the 100% directionless thread

[Tigger]

Never understood the need for agency affiliation. Neither Colorado nor Massachusetts (my old home) required it.

 

[NomadicMedic]

Never understood the need for agency affiliation. Neither Colorado nor Massachusetts (my old home) required it.

It’s to prevent paper chasers from adding a state cert that they won’t ever use. Processing certification has gotten a lot easier, but used to be fairly labor intensive.

 

[Jim37F]

Hmm... things may be starting to get a little too spicy in Ukraine... they kicked Russias rear hard enough Putins nuclear Saber rattling is starting to go from idle threat to "he may actually decide to use some"

Might be some overseas contract recruiting popping up here in that case, just make sure you take some iodine tablets heh

 

[Old Tracker]

Just get under your desk, or go into the hallway, single file, and sit Indian style and put your head down. At least that's what I remember from back in the day.

There's a reason "Old" is in the screen name.

 

[Jim37F]

 

[ffemt8978]

Never actually thought I'd see this day, but the Mariners have made the post-season!!! Since I'm pretty sure this is one of the signs of the apocalypse, might as well go all in and see the M's beat the Dodgers in the World Series.

Go M's!!!!

 

[Tigger]

Not sure how everyone feels about Kaiser personally (all you Californians), but Denver is now a Kaiser city and I honestly love it. If managed care is the way of the future, then I hope this is what it looks like.

So nice to not have to call around for referrals and find specialists that take my insurance, they have a pharmacy in every building, and their scheduling is faster than anywhere I’ve ever been a patient. Sure it feels a little nameless but all the providers I’ve had have been great and really as a healthy dude in my thirties, why do I need my own personal doctor?

 

[Akulahawk]

Not sure how everyone feels about Kaiser personally (all you Californians), but Denver is now a Kaiser city and I honestly love it. If managed care is the way of the future, then I hope this is what it looks like.

So nice to not have to call around for referrals and find specialists that take my insurance, they have a pharmacy in every building, and their scheduling is faster than anywhere I’ve ever been a patient. Sure it feels a little nameless but all the providers I’ve had have been great and really as a healthy dude in my thirties, why do I need my own personal doctor?

Kaiser can be a really good thing or it can be a less than garbage thing... all depends upon what you need and whether the physician you're seeing is willing to open the floodgate for you. The mental health side of things can sometimes leave much to be desired. I've heard this from clinicians that work MH. That being said, once you get through the gatekeeper, Kaiser can very much provide amazingly good care and will even refer out of network if necessary. I've seen that first-hand. I do like the fact that most of their medical campuses are pretty much one-stop-shops. You get your appointment, you get your pharmacy stuff, maybe hearing aids, and so on, all from pretty much one place. Where I currently work, we do sometimes get patients that are previous Kaiser patients and they often ask where our outpatient pharmacy is... we don't have one. All the outpatient pharmacies are literally out in the community. I do (as a previous Kaiser member myself) miss being able to walk in to their 24 hour pharmacy and pick up a prescription that I forgot that I had when I'd had a late-night OOPS! moment...

 

[Seirende]

Hanging out with the family, casually mentioned one of my favorite fun little factlets, of the human brain requiring oxygen and glucose 100% of the time to survive. Long story short, I have left the room for my own sanity while two of my siblings are vigorously trying to convince my mom that her brain absolutely cannot run on SOLELY ketones.

 

[VentMonkey]

Transported a patient a few years back who was desperately in need of surgical repair and had been waiting at the referring ED for Kaiser’s approval to a non-Kaiser tertiary center for an unnecessary amount of time.

It was (or seemed) great when I lived within a stones throw from a handful full of Kaiser hospitals and buildings years ago, but that call alone showed its ugly HMO bureaucracy to me. Not to mention other issues that I have heard from others still with Kaiser.

That was the day Kaiser was forever dead to me. I will gladly pay PPO premiums.

Anyhow, just my $0.02 on Kaiser.

 

[VentMonkey]

might as well go all in and see the M's get smashed by the Dodgers in the World Series.

