the Happy Medic's Page

I've been talking a bit over at HMHQ about something I call "EMS 2.0." This idea is still developing, but it centers around giving the care givers on the front lines more training and more choices instead of automatically defaulting to an ambulance to the hospital. Many groups are trying similar systems, most notable Wake County's Advanced Practice Paramedic Program, mentioned many times here at JEMS Connect.

But EMS 2.0 also looks at ways… Continue

I've been told recently that Paramedics have a very slim save percentage in cardiac arrest, very similar to BLS efforts. These persons then make the blind jump to a conclusion that ALS is no better than BLS.
I asked him to expand this conclusion to non cardiac arrest scenarios and was told that those are easy treat and transport calls.
But who treats?

Maybe it's true Paramedics don't have a good save rate in cardiac arrest. How is the hospital's record? We don't do well with dead people, no one… Continue

Here's a snippet from a recent post over at HMHQ

"Engine 51 10-4, KMG 365." The Captain spoke with authority.

It was another world. 1 generation removed from myself.

Like many a kid I waited and waited through all the ads for washing powder and the medic alert tags until the claxon would strike at the beginning of an Emergency! episode. After the opening set up we'd see mighty 51 roll out the doors on a clear sunny California morning off to another amazing rescue, not realizing that the Fire… Continue

The Handover Blog Carnival is now LIVE! This month's theme is "A Lesson Learned."

Stop by and see if one of your blog posts made the list or maybe just to learn something new.


Contributors this month include Ambulance Driver, Medicblog999, Michael Morse, ER RN and many more!

http://yourhappymedic.blogspot.com

Here's a snippet from a blogpost at my home blog about a learning moment.

My mentor there, I'll call him Bill, was a relaxed Paramedic who always talked about everything but the job. You know the type. Sports, family, anything, but when the bells rang he was all business and I soaked it up like a sponge.

Bill was the one who taught me that driving an ambulance isn't a race, but instead a challenge to see how little you can make the box move from side to side. He instructed me to drive with my… Continue