the 100% directionless thread

[adamjh3]

I'm going for it. As soon as I finish medic school I'm going for a bachelor's in kinesiology, then a master's in sports medicine.

 

[chaz90]

I'm going for it. As soon as I finish medic school I'm going for a bachelor's in kinesiology, then a master's in sports medicine.

I switched the order of degrees, but sounds like a good move all the same!

 

[MediMike]

Almost broke my ankle doing a trail run...If you've got a horse keep it off the %#$% trails when it's wet.

 

[Trashtruck]

Ran on an elderly man having a seizure, medic supervisor partner starts flight while we are responding. Get there, patient is postictal and has a history of seizures. Partner cancels flight, tells me to get him on the monitor and start a line. As soon as I go to start it, he seizes again, partner yells at me for taking too long to get line and then leaves to get some narcs (but I did still get it hooray!). Patient seized again on the 45 minute transport and maybe went briefly into Vtach. Then I get chastised for not knowing the "right" way to the hospital that I have already transported to five times.

Wish flight took him, we could hear them on approach to the next door fire station!

It is tough having to get used to the wants and needs of ten or so medics, everyone has their own nuances that make or break the call. Even when I ask their expectations on the way to the call I still struggle to be viewed as proficient, which is starting to bother me.

Like Chaz90 said, it sounds like he's uncomfortable with a seizing person, so he gets fired up and flustered and projects that on you. As far as taking too long to get an IV, that's crap, too. If you can't start a line before somebody seizes, then you can't start a line before somebody seizes. It happens. A lot. Maybe he's just frustrated now because it has become a more difficult stick or his narcs aren't on him(really? for a seizure he leaves them outside?). I don't know, but it has nothing to do with you not gaining IV access prior to a seizure.
The medics will find you to be proficient over time. To them, you're probably still viewed as a newb(since you're on probation). Just as much as you're testing the waters with them, they're testing the waters with you, too.

Aside from all that, and forgive my ignorance, but why did he request a helicopter for a seizure? Possible status epilepticus? Possible trauma involved? Just curious, as I'm urban and have no clue about such things.

 

[9D4]

Son of a :censored:... My new laptop is all of 5 months old and cost me $800... I just broke the headphone jack, basically 90% of what I use it for. The replacement motherboard is $100, but I have to send it in to Toshiba for repair or it voids the warranty, which is $150, plus $30 shipping... They already told me they wouldn't warranty it, because it's due to "you're pushing the headphones in to hard, this never would've happened if not for that".

 

[Handsome Robb]

Ran on an elderly man having a seizure, medic supervisor partner starts flight while we are responding. Get there, patient is postictal and has a history of seizures. Partner cancels flight, tells me to get him on the monitor and start a line. As soon as I go to start it, he seizes again, partner yells at me for taking too long to get line and then leaves to get some narcs (but I did still get it hooray!). Patient seized again on the 45 minute transport and maybe went briefly into Vtach. Then I get chastised for not knowing the "right" way to the hospital that I have already transported to five times.

Wish flight took him, we could hear them on approach to the next door fire station!

It is tough having to get used to the wants and needs of ten or so medics, everyone has their own nuances that make or break the call. Even when I ask their expectations on the way to the call I still struggle to be viewed as proficient, which is starting to bother me.

Tell him to kick rocks and calm the hell down. There's a minuscule amount of calls that truly are time sensitive.

Ten bucks says he was non compliant with his medications and even if he was compliant people with epilepsy have seizures, it's a fact of life and absolutely not the end of the world. Recurrent seizures though make me think non-compliance. Personally I would've pointed and laughed at him the whole way to the call when he requested HEMS for a seizure.

HE shouldn't have left his narcotics in the truck.

HE should understand you're still very new to the system and learning.

HE should realize there are other routes of administration for benzos other than IV. IM and IN work just fine too. Give the first dose then get the line when they aren't flopping about and causing a higher risk of a needle stick to a provider.

Sorry you're having to deal with that bud, some people are just ridiculous.

ACLS tomorrow...gag me. I just took the pretest and I've got lots of bones to pick this week if the cert test is the same way. I remembered it being dumb, I didn't remember it being that dumb though.

 

[RocketMedic]

Tell him to kick rocks and calm the hell down. There's a minuscule amount of calls that truly are time sensitive.

Ten bucks says he was non compliant with his medications and even if he was compliant people with epilepsy have seizures, it's a fact of life and absolutely not the end of the world. Recurrent seizures though make me think non-compliance. Personally I would've pointed and laughed at him the whole way to the call when he requested HEMS for a seizure.

HE shouldn't have left his narcotics in the truck.

HE should understand you're still very new to the system and learning.

HE should realize there are other routes of administration for benzos other than IV. IM and IN work just fine too. Give the first dose then get the line when they aren't flopping about and causing a higher risk of a needle stick to a provider.

Sorry you're having to deal with that bud, some people are just ridiculous.

