This week Jim and Josh discuss owning and operating your own business as an EMS provider. Many providers have started their own ventures, created products, written books and pursue their passions in and outside of EMS as entrepreneurs. For most its a different view than your average small business. Listen in for this behind the scenes look at what it takes, challenges faced and what a definition of success really means.
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Show Notes:
Jim’s site at EMSSEO.com
Josh at WANTYNU.com
This week I had a selection of topics lined up for the show but the first one on whether or not to allow EMS providers to carry weapons like firearms, knives, batons etc. took over and the listeners seemed pretty passionate about it. Take a listen and be sure to leave your story or comment below.
I also posted links to the other topics we didn’t get to below. Hopefully we will cover them in upcoming episodes.
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Show Notes:
Josh Knapp Facebook page
Tim Noonan – Rogue Medic – Why Are We So Afraid Of Our Patients?
EMS Museum post at Rescuing Providence
Copy & Paste post on Federal EMS agency at EMS Patient Perspective
Other links
“Small Talk” in EMS article from Thom Dick
Case Study on Frequent Flyers over at EMS1.com
How EMS is perceived is important for many reasons. Some of this perception can be controlled by what you do or how active your agency is in it’s community. The media can also have a part in this as well and many times it is more negative than we would like. Take a listen to the discussion on the medias role in how EMS is perceived. What can we do better? Is there anything we can change or control? Post your opinion below.
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Show notes:
Check out PIO Social Media Training
We are conditioned to work lots of overtime and second jobs, but recent studies done by Dan Patterson show how dangerous this can be. At what point does our health and patient care suffer from lack of sleep? How does your agency address this issue?
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Show notes
Check out this article on Dan Patterson
Bob Sullivan at EMS Patient Perspective
Even More Links on This
www.emsarn.org has Dan Patterson’s projects.
http://www.emsleadership.com/?p=30 is an early EMS Leadership episode that Dan was on.
Here are EMSBlog.com posts about sleep
http://roguemedic.com/2011/10/sleep-quality-and-fatigue-among-prehospital-providers/
http://tooldtowork.com/2011/12/and-ems-too/
http://emspatientperspective.com/2011/10/22/drunken-ambulance-drivers/
EMS goes beyond just you and your partner. Other EMS agencies, first responders, law enforcement and even doctors all may be a part of your next call. How do you deal with this interaction, decide on patient care and transport? Is it as simple as higher medical authority? Should it be? Listen to this episode and post your inter-agency interactions, patient treatment & transport decisions and whose patient is it anyway in the comments below.
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Show Notes:
Bob Sullivan at EMS Patient Perspective
EMS Continuing Education
As a new feature here at Office Hours, once a month we will do a show that focuses on numerous topics in EMS. This month, we discussed if being an EMT really is the worst job, how someone’s camera may not put you in the best light and Tim Noonan joined us as we talked about refusals, hypoxia and true patient awareness. Be sure to leave your comments below and share your thoughts on these topics.
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Show Notes
Check out the articles mentioned and visit our guest callers blogs for even more EMS insight.
Articles discussed in the show
EMS1.com article on cameras and bystanders.
EMT the worst job? According to this article, it’s #6
Rogue Medics take on refusals and hypoxia. Be sure to read the comments posted here as well.
The Medic Madness post that motivated Tim to bring the discussion to his blogosphere.
Also check out the FreeEMSTalk audio on hypoxia Tim noted during the show.
Guests
Bob Sullivan from EMS Patient Perspective
Of course Josh Knapp from WANTYNU.
Here is the book Bob noted. I just ordered it myself.
People Care Career-Friendly Practices Professional Caregiver – Thom Dick.
In this installment of Office Hours we revisit the series “The Protocol Effect” and discuss airway management. Should this be controlled by written guidelines, clinical impressions or current research? Anyone who has been in the field knows a GCS of less than 8 or 10 doesn’t always mean a patient requires intubation or advanced airway management. Yet many protocols say to do just that. This may just be another time when providers need to prove their understanding of these skills, their need and the patients we treat. Take a listen to this episode and tell us about your guidelines and how you interpret them.
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Show notes:
Thanks to Mr. JD Graziano for joining me on the show. Check out his podcast at EMSStandingOrders.com and following on Twitter at @AJDGRAZIANO.
Listen to the Standing Orders podcast on The Future Of Airway Management here.
The salty dog, the medic everyone calls Doc. What does it take to have longevity in EMS? What changes for that provider who has ten, twenty or more years in the industry? EMS professionals who keep doing the job year after year have a vested interest in the future of the industry. At least they should have. Have you been in EMS for over 10 years? What keeps you going, what are your hopes and do you try and pass your experience and goals to the younger generation? Take a listen and be sure to share your thoughts, goals and how you have seen EMS change over the years in the comments below.
