the 100% directionless thread

[Peak]

I found out that if I pick up shifts in one of our system's covid ICUs that I can make a pretty decent amount in bonus pay.

 

[Tigger]

I found out that if I pick up shifts in one of our system's covid ICUs that I can make a pretty decent amount in bonus pay.

Good.

I'm not looking for hazard pay. I'm looking for a commensurate increase in pay for my workload doubling while the rest of the departments is steadily decreasing. Or some fatigue mitigation. My ambulance ran 10 calls last shift, I wrote all the reports as I made all the patient contacts. The other ambulance ran one call. One engine company did a refusal. Is it somehow wrong that I think our paramedics are worth more right now?

 

[StCEMT]

Good.

I'm not looking for hazard pay. I'm looking for a commensurate increase in pay for my workload doubling while the rest of the departments is steadily decreasing. Or some fatigue mitigation. My ambulance ran 10 calls last shift, I wrote all the reports as I made all the patient contacts. The other ambulance ran one call. One engine company did a refusal. Is it somehow wrong that I think our paramedics are worth more right now?

I've actually had an overall decrease. I still get days like last night which are *** kickers, but as a whole I'm 20-60% down depending on the night.

 

[DragonClaw]

I missed out on a COVID FEMA deployment.

Today got dispatched to a burn center full of COVID pts and our pt was a confirmed COVID pt but then it got canceled. Haven't had a COVID pt yet.

 

[GMCmedic]

I missed out on a COVID FEMA deployment.

You didnt miss anything.

 

[DesertMedic66]

You didnt miss anything.

Except for the amazing paychecks...

 

[Qulevrius]

My main point of interest was the design (the signature Czech easy takedown and the super low bore axis), but the price tag...[emoji79]

 

[Tigger]

I've actually had an overall decrease. I still get days like last night which are *** kickers, but as a whole I'm 20-60% down depending on the night.

At my part time city job it's eerily slow. Schedule is full and medic cars don't go to alpha calls now so that helps.

But my real job in the burbs has not increased staffing yet and we no longer have the engines available to handle refusals. Our volume is up and the COVID calls take forever with the associated decon (even on refusals). We also only have one paramedic on the executive staff and he is an ops BC that has many other duties, so the few line paramedics that we have like me are handling all of the preparedness and COVID operational changes. I am happy that our exec staff is backing what the medics are coming up with but it's...exhausting. No time to rest the brain right now for sure.

My partner also just went out with COVID symptoms and I am really hoping he comes back negative here shortly...

 

[DragonClaw]

You didnt miss anything.

I want the clinical experience. This is what I signed up for.

 

[DesertMedic66]

I want the clinical experience. This is what I signed up for.

You aren’t usually going to get a great clinical experience while doing a FEMA deployment if you are based on the ambulance. All you are doing is still treating and transporting patients. It gets you much better experience with logistical issues, such as running with limited supplies, working in a completely unfamiliar area, working with providers from completely different states.

 

[DragonClaw]

You aren’t usually going to get a great clinical experience while doing a FEMA deployment if you are based on the ambulance. All you are doing is still treating and transporting patients. It gets you much better experience with logistical issues, such as running with limited supplies, working in a completely unfamiliar area, working with providers from completely different states.

I have yet to transport any Corona pt. I'm having a little FOMO. It's good experience no matter how you get involved, FEMA or locally.

Future job interview. "I see you were an EMT during the Coronathon of 2020. Tell me a little bit about your experience"

"I didn't see anything. My hours got cut though. . Good thing I was 'Safe"

 

[DragonClaw]

Most of y'all are older than me.

This is a little less close to heart than 9/11 (which I do not remember), but imagine if tons of other people went to ground zero to help but you went selected. You wanted to help and weren't able.

Maybe in hindsight you're happy because at least you didn't get exposed to all kinds of dust, chemicals and such that took heavy tolls later. But maybe you'd do it all over again because you know the importance of the work, even if you only had a shovel to work with, or maybe not even that.

I should probably be careful what I wish for though, sups are warning is its about to get bad and we're gonna get slammed.

Every hospital has a corona ward and they're building some overflow or decon tents or something. The Ed's have been pretty full. Every facility (nursing homes, LTACs, everything)checks our temp and symptoms, we're required to wear masks in any facility. Apparently the hospitals will get our unit number and call our sup if we aren't wearing one.

I've probably had more than a hundred "screenings" where they check my temp and ask me about travel, coughing, e.t.c.

And apparently more coworkers are getting sick. I hear we're down like 8 people now.

Our sups want us to social distance even at base and even put up lines on the floor to stay back from the equipment room and their desk.

Equipment and supplies are getting tight. They're using foggers on the trucks that are potentially contaminated. Apparently civvies have been stealing gear from trucks that are unattended.

It's approaching crunch time.

 

[StCEMT]

I've done it already, I promise you aren't missing much. Being that gowned up is uncomfortable. The decon process is lengthy. It's not something you want to bring home. It's just an all around pain in the *** and isn't fun. Not to mention, I'm down some of my most commonly used meds and equipment because of this which is hindering my ability to do my job for people that aren't actually infected. It's not even done and I'm already ready for this to be over.

 

[NomadicMedic]

I second the “its not fun“ sentiment.

 

[VFlutter]

I've done it already, I promise you aren't missing much. Being that gowned up is uncomfortable. The decon process is lengthy. It's not something you want to bring home. It's just an all around pain in the *** and isn't fun.

I had to do CPR in full PPE... Almost passed out from the hypercapnia and overheating. 0/10, would not recommend

 

[GMCmedic]

Besides the great pay, the only thing youre missing is barely running trucks, sleeping on cots, and general disorganization and madness.

During the last deployment in Florida, a friend of mine put several hundred miles on a truck just driving back and forth while deployment leadership made decisions and then made new ones, and never actually saw a patient.

 

[Jim37F]

We have these "Medical Response Jackets", that if you didn't tell me that they were PPE for that, I'd have simply assumed they were rain coats lol. But basically a jacket that gives us blood borne pathogens Protection, and any other nasty that we wear over our regular station uniform. It was part of my initial gear issue here, so we've had them for a while (they're reflective enough to meet DOT roadside wear requirements, tho for actual roadway scenes we have DOT vests, but we technically meet the safety requirements when curbside loading patients into the ambulance wearing them).

Anyways, we were on a medical call the other day, we were wearing our med jackets, EMS showed up in their regular station uniforms, and well, our elderly patient had just used the restroom (as in we helped him off the toilet into the gurney), and only washed his hands for like 3 seconds, sure enough one of the medics noticed a brown streak on the (short) sleeve of his partners shirt.... (yeah, after the call, me and another FF threw our jackets into the Extractor (big industrial washer designed to clean our turnouts after a fire).

Cut to later that night we had a CPR call. We were once again normal Med Jackets, N95, glove, goggles... EMS took a little while longer to get to scene than normal for that location. That's because they suited up in a full on Tyvek isolation suits. Like the kind we'd wear to run the decon lane at a Hazmat incident, not just the paper disposable gowns. They still had N95s and goggles but it was like "Damn!" I think they're going that route for all cardiac arrests here now. Any Difficulty Breathing or Shortness of Breath I've also seen them gown up in the disposable kind at station before responding.

I can tell you I def do NOT want to be doing CPR 20+ minutes in one of those suits....

I had to do CPR in full PPE... Almost passed out from the hypercapnia and overheating. 0/10, would not recommend

 

[CCCSD]

I fourth that.

Now I just supervise from a distance...

 

[DragonClaw]

Y'all aren't making me not want to do this. Just to be more prepared should it happen.

 

[Jim37F]

Thought you guys might like this