Ankle Injuries, by Fujiya & Miyagi. Enjoy.
-AM
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
The Laws of EMS.
I'm sure most people in EMS have probably seen this, but for those who haven't:
The Laws of Emergency Medical Services:
1. Skin signs tell all.
2. Sick people don't bitch.
3. Air goes in and out, blood goes round and round, any variation of this is a bad thing.
4. Newbies have their own way of doing things.
5. The more equipment you see on a paramedic's belt, the newer they are.
6. There is no rule 6.
7. When dealing with patients, supervisors, or citizens: If it felt good saying it, it was the wrong thing to say.
8. All bleeding stops... eventually.
9. All people will eventually die, no matter what you do.
10. If the child is quiet, be scared.
11. Always follow the rules, but be wise enough to break them sometimes.
12. If the patient vomits in the rig try to hold their head to the side of the rig with the disposable equipment, not the stuff you have to clean.
13. If someone dies by chemical hazards, electrical shocks or other on-scene dangers it should be the patient, not you.
14. Any EMT, FF, and/or scene chief who is more drunk (or more stupid) than the patient is the real problem.
15. There will be problems.
16. You can't cure stupid.
17. If it's wet and sticky and not yours, LEAVE IT ALONE!
18. If at all possible, avoid any edible item that firefighters prepare, especially the tuna casserole.
19. Heaven protects Fools and Drunks.
20. EMS is extended periods of intense boredom, interrupted by occasional moments of sheer terror.
21. Every Emergency has three phases PANIC, FEAR, AND REMORSE.
22. You are bound to get a call either during dinner, while you are on the can, or at 2:00am in the middle of a great dream.
23. Rocket scientists that get into stupid car crashes are the first ones to complain how bumpy the ambulance ride is.
24. The severity of the injury(s) is directly proportional to the difficulty in accessing, as well as the weight, of the patient.
25. Turret mounted machine guns usually work better than lights and sirens.
26. Make sure the rookie paramedic knows that a med patch is a radio term, and not a medicated bandage.
27. Paramedics save lives; But it's EMT skills that save Paramedics.
28. When a patient vomits outside, be sure to aim it at the citizens who wouldn't back up.
29. Never trust your rig, drug box, or airway bag to be fully stocked. In spite of the assurances of the offgoing crew.
30. If you don't have it, don't give up. Adapt, Improvise, Overcome, (then call for a second unit).
31. There is no such thing as a "textbook case".
32. Newbies always look for large things in the smallest compartments and vice-versa.
33. There is no such thing as a bad call. Only calls that didn't go the way you planned.
34. If there are no drunks at a Motor Vehicle Accident after midnight, keep looking, someone is missing.
35. Just because you're paranoid does not mean the Supervisor isn't around the corner.
The Laws of Emergency Medical Services:
1. Skin signs tell all.
2. Sick people don't bitch.
3. Air goes in and out, blood goes round and round, any variation of this is a bad thing.
4. Newbies have their own way of doing things.
5. The more equipment you see on a paramedic's belt, the newer they are.
6. There is no rule 6.
7. When dealing with patients, supervisors, or citizens: If it felt good saying it, it was the wrong thing to say.
8. All bleeding stops... eventually.
9. All people will eventually die, no matter what you do.
10. If the child is quiet, be scared.
11. Always follow the rules, but be wise enough to break them sometimes.
12. If the patient vomits in the rig try to hold their head to the side of the rig with the disposable equipment, not the stuff you have to clean.
13. If someone dies by chemical hazards, electrical shocks or other on-scene dangers it should be the patient, not you.
14. Any EMT, FF, and/or scene chief who is more drunk (or more stupid) than the patient is the real problem.
15. There will be problems.
16. You can't cure stupid.
17. If it's wet and sticky and not yours, LEAVE IT ALONE!
18. If at all possible, avoid any edible item that firefighters prepare, especially the tuna casserole.
19. Heaven protects Fools and Drunks.
20. EMS is extended periods of intense boredom, interrupted by occasional moments of sheer terror.
21. Every Emergency has three phases PANIC, FEAR, AND REMORSE.
22. You are bound to get a call either during dinner, while you are on the can, or at 2:00am in the middle of a great dream.
23. Rocket scientists that get into stupid car crashes are the first ones to complain how bumpy the ambulance ride is.
24. The severity of the injury(s) is directly proportional to the difficulty in accessing, as well as the weight, of the patient.
25. Turret mounted machine guns usually work better than lights and sirens.
26. Make sure the rookie paramedic knows that a med patch is a radio term, and not a medicated bandage.
27. Paramedics save lives; But it's EMT skills that save Paramedics.
28. When a patient vomits outside, be sure to aim it at the citizens who wouldn't back up.
29. Never trust your rig, drug box, or airway bag to be fully stocked. In spite of the assurances of the offgoing crew.
30. If you don't have it, don't give up. Adapt, Improvise, Overcome, (then call for a second unit).
31. There is no such thing as a "textbook case".
32. Newbies always look for large things in the smallest compartments and vice-versa.
33. There is no such thing as a bad call. Only calls that didn't go the way you planned.
34. If there are no drunks at a Motor Vehicle Accident after midnight, keep looking, someone is missing.
35. Just because you're paranoid does not mean the Supervisor isn't around the corner.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Oh Dear God Thank You!
