Confessions of an EMT dropout

[jordanfstop]

About two or three months ago a reporter and a photographer for a local magazine (Rockland Magazine) to do a ride-along with our corps (she was told to go to us because we're the county's busiest.) So she decided to ride along on a Friday night 12-hour shift, aka "the motherload." She also was in the EMT class at the local community college, "out of curiousity and respect."

"What does it take to save lives at 88 miles an hour? Our reporter signed on, suited up, and found out … it's more than bandages and CPR."

The ambulance barrels down Route 306 in Monsey, siren wailing, red and white lights flashing like strobes through the darkened windows of middle-class homes. It's 11:35 p.m.—just a few hours into my shift—and though not a soul strolls the tree-lined sidewalk, a few pull curtains aside to watch us whiz by. But, for some reason, the siren sounds softer inside the cabin-maybe because my mind is somewhere else.

Go to URL for more reading.

http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080625/CUSTOM04/806260340/1277

 

[mikeylikesit]

Good read...a little skewed but good.

 

[Flight-LP]

All I can say is WOW!!!!!

That story could replace ER on "TNT"....................

 

[Ops Paramedic]

We need more of this type of publicity in order to educate the public as to what, when, how and why we do the things we do. I most certainly related to the humour, and had a good chuckle!!

 

[Jon]

Ok... not totally bad.

But what is with the epi pen? Around here, we start IV's and give 1:10,000 epi IV for cardiac arrests.

 

[Flight-LP]

Ok... not totally bad.

But what is with the epi pen? Around here, we start IV's and give 1:10,000 epi IV for cardiac arrests.

Yeah and we usually don't intubate live gagging people or do CPR on people with "faint blips on the LCD screen" either, but hey it makes for a good read. I am curious about where they stuck that Epi pen since she mentioned going "into his flesh"........................

 

[KEVD18]

jon im guessing she was confused. probably had only learned about epipens so far in class and didnt have the knowledge to distinguish between delivery methods.

just a guess though..

 

[firecoins]

Yeah and we usually don't intubate live gagging people or do CPR on people with "faint blips on the LCD screen" either, but hey it makes for a good read. I am curious about where they stuck that Epi pen since she mentioned going "into his flesh"........................

In Rockland, NY it's an IM shot and its given by EMT-Bs. Epi pens are for anaphlaxis only. Not for codes. IVs with epi 1ml of 10:000 is standard for codes.

 

[jordanfstop]

Yeah and we usually don't intubate live gagging people or do CPR on people with "faint blips on the LCD screen" either, but hey it makes for a good read. I am curious about where they stuck that Epi pen since she mentioned going "into his flesh"........................

I believe she was talking about PEA. Also I've seen many medics tube "live gagging patients."

 

[Flight-LP]

I believe she was talking about PEA. Also I've seen many medics tube "live gagging patients."

Could be PEA..................

But shoving a tube down someones throat while they are gagging is barbaric. What do you do when they gag on an OPA? You remove it immediately and insert an NPA. Same goes for intubation. Either RSI them or insert it nasally. Besides, if they have a gag, they are not in cardiac arrest..........................

 

[karaya]

Could be PEA..................

But shoving a tube down someones throat while they are gagging is barbaric. What do you do when they gag on an OPA? You remove it immediately and insert an NPA. Same goes for intubation. Either RSI them or insert it nasally. Besides, if they have a gag, they are not in cardiac arrest..........................

Remember, this is a reporter recanting the events, not another medic. Events whereby she does not have a thorough understanding of what is medically taking place. For instance, a strange noise to her may have been interpreted as gagging.

 

[Amill]

I thought it was a nice read. Like everyone else I thought the difficulty breathing run wasn't at all correct but I still enjoyed reading the article.

I think I'm most ticked off by the fact that they stopped treating him!!!! lol

 

[firecoins]

I believe she was talking about PEA. Also I've seen many medics tube "live gagging patients."

But shoving a tube down someones throat while they are gagging is barbaric. What do you do when they gag on an OPA? You remove it immediately and insert an NPA. Same goes for intubation. Either RSI them or insert it nasally. Besides, if they have a gag, they are not in cardiac arrest..........................

Conscious patients are sedated but we don't have RSI in the Hudson Valley section of NY.