The Handover is up at Trauama Queen. Check out everyone’s submissions. Here is mine.
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Kal from Trauma Queen has a great post up over at Doc2Doc. Check it out. Tell him I sent ya!
I have a great deal of respect for doctors. But, emergency medicine is a whole different ball of wax. Hell, what WE do in the field is rarely “medicine”. Often I think of myself as an emergent pit crew member. Throw some tape, fill em up with fluids, and drive like hell. Sure, I believe in the medicine we CAN practice, but often what we do is a simple game of racing the clock to get our patients to a doctor who IS qualified to handle the situation. That does not mean ANY doctor, however. A GP, oncologist, or podiatrist is very unlikely to be the doctor of choice in a car vs pedestrian accident.
That being said, I believe that (most)physicians have earned my respect. No one gets my respect for free. I do not find it appropriate to be rude to them on scene though. Often informing them that if they feel the need to intervene they will be required to come along for the duration of the transport does the trick in getting them out of our hair.
Unfortunately, just like everything else in life… when you NEED a doc on scene, you can’t even get them to come to the phone!
Content rated R For funnies.
The kind of funny that you can’t hold back. TFLN and FML both have Blackberry apps as well.
Got my Wibiya invite. It is the toolbar below. I love it. Let me know what you think.
Grilled cheddar, mozzarella, and parmesan on white.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
I have attempted to start P90X several times over the last few months with little success. Today that changes. I make my 90 day commitment to P90X effective now. I plan to journal my progress on here ever day or two.
Wish me Luck.
Taken from Amateur Scientist via www.everydayskeptics.com
Patricia Phillips of the Oklahoma Crime Examiner has posted up some great new news about Trooper Douche Bag Daniel Martin. He has been suspended FIVE WHOLE DAYS without pay!!!! Whoooopeee! You’ve gotta read the letter she has posted.
Martin Letter
Fox23.com also has news up that Mr. White is suing Trooper Martin. Dumb ass. Read the letter and head over to Patricia’s story to leave a comment. Tell her I sent ya! The letter is hard to believe. I will post up a comment or two in the morning!
FOX23 has new information in the case of the now infamous confrontation between an Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper and a paramedic.
The paramedic, Maurice White has filed a civil lawsuit against Trooper Daniel Martin; accusing him of using “unreasonable force.”
Nearly two months later Trooper Daniel Martin remains on administrative leave.
The trooper pulled over the ambulance after he says the driver failed to yield to his cruiser, and he was upset, accusing the ambulance driver of “giving him the finger.”
He is seen grabbing Maurice White and putting his hand around his neck while a patient was screaming inside the ambulance.
The paramedic, upset that the Highway Patrol has taken no action against the trooper is now suing him for damages in excess of $10,000.
White’s attorney tells FOX23 “We just want a reckoning and accountability”.
Fox news reports Trooper Martin has offered an apology to the family of the woman who was inside the ambulance at the time.
Martin’s future with the highway patrol is still in question. His case, in the hands of the Chief of the Highway Patrol.
Ambulance Driver has a post up, “Despair“. It is too eloquent for me to even comment on, other than to say that this is the real battle we face in EMS. Those who fall into the gap somewhere between fakers, gamers, scumbags and the sick, dying, and injured.
Not much posting as of late due to my schedule. Work nights, sleep days, hang with the family whenever possible.
Some of that will change 8/1/09. I switch to days for that 6 week stretch of my FTO. I’m excited that I will get to be home a bit more during normal hours. I’m sure the Mrs. is excited for me to be around to help out with Asher a bit too.
This week we head back to the land of my medic internship to go to a pediatric nephrologist for Asher’s left kidney. Since birth it has been draining extremely slow(but not 100% blocked) and and their isn’t a doctor locally who can handle his case. We aren’t sure what the final solution is but I am sure it is surgical. The thought of doing surgery on my little boy is terrifying, but I want him to be better(though he doesn’t exhibit any real symptoms from this).
Asher is growing and changing fast. It is more exciting than you could imagine. Just over the last few days he has started to like cuddling and just hanging out with me. I LOVE this! He is just barely scooting and crawling is just around the corner.
Will have some Medic posts coming up when I have time to sit down and pound them out.
Godspeed!
I am not even going to go there. What a crock of shit.
I’ve had a Google Voice account for about a week now. While I think the idea behind Google Voice is great, it just isn’t something I’d use. Until Today.
