Watching trauma on CBS and I have to give credit where it is due

[nadinbrzezinski]

for a TV program, they are doing a good job of presenting some of the truths of EMS... just way too many "good calls" for one shift. I know, it's a drama program... but trust me, there are a FEW shifts like that... but they are as rare as they can get.

[WCGreen]

1. Actually it's nbc...

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. You are right and the flight medic... I know the type

they are damn dangerous...

I've met them. I worked with one of them. Didn't last...

That character does exist.

[Treo]

8. Yes they do exist.

But they generally end up getting popped for practicing medicine W/ out a license or ignoring protocols and end up working as a CNA in Bakersfield.

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. Oh and I see we have fans again

suffice it to say, wanna bet they are not going to go into what I saw with many of my Murican patients? I can't afford the ambulance? Yes, I was told this many times. I never did a walletscopy... asking how you plan to pay or for insurance was not a question.

Now the flight medic doing that procedure and the worries from MedControl, yes absolutely

[Treo]

6. I can't afford the ambulance

The local EMS provider here charges $800.00 and somebody pays it. Doesn't matter if YOU asked how they were gonna pay somebody sent them a bill

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. Why I liked working in ANOTHER country

Go figure, we never asked that question.

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. Sad, I guess this was my first and last episode

looks like a good show, but the previews from next week, way too many memories from a couple MCI's

[Merlot]

5. They've been playing commercials for that show on the radio all day

they *the commercials) are horrible. I can't get any work done when they play. It sounds like a war zone. Who want''s to watch that?

[Treo]

7. I was going to give it an "E" for entertainment

But by the end of the episode I was pretty disgusted. At least it's not as bad as "Mercy". There were a few good points ( I liked the fact that they actually said " I'm clear , you're clear, everybody's clear" during the code)but on the whole I don't think health care professionals should watch medical TV. I may watch one more episode but I doubt it.

[kstewart33]

9. For those of you who do this work, thank you.

It's dangerous and extremely stressful and greatly needed. I could never do it.

Thanks.

[Treo]

10. FWIW

The NBC website is being flooded W/ negative feedback from EMS professionals for this show.

[nadinbrzezinski]

12. Rightfully so

my chief gripe is the flight medic... you DO NOT do that procedure without authorization. (Emergency Tracheotomy)

Of course flight choppers have two medical providers, NOT ONE.

I could go on.

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt... and there were a few things that had me shaking my head.

I know I will not watch it twice.

[Treo]

13. And one is generally an RN

I gave up after the tenth BS mistake. I'll give them the CPR stuff because you really cant do correct CPR on a live body but the rest of the crap I get pissed off even thinking about.

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. Yeah I can think of ONE exception to that flight crew

We had to ahem improvise... choppers and improvisation don't go together.

We had a severely burned patient that needed transport to the burn center (and he was a US Citizen)

The Mexican Highway Patrol got clearance from US Air Space, and we had a Bell chopper made available. I went with that patient after we removed chairs et al. We had room for only me, the pilot and the patient and barebones gear. Yes, I was stupid I volunteered... or was volunteered, don't know.

It was a huge exception to that rule, and I am not a flight medic but my Medical Director made that decision in the field, he needed air evac.

We took the patient to the border where lifeflight met us, and I did patient transfer to the American Crew. Why we did this? It was a 45 minute flight vs a 2 hour drive. Patient didn't have that time.

Oh and the patient made it. We charged them zero... for that... or anything we did.

I met the patient a month later, as well as the family. He was still at the burn center, but was more or less able to hold a conversation.

But hey, the preview... the way they handled triage in an MCI... you code in an MCI... you get black tagged... not worked on.

You do not transport a person with a sprain on a chopper...

I could go on...

They did a good job of portraying some of it in the first ten minutes, after that...

Oh and the way some shows handle CPR... they bring in Annie and do it on Annie and then special effect it.

[Treo]

17. Please don't get me started on the bull shit that is "Trauma"

Have you ever actually responded to a tanker fire?( Just to be clear I am NOT questioning your experience I'm simply asking a question) It's not common I've been to 0ne. It was on I-25 a little north of Cheyenne Wyoming. We could see the smoke cloud for miles the vehicle was fully involved when we arrived and you literally could not approach W/ in 100 feet. The asphalt melted under the vehicle and parts of the vehicle melted as well. Yet, Trauma has EMTs working just yards away from the tanker. Did you see the vehicle extraction W/ suspected spinal involvement? does SFFD not own a KEDs? Are they not required to follow protocols and strap the PT to the back board?

The CPR at a Mass Cal has been covered but one thing I caught I can't speak for SF and this may have changed since I was in the field but in Colorado an EMS provider is not authorized to pronounce. IOW if an EMT begins CPR on a PT he/she must continue CPR until someone licensed to practice medicine pronounces the patient dead or risk charges of patient abandonment and last point Who in the HELL does CPR on the side of the road for 45 minutes W/ no effort made to transport the pt.?

OK I'm done
Typo

[nadinbrzezinski]

18. Yes I have... and the tanker went on the side of the road

starting a nasty fire. Was not fun... and we got to pull hose, to fight fire, not magically go off...

As to CPR... I had that lesson drilled into me during a... drill.

That is why you find somebody who codes, you black tag. I have... including a two year old...

As to California... I know the protocols. You start CPR you transport CPR... you do not declare on the side of the road. The big exception would be... something like a major quake and you have no way to transport, Then and ONLY THEN you can have MED CONTROL do it over the radio.

They hate doing that.

Now were I worked, we could, again after calling medical control. Technically I didn't make the call, they did. And we did not transport dead... the coroner does, and as far as I know, at least in San Diego... the Coroner does. Same goes for San Fran.

They need advisers who have a clue, or just pull the damn thing off the air. Of course they could go down to the local college and buy a copy of San Fran protocols...

[Treo]

19. The nice thing about Emergency!

Is that they worked so closely W/ real EMS workers. I think one of the ER nursesactuially was an RN/Adviser for tghe show

[nadinbrzezinski]

20. It also has a social function

it was a way to introduce Paramedics to ... the population. They were very new then.

Hell the pilot was very real, they were skating on the edge of the law as they did their procedures.

[Treo]

14. This is what a television show depicting EMS is SUPPOSED to look like

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ib23j0SPkUY

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. We all grew with that. They used actual call logs for that

[ki83760]

21. Definitely. Great program