May 18, 2012

If Santa Claus was a Paramedic

It’s that time of year again when 364 days of being nice is supposed to pay off. Santa Claus and his team of elite elves spend every year preparing for this one night where they get to travel the world and bring joy to all of the families.

While this may seem like a nice job, it can get old after a while. Santa has been doing the same old routine since before any of us can remember. While I’m sure he enjoys his line of work, I think a time is going to come when he will want to finally hang up his hat and enjoy Christmas with his own family.

You know what I’m talking about. Retirement. This would of course open the door to the possibility of starting a new job to subsidize his pension. And I think we all now that a new career in EMS would be right up his alley.

So without further delay, we must ask ourselves the question of this wonderful holiday season. What kind of paramedic would Santa Claus be?

Shifts

I’m sure that Mr. Claus would be happy to work any day except Christmas. This of course could be our golden opportunity as EMS providers to finally take every other holiday off. With his ability to travel the entire world in one night, he would certainly be able to handle all the 911 calls while we spend time with our families.

Response

Santa Claus is still old school, so I’m sure that he would utilize the traditional quick call and paging systems. The only difference is, he would wait until you are sleeping at night to respond.

Vehicle

Santa’s magic sleigh would be perfect for responding to emergency calls and would require no modification at all. The ability to fly would eliminate problems caused when motorists fail to yield. He also wouldn’t need to install any code-3 equipment as the “jingling bells” would be loud enough to replace a siren and Rudolph’s nose would satisfy the requirement of a “steady burning read lamp” that’s needed to legally drive code-3. If he can fit presents for every kid in the world, imagine how many patients he could carry?

Triage

While the “START” triage system certainly has it’s place, it’s just a little too main-stream for Santa. Instead, he would tag each patient as either “naughty” or “nice”, of course treating and transporting the nice patients first.

Uniforms

Santa’s uniform would be similar in appearance but would require some modifications to the colors. The red on his suite would be replaced with navy-blue and the white cotton would be replaced with reflective tape to ensure visibility at night. He would also require an identifying patch on his back labeled “NPEMS”, which is short for “North Pole Emergency Medical Services”.

Response Area

Santa’s main quarters would be located at his orginal residence at the north pole. However, his response area would encompass the entire world. His ability to travel at high speeds and visit every house in one night would ensure that he met all of his response-time requirements.

Conclusion

The ability to travel at high speeds, his good customer service record, and his habbit of eating unhealthy snacks on the job all make Santa a perfect fit for a job in EMS.

Merry Christmas to all of you out there. With any luck, you are reading this at home and spending time with your family. If you are working this holiday, then I thank you. Stay safe out there and enjoy the holiday season.



Community CPR

So there I was, minding my own business, when we get toned out for a vehicle accident with “multiple victims”. On our way to the call, our MDT pops up with an update that “bystander CPR” is in progress. Had this have been on an interstate or any long stretch of road, I would have most likely been expecting some serious injuries and possibly a DOA. However, this was on a residential street.

We arrived on scene to find 2 vehicles involved. One was pulled off to the side with it’s flashers on, and the other – a late model Chevy Impala with large, chrome, custom rims and some “sparkly” purple paint – was completely blocking the street. Minor damage was noted to both vehicles. No airbag deployment, no passenger space intrusion, no skid marks, no blah blah blah blah found.

A glance to the left showed all occupants of vehicle #1 standing on the sidewalk. The driver was holding a cellphone to his head with one hand and rubbing his forehead with the other. A glance to the right revealed the driver of the Impala standing outside the passenger door, reaching in and pumping on the chest of the passenger yelling; “Don’t leave me bro! I can’t let you go like this!”. The passenger? Well, he too was yelling…….between chest compressions; “Stop – I’m – Not –  F*^$ing - Dead”.

We quickly intervened and ceased resuscitation efforts. The police also intervened and arrested our Good Samaritan on DUI charges. As we wheeled the passenger / blunt-trauma victim to the back of the ambulance, he shouted towards the police car “I love you bro! You saved my life!”

I don’t know about you, but I have a sneaking suspicion that this wasn’t what the American Heart Association had in mind they started promoting community CPR.

 


If John Wayne was a Paramedic

If there is one thing that is certain in life, it’s that John Wayne was one rough, tough, dude that didn’t take no crap off nobody. If you are anything like me, then you have probably thoroughly enjoyed his old western flicks and war-time movies. There is no doubt that he was very successful as an actor. But what would have happened if he had chosen a different career path? Personally, I think that a career in EMS would have been right up his alley. So now we must ask ourselves the question:

What kind of paramedic would John Wayne be? 