I passed my Pharmacology test.
Trying to study with the power out sure didn't help...
- AM
Trying to study with the power out sure didn't help...
- AM
Monday, December 8, 2008
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Motivation.
Oh, hello there.
Didn't forget about me did you? I've come out of my cave to share a few things. Just some thoughts that have been kicking around the ol' mental note pad. I've been extremely busy with school for the last few weeks, but I guess that's no excuse for not writing in, what, like 3 months?! That's ridiculous. I know. I've realized why I haven't been writing though, and why I was able to write for my old blog, years ago. Back then I had an audience. Audience = motivation. A reason to write, other than to just to post some "Dear diary's" to myself when I'm bored. I didn't have an audience here because no one knew about this. So I think it's time to roll it out from the shadows. Hi, everyone.
Things at school are heating up, and it's getting harder and harder to keep up. I wish I knew someone who took the course last year so I could ask them just how they did it. I mean, we start a new section every week and just when I feel like I'm beginning to fully understand the material... Bam! We write the test on Monday and move on to something entirely new. If you don't devour your textbook every week, you're toast. There's no time to say, "I'll get the hang of this eventually". You figure it out now or you forget about it until it comes back to smack you in the face when you write your final exam, and you fail. $12 000 down the drain. That's some motivation right there! That being said, though, I've been doing alright. A teeny-tiny bit lower than where I'd like my grades to be but I'm happy, and I usually feel pretty confident going into the tests. Right now I'm studying Pharmacology for the test on Monday. Unfortunately I missed the review day on Friday so I need to focus extra hard on figuring this stuff out on my own. *Gulp*.
Lab scenarios are more or less the same story. It's much harder to prepare at home though. I had a really bad day about a month ago that served as one of those oh-so-dreaded reality checks. I bombed my trauma scenario. I just froze and forgot everything in front of my group and my instructor. It started when I realized that I had forgotten to put on the Oxygen. The more I worried and tried to remember what I thought I was forgetting, the more I forgot. It was one of the most embarrassing days of my life, and one that I won't soon forget. I promised myself that it would never happen again. So I've been studying and practicing scenarios and for the last few weeks I've been nailing them. Well, I mean they aren't perfect. But for where we are now I think they're pretty good, and I've cut my trauma scenario time in half. Yay.
Motivation is a great thing. I don't mean to sound like a broken record here and drill that word into your head, but lately I just haven't been able to ignore the impact it's been having on my life. I suppose it's what causes the motivation that's really important. It's interesting to dig down to find the real reasons we do the things we do. It's never quite as simple as it seems. Think about it. But that's definitely a different story for another time. Right now I focus on passing my tests, not humiliating myself in my labs, and, of course, trying to keep the readers happy.
How did I do?
-AM
Didn't forget about me did you? I've come out of my cave to share a few things. Just some thoughts that have been kicking around the ol' mental note pad. I've been extremely busy with school for the last few weeks, but I guess that's no excuse for not writing in, what, like 3 months?! That's ridiculous. I know. I've realized why I haven't been writing though, and why I was able to write for my old blog, years ago. Back then I had an audience. Audience = motivation. A reason to write, other than to just to post some "Dear diary's" to myself when I'm bored. I didn't have an audience here because no one knew about this. So I think it's time to roll it out from the shadows. Hi, everyone.
Things at school are heating up, and it's getting harder and harder to keep up. I wish I knew someone who took the course last year so I could ask them just how they did it. I mean, we start a new section every week and just when I feel like I'm beginning to fully understand the material... Bam! We write the test on Monday and move on to something entirely new. If you don't devour your textbook every week, you're toast. There's no time to say, "I'll get the hang of this eventually". You figure it out now or you forget about it until it comes back to smack you in the face when you write your final exam, and you fail. $12 000 down the drain. That's some motivation right there! That being said, though, I've been doing alright. A teeny-tiny bit lower than where I'd like my grades to be but I'm happy, and I usually feel pretty confident going into the tests. Right now I'm studying Pharmacology for the test on Monday. Unfortunately I missed the review day on Friday so I need to focus extra hard on figuring this stuff out on my own. *Gulp*.
Lab scenarios are more or less the same story. It's much harder to prepare at home though. I had a really bad day about a month ago that served as one of those oh-so-dreaded reality checks. I bombed my trauma scenario. I just froze and forgot everything in front of my group and my instructor. It started when I realized that I had forgotten to put on the Oxygen. The more I worried and tried to remember what I thought I was forgetting, the more I forgot. It was one of the most embarrassing days of my life, and one that I won't soon forget. I promised myself that it would never happen again. So I've been studying and practicing scenarios and for the last few weeks I've been nailing them. Well, I mean they aren't perfect. But for where we are now I think they're pretty good, and I've cut my trauma scenario time in half. Yay.
Motivation is a great thing. I don't mean to sound like a broken record here and drill that word into your head, but lately I just haven't been able to ignore the impact it's been having on my life. I suppose it's what causes the motivation that's really important. It's interesting to dig down to find the real reasons we do the things we do. It's never quite as simple as it seems. Think about it. But that's definitely a different story for another time. Right now I focus on passing my tests, not humiliating myself in my labs, and, of course, trying to keep the readers happy.
How did I do?
-AM
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