mvfire8989

For anyone who may be interested in starting to lose weight the physiology of metabolism is helpful/interesting. As far as balancing calories taken in versus how many we use, by far the most efficient way to lose weight is by eating less. Only 15% of the calories we burn each day are from activity. The other 85% we have no control over. So while exercise is very important, it is equally or more important to eat a healthy balanced diet.

So you want to lose a pound of fat? Here's the math. 1 pound of fat is 3500 calories, so to lose that pound you must either increase your activity level to burn that extra pound or cut out 3500 calories. Cutting out 500 calories a day (7*500 = 3500 ) puts you at a 1 pound a week loss. This level is generally accepted as a safe amount of weight loss.

Stay healthy and stay safe!

I will have to see if I can find it online again but there was a medical article that clearly put some of the auspice on the doctor who sat on scene too long. It also discussed that standard U.S. trauma protocol that if in a metropolitan area similar to where she was between EMS and trauma center she more then likely would have survived. At least she would have had a higher statistical chance of survival depending on where there bleed was.

I agree that they stayed on scene too long, I'm just saying that the outcome wouldn't have been different if if was an paramedic on scene or a doctor. No one should be "staying and playing." Her survival rested on access to definitive care in an OR.

That was my point...but I was doing it in a more round about way in my tongue in cheek way. More then likely in any American urban setting they have said she would have survived

I don't think that having a physician on scene contributed to her death, it was the failure to arrive in an OR in a timely fashion. If the ER docs tried to medically manage in the hospital the outcome would be the same.

The additional expertise that the physician brings is only valuable if there is a reason for an extended on scene time, and they have additional tools/meds at their disposal.

I would imagine that there are not many limitations. Scope of practice limitations do not really apply to an MD.

What can the EMS M.D. do intervention wise? Pain Management, Field Amputation, Surgical Procedures (chest tube, cricothorotomy)?

"spending money to protect a people we essentially put there" Hmmmm not sure what this means, bc last I checked the US really doesn't kick people out.

We helped establish the state of Israel after WW2, in what was essentially an arab dominated area.

Israel is still I believe one of our biggest exporters of military equipment. An argument can be made that they have the, if not some of the best fighter trained pilots both helo and aircraft. Not to mention their infantry and SOG capabilities.

We may export a lot of military equipment to Israel, but how much of that do THEY pay for.

Plus the Saddam, Hamas, Hezbollah, Radical Islamic groups, and the crazies in Iran want Israel wiped off the face of the earth. All because Jews live there. Saddam before his demise would have loved to be known as the next killer of the Jews.

True, but this is a situation that the UN or western powers created.

But you have to respect the IDF, they don't mess around, they will even tell you that if you shoot another rocket at them that there will be consequences, and yet when they do retaliate CNN jumps all over them.

If anything Israel is really our one real ally in the region. The Saudi's yeah they use our equipment, but would they come to our aid if we asked for it. I wouldn't hold your breath.

I took a national security class my senior year in college in 2003 and the topic was the Chinese procurement of an aircraft carrier which if anyone has read in the last few months is starting to reach operational level. If they get another one and build there navy up a bit, then you a war over Taiwan, and possibly China invading Vietnam.

Licensure vs certificate has no bearing on the perception of EMS as a career or just a job. It has zero bearing on our pay or our respect as profession. Its a semantics argument and nothing more. Guess what, doctors and nurses have to regularly recertify with their various boards through testing and continuing education. Instead of paying the state for our license and then some private group for their seal of a[[roval we just have to pay the state to retest us. I don't want someone stepping away for a few years and then being able to come back and work just because they've been paying their dues. We b**** constantly about the decrease in standards yet people would encourage something like this??

I completely agree with this. I asked the question to see if by licensure FD828 was implying a lifetime ability to practice as a medic without any further testing. I am a medical student now, facing 3 more years of education to get my M.D., followed by a minimum of 3 years of residency to receive my full board certification and medical license. At that time, I will still need to retest every so often to maintain my board certification, as well as a CME requirement. I don't see any traction for changing the medic to something that would not require testing.

Does anyone think this will be a first step towards a licensure as apposed to a certification? It would be income coming in every year as apposed to going out. I am not holding my breath, but it would be nice.

Could you elaborate on how a licensure would be different from the current certification process?

Josh, that may be true. But for your patient's medications that you don't know do what, it can pay to have that pocket guide.

Case in point:

72 y/o male with a meds list longer than the Declaration of Independence. On that list there's Alendronate, Aggrenox, & Pacerone.

Now, if you didn't have that pocket guide, how else would you know that Alendronate is for osteoperosis, Aggrenox is an anti-platet,& Pacerone is an anti-arrythmic?

Don't get me wrong, if you're literally being a cook book EMT and using the field guide to get you through a call, there's a major problem. But that doesn't mean it shouldn't be used when appropriate.

Mike

I see your point with that. However, for the most part having an intimate knowledge of that medication will not affect your patient care at the EMT-B level since you won't be addressing the underlying conditions it the field. It is far more important for the ED to know what meds the patient is on than it is for you to know their action.

Hi all,

I'm a new EMT-B and was wondering if anybody could recommend any pocket / field guide for BLS? I am looking for a way to do a quick refresh en route to a call, since I am still 'green' and don't have much EMS experience beyond my EMT cert course and a few months with my VAC (and calls on my shifts have been few and far between, so not seeing a lot of action). I don't want to have to review the entire course text if there's a good guide out there that I can carry with (I'm looking specifically for something that can help with e.g. what the SAMPLE question variations should be for various calls, and other info that normally can only be learned through time in-service). I've seen a couple of standard field guides but wondering if they are worth the $30 or so...

