So I noticed two semi-important car details this week that needed to be taken care of sooner than later.
The first was that my WV inspection was dead as of midnight June 30, 2009. I had not realized just how soon this was approaching. The law in PA is that within 60 days of moving into the state you are supposed to switch your license, tags and registration to PA. I took this law as "as long as my WV stuff is current no one will even notice..." Well, I realized on June 30th that my inspection would be dying. I could not renew it in WV due to me not living there.
The second was that my WV license plates would be expiring soon (I thought July 31st....turns out while inspections die at midnight on the last day of the month license plates expire on the FIRST).
So I got off work around 1430 the other day and thought Id swing by the PA DMV and get everything switched over, no harm no foul. Turns out the system here is MUCH different than WV where you can do everything at once. The first place I had to go was the PennDOT drivers license center with all of my neccessary paperwork (original birth certificate, social sec. card, my old license, and 2 proofs of residency that consisted of things such as utility bills or lease agreements, mind you I have only the trash in my name everything else is in my roommates name and I havent signed my new lease yet....) But I was granted a 15 day temporary PA license while they assure themselves I do not already have a PA drivers license....
In order to get my tags, title, and registration in PA I have to have a PA drivers license, proof of PA car insurance, and proof of ownership (like the title to the vehicle). (I guess the fact that I possess one out of three is not all that great) I recived notice that since I now reside in PA, my old car insurance company can not cover me because they are notlicensed in PA, only in WV. (besides my policy with them expires July 13th).
Due to the holiday weekend I can not speak directly to any PA insurance companies until Monday.
I was told it will take $12.00 and 7-14 business days to request and recieve my title from the bank that I am paying my car payments through. and then another $111.00 to get my new registration and tags.
So for the time being I am driving a car that is titled, registered, and inspected in WV, all of which are now officially expired and have a temporary PA drivers license to boot.
Heres the real dilemma....I still work part time in WV and am scheduled for an 8-10 hour shift tomorrow. (rememebr its an easy, high paying job and its holiday pay) So I am going to chance the drive and pray that I either 1) dont get pulled over or 2) if I get pulled over I know the officer and can explain my predicament to them and get by with a warning..... ugh!!
Friday, July 3, 2009
more virginal moments
I am in the middle of a 10 day stretch of working my multiple jobs without a day off. Im not complaining....I have been getting to sharpen my skills and even had a couple virgin shattering moments this week.
Yesterday, from a medic point of view, was a satisfying day. I started my morning off out in triage ( which was uneventful) and shortly after that I went on a chest discomfort call.
A dialysis pt was waiting for his ride and began feeling his chest pounding and called 911. Pt was found in BLS care and to be in SVT at 160-180 bpm. Yes folks, the still-somewhat-new-paramedic had never had an SVT call on her own. His vitals were stable so I started a line and headed to the hospital on an easy class 2 (here thats lights and sirens as needed) and I got to give Adenosine for the first time. I gave 6 and then 12. Both doses worked, but the pt rebounded right back up to a rate in the 160s-170s. The underlying rythym was a sinus rythym. I still am not quite sure what could have been the underlying cause, but Im sure it had something to do with dialysis....I will be researching it.
Later, I was chatting with the other medics working and my partner was up in the rotation when a SOB call came in, he still needed to write a report from a cardiac arrest earlier in the morning so I took the call for him. It was dispatched as an 80 yof c/o SOB, called in by Life-alert. The BLS ambulance and I arrived on scene within 6 min of dispatch and found the pt in arrest....PEA, started CPR, got a line, pushed meds, got in the ambulance, got my 2nd field intubation ever, and worked her, gave 4 epi and 3 atropine, she remained in a PEA at 30-40 bpm. At the ER she went into V-tach (kinda looked like torsades) 2 times and they shocked her, but ended up calling it within 15 min.
