human being. If any actual addressing was done, it was in the form of, "Hun," "Old girl," or simply implied, "you." Then the patients just had to sit on the cot in the ambulance while the medics worked on them in virtual silence (save for the two standard questions, "how old are you? are you allergic to anything") all the way to the hospital. No reassuring, no explanation of procedures and treatment as administered.


And then, to top it off, the level of care seemed downright unprofessional even to my own inexperienced eyes. Not once did any of the shortness of breath or difficulty breathing calls receiving anything more than 3-4 liters of O2 via Nasal Cannula. What happened to the non-rebreathers that are supposed to be used? One woman who could hardly breathe and speak only 1 word per sentence was forced to walk to and climb into the ambulance by herself. A patient who fell and had severe left shoulder pain was mercilessly jostled by the medics manning the stretcher. Trust me, they could have been far more gentle.

These are just some of the things that took place, and let me tell you, it was not what I expected! :unsure:

I don't believe I saw even one good example during the entire time period.

So that's why I make this post here. Is this really the way things are? I understand the job can be stressful but come on, the people with whom I was acquainted there wouldn't have been able to hold a job as a gas station attendant acting like they did, let alone medical professionals. And I wouldn't be so concerned, except I saw the same thing in every case If this is the norm, then I guess I'm in for a fun ride. :excl:


Your thoughts and input be much appreciated.

I have encountered such attitudes and behavior in my service as well as others. However, I have had the privilege of working with some of the most professional and caring individuals as well. It's unfortunate that these types exist, but they exist. My advise is to not become like "them". They are not going to go away and the worst part is that much like the "squeaky wheel" they draw a lot of attention to themselves. For that reason, those of us that maintain our professionalism always seem to work in the shadows. It's hard but don't let them get to you.

 

[Miss Xina]

Go to any cashier and ask them who's drawer that is? I used to work for a movie theater as a box office cashier and that drawer, and the money inside it, was mine and my responsibility until the manager came around to do a drop. I worked at two theaters and at one we were even expected to lock our drawers if we left the box office.

That's totally true! It's actually human nature for us to claim ownership on things that we use that we are responsible for.

There was a study done on people in a mental health ward who were homeless before they came into the hospital.

They each claimed a small space. Either the window sill or the chair.

In a classroom, people ALWAYS claim a seat as theirs. They always sit in the same chair and never move.

If someone new came in, unaware, and sat in a seat that was already allocated to someone else, you can be sure they would be informed!

You cannot complain about someone saying that the ambulance is theirs because during that shift, it IS theirs. They are judged on how it is kept, how it is run, and is responsible for maintaining it.

I think this is a moot point.

 

[Chimpie]

I'm seeing a lot of nonsense here. Again, just because everyone acts like cliquey kids does not make it acceptable. Even though most people have to accept it.


The funny thing about the "Trust and respect is earned, not given" qualifier that some of you people are tossing around like a buzzword here is that YOU still demand trust and respect for YOURSELF in full from the start, even from people whom you are unwilling to extend the same offer.

If one has to demand respect, he does not deserve it. But if he deserves respect, he need not demand it.

Did we own it? no. did we pay for the equipment on it? no. but it was still OUR truck.

I cannot begin to comprehend the stupidity of the "My truck and my rules" mindset.

I will go into more detail in a second, but let me say this for now. You are still a student. I guarantee that once you are on the road for a few weeks, and once you start working with just one other, you will start calling your ambulance/bus/rig/w-e YOURS.

I've been fire. I've been EMS. I've been LE. Every vehicle was MINE. From the time I clocked in till the time I clocked out, it was mine.

You're a bloomin' employee, providing a service, with someone else's equipment, under someone else's license. Good gosh. You get PAID to work on said truck. Just because it's your JOB to work on it doesn't mean it is YOURS. "Hey, I built this building for you and you paid me to do so, but it's really mostly mine because I did the work."

I will also guarantee that there are some contractors and/or architects who have built a building and called it theirs, as it is a sense of pride to say that they had a piece in building it.

Try pulling that in absolutely any other industry. I mean, heck, if you really want to talk about a sense of entitlement... sheesh.

JP nailed a few examples. I won't list any more.

Sure, I don't have experience in this industry, but I have plenty, and in fact far too much, experience with people. People who act like this. People who make up this industry. I don't have to be a "veteran" in a certain career to spot and call out craptastic behavior of those who comprise that industry. I may not understand the full extent of why people do what they do, but the means never justifies the end in a professional environment.

Clearly people resent any implication that they may be doing anything wrong. Guilty pride kicks defensiveness into high gear. And God forbid, that anyone who doesn't have what they deem an acceptable level of experience, say anything at all. Non-veterans should be seen and not heard, I guess. -_-

DrParasite, I feel completely sorry for you that you felt you needed to essentially kiss butt for the duration of your career. But then, you don't mind, because obviously you're just patiently waiting for your own chance to make "their rules" become "your rules." Your own chance to be top dog. I get it. That's the easier route for some. But it's sad, because it comes at the expense of dignity.