Shifts

While Mr. Wayne would be available day and night, it wouldn’t be very wise to require his services during the night when he is sleeping. He also wouldn’t cover a specific area as he is constantly on the move during the day.

Response

John Wayne wouldn’t need to respond to calls for medical aid as disease processes know better than to mess with “The Duke”. Chances are, any patients of his would be people that he shot or beat up. This of course wouldn’t leave much for Mr. Wayne to do as most of the people that found themselves in that position would either be dead or incapacitated.

Scene Safety

The Duke laughs at the possibility of an “unsafe scene”. As a matter of fact, any person wishing to cause harm to John Wayne would have to stage and wait for clearance for their own safety.

Protocols

Being that The Duke is more “old school” his protocols would be rather simple and could be summarized into the following categories:

  • Pain Management – Consists of breaking a finger or limb to take the pain away from the original injury.

  • Trauma Care – The walking wounded would be told to “walk it off”, the severely injured would be shot.

  • Medical Emergencies – Refer back to “trauma care” and “pain management”.

Equipment

Trauma shears, cardiac monitors, stethoscopes and IV catheters are great for urban EMS providers, but are over-kill for The Duke’s service. He would need a rather simple and light set of tools that he could easily carry on a horse. Given the simple nature of his protocols, all he would really need is the following:

  • Whiskey – The only thing carried in his “medicine bag”. Used for infection control and to either get his patients or himself drunk.

  • Rope – Used to tie his patients behind his horse to bring into town for definitive care.

  • Gun – Utilized for putting severely ill and injured patients “out of their misery”.

Conclusion

In paramedic school we often teach the “KISS” (keep it simple, stupid) method of patient care. John Wayne would be a great example of how that can be effective. He would operate a cost-effective service as he wouldn’t need to transport very many people (see trauma and medical protocols) and he wouldn’t require first responders or law enforcement to assist him. His resourcefulness, ability to adapt, simplicity of care and ability to kick some serious ass would make him a perfect candidate for a job in EMS.

Do you have an idea for next week’s “Celebrity Medic”? Feel free to comment below or e-mail me at sean@medicmadness.com.


If Spongebob Squarepants was a Paramedic

This week I reached out to people over Twitter and Facebook to see who should be the next “Celebrity Medic”. I received a ton of great responses and I had a hard time choosing, so I consulted my wife and my daughter to help me pick out the best one. It took them about 3 seconds to choose @paramedicintern‘s recommendation, so here it is!

Our “Celebrity Medic” this week features a rather young fellow that has lit up children’s TV screens for several years now. While he currently has a steady job working as a grill-chef at Bikini Bottom’s popular “Krusty Crab”, he may one day decide to further his career and pursue another line of work that doesn’t include flipping burgers and cleaning floors. So why not go after a job in EMS? I can’t think of a better job for a young man with such the ambition and work ethic that he has. So let’s ask ourselves the question of the week:

What kind of paramedic would Spongebob Squarepants be?

Shifts

While Spongebob is used to the standard 9-5 shift, he has plenty of energy to work nights, weekends and any other time that he would be needed. It would be my guess that with all of his energy and enthusiasm, he would probably be on-duty 24/7.

Response

Spongebob isn’t exactly a real high-tech kid, so I would imagine that he would utilize the traditional 2-way radio and quick-call system to be notified of emergencies. This could easily be done by modifying his “ship-horn” alarm clock to be used as a quick-call bell. This would also help to ensure that he never misses a call.

Dispatch

The dispatch center for Spongebob’s ambulance service would be located 2 doors down from his current headquarters. Of course, the dispatching would be handled by none other than Patrick Star. While Patrick doesn’t exactly possess the intelligence to effectively run a dispatch center, he is loyal and is the only person that can truly communicate well with Spongebob.

Partner

Squidward Tentacles would be a good match for working with Spongebob as he already has experience dealing with him in the workplace. However, he would match the stereotype as the disgruntled, burnt-out partner. He would also have to handle all of the driving as Spongebob doesn’t currently have his boating license.

Hospitals

Bikini-bottom would be served by 2 main hospitals. KMC (Krusty Medical-Center) would be operated by Mr. Eugene Crabbs and would feature cardiac, stroke, OB and trauma capabilities. While they would provide all levels of emergency care, they would primarily specialize in fish-hook and gill-net injuries. CBR (Chum Bucket Regional) would be run by Plankton and wouldn’t be nearly as popular as it wouldn’t offer any specialty services and wouldn’t have any insurance contracts.

