Just need to vent about this... what do you think

[EchoMikeTango]

I have been an ERT for a few years now, and I start medic school in September.

just a little background.

Well I was at the movies tonight and I went to get some popcorn.
This 17 - 20 yo guy just blacked out in front of me and literally landed in my arms. I helped him to the floor ( it was weird that I was the only person to be paying any attention, meaning that someone actually scoffed at us as though we were playing around). I tried to talk to this kid, and he was unresponsive. breathing but no reaction to a sternum rub.
The manager finally looked over and I told him to call 911.

after about 2 minutes the kid woke up. Pale as all hell. seemed kinda shocked as if he had no clue what happened.

He tried to get up ( after I told him to say there and wait for medics) and as soon as he got up, BAM... he went out again, but we were there to catch him again, no head bonk.

again no response to and painful stimuli, and his friends were coming over, and he was just out.

He woke up again about a minute or 2. Got a little pt. hx, nothing big that he reveled, no prior seizure or medications, etc.

kid was kinda freaked out.

after about 20minutes medics were on scene.

I went up to the medic, told him I was an EMT, and tried to let him know what happened.

He told me to back off. Went to the manager and asked what happened to the kid. I stood around for a few minutes to see if this guy wanted to know what i knew, and if there was anything I could do to help ( not being a whacker or anything lol).

I guess I am just upset that this **** totally disregarded me. what would you have done in that situation?

 

[Shishkabob]

It happens, sadly. Generally you need to be wary of anyone who claims they are in the medical field without providing any sort of info to back it up.


Having said that, the medic was stupid for completely ignoring a potential wealth of information on what happened.

 

[EchoMikeTango]

yea. Im not going to let it bother me , and i understand what your saying but...

the phrase " I am an EMT at Robert Wood Johnson MediCenter should really stand out. "

Guy was a ****, I am just glad that the kid didn't really suffer. and turned out to be ok.

 

[Epi-do]

More from watching past partners interact with bystanders than anything, but it seems the best approach is to just tell the arriving crew what you saw/did, but not mention being an EMT. It just seems that most crews jump to the conclusion that the person who states "I'm an EMT/medic/RN/etc" is an idiot. Just don't volunteer the info unless you are asked by the crew.

 

[eveningsky339]

I hear of this happening all the time, but I don't understand it. I've had a few off-duty EMTs be on scene before our truck arrived, and we basically add them as a third EMT until the truck is ready to go to the hospital.

The medic was a moron, you did what was right.

 

[RyanMidd]

Before you guys totally hang the responding out to dry, though, remember that there are people out there who are NOT medical professionals that claim they are. The only accidents I have ever been involved with while NOT on duty, I made sure I had two things with me before offering help: my registration card, and gloves.

Sometimes help is appreciated, sometimes it is not. At the mayhem of multiple vehicle accident, an extra pair of hands that can back it up with an RO number are invaluable. At a movie theatre with one stable (albeit still requiring transport) patient, three medics to one patient can be a few too many cooks in the kitchen.

I'm sure he didn't mean to offend you, and I'm sure that at some point in your long and illustrious careers, you'll encounter some people who help, and some who don't, and sometimes the easiest decision is to err on the side of caution. That's what half of this profession is about anyway.

 

[ChicagolandIFT]

I am not sure what I would have done if I was the EMT/medic in that situation. I have never responded to any situation like that, I can count my fingers how many 911 calls I have been on. I do hope that I would be grateful for the information, I do usually ask the bystanders if anyone witnessed the events if the pt is unconscious, or lost consciousness at any point. If it was a EMT or a trucker I would want to hear what they saw.

 

[traumamama]

Rude:sad: Some people just have potty poor attitudes. I wonder if the kids blood sugar dropped and that was what was causing his syncope. I always like to find out the diagnosis and usually can-but I wouldn't ask that crew though If I was on scene I would make eye contact with you, tell you to tell me the story as I am treating the patient. Then I may ask you to repeat it or write it down on my flash report-I will probably also ask for your phone number or give you mine so you could find out "the rest of the story." If only everyone could get along in this world-geez-aren't we all in it for the same reason:unsure:

 

[firecoins]

I went up to the medic, told him I was an EMT, and tried to let him know what happened.

I occassionally had trouble with medics in Jersey as well but up in Passaic. Sometimes I do a per diem BLS shift in Jersey. I will call for ALS and the on duty medics just ignore me. Its moronic. It seems usually theyy are looking for a way to get out of the call and get lunch. Whatever.

 

[rescue99]

The guy was a jackazz! The most appropriate thing to do is let it go, get the patient out the door then settle down a bit. Once there has been time to calmed down, write a polite but serious message to the company. Skip over the CEO and go for Human Resources and marketing.

The guy's behavior was extremely unprofessional and bad for business if nothing else. Would I keep this kind of person employed? Not at all. If he's that unprofessional in his public presentation, he's careless all around IMHO. He'd get one chance but on the second.....out the door he goes. Here's where business is business. Too many people need jobs today to mess with guys like this one.

 

[scottyb]

I think he was wrong. To totally ignore some potential important info is stupid. He didn't have to take you at your word. He could of listened to you and it probably would have been apparent.

 

[bunkie]

EMT or none, since you were the one with the PT in your arms, you were the one that would have gotten the brunt of my questions.

 

[DV_EMT]

yeah.... people are just plain rude sometimes. I got the same rxn from a fire guy once. He chewed me out on not being able to obtain a proper Pt history on someone who was unresponsive (gee... could it be because they're UNRESPOINSIVE?) lol. I understand your feelings, and just move on. you did right, he looked bad in the end!