Today Crackberry.com announced the Google Voice app from google. Head over to http://m.google.com/voice from your BlackBerry to download the app. This finally will allow it to work on my phone without dialing silly extensions.
It seems to have some hang ups trying to get my history, but dialing works fine. Unfortunately this still uses my cell minutes to dial, not data.
All in all I’m impressed. Will update once I see it in full force.
Hi friends. As usual, I’ve been dinking around with the site and would like your opinion of a few things:
The friend connect bar on the top(you can join my site as a follower and also comment on the site as a whole or share things with my readers)
The “share this” button on each tag.
There is also “tweetboard” installed, but it doesn’t seem to be working properly. I may just nix it if someone from tweetboard doesnt’ step up to help me fix it. It was working fine but as some of you know, I got rid of the @courtesyshock username at twitter.com and now can be followed at @medicTHREE
Let me know what you all think. If you enjoy my blog consider following it(plus this gives you an easy place to bookmark sites you follow). Also please share posts through the “share this” button on each post if you like them! Linky love is always much appreaciated!
- Having “real insurance” does not make you less of an asshole. Just sayin.
- If you are going to use the roof to run from the popo, note the 6 foot gap between the buildings.
- Drunk is not an illness by itself.
- “No one ever gets iv’s on me” is a sure fire way to make me go for 7 attempts. Especially at 7 am when I’m supposed to be off. Especially after I carried your 300 lb ass when you could walk just fine.
- Saying you have chest pain will NOT automatically get you morphine. I assure you it WILL get you a headache though.
- Saying your headache is gone is a surefire way to get ANOTHER.
- Asking why my driver isn’t going Code 3 for your stubbed toe automatically increases the size of the IV catheter you will get.
- Saying thank you will get you excellent care.
Since the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (Hippa) was struck into law in August of 1996, it has mystified and terrified healthcare professionals everywhere. The perceptions of HIPAA range from those who say “never say anything, anywhere, to anyone” to those who say “HIPAA didn’t change anything”. Well… Neither are true. HIPAA seeks to do a few things. It was designed to make healthcare coverage “portable”. This means that pre-existing conditions would no longer be excluded in new insurance policies–so long as the patient had insurance up until the new insurance went into effect. Further, the standardization of electronic records keeping and claims management was a large target of this bill–and this is where the primary concerns of HIPAA come into effect. With this the Federal Government realized the potential for abuse of patient information and created the security standards that we have all grown to fear. With that, it is important to understand who is obligated to abide by HIPAA. It has always been percieved that EVERYONE that is around a patient is a “covered entity”–in that anyone on a scene had to follow HIPAA policies. This is NOT the case though. In EMS the “covered entities” are simple. Any “health care provider” (it could be said that pretty much anyone at a scene is a health care provider–in one aspect or another) who submits information electronically–whether for billing or reporting purposes. This means that a fire department that has paramedics but does not transport or bill the patient, or file electronic reports is NOT a covered entity and does NOT have to follow HIPAA privacy guidelines or standards. That being said–you are very likely required to meet a state healthcare privacy law’s standards, which usually have higher standards than HIPAA. Not so complicated, eh? Now the question is… what is Protected Health Information. “PHI is a subset of IIHI, or individually identifiable health information. That obviously include information with the patient’s identity still attached. But it also includes information where it would be possible to discern the identity of the individual by virtue of some indirerct means. If it’s reasonably likely that someone could identify the individual from the information you’re using or disclosing, then you’re using or disclosing IIHI, which means you’re using or disclosing PHI, which means you’re violating HIPAA (unless it’s a use or disclosure for an allowed purpose, like treatment).”–Jeff Drummond at Jackson Walker Law. This means that in reality, it is very difficult to tell a “war story” without disclosing HIPAA protected information. Because of this, Jeff recomends that medbloggers fictionalize the story. Change everything but concept. You can even keep the details pretty close, assuming you change it so that your reader can not identify the character in your story. SO… you’re story about a 23 year old white female becomes a story about a 31 year old Hispanic male(unless female is essential to your story). Your story about a 12 year old Asian boy’s parents becomes one about a 10 year old Australian’s parents. Get it? Now, if you can tell a story(that makes sense) without disclosing ANY PHI, then you are safe. Details of the event, such as age, race, description, treatment, and/or location mean that you could easily be crossing the dreaded HIPAA line… Remember–Just because you are NOT violating HIPAA, you have both a code of ethics and State Privacy Laws to keep in mind when disclosing any patient information. Sources:
EMAIL from Jeff Drummond at JW.com(hipaablog.blogspot.com)
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/HealthInsReformforConsume/03_FiveStepstoUnderstandingHIPAA.asp
http://www.merginet.com/index.cfm?searched=/admin_management/legal/HIPAAPrivacy.cfm
http://www.merginet.com/index.cfm?pg=legal&fn=privacyviolation
http://www.hipaaps.com/main/background.html
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Ninja Medic inspired me to show off my “art”. These are acrylic on canvas. Top and bottom are 4 feet wide. Middle is 2 feet.