And then I had one of the easiest ALS calls I have ever had but was an interesting educationally challenging call. A lady had an iron deficiency and had been at an out patient clinic for IV iron replacement. They sent her home after the treatment with no problems. 2 hours later she began feeling very ill and returned to the clinic, unable to get out of the car due to weakness. She was VERY pale. Turns out her BP was 60/30 and puls in low 50s. Apparently this is a side effect or adverse reaction to the Iron replacement. So I established my very first 16G IV (I know, so simple yet still another virginal moment for me!) and gave her approx 450cc by time we reached the hospital about 5 min later on a class 2.
So while none of these are BIG moments, the fact that had one on every call I was on made for a "big girl paramedic" day for me. I will admit I was a little down after my arrest. I know I followed my protocol, but could help feeling a bit in the dumps. I did get a compliment from a co-worker, especially after he found out it was my first "real" code on my own, my other was just sad.
As I have stated before, the more viriginal shattering calls I have the more and more I feel like a "real" paramedic.
Yesterday, from a medic point of view, was a satisfying day. I started my morning off out in triage ( which was uneventful) and shortly after that I went on a chest discomfort call.
A dialysis pt was waiting for his ride and began feeling his chest pounding and called 911. Pt was found in BLS care and to be in SVT at 160-180 bpm. Yes folks, the still-somewhat-new-paramedic had never had an SVT call on her own. His vitals were stable so I started a line and headed to the hospital on an easy class 2 (here thats lights and sirens as needed) and I got to give Adenosine for the first time. I gave 6 and then 12. Both doses worked, but the pt rebounded right back up to a rate in the 160s-170s. The underlying rythym was a sinus rythym. I still am not quite sure what could have been the underlying cause, but Im sure it had something to do with dialysis....I will be researching it.
Later, I was chatting with the other medics working and my partner was up in the rotation when a SOB call came in, he still needed to write a report from a cardiac arrest earlier in the morning so I took the call for him. It was dispatched as an 80 yof c/o SOB, called in by Life-alert. The BLS ambulance and I arrived on scene within 6 min of dispatch and found the pt in arrest....PEA, started CPR, got a line, pushed meds, got in the ambulance, got my 2nd field intubation ever, and worked her, gave 4 epi and 3 atropine, she remained in a PEA at 30-40 bpm. At the ER she went into V-tach (kinda looked like torsades) 2 times and they shocked her, but ended up calling it within 15 min.
And then I had one of the easiest ALS calls I have ever had but was an interesting educationally challenging call. A lady had an iron deficiency and had been at an out patient clinic for IV iron replacement. They sent her home after the treatment with no problems. 2 hours later she began feeling very ill and returned to the clinic, unable to get out of the car due to weakness. She was VERY pale. Turns out her BP was 60/30 and puls in low 50s. Apparently this is a side effect or adverse reaction to the Iron replacement. So I established my very first 16G IV (I know, so simple yet still another virginal moment for me!) and gave her approx 450cc by time we reached the hospital about 5 min later on a class 2.
So while none of these are BIG moments, the fact that had one on every call I was on made for a "big girl paramedic" day for me. I will admit I was a little down after my arrest. I know I followed my protocol, but could help feeling a bit in the dumps. I did get a compliment from a co-worker, especially after he found out it was my first "real" code on my own, my other was just sad.
As I have stated before, the more viriginal shattering calls I have the more and more I feel like a "real" paramedic.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Murphy's morning...
This morning has been what I would like to refer to as a Murphy's morning. If it can go wrong, it will:
1) I started out the morning feeling nauseated and having abd pain (which has been off and on for 2 1/2 wks and my doc wont listen to me)
2) Im going into work on my day off to cover for a fellow co-worker on bereavement.
3) I start my morning out in the triage medic spot, not so bad until the triage nurse computer starts acting up and pt are getting backed up and start to get cranky with me, since Im the only they can get to.
4) Then the baby scale in triage stops working, continuing the delay until someone can come in and simply change the batteries in it.
