I did a couple of shifts last weekend for IFT Ambulance. On Saturday, I worked with a guy who I’ll be referring to as SIP, The Self Important Prick. This guy is only 22 and in his short life he’s done more than most of us can ever hope to do. He’s been a Rescue LT in a Fire Department, an airport firefighter, a contract worker for KBR (or Halliburton, depending on who he’s telling the story to) an EMS training officer and a computer expert. Whew. That’s a lot of jobs for a young guy. I’m guessing he started when he was fresh out of the womb. Instead of Baby Gap clothes, he got his first set of Bunker Gear.

Anyway,95% of what he says is total bullshit and the other 5% is suspect. He’s been at IFT for a little over a month and he’s trying to squeak his way in to an FTO or Supervisor position by shoving his nose as far up the ass of the Station Chief as possible. Most of the other crews despise the guy and after spending 10 hours in the truck with him, it’s obvious why.

We did a few calls on Saturday, mostly Hospital to Home trips. Aside from the paperwork, all you really have to do on these trips is make sure the patient is comfy, warm and you have all the belongings. Compassion goes further than anything else when you do these calls. At any rate, we did a call from a Hospital to a house in the hilly Northwestern section of town that had about 15 steps up from the street. Pretty simple right? Move the patient from the Stryker to a stairchair, carry him up to the house and tuck him in. Done. “Thanks Ma’am. We’ll be on our way now…”

Nope. Not that easy. SIP wanted to get out of the truck himself after I looked at the path into the house so he could “assess the best route”. After he agreed with me that climbing the few steps would be the best way in, he suggested we put this frail old guy on an canvas evacu-aid and carry him in. Now, I’m fine with using an evacu-aid if the patient has to lay flat, but this guy could stand and pivot and had no problem sitting upright in a stair chair. I held firm to my plan and said, “No SIP, I believe a stair chair is the best carry method”. He finally agreed and we positioned the stair chair outside the rig and transferred the patient to the chair. SIP was a little shaky with the move, but I just brushed it off. When we carried the patient into the house I noticed SIP was having some trouble.I asked what was wrong and he admitted that he didn’t use the stairchair much. Hmmm.

After getting the patient set in bed we went outside, deconned the rig and I folded the stairchair. SIP then proceeded to lecture me on proper methods of carrying patients into a house. I just looked at him, put the gear back in the truck and got in the driver’s seat.

Later that day we had another return from a hospital to a house. This patient weighed 77 kg, or about 170 pounds. Not a big move, by any stretch. Of course this guy had a Foley, a rectal tube and MRSA. Lovely. So, we MEGGed up and moved him to the stryker. The patent’s wife told us that the house was a split level and there were a few steps to navigate. “They always use a stairchair when they bring him home”, she said.

SIP looked at me and said “Another stairchair? Let’s get a lift assist”. Seriously? When we arrived the house the other crew was waiting and couldn’t believe that SIP asked for a lift assist for a 77kg patient. I just shook my head and we moved him to a stairchair and brought him in.

My other highlight of the day was when SIP said, “I’d like you write a mock PCR and I’ll grade it.” Sure. I’ve only been writing PCRs since 1989. No problem. Here you go. Tell me what I missed. “This is perfect”, he said, as he handed it back to me.

Thanks.

That was the end of Saturday.

On Sunday I worked with my FTO from 0500 to 1500. It was quiet, we did a few dialysis runs and lots of studying posting at Starbucks our assigned post area. It was funny. We cracked jokes and ripped on the SIP all day.

I’m working three shifts this weekend, all 10s, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. None with the SIP. I hope.

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you may have noticed that I always try to pepper some personal references into my writings. I feel that it adds a nice connection, allowing you, the reader, to enter my personal sphere.

Well, that has to change a little. Since I’m now working for a company that may will not appreciate my blog and I’ll be treating patients, I’ve decided to hose the items that are overtly identifiable and I’ve posted the following message.

This blog has been “anonymized” to protect my identity, patient identity and the identity of where I work.

All details have been fictionalized. Nothing I write has any relation to anyone or anything, living, dead, animal, vegetable or mineral. Or course, your mileage may vary, not valid in all states, ask your health care provider if you’re healthy enough to read this blog.

I hope that clears up the mystery behind why some of my past posts have disappeared, why I’ve changed the URL and why I am now posting under a pseudonym. I’ll still be writing about what I’m doing, how my journey to paramedic school is progressing and I’ll always add those tasty bits of flotsam and jetsam that seem to translate so well to the page. I’m looking forward to being able to write more about EMS and my experience.