Or is it just one of his buddies from the OHP trying to cover his ass?
From the post: Daniel Martin, Oklahoma Highway Patrol Moron of the year
ANONYMOUS seems a bit miffed. And confused. We’ll examine his comments, and those of my dearest friend Rogue Medic in response. My comments will be italicized. You’re stupidity in bold.
First of all, you need to get an education. It is “seen” not scene. (2nd sentence)If you are going to use quotes on one “word”, you need to use it on the other “word”.
Secondly, it DOES NOT violate OHP policy to have a passenger on board.
EVEN while responding code 3? What is the purpose of this passenger? What about the dangers of responding code 3 to this passenger? Did this passenger have a waiver on file with the OHP? I bet the citizens of the Great State of Oklahoma would disagree when it is their tax dollars paying the bill because some jackass killed his passenger while driving code 3.
Also you state that the officer pulled the ambulance over because he “felt insulted“..
I can only assume you meant to put a space where the period went. Maybe my EDUCATION failed me, but I doubt it.
No, the ambulance broke the law, that is the reason. (Trooper Martin also makes ref to the hand gesture on the video)
Hmm…. improper abbreviations, no period, and bad comma usage. Oh Snap! I did it too!
As we have all been taught from an early age, you do not ever get out of your vehicle when you are stopped by the police. Maybe years ago this was the norm, but not in recent memory. If the medic would have stayed in the ambulance and let the trooper deal with the driver this would have ended very quickly. But instead the medic gets out of the ambulance and slams the door shut. He bows up and tried to take charge. He was interfering with the trooper doing his job. Once you lay hands on an officer, you are bought and paid for.
How does “bowing” fit in here. Further, are you trying to imply that you can “buy” an African American? Sounds like it. How was this trooper doing his job? What duty to the people of the state of Oklahoma was he fulfilling by holding up the transport of a patient to the hospital.
It amazes me how ignorant some are.
I’m sorry, but if you are silly enough to try and come into MY blog and school ME, try and check for simple typos. Especially when you start out by pointing out mine.
I’ll let Rogue Medic finish you off:
Anonymous part I,First of all, you need to get an education. It is “seen” not scene. (2nd sentence)
You go, girl! You educate him.
Secondly, it DOES NOT violate OHP policy to have a passenger on board.Also you state that the officer pulled the ambulance over because he “felt insulted”..No, the ambulance broke the law, that is the reason. (Trooper Martin also makes ref to the hand gesture on the video)
Oh great educator, how does the ambulance break the law? According to Daniel Martin’s lawyer, Paul Franks did not pull over more slowly than the drivers of many other vehicles seen earlier in the video. These drivers are not dealing with multiple emergency radios, a passenger up front, a patient in the back, a loud diesel engine, and a box that blocks much more of the view to the rear. According to Daniel Martin’s lawyer, giving the finger to Daniel Martin is not probable cause.
As we have all been taught from an early age, you do not ever get out of your vehicle when you are stopped by the police.
You make a statement that you seem to want to prove your opinion, then you contradict yourself.
Maybe years ago this was the norm, but not in recent memory.
Which is it? We have all been taught this, or this is only in recent memory? Or is it not in recent memory?
If the medic would have stayed in the ambulance and let the trooper deal with the driver this would have ended very quickly.
Haven’t we all been taught that when a trooper pulls over an ambulance and finds out there is a patient on board, he should act as if he is a responsible individual and tell the driver he will meet them at the hospital? If only OHP had some sort of motto that pertained to this.
Not continuing the fraudulent traffic stop would be a quick end to the delay in patient care. We have no way of knowing how long Daniel Martin might have kept everybody there. Yet you claim to read minds.