Treatment

Spongebob would specialize in trauma care as he can easily mold himself around his patient’s body to form either a splint or a backboard. He can also soak up lost blood for re-transfusion when they arrive at the hospital. During his down time, he may also be called by the local police department to mop up crime scenes.

Conclusion

Spongebob’s ambition, caring personality and energy would make him a perfect fit for a job in EMS. He would be sure to serve Bikini Bottom well.

Have an idea for next weeks “Celebrity Medic”?. E-Mail me or tell over Twitter with the #celebritymedic hashtag. 


If Anthony Weiner was a Paramedic

This weeks “Celebrity Medic” features a young politician who has stolen the news headlines over the past couple months. With all the recent negative publicity, and his recent resignation from congress, many of us are left to wonder where Mr. Weiner’s career is going to take him. Now that he has left office, what is he going to do next? Well, this would be the perfect opportunity for him to take up a job in the pre-hospital medical field. After all, we are used to negative press and public scrutiny. A job like this would be right up Mr. Wiener’s alley. So that of course leaves us to ask the question of the week:

What kind of Paramedic would Anthony Weiner be?

 Shifts

People working at Mr. Weiner’s ambulance service wouldn’t work the traditional 12 or 24-hour shifts. Instead they would work in “sessions” that wouldn’t include weekends, holidays and the majority of the summer.

Documentation

Patient care reports would come in 2 parts for Mr. Weiner’s EMS service. The first report would be completed and made available for viewing immediately after the incident. This report would be reviewed and investigated for accuracy over the course of a couple weeks. A second, revised version of the report would then be released to correct errors and inconsistencies from the previous report.

Radio Reports

Anthony Weiner is one to take advantage of what modern technology has to offer. Rather than utilize the age-old standard of communicating through 2-way radios, he would use social-media to his advantage. Instead of just giving a verbal report of his findings, he would use his cell-phone to take pictures of his patient’s body parts in order to provide a thorough report of what he found during his assessment. These pictures would of course be posted on Twitter and addressed to the nurses at the receiving hospital.

Uniform

Mr. Weiner probably thinks trauma pants and jump suits are a dying trend. He isn’t one to conform to the traditional EMS standard of uniforms. Instead, he would wear tight, gray, “trauma-shorts” and a small, white, uniform shirt. This would allow for flexibility and comfort during the hotter times of the year.

Management

Mr. Wiener’s EMS service would require strict supervision. Fortunately, this would be provided by other former politicians who come to the service with more experience from similar backgrounds. The service would be headed by Operation’s Manager, Bill Clinton. While he is little more “old-school” and not as well versed in the on-line technology that the service utilizes, he certainly comes with great wisdom and a lot of background in employee-relations. Second in command would be handled by none other than former California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger. His background in keeping internal affairs confidential would prove to be extremely useful.

Conclusion

With Anthony’s departure from congress, this is the perfect time for him to take on a new career in the pre-hospital medical field. His public relations skills, knowledge of social-media and extensive education in human anatomy make him a perfect fit for a job as a paramedic.


Game On

I consider myself to be an easy-going guy with a good sense of humor. I can take most any prank and it takes an act of god to offend me. But just know that I can dish it out just as good as I can take it.

Now I can appreciate taking advantage of the couple minutes that my unit was unlocked while I wasn’t looking. And I can appreciate turning off the main battery while turning on both sirens, the emergency lights, the flood lights, the heater and the rear vent. I get it, I had it coming. I let my guard down and you jumped on the once in a lifetime opportunity. I can also laugh at the glove-chickens that you littered the back of my ambulance with. Cute. Like I said, I’m a good sport.

There are, however, a few things you must know. I know who you are, and I know what unit you are assigned. You can lock your doors religiously, but it won’t be enough. You see, the tricks you pulled are the oldest in the book, and I gave you the golden opportunity that few others have ever had. What you also don’t know is that I’m the messiah of EMS pranks. I won’t strike now. No, because your expecting it. Instead I’ll be watching from a distance. Lurking in the shadows. Waiting. Just waiting for that one golden opportunity that WILL come.

So enjoy your moment. You got me. However I won’t say you got me good, because you aint’ seen good yet.

