In EMT class, they teach us to size up patients when we walk into a room by forming a “general impression”. A quick look at skin signs and a “Hi, howya doin’?” are usually enough to decide if a patent is “sick” or “not sick” and if you can spend some time with them or if you need to get the medics out.

If I had to form a general impression of my life with a quick look, I’d say it’s “not sick” for the first time in a while.

School is good, life at home is good, I’m making just enough money with my other job to pay the bills… and most importantly I’m out of that toxic radio environment I was in for the last few years. This morning, when I got out of the shower, my sweetie was drying her hair and putting on makeup.

She looked at me and said, “You know, I am so glad you’re not in the business any more.”

I asked why.

“Because it’s just no fun anymore. The big companies are just going to continue firing programming people and running stations as lean as they can. You were smart to find something else to do”

Yeah, well. She’s right. That’s why I left. I saw the writing on the wall and realized it was time to cut bait and do something else. There’s a new rumor that Clear Channel is planning to eliminate 1000 positions, company wide, before Christmas. A third will be programming, a third sales and a third management. 1000 of my broadcasting brethren, whacked… right before Christmas.

Why didn’t we unionize? Somebody refresh my memory. Oh yeah… it’s because there are plenty of people who will work for FREE, and if Radio Broadcasters ever did organize, they would be replaced so fast you’d only see a blur of HR people as they filled out the termination paperwork.

I hugged my wife and said, “I’m glad I’m out too, sweetie.”

Then I kissed her, saying, “Have a good day at work”.

Well, the quarter is almost over and I think I survived.

A&P got a lot more difficult near the end. Coordinated studies also got tougher. EMT got a little easier.

Thanksgiving is a week away, and I’m giving thanks.

December 13th is when we take the final state EMT test and then I’m free for a couple of weeks. We get back to the winter quarter the first week of January.

A stretcher in the resus room. Trauma Blocks are on the bed.

A forest of backboards outside the ER waiting to be picked up by Fire and Rescue.

I ganked these pics from a Harborview Doc’s photo page.

I was driving to Anatomy lab this morning and I had the ipod set on “random”. It produced (for the mood I was in) a perfect playlist.

“Killer Parties” – The Hold Steady
“Watch the Girl Destroy Me” – Possum Dixon
“Kim the Waitress” – Material Issue

Damn. That was good stuff. (Those links are all Youtube videos.)

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

I was recently reading an Internet message board for EMS professionals and noticed that whenever an EMT basic would ask a “newbie” type question or post an opinion, he or she would get jumped by the “old guard” that frequents the forum. (And no, I’m not going to mention which forum I’m writing about.)

So in these medic’s defense — I understand how jaded some paramedics can become after many thankless years on the job. I also understand the frustration that they may have with EMT-B’s that want to add additional skills to their scope of practice without understanding the theory behind the skills — and hey, I hate poor grammar as much as the next guy.

But for God’s sake guys, cut ‘em some slack.

I recently watched a thread, started by a new EMT, which asked about what kind of pay he could expect, what kind of job he would get — the “new guy” questions.

Rather than encourage this new EMT to pursue additional education or give the guy some real-world answers, he was belittled, derided and told in no uncertain terms that EMTs were useless in Emergency Medicine and that PARAMEDICS were the “end all, be all” in EMS.

The “Paragod” mentality has to stop. Yes, some us us want to become paramedics, EMS educators or ER Docs. Others simply want to work as a volunteer EMT with their local rescue squad. Ultimately, we’re all in this for patient care and we owe it to ourselves to eliminate the oppressive class structure that exists in EMS today.

OK. That’s all. I feel better now.