Not transporting a patient can be considered turfing. Dropping a patient in the ER waiting room is another term for turfing. Basically any reason to not transport or to hand off the patient to another agency (ie PD, ER lobby) would be turfing.
We drop patients in the ER lobbies by order of the hospitals only. Otherwise, they get a room.
We have wait time protocols. If the ER doesn't place the PT in a room after waiting for 20 minutes, they get put in the lobby or placed on a bed next to the triage area. The ER's abused EMS for many years as free PT babysitters. At one time we spent hours watching our patients in the hallway waiting for ER beds to open up. That has been put to an end.
We have wait time protocols. If the ER doesn't place the PT in a room after waiting for 20 minutes, they get put in the lobby or placed on a bed next to the triage area. The ER's abused EMS for many years as free PT babysitters. At one time we spent hours watching our patients in the hallway waiting for ER beds to open up. That has been put to an end.
We won't be sent to the waiting room with any patient who triages as an ESI 1 or 2, and usually not 3s either. If we do go to the waiting room, the patient is left in a wheelchair, report is given to the triage nurse, and we sign the patient over to them. We never babysit patients at the hospital.
That isn't turfing... that's called triaging... or releasing the patient to the BLS crew.... it's a good practice. why would you tie up an paramedic unit when one is not needed? they checked her out, found nothing acutely wrong with her, let the BLS take the patient to the hospital.One provider says that they don't need to be with the patient and drops them on another provider.
IE, a BLS truck calls for a Paramedic intercept for a chest pain call. The Paramedic comes and deems that it's not cardiac in nature, and that ALS care is not required, so instead of the Paramedic transporting with the patient, the Paramedic leaves the patient with the BLS crew.
Sometimes used negatively like a provider was being lazy and didn't want to do their job.
4 hours???? our agency policy is you get 10 minutes in the ER for minor patients, 20 minutes for more serious patient. after that, you are available for the next job. damn, a 4 hour wait, that's a great way to kill half of an 8 hour shift, or a 3rd of a 12 hour shift. better to spend it in the air conditioned ER than doing 12-20 jobs in 90 degree weather during the summer.I wish it was like that here. We call it 'ramping' and is extremely common. Most of our crews are tied up babysitting patients on our stretchers at hospitals due to no beds. My longest wait is 4 hours.
That isn't turfing... that's called triaging... or releasing the patient to the BLS crew.... it's a good practice. why would you tie up an paramedic unit when one is not needed? they checked her out, found nothing acutely wrong with her, let the BLS take the patient to the hospital.
nothing to do with being lazy, or not wanting to do your job;
Depends on the attitude and reasoning behind transferring the patient to the EMT crew. It can easily be a turf, especially depending on the conditions.
Alternatively, if there is no such thing as paramedics turfing to EMTs, then this entire lecture snippet is bogus.
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MSmk10afro[/YOUTUBE]
His argument is 100% valid; if you ALS to BLS a patient because there is smoke showing, you deserved to be fired from your job, lose your cert, and sued by the patient. similar argument can be made for turfing a job because a shooting or MVA comes in. As the attorney says, once you are on the call, it's your call.Depends on the attitude and reasoning behind transferring the patient to the EMT crew. It can easily be a turf, especially depending on the conditions.
Alternatively, if there is no such thing as paramedics turfing to EMTs, then this entire lecture snippet is bogus.
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MSmk10afro[/YOUTUBE]
In fact, I bet an attorney can make a better argument if an ALS crew meets up a BLS crew on a broken finger, doesn't do anything for the patient and rides in to the hospital, and as a result, there is no ALS unit available for the cardiac arrest that comes in, and my family member dies. I'm pretty sure I can get a pretty good negligence lawsuit filed.