 


If the “Windows” Operating System Was a Paramedic

This week’s “Celebrity Medic” is unique as this is the first time that I have featured an operating system. Sure, it may seem unreasonable, but with Amazon’s server crash and SkyNet taking over, Mr. Gates may need to take his software development in a different direction. So when the machines rise and the war on artificial intelligence begins, let’s hope that we still have a few “ones and zeros” on our side. So when our army of bloated, over-priced, buggy, windows-powered paramedic robots come to our aid, we must ask ourselves:

What kind of a paramedic would the Windows Operating System be?

Shifts

The windows operating system wouldn’t function well on a 24 hour shift as it would require several breaks, or re-boots if you will. My guess is the medic-bots would see optimal performance when run under short intervals.

Response

Unlike humans, computers don’t respond well to radio traffic. Instead, Windows would utilize their “error reporting” feature to notify the medic-bots of a medical emergency. I guess the only catch is making sure people don’t just close down that little box when it pops up on their screen…..

Scene Safety

Robots have the advantage of not worrying about potentially dangerous scenarios as they can pretty much defend themselves from any physical harm that a human would attempt. However, being that the medic-bots rely on “Internet Explorer” to navigate their way to the calls, they would have to worry about catching spyware and viruses. To combat this, police-bots would be dispatched with anti-virus and anti-spyware programs installed for protection.

Protocols

While the actual written language of the medic-bot’s protocols are not available for public viewing, it is known that the Windows OS would utilize power-cycles, reboots, error messages and blue-screens to treat any disease process.

Billing

It should be noted that the medic-bots are for single-patient only. Each person utilizing their service would have to acquire a user-license, which come in 6 different packages:

  • Home Medical Basic Edition – $89.99 per user
    -BLS measures only with no trauma care enabled.
  • Home Trauma Basic Edition – $89.99 per user
    -BLS measures only with no medical care enabled.
  • Medical Professional Edition – $169.99 per user
    -
    ALS medical with BLS trauma included.
  • Trauma Professional Edition – $169.99 per user
    -ALS trauma with BLS medical included.
  • Paramedic Premium Edition – $399.99 per user
    -
    Complete pre-hospital care with ALS trauma and medical.
  • Basic Response Edition – Comes free with the robot
    -Only obtains AMA’s.

Conclusion

Some of you might worry about using robots in the war against robots, but worry not. The Windows Operating System is powered on money. In the event that the OS turns on it’s human creators, just hide your wallets and eventually it will refuse to function.

Have an idea for next weeks “Celebrity Medic”? E-mail me at sean@medicmadness.com


If Dwight Schrute Was a Paramedic

March is here, and what better way to kick off “The Office” month then a Celebrity Medic write up on Dwight K. Schrute? With his boss leaving the cast, it is uncertain where Mr. Schrute will find himself. Some speculate that he will take over as office manager, while others think that perhaps he too will look for other forms of employment. Personally, I think Dwight and the rest of the office staff should turn their business around and start an ambulance service. So let’s kick off “The Office” month with the question we have all been waiting to answer:

What kind of paramedic would Dwight Schrute be?

Shifts

While it would appear that Dwight prefers the 9-5 schedule, he would actually be on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You wouldn’t know this because he would be an under-cover paramedic.

Response

Dwight isn’t one for relying on other people to call-take and dispatch his calls for help. Instead he would have his calls routed to his work phone at Dunder Mifflin. Being that Dwight takes a more investigative approach to patient care, his patients would not be calling him directly for help. Instead, random people would call into his anonymous tip line to alert him of ill and injured people in the public. He would then set out to find them and take appropriate action.

Vehicle

Being that Dwight works under-cover, the traditional ambulance or first-responder vehicle wouldn’t be sufficient. Instead he would continue to drive his red 1987 Pontiac Firebird and utilize his police detective light to operate code-3 when necessary. His vehicle would also be equipped with archives of Mötley Crüe albums to get him pumped up in the back seat before entering the scene of a call.

Scene Safety

With Dwight’s experience as a volunteer sheriffs deputy, his large arsenal of weapons, and his training in Goju Ryu, I think it’s safe to say that he would not have to be cleared into a potentially dangerous scene. However, it would still be a good idea to respond the authorities to make sure that no unnecessary force was used.

Treatment

Dwight doesn’t like doing on-scene work, and transporting to the hospital isn’t quite his style either. Instead Mr. Schrute would transport the ill and injured to his 9 bedroom house on his beet farm, where they would be sheltered and medically evaluated by his partner Moses. Dwight would keep emergency medications hidden around the house in places like ceiling panels, the toaster, under the bed and inside the light fixtures. This would allow for quick and easy access in the event of a medical emergency. Trauma care would consist of old-fashioned techniques like “walk it off” or “suck it up”.