ACLS tomorrow...gag me. I just took the pretest and I've got lots of bones to pick this week if the cert test is the same way. I remembered it being dumb, I didn't remember it being that dumb though.

sounds like he needs to come work with me.

 

[Meursault]

Son of a :censored:... My new laptop is all of 5 months old and cost me $800... I just broke the headphone jack, basically 90% of what I use it for. The replacement motherboard is $100, but I have to send it in to Toshiba for repair or it voids the warranty, which is $150, plus $30 shipping... They already told me they wouldn't warranty it, because it's due to "you're pushing the headphones in to hard, this never would've happened if not for that".

F:censored:k the warranty. If they won't give you warranty service 5 months in and a fairly simple service is ~25% of the original cost, what is it going to do for you?

Open it up and have a look at the headphone jack. The repair it needs might be as simple as desoldering and resoldering the jack or replacing it; I'm not convinced you have to replace the whole motherboard. If it looks more complicated, find a good shop near you.

 

[chaz90]

Woken up for a call at 0440, and the guy decides to drive himself at 0441. Well, now I'm awake I guess.

 

[Anjel]

PALS... Alllll day

 

[medicdan]

PALS... Alllll day

I'm sorry. Just remember, keep em warm, check a sugar, give 'em fluids, and never forget about the airway/oxygenation...

 

[Anjel]

I'm sorry. Just remember, keep em warm, check a sugar, give 'em fluids, and never forget about the airway/oxygenation...

This is my first time taking it. I cry at the thought that I have to sit through this every 2ish years.

 

[NomadicMedic]

It gets easier. Not any less boring... But easier.

 

[Medic Tim]

Sitting in the airport waiting for my plane to board. Only 11 hours till I am in AB then tomorrow I am at my clinic for 4 weeks.

 

[Clare]

What a night! Four dead, a road crash and just worn out to the core so I am going to sleep, a bed time story would be nice

 

[Tigger]

Tell him to kick rocks and calm the hell down. There's a minuscule amount of calls that truly are time sensitive.

Ten bucks says he was non compliant with his medications and even if he was compliant people with epilepsy have seizures, it's a fact of life and absolutely not the end of the world. Recurrent seizures though make me think non-compliance. Personally I would've pointed and laughed at him the whole way to the call when he requested HEMS for a seizure.

HE shouldn't have left his narcotics in the truck.

HE should understand you're still very new to the system and learning.

HE should realize there are other routes of administration for benzos other than IV. IM and IN work just fine too. Give the first dose then get the line when they aren't flopping about and causing a higher risk of a needle stick to a provider.

Sorry you're having to deal with that bud, some people are just ridiculous.

ACLS tomorrow...gag me. I just took the pretest and I've got lots of bones to pick this week if the cert test is the same way. I remembered it being dumb, I didn't remember it being that dumb though.

Partner is one of the captains and obviously knows his crap usually. I know knowledge isn't found in letters and numbers but a 15 year CCEMTP is going to be a competent medic.

The guy was compliant with his meds according to his wife but had been having some breakthrough activity in last few weeks and the doctors up in his area (super rural) were having a hard time figuring out what to do. I got the line (with a little help from a volly fire guy putting the lock on for me while I tried to hold the cath and arm steady. The guy had plenty of access, they got another line in him on the way down. Not to mention the IM route...

I kinda get the flight thing, status in a 70 something year old guy led me to believe it was more than epilepsy and from the dispatch info we knew we were looking at a minimum of a 45 minute transport once he was stabilized enough to transport. We could have put in the heli without waiting for them to land and whatnot if he had requested.

He did grab an extra medic (protocol) on the ride down since the patient couldn't take anymore Valium apparently and would have been RSIed if he seized again. Our people our very good at RSI and we have an excellent medical director who personally ensures this, but I think there is still a tendency to get flight to come out for these patients as well if possible. If we RSI a patient we're left with one ambulance for 550 square miles.

 

[lightsandsirens5]

Having worked in a super rural area myself, I often consider flight to just be another resource. In certain areas I worked, they were the only ALS available to a BLS truck.

 

[9D4]

So, I was just sittin' in my room a few min ago, watching Smallville. My mom walks in and talks to me for a while. Then she goes "I'm not :censored: with you right now, there's a black widow right next to your head..."
I've never moved so fast in my life. Jumped up, turned around. It was like 2 inches from my ear... Ran and got a jar, scooped it in there and threw the cap on. I don't wanna open the cap to finish killing it now :unsure:

 

[chaz90]

So, I was just sittin' in my room a few min ago, watching Smallville. My mom walks in and talks to me for a while. Then she goes "I'm not :censored: with you right now, there's a black widow right next to your head..."
I've never moved so fast in my life. Jumped up, turned around. It was like 2 inches from my ear... Ran and got a jar, scooped it in there and threw the cap on. I don't wanna open the cap to finish killing it now :unsure:

I'll take this one in place of JP...

 

[JPINFV]