Hmmm. I'm sensing a little cynicism here. Isn't that considered an "un-American Activity", or is that just me being a cheeky European? ;-)

That said, I love the idea of using drunks for needle practice!

Trust me, the cynicism is warranted. I was a paramedic for 4 years and then I had to quit due to burn-out and my complete disgust of the human race. You would not believe how many calls we went on that could have easily been avoided if the human chose to make the right choice in the situation. Barring things that were actuall accidents, a good percentage of the calls we went on were due to people making stupid decisons and bringing the consequences on themselves.

Plus, I was working the overnight shift in Harlem, and really how many times can you patch up the same drunk or overdosed person, or run into a neighborhood wearing a bullet proof vest beacuse you don't know what you are walking into the middle of, without becoming a little cynical?

I have heard people ask the question "do you have all the streets in the city memorized" before. Is that feat really so amazing? I mean, Domino's can find your house in 30 minutes or you eat on them. I sure as hell think an ambulance can supply similar service. "To your house in 30 minutes or it'll be the last place you see." Hmm... maybe they can do without the tag line.

OK folks, I meant no disrespect.

I can imagine if it's like you describe Mary, then cynicism is probably de rigeur.

I can especially imagine how demoralising it is when you're dealing with drunk drivers who've survived their idiocy, but maimed or killed others.

I knew what you meant, Max. No worries. You won't find me as easily offended as other "bloggers". ;)

Oooo! I didn't mean to come off pissy. I should have put a winky face in there or something. I wrote that first thingthis morning, and I tend to be crabby in the morning. So if you interpreted that as me biting your head off, I am sorry. No harm was meant.

Besides, when I am biting your head off, you'll know ;)

No worries, Mary...

All that, plus I didn't get paid. Plus our township hated us. Plus our firefighters raced us to every call, thinking they could run our volunteer squad (of 65 years) out of 'business' by making us look bad, thereby getting more money from the township to run rescue calls.

That, my friends, is why I am letting my EMT cert run out. Unpaid, overworked, hyper-aggrivated. And it's a shame, I got into it to help, and all my volunteering did was make me all the more certain that the GP are MORONS! Ungrateful, nasty, dirty MORONS.

Who loses? The nice little old lady who falls and breaks her hip on her slippery kitchen floor, when everybody stops volunteering and the jerks who show up to board her don't have a caring bone in their body. *sigh* NJEMS sucks!

I was having really bad chest pains last December at work, and nothing was helping. It was weird 'cuz I knew it wasn't heartburn, it was only on the left side, blahblahblah. It had been intense enough to make me cry, but was beginning to subside by the time my shift was over. I figured I'd go home and get a ton of sleep, and everything would be fine.
ANYway, I made the mistake of telling a co-worker, who promptly freaked out and called 911. An ambulance came, they hooked me up to an ekg thingie and gave me oxygen, took me to the hospital where they gave me intravenous tylenol. The paramedics were awesome, talking and joking with me all the way.
The ekg (I hope that's the right term...) showed nothing wrong, and I was so upset and worried that they were wasting an ambulence on my dumb ass, when people who were in real trouble might need it.
They were really sincere and reassuring, and said you never screw around with chest pain...if it's persistant, you get yourself to the hospital.
(Wow, what a rambling comment.)
Anyway, I guess my point (finally!) is that I still think I should have just driven to the hospital, or had someone take me. With all the awful things paramedics have to deal with. All the actual emergencies.
Or maybe they were happy to take care of Dumb Chest Pain Girl instead of dealing with a drunken or drugged out "regular". That would piss me off, dealing with the same stupid people all the time who can never, ever get their act together.
All right then. I'm going to stop typing now. Sorry Tess!!

As nice as you are, Sheri, I would have been tickled pink to have you in the back of my ambulance. Something tells me YOU wouldn't have spit on me or tried to punch me in the face. ;)

And yes, you don't mess around with chest pain. You were right to call. Unless you were just faking it and trying to get out of work. Ha ha!

Christine, I appreciated your frustration. A lot of good volunteer squads get screwed.

My sis just became an EMT in June, and she (and her co-workers) thought this was hilarious - and true!

what GSCE results do you need to become a paramedic?

hey mary carmen,

i was a daytime paramedic @ harlem. I left in '88.

were you @ the bbq on 7/26/03?

jd