How do we know that Daniel Martin would not have kept them there for hours? Because that is what he says after he was caught.
Daniel Martin never checked on the patient. He opened the rear doors, but only to lie to the patient. He told her she would be on the way to the hospital quickly. At the same time he was arranging to delay her transport even more by arresting the only person there authorized to take care of her. I guess the educators you describe do not care about sick or injured people. What if this had been the family member of a trooper?
But instead the medic gets out of the ambulance and slams the door shut. He bows up and tried to take charge.
Excellent example of the kind of writing you were so picky about, only worse.
Send him to the slammer for being a slammer. That’s the kind of get tough on slamming language we need. The medic is in charge of patient care. Daniel Martin cannot relieve the medic of that duty, no matter how loudly he throws a tantrum. n>
He was interfering with the trooper doing his job.
The trooper was interfering with EMS personnel doing their jobs. Any sensible trooper would have taken this up at the hospital or through appropriate channels. Not Daniel Martin.
Once you lay hands on an officer, you are bought and paid for.Bought and paid for? What kind of juvenile statement is that? I guess the DA needs to be educated by a smarty pants like you. If only the DA would realize what an excellent educator is available to him.
It amazes me how ignorant some are.
Daniel Martin demonstrated profound ignorance, when he interfered with patient care. You are defending that ignorance. You should hope that you do not do something similarly stupid on camera. You criticize a minor mistake, but are guilty of many similar mistakes. You are a hypocrite.
Stop trying to give honest LEOs a bad reputation.
Deep inside every EMS professional is a storage bank. A file of faces, sounds, scene’s, and stories. A nightmare bank, you might call it. Imagery is my life. Before I wanted to be a medic, or a doctor, or a tank driver I wanted to be a photographer(I opted out because I wanted to make money! What was I thinking!!). I remember things by color, shape, texture and style.
I remember people by faces. Soft, pale, wrinkled, weathered, gray, bloated. Faces are my connection to the past.
** ** ***************** ** **
Week two of my internship. I’m very unsure of who I am. Of what I’m doing. I feel like every call I am doing something wrong. Everyone keeps dying. I know, I know. People die. Everyone dies. But up until this point I had never had someone die in my hands. I’m not sure I’m capable of doing this. I’ve just run back to back arrests and we’re en route to… my first ped’s code.
** ** ***************** ** **
I am trying to stay calm. I’m looking down at little hands. At tiny feet. I’m looking down but trying not to look. I’m trying to not look his face. 18 months old. EIGHTEEN FUCKING MONTHS OLD. I look up.
** ** ***************** ** **
I can’t figure out what is worse. Feeling such a tiny person squeeze in my hands, hearing the sound of BVM ventilations into tiny lungs, or looking up and seeing the man responsible for it all. We knew from the minute we walked in that this didn’t just happen. This baby boy didn’t just die. Healthy baby boy’s don’t just die. He was shaken. Violently. The back of his head had been pulverized like crab legs in a Pacific Northwest diner.
** ** ***************** ** **
I walked to the truck. My gear half gone, my heart missing, my soul crying. I sat there. Just waiting. My preceptor says to me… “sometimes it isn’t about them. Sometimes it is about us.” But this isn’t about me. This is about a little boy who will never see another birthday. Who didn’t get to see the fireworks, or the Christmas trees, or the fucking Easter Bunny. This is about a man so sick that he took the life of his own son.
** ** ***************** ** **
The nightmares come. The nightmares go. I remember very little about my patients. But a few of them have found a way deep into my soul. They keep me going. They make me work harder, think harder, try harder. The nightmare bank eats at you as time goes on. The only thing you can do is fight to push the nightmares out, and good days in.
** ** ***************** ** **
Now I sit here. I look at my boy. How sweet, how pure, how innocent. I have a hard time not putting the face of a little boy I met a little over a year ago. I didn’t know that boy’s name–and that saddens me. All he is to me is a face. I’ve found my peace, but he is still there. Do they ever go away?
Got about a million things going out… But… I have a new idea…
SO it isn’t NEW, per se… but….
Thinking of doing a medblogger round robin. Each of us would host a guest post(once a week, month, something…). I haven’t ironed out details, but if you would be interested email me at medichthree@gmail.com
I figure it would be a way for some of us to hit up a new crowd. Not that we don’t all get the same 5 people over and over.
that is all
kthxbye.