It was time for a new pair of “good” duty boots and the new job precipitated a purchase.

Finding boots to fit my Fred Flintstone style feet is always difficult and I’ve been searching for the perfect pair of boots for several years. In the past I’ve worn and loved Danner’s and I’ve worn and sort of loved, generic “Mil Issue” boots. The kind that give you flat feet and don’t have a steel toe.

Here’s the ’09 boots:

My new boots are a pair of 5.11 “ATAC shield Boots”. They have the handy side zips and a composite toe. So far I really like them. I think they’ll take a while to break in, however they have a “30 day comfort guarantee”, so if I don’t love ‘em in a month, back to the shop they go.

Today I applied for an EMT position with an IFT (Inter Facility Transfer) Ambulance Company. My interview was at 3, and by 4 the FTO was grabbing a uniform out of the supply room for me. I start my training on Sunday Morning at 0500.

These guys are being super flexible with my school and “other job” schedule and, so far, seem like a good bunch of folks. Or course, everyone had on the “there’s a new guy in building” face… so I’m sure I’ll get the real deal in a week or so when I’m actually out on the road with a partner, not an FTO.

Here’s something I find really interesting. As I’ve mentioned in this blog several times, it takes a ridiculously long time from course completion until your State EMT cert is issued. On the average, you have to figure on 3 months or so. As it stands now, I’m strictly a driver until my cert clears. Maybe March?

Not that I mind being a driver, but I actually like working as a tech on transfer calls. Driving all time can get boring.

Hey, I just got hired. What do I know. At least the rigs are in like new pretty good condition and, get this… they have DVD players in the patient compartment for long transfers! How cool is that.

This thing has been making the rounds all over the place. Everyone has been talking about it.

Apparently, the 100 Push Up Challenge is a 6 week plan to increase your strength and at the conclusion of those 6 weeks, you’ll be able to do 100 push ups. No problem.

OK. I’m going to print out the plan and give it a shot. I’ll report back.

Well, my A&P lab was canceled this morning, due to rising flood waters. Nothing to do with the campus, mind you; the Professor was stymied by the floods. There was just no way he could get to the school, short of swimming. This quarter I’ve noticed the atmosphere in the lab is a lot more laid back. Our class is much smaller, 18 down from over 40 … and the students that remain are the smart ones. It’s obvious that Dr. H is enjoying it, too. There have been some really good question asked in lecture and you can tell that he appreciates the fact that we’re all interested in A&P. By this point, we should be.

Now, if we can just get him to the school. Maybe we can all chip in and buy him a kayak.

Anyway, tonight is #2 of Emergency Response, the “first responder” course the the Red Cross offers. Jane taught the first day of CPRO on Tuesday, which was fine with me. I’ve been feeling like crap for the last few days and think I’m on the verge of catching a cold. With any luck this won’t evolve from a simple cold into a case of the “everlasting winter crud”.

Things otherwise have been quiet. I’m still waiting for the State EMS office to send me some certs, and I’m compiling all of the stuff that needs to go into the medic school application package for Fall. As a secondary plan, If I don’t get accepted into the medic program I’m seriously considering RT school. I’ve always been very interested in Respiratory Care and think that degree and cert, coupled with Paramedic, would be valuable on a CCT crew.

I’m still working on the weight loss thing. In the past few weeks I’ve reduced the amount that I eat, the number of calories that I take in every day, eliminated all of the junk/sugar laden crap that I was eating and am getting back to the gym. I want to be around 200 lbs by June.

Class started again today and luckily, the only class I have on campus is Physiology. My other three classes, Medical Terminology, Introduction to Logic and Advanced Algebra (Yuck) are all on line.

My dance card with the Red Cross is pretty full, too. I’m co-teaching 6 weeks of Emergency Response with an awesome instructor, who will now be known as “Jane”, and I’m thinking we’re going to have a pretty good time. She’s one of the coolest instructors I’ve met. No BS and she knows her stuff. Aside from that, I’ve got various FA/CPR classes, a couple of reviews and a week’s of midnight Boeing re-certs to teach, starting on January 19th.

Tonight is the Search & Rescue board meeting and Wednesday night is the Monthly FAST team meeting, where I am doing a patient assessment training module.

Man, it’s busy.