Long Distance Transfers

[BossyCow]

okay, so worst case scenario, pt crumps half-way to where you are going, you are in an ambulance, but do you know the closest hospital? Do you know how to find the hospital once you get the name? When you get to the ER, how do you explain your tx of the pt to a doc who operates under a totally different set of protocols?

This would be a piece of cake as long as the excrement stays away from the ventilation equipment for the duration of the voyage.

 

[KEVD18]

if im out of state, my mo in the case of an emergency would be to stop teh vehicel, dial 911, do what i can until the local crew gets there.

 

[rjz]

we do these all the time

I did LDT for years as a private ambulance EMT and Paramedic. All of our LDT's where 3-4 hours round trip. A moderate amount where 6-7 hours and I have done around 10 over the course of 8 years now that where in excess of 12 hours round trip. Now I have to honestly say that we did so many of these that LDT's where the one of the top three for me to go work fire and only work part time on the 'ol MICU. Of course the 96 hour work week and low rural california pay had something to do with it also. We only ran with 2 people, if it was BLS then the EMT attended if it was ALS then the Medic attended. WE usually would switch off driving on the way home, but not always. As always it just depended on crew dynamics. If we were goign very long distance we would fill up on fuel when needed. Stop at highway rest stops to use the restroom, and allow the pt. to use urinals or bedpans as needed. In all these years I never stopped to eat with a pt. on board, maybe snack on stuff but never pull in to In and Out to grab something. We would eat on the way home, but to stop and sit down someplace nice that had to be arranaged with the supervisor as they where expecting us back at a certain time as we where part of the 911 system. Trading off in the back could happen on a BLS transfer, but not an ALS one as we ran 1 EMT and 1 Medic. I have to say that it pretty much sucked all around, in fact it still does. We would drive all hours of the day or night, sometimes back to back LDT's greater then 6 hours round trip. If you where tired...Tuff deal with it and try not to wreck. You could trade off on the way back but going you just drove and talked to your partner if you needed to. I never was able to put up for the night in a hotel, and I pulled over one time to sleep because we had been running for 36 plus hours and I was written up over the incident. The working conditions always sucked and solitare ont he computer and books where your best friend. I know this sounds very very negative, but it is the experances that I had. :sad::wacko::sad::sad: