I Have the Hands of a Physician

Unplugged!

Holey shite, I’ve been offline for weeks… since March 26th to be exact! I never realized how addicted to the internet and connectivity in general I’d become until moving to Newfoundland and loosing my connection to the grid.

I’m in a hotel in Corner Brook for the night and taking advantage of some free internet!

I should be back online this week… fingers crossed! 

PS, I have a new understanding for my fellow medics working a 24 hour shift… I just finished 43 days straight!

A New Adventure

Here I am! St John’s Newfoundland. 

What a shock to the system! …mostly from the change in weather though :) …Southern Ontario has been in the grips of a heat wave this past week - several high temperature records smashed (some by as much as 20 degrees celcius). I left behind sunshine and humidex values creeping into the low 30’s and arrived in St John’s this evening to zero degrees and freezing drizzle. Not the best welcome to the oldest city in North America, and one that was incidently built on the side of a cliff (think San Francisco streets… sidewalks that are actually stairs).

Tonight: A bit more studying

Tomorrow: I write two exams - the first will be a standard knowledge exam, the second is my entry to practice exam for Newfoundland and Labrador (meds and directives). If all goes well, I’ll be licensed to practice in Newfoundland and Labrador later tomorrow! (along with my current certification in Ontario).

After some exploring and a “screech-in” Friday and Saturday, I’ll be heading to Clarenville to start my new Paramedic job.

As the dust settles, I’ll get back to spending more time on Tumblr than I should and hopefully get this blog reved up again.

Until then, happy Tumblr’ing! 

Dementia expert gives tips to first responders

“About half of all people who are 85 and older have some form of dementia”

Read More

AMR lays off 50 Calif. EMTs after pay cuts rejected

MARIN, Calif. — American Medical Response, which bills itself as the largest private ambulance company in the United States, is laying off about 50 emergency medical technicians in Marin who voted not to accept a proposed cut in pay.

Read More

1 responder killed, 2 injured at Ark. crash scene

There is no such thing as a ‘safe accident scene’. Unexpected things can and will happen. No paramedics were injured on this scene but it very well could have been one of our own and the loss of anyone in the emergency field hits hard. It could have been a lot worse. Close calls on accident scenes are not an uncommon occurrence. In fact they are becoming more and more common. This article should be a reminder to everyone in the field, EMS, police, fire, and on scene responders, to keep your eyes open. Flashing lights do not guarantee safety. This could very easily happen to someone from your department, it can happen to you. 

Stay safe.

-Freeskywarp

JACKSONVILLE, Ark. — One Ark. firefighter was killed, and another firefighter and a police officer were critically injured after being struck by a vehicle Monday night.

Capt. Donald Jones, a 31-year veteran of the Jacksonville Fire Department, died as he, Firefighter Jason Bowmaster and a police officer were responding to a single-vehicle crash that broke a gas main when they were hit, according to 4029TV.

The driver of a van allegedly veered off the road and around barriers and struck the three responders.

One firefighter was pronounced dead at the scene, and the other two are in critical condition.

“A Fire Chief’s worst nightmare is the loss of a fellow firefighter that has been killed in the Line of Duty,” Fire Chief John Vanderhoof said in a statement.

Bryce Allen, 47, has been charged with second-degree murder and two counts of criminal intent to commit second-degree murder because he did not try to stop, Police Capt. Kenny Boyd told Arkansas Matters.

A witness at the scene said Allen told authorities his gas pedal was stuck.

By EMS1 Staff

Submitted by Freeskywarp (Thank you! :)

Vandals target ambulance in UK

Published by: The Aberdeen Press

LOCHABER, Scotland. — Police in Lochaber have strongly criticised a vandal who smashed the window of an ambulance and rendered it unusable.

The vehicle, which was parked, in St Johns Road at Caol will be out of service until the damaged window is repaired.

It is believed the vandal or vandals struck some time between 6pm on Monday, March 5, and 6.30am the following morning.

A spokesman for Northern Constabulary said: “Given the nature of the work carried out by the Scottish Ambulance Service this is a particularly stupid and upsetting crime.”

Police have appealed for any members of the public who have knowledge of the crime to get in touch.

_______________________________________________________________

Submitted to Paramedicine.Tumblr.com by Freeskywarp.

N.Y. Medics Save Abandoned ‘Blue’ Baby

 A barely breathing newborn girl was resuscitated by paramedics last night after she was heartlessly dumped into the arms of a perfect stranger on a Brooklyn street, authorities said.

The child — whose umbilical cord was still attached and who was was struggling to breathe — was being carried by a woman walking with a pillowcase over her head, witnesses said.

“The baby was blue in the face with low pulse and in critical condition,” said EMS Lt. Will Riera, who responded along with paramedics Terrence Lau and Carl Gandolfo.

“With the vitals [she] had, as far as we were concerned, she was dead,” said Riera.

Moments earlier, the disturbed woman had been noticed on Bedford Avenue in Crown Heights by concerned passers-by who asked if she needed help — but she kept on walking, ­ignoring them.

They started calling 911 at around 6:20 p.m.

Finally, she handed the baby to the stranger, a woman who happened to be walking by, and fled.

That good Samaritan flagged down a police car, and Riera’s unit arrived a few minutes later.

“It was a very chaotic scene. There were at least 30 people standing around and watching over their shoulders, asking questions,” Riera said.

“I said to myself, ‘Please, God, don’t let this baby die.’ ”

Gandolfo, who has a 15-month-old son of his own, said the girls “legs were purple and her eyes were closed.

“I opened the airway and put two breaths of mouth-to-mouth and she started to cough a little,” he said.

They rushed her to Kings County Hospital.

“In the ambulance, we put a ventilation device to force the air in,” Gandolfo, said.

“After a couple of pumps, she started to turn pink and move around and cry and fuss,” he said.

Riera was overcome with emotion. “I started crying. I can’t even explain the feeling of joy. I was just so happy and elated, it was just incredible,” he said.

Gandolfo, 36, said the harrowing experience made him think of his toddler.

“With every pediatric call you can’t help but think of your kids. You treat it like it was your own,” he said.

Police are looking for the woman who handed off the baby, and don’t know if she is the mother.

Submitted by Freeskywarp (Thank you!)