I haven't posted since my probation ended, and honestly I don't know why, I guess I just didn't have much to say, but after three years on the job a lot has changed. My love for the job remains but all the bullshit that goes along with it is starting to get to me.
We are currently in labour negotiations with the Quebec government, and this has cause a great deal of stress for me. Not because I am heavily involved in the union (I don't even know what the negotiations are about) but because every time they battle with the government I am reminded of the political bullshit that goes along with this job.
Recently three news stories have surfaced about incompetent ambulance drivers at Urgences Sante providing an unacceptable level of care to three patients, two died and one almost died. This has made me realize that my views and priorities are not the same as the majority of "Paramedics" in this province. I have been ashamed to put on the uniform and be associated with some of these people
When I read these stories on the news my initial thoughts were, "Thank God someone finally said something, some people have no business being on the road", and "This is completley unacceptable, these ambulance drivers don't deserve to wear the uniform" After reading several posts on facebook I have come to the conclusion that there aren't many of my co-workers" who share the same sentiment. They are "outraged" and furious that the media and Quebecor are "attacking" the paramedic profession to hinder the negotiations, and destroy the publics perception of our job. I have heard several things such as, " They are conducting a witch hunt against paramedics" and "They would never talk about firefighters that way, and their union would never let this happen" They are defending the actions of these asshole Ambulance drivers saying that the news didn't even have the autopsy and can't establish that the death was caused by lack of care on the part of the "Paramedics". They are more upset by the fact that it appeared on the news than by the fact that these types of interventions happened at all.
While yes it's true that I don't know all the details of these calls, or who the teams were, I do know for a fact that there are people on the road who are rude, apathetic, unprofessional and incompetent. Even though the majority of people I see and work with are incredible, there are a few that have no business wearing the uniform. It's scarey to think that when people call 9-1-1 they have no control over who will respond to their emergency, that makes it our responsibility to keep up to date on the latest medical advancements, so we know when to apply our protocols and when no to.
The feeling among Quebec Paramedics is that now that these stories appeared on the news, the public sees us all as incompetent assholes who have no idea what they are doing. This is not at all a feeling I share, I am a good Paramedic, I know it and my patients know it, I don't need the media to tell people that I'm good or bad, because I tell them myself by the way I treat them and their family.
My message to my co-workers is, stop feeling victimized, you wanna change the public's oponnion of us, do something about it, go out there and give you're patients the best care you can. Stop defending the undefendable, Just think how to would be reacting if it was one of your family members these people responded to. And enough with the jealousy of firefighters, who cares if they are more respected than us, and get paid better, you chose to be a paramedic, be proud of the work you do, and know that you're a hero even if you don't get recognized for it as often.
"Our Patients have not chosen us, we have chosen them"
Monday, January 30, 2012
Friday, February 6, 2009
2 months down....
Well I've been at U.S for two months now and loving every minute of it. I already have a day time replacement shift with a great partner until April 4th. I'm very lucky to be where I am. I haven't seen anything to crazy yet but there are a few things I'd like to address:
The Importance of a good partner: A good partner makes the difference between this being the best job in the world and the worst job in the world. I've had many different partners, some I like more then others and I can think of one that I would never work with again.
When you work as a Paramedic it's just you and your partner in the ambulance, when you have a good partner the time flies by, you feel protected and you feel like someone's got your back. None of us are perfect are all of us are stronger in certain aspects then others. For example when if comes to the medical calls I find I'm very strong, however when it comes to psychiatric calls I find I struggle. With my current partner she knows that, so she will back me up and help me when she sees I'm lost a little. You want to feel that if you need a mistake your partner will be there to back you up. A good partner is the most important thing to being happy as a Paramedic.
"You Must See a Lot of terrible things": While yes we do see a lot of horrible things one thing I have noticed is that with all the talk of murder, and death, and terrorism etc... we forget how much love there actually is in the world. No matter how sick my patients are there is always someone there beside them looking after them. They stay at the hospital with them, and want to ride in the back of the Ambulance because they don't want to leave their side even for a second. It's encouraging to see mother with their children, sisters, brothers, grandchildren, and especially a married couple who have been together for 60 years, who care about each other today as much as they did 6 decades ago. So yes we see a lot of terrible things, but we also see true unselfish love at it's finest.
Death is not the worst thing in the world: I have seen people who are alive physically but dead in every other aspect, people who can't move, speak, or do anything on their own. That is no way to live. Death isn't the worst thing in the world.
So after two months I feel that I've come a long way, but still have far to go. I was listening to an ALS guy explain bundle branch blocks the other day and realize how little I actually know. My goal is to be ALS one day and I'm not even close. I study everyday, to try to build towards that goal.
The Importance of a good partner: A good partner makes the difference between this being the best job in the world and the worst job in the world. I've had many different partners, some I like more then others and I can think of one that I would never work with again.