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Show notes:
Josh Knapp from WANTYNU
Bob Sullivan from EMS Patient Perspective
Check out Skip Kirkwood’s JEMS Connect page
Steve Whitehead over at The EMT Spot <– mentioned by Bob and Jim
Below is the link for the book Resuscitate by Mickey Eisenberg
Patient assessment in EMS is pointed to as the key ingredient with our patient contacts. Yet how much time is really spent on this in class? Things like the importance of reassessment, differential diagnosis and treatments. We seem to have this pride of ABCDE, DCAP, BTLS and knowing it, sticking to primary and secondary surveys. But what about really knowing what we are looking for and identifying true emergencies instead of fitting patients into protocols? Check out this episode, share your patient assessment tips and tell us your indoctrination into “patient assessment”.
Thanks to Bob Sullivan for dropping by with his thoughts. Loved the “treat every question as if it may be the last one you get to ask” tip.
Podcast: Download
Show notes:
Greg Friese article “Patient Assessment: A non-linear process” and comments at EMS1.com
25% Off WANTYNU wrench use promo code “emsofficehours” at http://wantynu.com
Donate for the 10-13 at http://goo.gl/aQq8c
Follow Bob over on Twitter he is @emsptperspect
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Before I tell you my 12 lead ECG secret I want to tell you how much I love EMS Bloggers. You know every profession, every industry has its experts, it’s leaders. While they all work in the same field they have people that love a particular facet of it, who master a key part of what they do or who are a champion for a cause. This is part of why I love EMS bloggers. Each has their own way of maybe getting a point across, focusing on an element of EMS or even how areas outside of EMS can play a part in our every day activities.
Think about someone like Rogue Medic, who has points of view that many of us can agree with, but who also takes a hardline view on topics that while we agree, are not always that easy to change, implement or act upon. The good news is that his postings get people involved, get them thinking and bring to light things that many in EMS just ignore and keep going along to get along.
What about The Social Medic and Droid Medic? These are great blogs that bring those outside areas into EMS and show how they effect us or how we can better use them in the EMS environment.
Greg Friese from Everyday EMS Tips has great articles on nice quick tips you can use in EMS everyday <– Get it? But Greg also gives us a look at EMS conferences and expos and how to get the most out them and I love getting a peek inside his day to day activities as well. Did you know he just ran the NYC Marathon?
Here at EMS Office Hours I try and engage listeners and visitors on topics in EMS and also try and give some insight into things that help me and people I know in EMS and hope that they can use them or even format them into their own personal style. I’m not always right, a lot is based on my opinion or experience. But I hope like Rouge Medic it gets you thinking and talking to your EMS peers.
So, while I offer study help, training guidance and a lot of information on all things EMS. I’m not an expert in everything that is EMS. This is why I love the EMS blog world. I can draw on these experts, opinions and nationwide points of view when doing my podcast, creating posts and even with products and services on my EMS SEO website. Take mastering 12 Lead ECG interpretation for instance. Here is a topic that while yes, I can read 12 leads and identify a STEMI, there is so much on this topic and so far that you can go into it that it’s great to have someone like Tom Bouthillet from EMS12lead.com to draw from. I often turn to his blog for help on those 12 leads I come across that just don’t fit the textbook version of a STEMI or ECG irregularity.
Tom has great case studies there and if you visit his blog often you will soon find yourself being more and more comfortable with reading 12 leads, how patients present with varying rhythms and what treatment may or may not do.
Listen, I guess it may not be such a secret about Tom’s blog. But if you haven’t been there in awhile, be sure to bookmark it and visit often. You never know, the next patient you have may fit into one of the cases posted there.
I have posted some links below to other blog favorites and to Tom’s Iphone App “12 Lead ECG Challenge”. Tom teamed up with Limmer Creative on this and so far it’s got all great reviews. This is a great app for your Iphone or Ipad and gives 150 sample ECG’s and the patients they came from. Pretty cool right?
There is also a web based app that you can view on your computer and it works on your smart phones too. You just have to be logged in and have an internet connection when using it. What Iphone or Droid doesn’t have that nowadays?
As a side note, I have partnered with Limmer Creative with Turbo Medic and now premium members can get the 12 Lead ECG Challenge web based app as part of their premium membership at Turbo Medic.
Do you see your favorite EMS blog here? If not post yours in the comments and be sure to tell me why you love it and what people can expect from it.
Other EMS Blogs I visit regularly
The EMT Spot
Happy Medic
Hybrid Medic
To Old To Work To Young To Retire
Ambulance Junkie
A Day In The Life Of An Ambulance Driver
Paramedicine 101
Life Under The Lights
The 12 Lead ECG Challenge – if you check out the left side bar you will see the three app versions there. There is a special 20% off promo code for the web based app.
EMS Study Resources
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