5) Then, I start feel better and think a nice hot cup of coffee would be really nice, I walk in the back since we finally got the pts checked in and even in beds and knock the whole damn cup over in the ER breakroom, spilling scalding hot coffee down the fron of my shirt and pants and all over the floor. I think I may have a slight burn on my stomach, a sore red area anyways, but I'll live.
6) Both of my partners are out on calls in the two trucks we have in service (our first due truck has been in the shop for almost a month) when my boss calls and says since the altenator is acting up in the 2nd due truck (again...its on its 5th or 6th one) to drop it off at the shop this morning and double up in the 3rd due truck while they replace the altenator.
I guess I really can understand about when it rains it pours.
Now I am nauseated again, and still caffiene deprived....this is going to be a long 8 hour shift......
1) I started out the morning feeling nauseated and having abd pain (which has been off and on for 2 1/2 wks and my doc wont listen to me)
2) Im going into work on my day off to cover for a fellow co-worker on bereavement.
3) I start my morning out in the triage medic spot, not so bad until the triage nurse computer starts acting up and pt are getting backed up and start to get cranky with me, since Im the only they can get to.
4) Then the baby scale in triage stops working, continuing the delay until someone can come in and simply change the batteries in it.
5) Then, I start feel better and think a nice hot cup of coffee would be really nice, I walk in the back since we finally got the pts checked in and even in beds and knock the whole damn cup over in the ER breakroom, spilling scalding hot coffee down the fron of my shirt and pants and all over the floor. I think I may have a slight burn on my stomach, a sore red area anyways, but I'll live.
6) Both of my partners are out on calls in the two trucks we have in service (our first due truck has been in the shop for almost a month) when my boss calls and says since the altenator is acting up in the 2nd due truck (again...its on its 5th or 6th one) to drop it off at the shop this morning and double up in the 3rd due truck while they replace the altenator.
I guess I really can understand about when it rains it pours.
Now I am nauseated again, and still caffiene deprived....this is going to be a long 8 hour shift......
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Staff Sergeant John Beale
SSgt John Beale.
He was 39, from Georgia, was a member of the Georgia National Guard’s 48th Infantry Brigade, and he married his wife right out of high school. He was also a Father of an 8 and a 12 year old.
He loved being in the military. He was deployed to Afghanistan a month ago, his second tour there and he died a few days ago thanks to an IED, alongside two of his fellow soldiers, 21-year-old Specialist Jeffrey Jordan, and 37-year-old Major Kevin Jenrette.
Until today I had never heard of or met this man or his family. I did learn today to what extent people care about and respect him and other members who are in the military fighting for our freedom and our country.
The following video proves just this.
Welcome Home SSgt John Beale, and thank you for your sacrifice for my freedom. May God bless you and your family and may you rest in peace.
He was 39, from Georgia, was a member of the Georgia National Guard’s 48th Infantry Brigade, and he married his wife right out of high school. He was also a Father of an 8 and a 12 year old.
He loved being in the military. He was deployed to Afghanistan a month ago, his second tour there and he died a few days ago thanks to an IED, alongside two of his fellow soldiers, 21-year-old Specialist Jeffrey Jordan, and 37-year-old Major Kevin Jenrette.
Until today I had never heard of or met this man or his family. I did learn today to what extent people care about and respect him and other members who are in the military fighting for our freedom and our country.
The following video proves just this.
Welcome Home SSgt John Beale, and thank you for your sacrifice for my freedom. May God bless you and your family and may you rest in peace.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
decent days
Day shift isnt so bad...
So I had pretty decent days at work yesterday and today. Got to run a variety of calls, and it made the days fly by. Yesterday I only went on one call, but it was interesting. Long story short, a woman suffered a cardiac arrest while talking on the phone to her friend in CA while sleeping on air matress in a duplex she was just moving into. The friend called the police in town, and PD, the FD, and I were dispatched. It took about 15 minutes before we were sure we were at the correct address before attempting to forcibly enter the locked building. One of the EMTs ended up going out the 2nd floor window of the duplex neighbor and across the roof to get into a window with an air conditioner it to find that our lady had been gone long enough to be incompatible with life. This was my first call like this at my new job with new procedures, I simply turned it over to PD and was released! Im used to having to sit around and wait for a coroner and then transport the body to the morgue.