When you work as a Paramedic it's just you and your partner in the ambulance, when you have a good partner the time flies by, you feel protected and you feel like someone's got your back. None of us are perfect are all of us are stronger in certain aspects then others. For example when if comes to the medical calls I find I'm very strong, however when it comes to psychiatric calls I find I struggle. With my current partner she knows that, so she will back me up and help me when she sees I'm lost a little. You want to feel that if you need a mistake your partner will be there to back you up. A good partner is the most important thing to being happy as a Paramedic.
"You Must See a Lot of terrible things": While yes we do see a lot of horrible things one thing I have noticed is that with all the talk of murder, and death, and terrorism etc... we forget how much love there actually is in the world. No matter how sick my patients are there is always someone there beside them looking after them. They stay at the hospital with them, and want to ride in the back of the Ambulance because they don't want to leave their side even for a second. It's encouraging to see mother with their children, sisters, brothers, grandchildren, and especially a married couple who have been together for 60 years, who care about each other today as much as they did 6 decades ago. So yes we see a lot of terrible things, but we also see true unselfish love at it's finest.
Death is not the worst thing in the world: I have seen people who are alive physically but dead in every other aspect, people who can't move, speak, or do anything on their own. That is no way to live. Death isn't the worst thing in the world.
So after two months I feel that I've come a long way, but still have far to go. I was listening to an ALS guy explain bundle branch blocks the other day and realize how little I actually know. My goal is to be ALS one day and I'm not even close. I study everyday, to try to build towards that goal.
Monday, December 8, 2008
First few shifts
Well I've been working as a real Paramedic since November 28th now and I have to say it is the most rewarding job that exists. I've been working many different hours with many different partners. In Montreal it's so busy I can't even believe it, when I did my stage we had time to relax and fool around a bit, but in Montreal it's one call right after another.
My very first call was a guy who was hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) he was out of it, so we had to give him a needle filled with glucagon (helps raise blood sugar). It was a pretty impressive call for my first one. Other then that I've some some very urgent calls, a cardiac arrest, a gentleman in a right bundle branch block etc... But also some humanitarian calls old ladies who have fallen, feel weak etc. It's not all lights and sirens, save the day every call like you see on TV and in the movies, a lot of people call ambulances when they don't need to, a simple taxi would do fine for them, but that's the system.
So far I feel I'm doing extremely well for my first week, I've gotten compliments from EVERY SINGLE ONE of my patients saying how nice and polite and comforting I was. I love it when they shake your hand after and say thank you. I don't do it for the money, I do it for that right there.
I said before that it's not all lights and sirens, save the day with every call, but you do make a difference with every single call.
For those of you who read this and don't know what you want to do, if you think you can handle it, I highly suggest you look into becoming a Paramedic, there's nothing greater then the feeling you get after coming home from work, knowing you made a positive difference in over a dozen people's lives.
My very first call was a guy who was hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) he was out of it, so we had to give him a needle filled with glucagon (helps raise blood sugar). It was a pretty impressive call for my first one. Other then that I've some some very urgent calls, a cardiac arrest, a gentleman in a right bundle branch block etc... But also some humanitarian calls old ladies who have fallen, feel weak etc. It's not all lights and sirens, save the day every call like you see on TV and in the movies, a lot of people call ambulances when they don't need to, a simple taxi would do fine for them, but that's the system.
So far I feel I'm doing extremely well for my first week, I've gotten compliments from EVERY SINGLE ONE of my patients saying how nice and polite and comforting I was. I love it when they shake your hand after and say thank you. I don't do it for the money, I do it for that right there.
I said before that it's not all lights and sirens, save the day with every call, but you do make a difference with every single call.
For those of you who read this and don't know what you want to do, if you think you can handle it, I highly suggest you look into becoming a Paramedic, there's nothing greater then the feeling you get after coming home from work, knowing you made a positive difference in over a dozen people's lives.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
EMS Poetry
Note: I did not write any of these, these have all been found on the Internet.
EMS PRAYER:
As I perform my duty Lord
Whatever be the call,
Help to guide and keep me safe
From dangers big and small.
I want to serve and do my best
No matter what the scene,
I pledge to keep my skills refined,
My judgement quick and keen.
This calling to give of my self
Most do not understand,
But I stand ready all the time
To help my fellow man.
To have the chance to help a child
Restore his laugh with glee,
A word of thanks I might not hear,
But knowing is enough for me.
The praise of men is fine for some,
But I feel truly blessed,
That you oh Lord have chosen me
To serve in EMS!
------------------------------------------------
When God Made Paramedics:
"When The Lord Made Paramedics
When the Lord made Paramedics, he was into his sixth day of overtime when an angel appeared and said, "You're doing a lot of fiddling around on this one."
And the Lord said, "Have you read the specs on this order? A paramedic has to be able to carry an injured person up a wet, grassy hill in the dark, dodge stray bullets to reach a dying child unarmed, enter homes the health inspector wouldn't touch, and not wrinkle his uniform."
" He has to be able to lift 3 times his own weight, crawl into wrecked cars with barely enough room to move, and console a grieving mother as he is doing CPR on a baby he knows will never breath again."
"He has to be in top mental condition at all times, running on no sleep, black coffee and half-eaten meals. And he has to have six pairs of hands."