 

[absolutesteve81]

I've been on both sides of that particular situation. When I was an EMT at a casino, the responding ambulances would pretty much just ignore me and any information I'd attempt to give them.

However, I never had any major issues with an ALS intercept from other services when I worked on a BLS ambulance. Well, once or twice, but I personally knew those individuals and they had a long history of poor social skills.

Now as for me being on the ambulance and responding to the scene. I will listen to the story from bystanders and give them full respect regardless of level of training. Honestly, I ignore their level of training for the sole reason that I cannot confirm it, but that doesnt me I will be an *** about it.

My only pet-peeve....okay, what REALLY ticks me off... Is when I am questioning a verbally responsive patient (Altered/Confused or not, give *ME* a chance to determine that) and the Brother, Mother, Wife, scene-EMT, scene-Nurse, or pet-talking-chinchilla keeps interrupting me and tries to answer for the patient. I'll explain that I need the patient to attempt to answer but if i keep getting interrupted and my partner doesnt catch on and distracts the bystander thats interrupting me, then I sometimes become...ummm...a little curt lol.


So, as long as you wasn't constantly interrupting or getting in the way, then it appears the medic might have been a tad disrespectfull (Assuming from what information is available)

 

[akflightmedic]

I went up to the medic, told him I was an EMT, and tried to let him know what happened.

I have not yet put together a proper response to this situation, however this comment from the OP jumped out at me.

EMT or none, since you were the one with the PT in your arms, you were the one that would have gotten the brunt of my questions.

Clearly bunkie...there was no patient in his arms...

If I am arriving on scene and you come up to me to tell me about a patient before I am even at the patient's side, I will disregard you or keep walking and expect you to follow. If you come up to me after I have made contact and started my assessment, depending on the situation I can either ask you to step aside or just let you continue talking while I continue to work.

What you show to me by leaving this patient alone to come brief me speaks volumes on what you know or do not know. (To clarify, this is not an insult, this is a general assumption on my part not directed at the OP).

OP I am not speaking about you directly as I have no knowledge of you, I am only speaking of my general experience which has been anyone that runs up to tell me a story first is usually the person who knows the least or was the least involved, especially when there are bystanders or the call is in a public place.

 

[bunkie]

I have not yet put together a proper response to this situation, however this comment from the OP jumped out at me.



Clearly bunkie...there was no patient in his arms...

If I am arriving on scene and you come up to me to tell me about a patient before I am even at the patient's side, I will disregard you or keep walking and expect you to follow. If you come up to me after I have made contact and started my assessment, depending on the situation I can either ask you to step aside or just let you continue talking while I continue to work.

What you show to me by leaving this patient alone to come brief me speaks volumes on what you know or do not know. (To clarify, this is not an insult, this is a general assumption on my part not directed at the OP).

OP I am not speaking about you directly as I have no knowledge of you, I am only speaking of my general experience which has been anyone that runs up to tell me a story first is usually the person who knows the least or was the least involved, especially when there are bystanders or the call is in a public place.

I must have read it too fast or remembered wrong. I thought the PT was unresponsive and in the OP's arms upon arrival of the medic. As the responding emt, I would have started asking that guy as a "bystander" what went down. I blame my swine flu, it still has a hold on my brain. :wacko:

 

[daedalus]

If I were to hand off a victim of a medical emergency to on an duty crew I would not mention my training in EMS or any other medical field. Why? Well, I generally see my co-workers react negatively to any one who IDs themselves as an RN, LVN, MA, EMT, etc.

"Hi guys, this elderly man dropped to the floor and was unresponsive while waiting in line. I do not know him but was right behind him so I made sure he kept breathing until you got here. He did not injure himself while falling"

 

[rescue99]

I have not yet put together a proper response to this situation, however this comment from the OP jumped out at me.



Clearly bunkie...there was no patient in his arms...

If I am arriving on scene and you come up to me to tell me about a patient before I am even at the patient's side, I will disregard you or keep walking and expect you to follow. If you come up to me after I have made contact and started my assessment, depending on the situation I can either ask you to step aside or just let you continue talking while I continue to work.

What you show to me by leaving this patient alone to come brief me speaks volumes on what you know or do not know. (To clarify, this is not an insult, this is a general assumption on my part not directed at the OP).

OP I am not speaking about you directly as I have no knowledge of you, I am only speaking of my general experience which has been anyone that runs up to tell me a story first is usually the person who knows the least or was the least involved, especially when there are bystanders or the call is in a public place.

Sooo...... what this is saying is that one would disregard darned near every first response FD? 9 times out of 10, we're met at curb side with the initial low-down. I'm not crazy about it but, it is their city, their scene. I'm responding to at their request therefore have some responsibility to act respectful of what they know so far. I didn't get that the OP had abandoned his victim. Walking up might mean stepping 2 feet.

 

[akflightmedic]

Sooo...... what this is saying is that one would disregard darned near every first response FD? 9 times out of 10, we're met at curb side with the initial low-down. I'm not crazy about it but, it is their city, their scene. I'm responding to at their request therefore have some responsibility to act respectful of what they know so far. I didn't get that the OP had abandoned his victim. Walking up might mean stepping 2 feet.

No, as I did not state that. We are talking about non dispatched resources, lay people, etc...not an organized response by a certified department.

Nor did I say he abandoned his victim...I implied that maybe he was giving the appearance to the responding medic that he was not involved as he thinks he was.

 

[Hal9000]

When I was once been in a similar situation, I just gave a quick and accurate summary of events and then *poof* was completely gone.