In the wild, there is no healthcare. In the wild, healthcare is “ow, I hurt my leg, I can’t run, a lion eats me, and I’m dead.” Well, I’m not dead. I’m the lion………your dead.

-Dwight K Schrute

Uniform

For Dwight’s under-cover job as a paramedic, the traditional EMS uniform wouldn’t cut it. Instead he would continue to wear his mustard-colored shirt and tie with a badge on his belt labeled “DMEMS”, which stands for “Dunder Mifflin Emergency Medical Services”.

Specialties

While Dwight is fairly well versed in all forms of medical care, he is especially educated in treatment of bear attacks, and organ harvesting.

Conclusion

Almost all of Dwights talents would give him an upper hand when it comes to pre-hospital care. His experience in sales would give him the ability to talk patients into going to the hospital while his training in investigations would allow him to complete a thorough assessment. In addition, his knowledge of trauma, experience as a sheriff’s deputy, ability to adapt and knowledge of the outdoors would make him a perfect candidate for a job in EMS.

Stay tuned for next weeks “Celebrity Medic” to find out which Office character will be the next to take up a job in EMS.



Yes Pain

If you have been working in EMS for longer than 2 seconds then you have probably come across this type of scenario:

(Patient involved in minor traffic accident)

Sean – I’m going to asses you for injuries, let me know if anything hurts.

Patient – Oh that hurts! (left shoulder)

Sean – OK, how about your arm?

Patient – Yes

Sean  - On a scale of 10 out of…

Patient – 10! Definitely 10!

Sean – Any pain in your chest when I palpate it?

Patient – Yes!

Sean – How about your right arm?

Patient – Yes!

Sean – Any pain in your abdomen when I push….

Patient – Oh yes, it hurts.

Sean – ……ok……how about your left foot?

Patient – Yes that hurts too.

(you can see where this is going)

Ever wonder how you document this or explain it to the nursing staff when you transfer care? I used to use phrases like “generalized body pain with no obvious deformities or signs of trauma”, now I just call it “yes pain”.

(Back at the ER)

Nurse – Whatcha got?

Sean – Patient involved in a 10mph rear-end collision, no LOC, restrained, no airbag deployment, no passenger space intrusion, self-extricated, only complaining of “yes pain”.

Nurse – ……..yes pain?

Sean – Yea, just ask the patient if it hurts.

Nurse – If what hurts?

Sean – Anything…..

Nurse – (starting to get the picture) um, sir does your left hip hurt?

Patient – Yes!

Nurse – *sigh*……point taken, ready for a signature?

I fully expect the publishers of the medical dictionaries to be contacting me anytime now.


If Weird Al Yankovic Was a Paramedic

This week’s Celebrity Medic is someone that I grew up listening to. His creative parodies bring laughter to people all over the world. From “Fat” to “Amish Paradise”, he has shown the world that there just simply isn’t a song in existence that can’t be re-written. But lately he has been relatively quiet. Some speculate that he is enjoying an early retirement, while others wonder if he might have just run out of material. Either way, now is his golden opportunity for a career change. And as you might have guessed, I think a job in pre-hospital care would be right up his alley.

So on to the question of the week: What kind of paramedic would Weird Al be?

Shifts

I would imagine that Mr. Yankovic wouldn’t be assigned to a specific area, but would travel around the country working 2-3 hours at a time.

Protocols

The protocols for Weird Al’s ambulance service wouldn’t be written in the traditional format. Instead they would be written in the form of songs like “Shock It”, “Myocardial Paradise” and “The Intubation Polka”.

Treatment

If laughter is the best medicine, then working in EMS is right up Weird Al’s alley. Rather than actually treat conditions, he would mock the disease processes and mechanisms of injury until the patient feels better.

Partner

There is only one person who could work with Weird Al, and I think we all know who it is. Cledus T Judd.

Uniform

There is no one uniform that would work for Weird Al’s service. He would have to quickly change into various costumes to match the patients condition in order to carry out his treatment plans. For example, drug overdose patients would require a costume resembling a large syringe, while victims of a vehicle collision would require a tow-truck drivers uniform.

Conclusion

While Mr. Yankovic has no formal training or background in the medical field, his ability to create laughter and his creative mind would make him a perfect fit in the pre-hospital field.

So now for your viewing pleasures, one of my favorite Weird Al videos.