JJR512
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I've finally gotten my dream EMT-B job. I've been transferred in my company to a specialty division that staffs Critical Care ambulances operated by Maryland ExpressCare (MEC), a service of the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC).
MEC is a CC transportation service operated by UMMC. It is staffed by multiple entities: UMMC (nurses and communications center staff), TransCare Ambulance (EMT-B Emergency Vehicle Operators [EVOs] and Critical Care-certified EMT-Ps), East Coast Ambulance (EVOs and EMT-Ps on Maryland's Eastern Shore area, the part of Maryland on the other side of the Chesapeake Bay), and PHI (Petroleum Helicopters, of course providing the flight crews). UMMC owns and maintains all of MEC's equipment other than the vehicles, which are owned and maintained by TransCare, East Coast, and PHI.
The purpose of MEC is to provide a communications interface between doctors at Maryland hospitals and the doctors at UMMC. When a doctor at another hospital wishes to consult with a doctor at UMMC, that doctor calls a number and reaches MEC's communications center. The communications center operator connects the calling doctor to the appropriate doctor at UMMC. If it is decided it's in the patient's best interest to continue treatment at UMMC (the patient's condition is beyond what their current hospital/doctor can deal with, or the patient has been treated at UMMC in the past), the communications center arranges transportation and acts as a dispatch center for the ambulance or helicopter. All MEC transports are from other MD hospitals to UMMC, and many of the transports are Code 1.
MEC currently has three ambulances for the greated MD area, all owned by TransCare, all kept at UMMC. One is a reserve unit; only two are operated regularly. I am not sure how many East Coast has for the MEC Eastern Shore division. MEC, unlike regular commercial ambulance companies, does not have a high staff turnover rate; many of MEC's employees (whether technically employed by UMMC, TransCare, etc.) have been working there for years and years. It is not often easy to just decide you want to work for MEC, apply, and get hired; usually, you have to wait for an opening. But they have been doing some extra hiring lately in order to get their expected third in-service unit staffed. Through a series of lucky coincidences and carefully applied tact, I was able to set myself up as a contender for one of those new spots, and I was very excited to be selected.
MEC's Emergency Vehicle Operators are all EMT-Bs. They are all taught and expected to perform on a regular basis duties that go beyond the typical EMT-B's scope. Such duties include setting up IV pumps, ventilators, IV lines, LifePak 12s, and other medical devices. (Of course all of that is done as part of packaging the patient for transport.) The training program used to last four weeks, although it is being expanded now to allow MEC to hire EVO EMT-Bs with less experience than they traditionally accepted. Some of the training is in the form of clinicals done in the hospital. (Personally, I hope the clinicals take place in the renowned Shock Trauma center, which is part of UMMC, and actually in the same part of the hospital as MEC's own offices.)
I start training on Friday. I'm really looking forward to it. I'll keep you posted on what I'm learning, as I'm sure I'll have some questions about it.
MEC is a CC transportation service operated by UMMC. It is staffed by multiple entities: UMMC (nurses and communications center staff), TransCare Ambulance (EMT-B Emergency Vehicle Operators [EVOs] and Critical Care-certified EMT-Ps), East Coast Ambulance (EVOs and EMT-Ps on Maryland's Eastern Shore area, the part of Maryland on the other side of the Chesapeake Bay), and PHI (Petroleum Helicopters, of course providing the flight crews). UMMC owns and maintains all of MEC's equipment other than the vehicles, which are owned and maintained by TransCare, East Coast, and PHI.
The purpose of MEC is to provide a communications interface between doctors at Maryland hospitals and the doctors at UMMC. When a doctor at another hospital wishes to consult with a doctor at UMMC, that doctor calls a number and reaches MEC's communications center. The communications center operator connects the calling doctor to the appropriate doctor at UMMC. If it is decided it's in the patient's best interest to continue treatment at UMMC (the patient's condition is beyond what their current hospital/doctor can deal with, or the patient has been treated at UMMC in the past), the communications center arranges transportation and acts as a dispatch center for the ambulance or helicopter. All MEC transports are from other MD hospitals to UMMC, and many of the transports are Code 1.
MEC currently has three ambulances for the greated MD area, all owned by TransCare, all kept at UMMC. One is a reserve unit; only two are operated regularly. I am not sure how many East Coast has for the MEC Eastern Shore division. MEC, unlike regular commercial ambulance companies, does not have a high staff turnover rate; many of MEC's employees (whether technically employed by UMMC, TransCare, etc.) have been working there for years and years. It is not often easy to just decide you want to work for MEC, apply, and get hired; usually, you have to wait for an opening. But they have been doing some extra hiring lately in order to get their expected third in-service unit staffed. Through a series of lucky coincidences and carefully applied tact, I was able to set myself up as a contender for one of those new spots, and I was very excited to be selected.
MEC's Emergency Vehicle Operators are all EMT-Bs. They are all taught and expected to perform on a regular basis duties that go beyond the typical EMT-B's scope. Such duties include setting up IV pumps, ventilators, IV lines, LifePak 12s, and other medical devices. (Of course all of that is done as part of packaging the patient for transport.) The training program used to last four weeks, although it is being expanded now to allow MEC to hire EVO EMT-Bs with less experience than they traditionally accepted. Some of the training is in the form of clinicals done in the hospital. (Personally, I hope the clinicals take place in the renowned Shock Trauma center, which is part of UMMC, and actually in the same part of the hospital as MEC's own offices.)
I start training on Friday. I'm really looking forward to it. I'll keep you posted on what I'm learning, as I'm sure I'll have some questions about it.