Today I had a good variety of calls. I had an abd pain, a possible OD, and a MVC. The abd pain came in as a SOB, but it wasnt, obviously, but it was in BFE! I got to see a part of the county I will rarely see on a call according to my partners. The OD had actually happened the night before, but the guys wife was still worried, so it took one medic, 2 EMTs, and about 8 PD to convince him to go to the hospital without a fight. And it took the cops again to make him stay at the hospital as an involuntary commital. The MVC was a single car rollover, pt was not entrapped, but had a nice hematoma and lac to the head and pain in the shoulder blades, and the EMTs asked me to ride along. Pt was A&O the entire time, x-rays and CT showed a sub-dural bleed...go figure, she was sent off to the trauma center.
I finally caught up on all my paperwork and am now waiting the next 20 min for my relief so that I can go home and enjoy my day off tomorrow by sleeping in a bit, going to the doc, and packing up stuff at my old place to move into the new place next weekend!
So I had pretty decent days at work yesterday and today. Got to run a variety of calls, and it made the days fly by. Yesterday I only went on one call, but it was interesting. Long story short, a woman suffered a cardiac arrest while talking on the phone to her friend in CA while sleeping on air matress in a duplex she was just moving into. The friend called the police in town, and PD, the FD, and I were dispatched. It took about 15 minutes before we were sure we were at the correct address before attempting to forcibly enter the locked building. One of the EMTs ended up going out the 2nd floor window of the duplex neighbor and across the roof to get into a window with an air conditioner it to find that our lady had been gone long enough to be incompatible with life. This was my first call like this at my new job with new procedures, I simply turned it over to PD and was released! Im used to having to sit around and wait for a coroner and then transport the body to the morgue.
Today I had a good variety of calls. I had an abd pain, a possible OD, and a MVC. The abd pain came in as a SOB, but it wasnt, obviously, but it was in BFE! I got to see a part of the county I will rarely see on a call according to my partners. The OD had actually happened the night before, but the guys wife was still worried, so it took one medic, 2 EMTs, and about 8 PD to convince him to go to the hospital without a fight. And it took the cops again to make him stay at the hospital as an involuntary commital. The MVC was a single car rollover, pt was not entrapped, but had a nice hematoma and lac to the head and pain in the shoulder blades, and the EMTs asked me to ride along. Pt was A&O the entire time, x-rays and CT showed a sub-dural bleed...go figure, she was sent off to the trauma center.
I finally caught up on all my paperwork and am now waiting the next 20 min for my relief so that I can go home and enjoy my day off tomorrow by sleeping in a bit, going to the doc, and packing up stuff at my old place to move into the new place next weekend!
Monday, June 15, 2009
squashed the little birdie
So my boss was my relief at work yesterday and he and I had a little talk. My boss says to not believe a thing my birdie tells me....
It was such a relief to get that burden off my shoulders. I for the life of me could not figure out what I had done to make any nurses or other medics upset. My boss confirmed he had heard nothing negative about me and that he asked me to switch to days temporarily just so I could get a little more experience, nothing more, nothing less. A simple confidence booster with being a newer medic and all. And truth be know I adapted to day shift pretty well. I only hope I can re-adapt to nights when I go back. Im not sure if day shift is a one month or an all summer thing, but I know its not longer than for the summer.
Im kind of looking forward to the summer here, lots of things going on in this historical town, war reanactments, bike rallies, and the one thing Im still getting used to is the people who walk around ALL DAY in Civil War garb....anyways, all is good on the work front.
I picked up another part time job, one or two days a week for a specialty transport company who specializes in ventilator pt transports, I start there tomorrow and will be down in WV at the racetrack this weekend, not sure if its motorcycles or cars, but no new war stories to tell yet.
Hope everyone has a good week, keep safe.
