He left it open, on the seat while I was busy with the patient, and then turned around and tipped it right over. OMG, I have never seen such a mess. A three-tier Plano box with enough mess for four calls and a dozen ivs, dumped out in the floor.
I consider it a great victory that it didn't make him eat it.
He left it open, on the seat while I was busy with the patient, and then turned around and tipped it right over. OMG, I have never seen such a mess. A three-tier Plano box with enough mess for four calls and a dozen ivs, dumped out in the floor.
I consider it a great victory that it didn't make him eat it.
I've dumped our tackle box (also a Plano!) a few too many times to judge. Perhaps I'd be more careful with drugs, but I also really really like my purdy lures so it's hard to say.
ehhhh, :censored::censored::censored::censored: happens. tease him mercilessly, have the boss have a looooong chat with him, but we all make mistakes. not only that, but accidents happen.
to fire a guy for dumping the drug box? a single fire-able offense, do you really want that?
maybe we should fire someone for getting in an MVA in the ambulance?
or for dropping a patient?
or for giving the wrong med?
what else do you want to make a fire-able offense? and how would you want to be treated when you accidentally make that mistake (which might not even be your fault btw)
I know medics who are screw ups, who have made mistakes, who I question how they even passed their EMT courses. but now you have someone who makes a mistake (albeit an embarrassing and expensive one), and you want him fired?
Definitely not for this offense, nope, I wouldn't want him fired. For being chronically unteachable and generally expensive to have around, and lacking independent thought after several years as a BLS provider, yeah, I wouldn't pay for him. I am free with the grace, typically, but this is just the icing on the cake.
I knew a Paramedic at AMR (Using that term loosely... he has no business touching bandaids, let alone drugs) who failed to check out his truck for the day, and dropped his one and only Narcan... on an Opiod overdose... who he couldn't get an airway on....
I'm thankful that he is on the exact opposite side of DFW than my family is.
Perhaps I'm naive, but how can one have only one dose of a medication such as Narcan? I understand if you have a crazy day, but if I were a paramedic I would feel uncomfortable having no back-up for a potentially life-saving medication. I understand that some EMS systems don't have the abundant resources to restock such drugs, but it seems akin to not carrying spare batteries for a monitor/defibrillator or an AED.
I personally touch every single thing that can be used in a critical call / cardiac arrest myself, while my partner checks the rest. IO drill, IO needles, EKG, combo-pads, cardiac medications, all other medications, ET tubes, rest of the intubation supplies, crich kit, King airways, LMAs, chilled IV fluids, RSI drugs, bougie, combat tourniquets, etc etc.
If it's needed to keep someone from dying, my fingerprints are on it.
I remember one day seeing the EZIO in the bag, and when we were called to an arrest I couldn't find the darn thing. I luckily called the code due to obvious death...and found the IO in a BP cuff bag. Now I make sure it's in the same exact spot every time.
I remember one day seeing the EZIO in the bag, and when we were called to an arrest I couldn't find the darn thing. I luckily called the code due to obvious death...and found the IO in a BP cuff bag. Now I make sure it's in the same exact spot every time.
Wake County has a simple way of preventing this problem. They put IO needles EVERYWHERE. There's a set with the drill, a set in the IV bag (which is in the same jump bag as the drill, and a set in the portable suction bag. So, as the first unit in on a code you have two sets of IO backups, and as soon as a second unit gets there that doubles. We keep the drugs in a few flat boxes (should prevent them from being easily knocked over if on a bench seat).