Any / all thoughts (including whether this is a bad idea) are appreciated -

Stay safe

-willdog

While I think that its normal to feel uncomfortable as a new EMT, refreshing on the way to a call is really not the way to go. You owe it to your patients to be a competent provider before you respond as the EMT on a call. If your VAC is pushing for you to ride solo before you think your ready that is something you need to address. As far as medical histories go SAMPLE should be about the same for all of your patients. Your OPQRST questions really don't change either. The basis behind that is to get an idea of what is going on with the present illness, and one of the best ways to do that is with open ended questions if you listen to your patient they will tell you most of the pertinent details you need to know. Just remember your ABC's and use some common sense when your getting a history and you will be fine.

- Josh

(EMT-B, MD Candidate, NYMC)

Maybe I'm missing something, but what day is it?

Date is in the title of the post - 10/6/11

But by the time you get the Hurst tool pulled out and started up, and then open the doors.....LOL

If you break the window you can then open the door. (Remember the doors presumably operate once unlocked in an undamaged car) I think it goes along with the whole try before you pry thing they teach us all in FF1 lol.

Westchester Community College will offer two EMT Classes this summer. Both classes will be held at the OSSINING EXTENSION Site 22 Rocklege Ave (Arcadian Shopping Center). Each class earns 5 college credits. EVENING CLASS June 1 - August 18 MON thru Wed eve 6:30 - 9:30 PM. The Day class will start

JULY 5, 2011 and run Monday thru Thursday 9a - 4 p. State exam is also August 18th. Further information: 914 606 6507. www.sunywcc.edu

Is there a refresher available?

The length of time that this application is open is too long. This goes for all other agencies around the United States. Application Openings should only be open for a week at the most to eliminate high applicant numbers/people taking the test. Fire and Police tests are way to popular now and millions jump on these tests.

To me it seems like a good idea to allow as many people to apply as possible, and then progressively narrow down the applicants until you select those who are best qualified. But... I guess we could just select our firefighters and police officers based on who can fill the application out the quickest, that would be a much better system.

The problem with foreign aid is that the US government has no mechanism or apparatus to ensure that the billions we dump into our "national interests" overseas actually makes a difference. The money rarely, if ever in the worst cases, gets to the people and programs who need it the most.....it often becomes bolus of cash for corrupt leaders and/or regimes.

While that may sometimes be true, some of our money is making a difference. This program for example does have mechanisms in place to ensure that our tax dollars are being well spent.

My link

I stand by my post. I said foreign aid was tens of billions of dollars and it is. I still think it should be reduced (not elminated).

You are correct that about the amount of foreign aid. The point I was trying to make is that it is a tiny portion of the overall budget. Our non-defense discretionary spending, where all of the budget cuts are being proposed amounts to about 15% of the total budget. The total budget proposed for FY2012 is $3.69 trillion, 15% of this is $500 billion using round numbers. We could eliminate this completely and STILL be running a deficit of $700 Billion dollars. (total projected deficit is around $1.2trillion) Eliminate all the foreign aid you want we still won't be making any fundamental changes.

If we attack some of the entitlement spending, then we would be in a much better place to expand domestic spending where we need it.

Food for thought: My link

I have been saying this for YEARS. The amount of money we just give away every year is appalling, and in these times that's what id cut first.

Might want to check your facts before saying that it is an appalling amount. Foreign aid is actually a very small portion of the budget. We could eliminate it entirely and it wouldn't make a dent in the deficit. However, it could cause more expensive foreign policy issues down the road.

Check these out:

Surprise! Americans want to 'slash' foreign aid – to 10 times its ...

Obama’s 2011 Budget Proposal: How It’s Spent

Rest in peace captain. My condolences to the family and friends of Capt. Iaccino.

May Firefighter Patrick Joyce rest in peace. A Hero in every sense of the word. God bless the family and friends of FF Joyce. Let us never forget his sacrifice and may we learn from the his life and death of selflessness, service and sacrifice.

"When you pass through waters, I will be with you. And when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep you over. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; and the flames will not set you ablaze." -Isaiah 43:2

RIP May your service not be forgotten.

#123210

If you are certified in New York, contact the PA Dept. of Health and it is simply a matter of filling out the required forms and sending a copy of your certification to receive reciprocity in PA. The process only takes a few weeks.

Thoughts and Prayers for a full and speedy recovery.

Troop 271

Mahopac Falls

2007

how about using the trusty trauma shears and cutting the blade so that you can lay him on the board??

I don't think shears would cut through a steel blade.

That is true... I mean, the Democrats, had a sex scandal... not like those clean "I crap with a wide stance" Republicans. At least Spitzer was with a woman instead of the 12 year old boys that the Republican leadership has as their "core" audience. And we ALL know that the Republican mayor of NYC was very faithful... to his mistress. I can go on.. I have around 16 more Republican stories that happened in the last 10 years if you need em, like the Speaker of the House, etc. And I just because you start a sentence with "I don't want to offend anyone" it doesn't cancel out the offending you do immediately after. As a general rule in life, if you have to start a sentence with "I don't want to offend" then, if you actually do not want to offend, stop there.

I completely agree. Scandal occurs regardless of these politicians ideology and policy positions. Making the link between a party and the likeliness of some kind of scandal occurring is completely unfounded as others including mfkap stated. The discussion over this event should only concern Gov. Spitzer as an individual, not if he has a R or a D associated with his name. Lets discuss this without our own partisan biases.