Fixed it for reality’s sake. Even pre-apocalypse. Maybe post-apocalypse. In a zombie World Series. Maybe. But probably not. But maybe…

 

[ffemt8978]

Fixed it for reality’s sake. Even pre-apocalypse. Maybe post-apocalypse. In a zombie World Series. Maybe. But probably not. But maybe…

Reality went out the window when the M's made the playoffs. Was wondering how long it'd take you to respond. Rofl

 

[M3dicalR3dn3ck]

I may have sacrificed a girlfriend to the EMS gods by picking up a shift tomorrow as well, but she wanted a working man so the way I see it is she can get the heck over it or get the heck out

 

[Aprz]

I may have sacrificed a girlfriend to the EMS gods by picking up a shift tomorrow as well, but she wanted a working man so the way I see it is she can get the heck over it or get the heck out

This job will sacrifice you in a heart beat for a cold half eaten hotpocket on the ground. Don't sacrifice your life for this job. Girlfriend > work everytime, especially if you work in EMS.

 

[M3dicalR3dn3ck]

This job will sacrifice you in a heart beat for a cold half eaten hotpocket on the ground. Don't sacrifice your life for this job. Girlfriend > work everytime, especially if you work in EMS.

We got it worked out she wasn't mad that I took the shift, just mad that I didn't consult her before saying yes. Turns out she would have let me take it anyways because she knows how much I love running on a 911 truck, she just wanted me to discuss it with her

 

[Jim37F]

We did our Medical Refresher yesterday. Instead of two big 16 hour classes each year, we're splitting up into 4 hour classes spread throughout the recert period. Anyways we focused on chest injuries, i.e. hyphen vent seal, needle decompression (which we actually have the needles issued, but we're ONLY allowed to use if we get Online Medical Direction... which as a BLS Department is something we really don't do, we'd have to radio Dispatch and have them contact our Medical Director...)

And some guys were joking we're becoming an ALS Dept ... because they (officially) introduced Narcan. We're gonna carry 2x 4mg nasal sprays, with protocols predicted to allow up to all 8mg if needed (said protocols haven't actually been published yet). Apparently some of the old timers have already expressed reservations against even that as being "we don't do medicine, that EMS job!" lol (And no, we're not ina ny danger of going ALS, since last year they were talking about getting us Glucometers and then that was shot down as "outside our scope of practice" (even though its kind of not.. but I guess the Union made an issue out of it or something? idk)

Oh and because I know we all love PD's reaction to any potential Fent exposure, I leave you this news article where PD called in one of our HazMat units after finding suspected Fentanyl powder during investigation of someone found deceased at their home (to be somewhat fair, HM did determine the powder was indeed Fent, and no cops had any adverse reactions, psychosomatic or other lol)

HAZMAT unit called to assist in Kaimuki death investigation after fentanyl is suspected

Sources told HNN a powdery substance was found as officers were investigating the death of a 28-year-old man.

www.hawaiinewsnow.com

 

[StCEMT]

I may have sacrificed a girlfriend to the EMS gods by picking up a shift tomorrow as well, but she wanted a working man so the way I see it is she can get the heck over it or get the heck out

Eh no job is good enough to me to warrant being more important than my home life. My job is a way to put the roof over my head. Especially not with how EMS is paid.

 

[Tigger]

We did our Medical Refresher yesterday. Instead of two big 16 hour classes each year, we're splitting up into 4 hour classes spread throughout the recert period. Anyways we focused on chest injuries, i.e. hyphen vent seal, needle decompression (which we actually have the needles issued, but we're ONLY allowed to use if we get Online Medical Direction... which as a BLS Department is something we really don't do, we'd have to radio Dispatch and have them contact our Medical Director...)

Lol they won't do "medicine" but BLS can do needle decompression? First I've ever heard of a BLS (non military) agency doing that.

 

[Jim37F]

Lol they won't do "medicine" but BLS can do needle decompression? First I've ever heard of a BLS (non military) agency doing that.

It's only a few of the old timers, 20+ year guys essentially complaining. Definitive minority.

But the Needle D is not normal protocol. It's supposed to be used only in a mass casualty incident, specifically an active threat (active shooter, terrorist attack/bombing, etc). And as a Dept we MUST call our Medical Director for OLMC to get permission to do it in the first place (and since as BLS we don't have anything else even come close to requiring OLMC, we don't have any expedient method to do so, so it's pretty much only going to happen in such an MCI where our EMS Medics aren't enough to go around for the number of patients)

Routine trauma call? Not in our scope for that, we have tourniquets and hyphen seals and hemostatic gauze (and soon Narcan) lol plus all the regular BLS gauze and 4x4s you'd expect

Not even King Airways or any other blind insert supraglottic, just OPA and NPA for us with NC, NRB, or BVM. Not a mention of CPAP...

But yeah, the oddball, wild card Needle D for those rare 1 in a million calls (knocking on wood...)

 

[Seirende]

I am finally getting my hot little hands on some ketamine.

Just as soon as it comes in the mail.