EMT Stories

EMT stories are sometimes hard to find. Good EMT stories are even harder to find. A lot of the people who visit my site are looking for a good story. I’m currently working on some, but sadly, I have to check and double check them to make sure I don’t violate HIPPA. I’m all for protecting my patients’ privacy, but I hate the fact that we live in such a litigious society.

Speaking of lawyers…. I recently found out that one of our local private EMS companies is owned by a trial lawyer. Conflict of interest? I think so. This guy doesn’t even have to be an ambulance chaser… He owns the joint.




Well, here are some places you can get some good ambulance stories while I work on more of mine. First of all, check out http://www.ems1.com/ems-blogs/ This is a great website that has a lot of information for EMTs and paramedics. This link goes to their blog listing, but be sure to check out the whole site. You’ll want to take a look at it if you are in school as well, so you can get a feel for what’s going on out there. This site is totally free.

Now I’d like to mention a couple of great books. I would recommend these to anyone looking for ambulance stories. If you are thinking about EMT training but you’re still not sure, these books could help you decide if this career is right for you.

I’d like to recommend "EMS: The Job of Your Life ." Here is a book that touches on the daily work of EMTs and paramedics in a way that is honest and easy to understand. This book is a great read for the general public, and as an eye opener for those who are considering EMS as a career. If you are a seasoned professional, this book will bring back memories.

Next I’d like to tell you about "En Route: A Paramedic's Stories of Life, Death, and Everything in Between ." This book is down to Earth and realistic. Reading this will put you behind the eyes of this rural Louisiana paramedic. This book will tell you about saving lives, and watching them slip away. From heart attack to stroke, from car wreck to drunk, this book is hard to put down. You can also check out this author’s blog at http://www.ems1.com/ems-blogs/ It is called A Day In The Life of an Ambulance Driver.

Last but not least… Do you think you want to be an EMT, but you’re not sure if you have the stomach for it? Read “My Ambulance Education: Life and Death on the Streets of the City
.” This book is gritty and graphic. It goes into great detail on the injuries and sickness this EMT saw on the streets of New York. It’s a great read, but it’s not pretty. Of course, life on the ambulance isn’t pretty.
I hope you’ll enjoy these great blogs and books!

We’re Fat. Are You Surprised?

I won’t be shocking most of you by telling you we as a nation are obese. I work rotating 12hr shifts. On any given day, I hear dispatch send two or three units a day to get the bariatric stretcher. When we have any emergency that involves an obese patient it eats up our resources.

We call the bariatric stretcher the fatillac. If you run three bariatric calls in one shift, we call it a fat trick (a reference to the hockey term hat trick).

I was recently involved in a call where the patient weighed over 500lbs. It took myself, my partner, and four firemen to carry this man down three flights of stairs. We had to stop at each landing and rest. I don’t even want to think about what that call would have been like if it was a cardiac arrest.

Every day I work, I transport patients whose health problems are caused by their weight. Bad knees, back pain, type II diabetes, difficulty breathing, cardiac problems, cellulitis. All of these are largely caused by obesity.

Many of you probably don’t know what cellulitis is. Cellulitis is a skin infection. It generally causes a great deal of swelling. It smells terrible. When a person is morbidly obese, they lose their ability to keep themselves clean. Combine this with the wounds and poor healing qualities associated with type II diabetes and you have a real risk of getting this infection. Let me add one more piece of the puzzle. If you are obese and suffering the effects, you will end up in the hospital. This is where you will most likely come into contact with the types of bacteria that cause cellulitis.

Many people who are morbidly obese are on disability. The irony is not lost on me. I get my salary by running calls, but I have taxes taken out of my paycheck to pay for the call that I’m running… Did that last couple of sentences make any sense?

More than ever before, we share the cost for each others health care. I’m not going to get into the politics of that here. But I do want to express my feelings. I feel we more than ever have a national responsibility to take care of ourselves. We can’t keep sticking each other with the bill.

I didn’t realize my blog was going to get so preachy. Next post will be a good EMT story. I swear!

Are you in an EMT training course? Here are some Online EMT and Paramedic Practice Tests

An EMT Story

This story is fictional. Any resemblance to any person living or dead is purely coincidental. This story didn’t happen to me, but it’s a good one.

We were dispatched non emergency to a residence to pick up two patients in need of transport to the hospital. That was all dispatch had for us. We arrived minutes later to find a very upset mother of two. She told us her two teenage children had come into contact with a raccoon that tested positive for rabies. At this point, you have my attention.

We gathered the teenage brother and sister and asked them to get in the back of the truck. After everyone was belted in safely, I took a set of vitals. Then it was story time. I asked them what happened. Here’s what they told me.

They were walking home from their after school jobs at a local greasy spoon (where their mother happened to be the manager). During the short walk home they saw a raccoon get hit by a car. It was still daylight, and if they had thought about it, that would have been their first warning sign. Raccoons are nocturnal. Raccoons you see during the day can usually be considered to be ill.

The two animal lovers stopped to give the raccoon aid. The boy had his gym clothes with him and wrapped the raccoon up in them. They began to take the raccoon home where they intended to nurse it back to health.

They were only a few houses from home when the raccoon died. The teenage brother and sister decided to take their heroics to an even higher level by performing CPR. A neighbor witnessed this and asked them as politely as she could; what the hell were they doing?

