cruiseforever
Forum Asst. Chief
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Do you think pt. care and safety is compromised when a crew gets a call at the end of their shift? I have noticed a sharp decrease in scene and ER times when a crew is at the end of their shift.
Pt. care at end of shift
- Thread starter cruiseforever
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mycrofft
Still crazy but elsewhere
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They say "Never buy a car made on a Friday or a Monday".
NPO
Forum Deputy Chief
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And dont buy sushi on a Monday. No deliveries on Sunday.
To answer the question, look at how you respond in those scenarios.
To answer the question, look at how you respond in those scenarios.
Patients that are truly sick will most likely get the proper treatment. It's the patients that don't appear severely ill that can (and do) get rushed into the ambulance, get a very brief (if any) assessment, and may receive less interventions than they should be getting. For example, a patient in severe pain may not get offered narcotic pain management, because the restock procedures may take a long time, and the crew wants to finish their shift.
On the other hand, crews may normally take their time on-scene and at the hospital ("they're just going to give us another call when we're finished, so why work fast?), and those shortened times at the end of shift may more accurately reflect the crew's true potential with efficiency.
What typically occurs is probably somewhere in the middle
On the other hand, crews may normally take their time on-scene and at the hospital ("they're just going to give us another call when we're finished, so why work fast?), and those shortened times at the end of shift may more accurately reflect the crew's true potential with efficiency.
What typically occurs is probably somewhere in the middle
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I can say with honesty, that I have cought myself trying to rush a patient into the back of the truck at end of shift, but I do try my best to do the best assessment and treatment.
Glucatron
Forum Crew Member
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Agree 100%. In the beginning of shift you have a tolerance for BS or non-critical calls. It wanes towards the close of shift. True emergencies, though, wake us up and get the adrenaline flowing.
WuLabsWuTecH
Forum Deputy Chief
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Agree with all of the above--is someone is sick or injured, they are getting care, but if it's a BS run, it's highly likely to get rushed into the back of the medic or refusal'ed (can I make that a verb?)
We actually have a big problem with this since a transport can turn a run into a 2 hour ordeal. (Rural area). Our chief is actually keeping track of transport percentages for each full-time member and while we've always tracked callbacks (defined as same address in 24 hours) he's tracking if it happens more at the end of a shift or not. The idea is to try and convince our board to stagger shifts (rather than have all of our full-timers come on and off at the same time.
We actually have a big problem with this since a transport can turn a run into a 2 hour ordeal. (Rural area). Our chief is actually keeping track of transport percentages for each full-time member and while we've always tracked callbacks (defined as same address in 24 hours) he's tracking if it happens more at the end of a shift or not. The idea is to try and convince our board to stagger shifts (rather than have all of our full-timers come on and off at the same time.
the_negro_puppy
Forum Asst. Chief
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I despise doing overtime past finish on shifts. 12 hours is enough for me, let alone doing an extra 1-1.5 hour overtime fora BS lights and sirens job, as most of our cases are.
If the pt is stable and it works out logistically we get another crew to come and transport, we get their first do the assessment and treatment.
I definitely work more rapidly. Our average scene time for non-critical (i.e most of our calls is around 20 minutes. We take our time on scene here before loading.
If the pt is stable and it works out logistically we get another crew to come and transport, we get their first do the assessment and treatment.
I definitely work more rapidly. Our average scene time for non-critical (i.e most of our calls is around 20 minutes. We take our time on scene here before loading.
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While I don't give one whit about working past end of shift (it's OT for me), I know that my (former) boss hated paying out OT, though he knew it was an operational necessity. So he'd try NOT to assign calls to crews within 30 minutes of their going off duty, and would want the crew to take as little time as necessary to turn in any paperwork to an ED or to the office, as the case may be, before going off duty. Normally it wasn't much of a problem for me as I usually had my reports done less than 10 minutes of giving report, or before getting back to the barn. Some new guys would end up being so buried by the paperwork that they'd take an hour or two to finish... and they'd get talked to about how to speed up the process.
What irritates me is being held over past end of shift because of a staffing shortage...
What irritates me is being held over past end of shift because of a staffing shortage...
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the_negro_puppy
Forum Asst. Chief
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That is our State wide / run service to a T.
Massive reliance on mandatory OT to meet demand
Glucatron
Forum Crew Member
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Or being held over because your relief slept past their alarm. I rarely get angry at coworkers but that is one pet peeve that gets me into a nice fiery rage...
Bullets
Forum Knucklehead
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Id bet my service has better care at the end of shift. i dont mind getting a call late, the hospital is in town and the 5 minute ride is more than enough time to finish my chart. I get paid, and i do love money
If it's a chronic issue then sure, but if it's just once. Then honestly, who cares, help them out.