Easy there. You're new to the industry and new to the forum. Keep it polite.

I reasoned with logical objectivity with many of you. Because reason without objectivity equals personal bias, which equals the enemy of logic. But now it's deteriorated into the majority of replies involving biased, proud chest thumping. To be quite honest, though, I'm impressed, since I expected this point to be reached about 6 pages ago.

So, anyhow, now I'm going to ask a mod to close this thread because it's just so far off the original topic. I've got the info I needed, and now I just hope to find a service where people with the above mentalities are not approved of. And thanks to many of the helpful replies, I'm confident that professional places such as I seek do exist.

Just because you ask for a thread to be closed doesn't mean that we will do it. I see no reason to close this thread. Believe it or not, this topic has not gone that far off topic, as the members have replied to the comments that you've made.

Going forward, I encourage all of our community members to continue to post constructively and continue to show respect so that we won't have to close it.

Chimp

 

[zaboomafoozarg]

I've been as polite as most, more than some, and less than a couple.

But ah, dangit. I forgot that being polite is only a requirement applicable when talking to people with more experience than oneself. That rule's going to take some getting used to. (semi-truthful sarcasm. -_-)



If you want to keep it open, then certainly feel free.

I believe, however, that closing it would put an end to stale conversation, and save peoples' time by preventing their further repetition of the same old, "You're new. No, worse than new, you're a student. Shut up." response that has already been garnered for the (insert random high number here)th time, and which, despite my best efforts, is all that this thread has degraded to.

I now take my leave of this thread, not because of anything anyone said but for the sheer fact that I am bored of it. Thank you all for the input.

 

[Miss Xina]

I've been as polite as most, more than some, and less than a couple.

But ah, dangit. I forgot that being polite is only a requirement applicable when talking to people with more experience than oneself. That rule's going to take some getting used to. (semi-truthful sarcasm. -_-)



If you want to keep it open, then certainly feel free.

I believe, however, that closing it would put an end to stale conversation, and save peoples' time by preventing their further repetition of the same old, "You're new. No, worse than new, you're a student. Shut up." response that has already been garnered for the (insert random high number here)th time, and which, despite my best efforts, is all that this thread has degraded to.

I now take my leave of this thread, not because of anything anyone said but for the sheer fact that I am bored of it. Thank you all for the input.

OK, buh bye

 

[firetender]

Remember when it was "Are most EMS personnel THIS unprofessional?

The world EMS lives in is not normal society. It's some weird parallel universe that doesn't play by the rules. In normal society, you don't get covered in vomit and blood on a regular basis. You don't expect to be called to deliver a baby, only to watch it die. You don't expect deal with some poor mangled redneck who got caught in the farm equipment, or a drug addict who finally had a little too much. You don't see the disgusting and painful indignities of old age. Those are instead neatly sequestered in hospitals and nursing homes. In normal society, you can hand those over to other people when some freak accident shoves them in your face. In EMS, you are those other people.

WHAT A GREAT THREAD AND THANKS, EVERYBODY!

EMS is being human writ LARGE. As Seaglass so adequately described, we live in a weird, parallel universe. It's actually on the edge of life and death. That drives each of us nuts in our own ways because we're gonna die, too.

There's no greater truth in EMS than this, and Thank You, Seaglass, so let's say it again and again: "In EMS. you are those other people."

This is the epitome of crazy-making and each of us copes in our own way, and many of us find each other. That is the point so in evidence here; a lot of you think the same way and are chiming in, basically identifying yourselves as part of a sub-culture of EMS.

There are those of you hard as nails and cold as steel at work and home and you'll find each other and end up at a station just like the one our FNG landed in. (Do you think for a second they CHANGE when they get home?) And there are those of you who are pure Pros, and the strength of your example will define the sub-culture of YOUR station. And on and on with any combination of sensibilities you can imagine.

That's what happens: Systems have a culture; Departments have a culture; Offices have a culture. And, depending on the unique interaction of the people involved at any one time, cultures can and will change, too.

I worked in a County where one Satellite station consisted of Gung-Ho wanna be Cops, another, Woodstock escapees who brought their horticultural experience with them, another still where if removing a body in rigor mortis from a small room meant breaking a few bones along the way (in glee! no kidding), so be it.

Our individual humanity, or lack thereof, is magnified by this field, and we find each other.

I'm not at all surprised by your ride-along experience. It's almost cliche for high and heavy volume areas filled with low-income people and danger;to every detail. It fosters an "Us vs. Them and they're sub-human" mentality and breeds poor and sometimes fatal patient care. I've been there, even adopted some of the same coping mechanisms, and then I've moved stations to a culture where it was okay to share a tear and a hug with your partner now and again, to actually appreciate together being in the middle of this Great Mystery.