It was such a relief to get that burden off my shoulders. I for the life of me could not figure out what I had done to make any nurses or other medics upset. My boss confirmed he had heard nothing negative about me and that he asked me to switch to days temporarily just so I could get a little more experience, nothing more, nothing less. A simple confidence booster with being a newer medic and all. And truth be know I adapted to day shift pretty well. I only hope I can re-adapt to nights when I go back. Im not sure if day shift is a one month or an all summer thing, but I know its not longer than for the summer.
Im kind of looking forward to the summer here, lots of things going on in this historical town, war reanactments, bike rallies, and the one thing Im still getting used to is the people who walk around ALL DAY in Civil War garb....anyways, all is good on the work front.
I picked up another part time job, one or two days a week for a specialty transport company who specializes in ventilator pt transports, I start there tomorrow and will be down in WV at the racetrack this weekend, not sure if its motorcycles or cars, but no new war stories to tell yet.
Hope everyone has a good week, keep safe.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
reflections
well as I was sitting here at work I saw something that struck a happy memory chord...
I was sitting in triage at work today and in walked a couple guys in USAF blues. My father was in the USAF for 17yrs. The first 8 or so years of my life I was a USAF brat. One of my fondest memories as a kid was sitting on the floor at my fathers feet while he shined his boots every morning. Everytime I see a person in military uniform, especially the older camoflouge or USAF blues I flashback to the days of my early childhood. Oddly enough, the sight and/or smell of Kiwi brand shoe polish does it too. I always smile when I flashback to those days, and for that I am grateful, as it was not always cake in those days, as those were the years my parents worked their way through a divorce, which I don't really rememebr much of.
It is nice to be able to have some happy thoughts, especially on a rainy day that seems to make the whole world seem dreary.
I was sitting in triage at work today and in walked a couple guys in USAF blues. My father was in the USAF for 17yrs. The first 8 or so years of my life I was a USAF brat. One of my fondest memories as a kid was sitting on the floor at my fathers feet while he shined his boots every morning. Everytime I see a person in military uniform, especially the older camoflouge or USAF blues I flashback to the days of my early childhood. Oddly enough, the sight and/or smell of Kiwi brand shoe polish does it too. I always smile when I flashback to those days, and for that I am grateful, as it was not always cake in those days, as those were the years my parents worked their way through a divorce, which I don't really rememebr much of.
It is nice to be able to have some happy thoughts, especially on a rainy day that seems to make the whole world seem dreary.
little birdie....
It has been an interesting week folks. I started day shift this week on a temporary basis at work. I have a few concerns, one mainly. I was under the impression I was asked if I wanted to do days because someone else wanted to go to nights. Well, on my 2nd day shift a little birdy mentioned otherwise to me. Apparently the buzz around the other medics and nurses is that I have been making poor decisions on calls and was sent to days to get whipped back into shape since our call volume at night is so low. I know I dont have as much experience as other medics who have been doing this the same amount of time I have, but its not for my lack of trying, and my boss knew that when I got hired here, this is my first full time 911 job....and I absolutely love it, I dont want to lose it....
Honestly, Im not sure what bad decisions are being made, I know of one call, and I talked it over with both the doc and my boss, and everything was cool, or so I thought. I just think that if there is a problem my boss would have mentioned something to me, not a co-worker. And I have only a couple of people here at work I consider "friends" all the others are co-workers, and the few I consider friends say they havent heard anything, so I dont know. I guess I should just ask my boss to sit down with me and clear things up instead of letting this eat away at me....
Honestly, Im not sure what bad decisions are being made, I know of one call, and I talked it over with both the doc and my boss, and everything was cool, or so I thought. I just think that if there is a problem my boss would have mentioned something to me, not a co-worker. And I have only a couple of people here at work I consider "friends" all the others are co-workers, and the few I consider friends say they havent heard anything, so I dont know. I guess I should just ask my boss to sit down with me and clear things up instead of letting this eat away at me....
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