The teens relayed their story to the neighbor. She smartly called their mother, who promptly called animal control. The tests came back positive for rabies, and the mother called 911 wanting the kids to be taken to the hospital by trained personnel.

When you get a call like this, you have a choice to make. You can get angry over peoples ignorance, or you can see the humor in it and enjoy the experience. I started my career in EMS for two reasons. 1. My desire to do something worth while. 2. I love a good story.

I feel like some of my best calls come after my patient says “Hey! Watch this!!!” You just have to remember to treat everyone with respect. Treat them well even if they are ignorant, or undereducated.

Are you in an EMT training course? Here are some Online EMT and Paramedic Practice Tests

It's Not About You

Our society is more than a little egocentric. We have forgotten things like the Golden Rule. “Do unto other as you would have done to yourself.” This trend has most definitely found its way into emergency medicine. I see it in ambulance crews, emergency rooms, and nursing homes.

Many of us have forgotten why we got into the business. Others got into the business for all the wrong reasons. Some of us are just burned out. If you’re not in emergency medicine to help your fellow man, then you should probably find another way to make a living. If you are considering a job in emergency medicine and you’re not interested in helping others, please don’t waste your time.

I have stopped hanging out with the other crews at the hospital (for the most part). I’m tired of the negativity and the complaining. I work with some folks who complain every time they get a call. I work with others who complain every time it’s not a major emergency. I have news for them. 90% of our calls are not a major emergency. The simple truth is that most of our patients need a primary care physician and not an ambulance.

It’s all about attitude. You can let it get to you. You can get mad. I ran a call last year over ear wax/ear pain. Truthfully, it annoyed me a little, but I didn’t let it ruin my day. My partner and I still make ear wax jokes. We carry around a travel pack of Q-Tips now.

I’m lucky to work with someone who has a good attitude. He and I decided to spend each day running the calls we’re given, having as much fun as we can, and helping where we can. It has really changed our work experience and how we feel about our jobs. We laugh and generally have a good time. We have adopted an attitude of service. Our patients notice a difference, and so do we. We have patients who ask for us by name if we’re not the ones who arrive.

If you are studying to be an EMT or paramedic I have some advice for you. Never let go of the attitude of service. Be on the street to help your fellow man. Help them no matter what their race, creed, or situation is. Some folks will need your skills. Others will just be looking for a ride. If you go into every situation with the desire to help and be positive, you’re day will be much happier.

For those of you on the streets who have forgotten why you are there I have this advice. Don’t take yourself so seriously. Stop acting like you are carrying the cross. Remember your sense of humor, and treat every patient like you would want your loved ones treated. Keep your dignity and help them keep theirs. Don’t talk about your patients like they are not in the room with you.

It doesn’t matter if you are a Christian or practice any other major or new age religion. Remember this. You get out of the world what you put into it. If you treat people like crap, you’ll receive crap. If you look for a reason to complain, you will find one. Look for a reason to laugh. It’s the cheapest and best medicine there is.



Are you in an EMT training course? Here are some Online EMT and Paramedic Practice Tests

What Is The Difference Between An EMT And A Paramedic

I'm often asked the difference between an EMT and a Paramedic. EMT's are considered BLS or basic life support providers. Paramedics are considered ALS or advanced life support providers. I can still hear you asking what the difference is. Here is the rundown.

There are several levels of care. 1. First Responders. This is the most basic level of care. First Responders know CPR and first aid. The job of the First Responder is to provide simple but immediate care until more advanced help arrives. Many police officers and volunteer firefighters are First Responders.

2. EMT-B (When the new federal changes go through, this will be called EMT). The EMT-Basic provides a higher level of care. The EMT-B has more in depth training. The EMT-B takes courses in pharmacology that allow the basic to assist in drug administration. The EMT-B is also allowed in most states to use advanced airways such as the Combitube or King Airway. These allow the EMT-B to secure the airway when a patient isn't breathing. The EMT-B is the lowest level of care allowed to transport a patient in most states.

3. EMT-I (When the new federal changes go through, this will be called the EMT Advanced). The EMT Intermediate provides all the care listed above, but is also able to provide IV therapy. This allows the intermediate to give fluids to treat shock, dextrose to treat diabetics, and to simply provide intravenous access for use by a paramedic or nurse at the hospital.

4.EMT-P. The paramedic. The word paramedic in Latin means before the hospital. Thats what they do. They provide the top of the line pre-hospital care to patients. Paramedics have longer training than the EMT. They are able to administer medications to relieve pain, help the heart, stop seizures, and treat the lungs. The paramedic receives a longer course in cardiology and can use and interpret heart monitors. Medics can also intubate. This is the practice of inserting a tube directly into the trachea to secure the airway of a person who is not breathing.

To sum it up, paramedics have more training and the ability to administer more drugs and the most advanced airways. This takes nothing away from the role of the EMT. Many calls can be run by EMTs alone. Childbirth is considered a BLS or EMT level call. One thing to consider is that with the paramedics advanced training comes more liability, and more responsibility.

I'm an EMT myself. I like to think of myself as my medic's hands free kit. I love my job. I get to help my community, and be in the center of the action.

Are you in an EMT training course? Here are some Online EMT and Paramedic Practice Tests