Ep 41 Rescue and Big Events

(45:33) Has it only been a week since our last episode? For Ron it seems like a month. Here everything you wanted to know about spinal immobi….oops I mean spinal motion restriction. Kelly will tell you how he really feels about strapping people to backboards.

We also talk rural medicine. Get a cool tip on Rapid Trauma Assessment.

Ron also spent some time looking for the lost, hanging upside down, and falling down in 6 inches of water last weekend. Learn a little about search and rescue. Then he spent a day dealing with trauma at a big even in Houston on Sunday.

Enough with the teasing, this week we announce the EMS Newbie EMS World Essay contest.

Mentions:

CT staffing company
Joe Paczkowski’s Comment on Spinal immobilization comment with good references.
Paramedicine 101 Correction to Spine Immobilization in Penetrating Trauma: More Harm Than Good
Farm Medic Course
Rescue Training International

Listener Questions

I’m a new fan of your podcast; thanks for this resource! I’m a new EMT-B and looking for a position with an ambulance company, but I can’t seem to find anything open. Do you have any advice for find a job as an EMT?
-Joshua in CT
I was also wondering what your thoughts were on the way billing is done in EMS. Whether it is paid medical transport, paid 911 or volunteer 911. The squad I work for is mainly medical transport, and the insurance company that overlooks medicare medicaid reimbursement refuses to cover the cost of equipment on the call unless three vitals are taken for each patient. Although at first this seems like a good guideline to follow especially for unstable patients, majority of out patients are stable, CAOx3 and have less than a 6 minute transport time between facilities from bed to bed aka dialysis appointment, outpatient appointments etc.
This leads to the case of myself or my partner in the back simply waiting outside the destination facility for a few more minutes just to get a legitimate set of vitals and several other emts go as far as to make up a set and move on, since they feel that delaying care is worse for the patient. What do you feel is the solution to such big brother attitudes shown for insurance companies regulating medical transport or inter facility transports. Thanks again for answering my question, it was great to hear both yours and Rons take on the scenario.
BG
Peter –
I was at an MCI drill the other day helping them manage the parking of emergency vehicles. Their were many EMT’s and firefighters who had no issue listening to my parking instructions but the feds and the bomb squad were giving me lip and disobeyed what I was saying and some of them just ended going around the parking lot looking like morons . long story short, how do you deal with other agency that disobey what you are telling them what to do.

4 thoughts on “Ep 41 Rescue and Big Events”

  1. Kelly & Ron, do I have a question for you guys this time.

    I know this is a *oh so wonderful* subject close and dear to Kelly’s heart, but for spinal immobilization, if the patient has an injury on their back that prohibits you from laying them supine, how do you secure them to the backboard on their side? Honestly curious, because my EMT textbook shows nothing on how to properly immobilize a patient in that position, and well, even though research has proven backboards suck at their jobs, I don’t need a lawyer coming down on me further down the road. Especially in my state of Massachusetts.

  2. Ron… you were *really* good on the EMS Educast. I like the other guys too but you have the best voice and are the most interesting to listen to. You sound like you are not bored and care a lot about the subject. There’s always a smile in your voice. Keep up the good work! Sounds like you’re an ol’ pro already!

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