What this means is, it may take a little time and looking but you will find a culture that suits you. And if you find one forming or find yourself in one with a lot of your own values, YOU can have an effect on how it develops.

I hope the central theme running through my posts is clear: This is an incredibly rich profession, and there are many ways you can empower yourself to appreciate and enjoy it.

 

[eveningsky339]

In the state I trained in, we were expected to come up with a field diagnosis and document it. How the heck can you treat something if you don't know what you are treating?

I've heard a lot of people say that EMTs and paramedics don't diagnose, and frankly, it bothers me. We don't administer morphine for radiating chest pain; we administer nitroglycerin because of a diagnosis (specifically MI).

 

[daedalus]

I've heard a lot of people say that EMTs and paramedics don't diagnose, and frankly, it bothers me. We don't administer morphine for radiating chest pain; we administer nitroglycerin because of a diagnosis (specifically MI).

Well, nitro is not given for MI per se, but more of an empiric drug for chest pain of ischemic cardiac origin. But I see your point, and happen to agree with you (indeed, paramedics do preform differential and provisional diagnosis and carry out a treatment plan).

 

[Miss Xina]

Well, nitro is not given for MI per se, but more of an empiric drug for chest pain of ischemic cardiac origin. But I see your point, and happen to agree with you (indeed, paramedics do preform differential and provisional diagnosis and carry out a treatment plan).

we were taught it's for chest pain but implied or accidentally gave us theimpression it was for MIs. they certainly allowed us to think so.

 

[daedalus]

we were taught it's for chest pain but implied or accidentally gave us theimpression it was for MIs. they certainly allowed us to think so.

There is a whole continuum of chest pain (cardiac) pathophysiology. It can be broken into two groups : Chest pain from stable angina, and chest pain from Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS).

Stable angina is relieved at home and it is a common condition in people with heart disease. These people take nitro, and if it works, do not always need to go to the ER. ACS on the other hand encompasses unstable angina, and MI. These people may have tried nitro but is may not have worked. What they need is aspirin and a quick and quiet ride to the ER. A 12 lead EKG and blood tests will be done to determine if they are having an MI, or if they need stress testing and/or diagnostic angiogram. Medications used to definitively treat ACS include aspirin, glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors (these keep platelets from sticking together) heparin, fibrinolytics, and morphine.

Nitro can even be harmful in certain types of MI.

 

[Miss Xina]

There is a whole continuum of chest pain (cardiac) pathophysiology. It can be broken into two groups : Chest pain from stable angina, and chest pain from Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS).

Stable angina is relieved at home and it is a common condition in people with heart disease. These people take nitro, and if it works, do not always need to go to the ER. ACS on the other hand encompasses unstable angina, and MI. These people may have tried nitro but is may not have worked. What they need is aspirin and a quick and quiet ride to the ER. A 12 lead EKG and blood tests will be done to determine if they are having an MI, or if they need stress testing and/or diagnostic angiogram. Medications used to definitively treat ACS include aspirin, glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors (these keep platelets from sticking together) heparin, fibrinolytics, and morphine.

Nitro can even be harmful in certain types of MI.

Ah, that's probably why we can only help patients take nitro if they already have it.

Makes sense now.

Heparin is a blood thinner prescribed to people with blood clots. I only know of it because my dad had it. Do ALS trucks carry this?

I wish I could be a Paramedic already.. I wanna get my tactical certificate first though

 

[Dwindlin]

Ah, that's probably why we can only help patients take nitro if they already have it.

Makes sense now.

Heparin is a blood thinner prescribed to people with blood clots. I only know of it because my dad had it. Do ALS trucks carry this?

I wish I could be a Paramedic already.. I wanna get my tactical certificate first though

Its not in Ohio's scope, and I don't see why it would be anywhere else (maybe places that have extreme transport times). Heparin helps to prevent blood clots, not break them up. So in the context of AMI/ACS Heparin isn't really an immediate concern. Now I have done critical care transfers of patients on heparin, but that different than carrying it on the truck as part of our protocols.

 

[Miss Xina]

Its not in Ohio's scope, and I don't see why it would be anywhere else (maybe places that have extreme transport times). Heparin helps to prevent blood clots, not break them up. So in the context of AMI/ACS Heparin isn't really an immediate concern. Now I have done critical care transfers of patients on heparin, but that different than carrying it on the truck as part of our protocols.

In the UK they prescribe Heparin to blood clot patients so the blood is thin enough to move around the clot without pushing it to more dangerous places like the heart or brain.

I'm probably gonna read a few books on drugs etc before I take the class. I can see it's probably going to be mostly that anyway.