The angel shook her head slowly and said, "Six pairs of hands...no way."
"It's not the hands that are causing me problems," said the Lord, "It's the three pairs of eyes a medic has to have."
"That's on the standard model?" asked the angel.
The Lord nodded. "One pair that sees open sores as he's drawing blood and asks the patient they may be HIV positive, " (When he already knows and wishes he'd taken that accounting job.) "Another pair here in the side of his head for his partners' safety. And another pair of eyes here in front that can look reassuringly at a bleeding victim and say, "You'll be all right ma'am when he knows it isn't so."
"Lord," said the angel, touching his sleeve, "rest and work on this tomorrow."
"I can't," said the Lord, "I already have a model that can talk a 250 pound drunk out from behind a steering wheel without incident and feed a family of five on a private service paycheck."
The angel circled the model of the paramedic very slowly,
"Can it think?" she asked.
"You bet," said the Lord. "It can tell you the symptoms of 100 illnesses; recite drug calculations in it's sleep; intubate, defibrillate, medicate, and continue CPR nonstop over terrain that any doctor would fear...and still it keeps it's sense of humor.
This medic also has phenomenal personal control. He can deal with a multi-victim trauma, coax a frightened elderly person to unlock their door, comfort a murder victim's family, and then read in the daily paper how paramedics were unable to locate a house quickly enough, allowing the person to die. A house which had no street sign, no house numbers, no phone to call back."
Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek of the paramedic. "There's a leak," she pronounced. "I told you that you were trying to put too much into this model."
"That's not a leak," said the Lord, "It's a tear."
"What's the tear for?" asked the angel.
"It's for bottled-up emotions, for patients they've tried in vain to save, for commitment to that hope that they will make a difference in a person's chance to survive, for life."
"You're a genius," said the angel.
The Lord looked somber. "I didn't put it there," He said"
----------------------------------------------------------
EMS PRAYER:
As I perform my duty Lord
Whatever be the call,
Help to guide and keep me safe
From dangers big and small.
I want to serve and do my best
No matter what the scene,
I pledge to keep my skills refined,
My judgement quick and keen.
This calling to give of my self
Most do not understand,
But I stand ready all the time
To help my fellow man.
To have the chance to help a child
Restore his laugh with glee,
A word of thanks I might not hear,
But knowing is enough for me.
The praise of men is fine for some,
But I feel truly blessed,
That you oh Lord have chosen me
To serve in EMS!
------------------------------------------------
When God Made Paramedics:
"When The Lord Made Paramedics
When the Lord made Paramedics, he was into his sixth day of overtime when an angel appeared and said, "You're doing a lot of fiddling around on this one."
And the Lord said, "Have you read the specs on this order? A paramedic has to be able to carry an injured person up a wet, grassy hill in the dark, dodge stray bullets to reach a dying child unarmed, enter homes the health inspector wouldn't touch, and not wrinkle his uniform."
" He has to be able to lift 3 times his own weight, crawl into wrecked cars with barely enough room to move, and console a grieving mother as he is doing CPR on a baby he knows will never breath again."
"He has to be in top mental condition at all times, running on no sleep, black coffee and half-eaten meals. And he has to have six pairs of hands."
The angel shook her head slowly and said, "Six pairs of hands...no way."
"It's not the hands that are causing me problems," said the Lord, "It's the three pairs of eyes a medic has to have."
"That's on the standard model?" asked the angel.
The Lord nodded. "One pair that sees open sores as he's drawing blood and asks the patient they may be HIV positive, " (When he already knows and wishes he'd taken that accounting job.) "Another pair here in the side of his head for his partners' safety. And another pair of eyes here in front that can look reassuringly at a bleeding victim and say, "You'll be all right ma'am when he knows it isn't so."
"Lord," said the angel, touching his sleeve, "rest and work on this tomorrow."
"I can't," said the Lord, "I already have a model that can talk a 250 pound drunk out from behind a steering wheel without incident and feed a family of five on a private service paycheck."
The angel circled the model of the paramedic very slowly,
"Can it think?" she asked.
"You bet," said the Lord. "It can tell you the symptoms of 100 illnesses; recite drug calculations in it's sleep; intubate, defibrillate, medicate, and continue CPR nonstop over terrain that any doctor would fear...and still it keeps it's sense of humor.
This medic also has phenomenal personal control. He can deal with a multi-victim trauma, coax a frightened elderly person to unlock their door, comfort a murder victim's family, and then read in the daily paper how paramedics were unable to locate a house quickly enough, allowing the person to die. A house which had no street sign, no house numbers, no phone to call back."
Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek of the paramedic. "There's a leak," she pronounced. "I told you that you were trying to put too much into this model."
"That's not a leak," said the Lord, "It's a tear."
"What's the tear for?" asked the angel.
"It's for bottled-up emotions, for patients they've tried in vain to save, for commitment to that hope that they will make a difference in a person's chance to survive, for life."
"You're a genius," said the angel.
The Lord looked somber. "I didn't put it there," He said"
----------------------------------------------------------
Every time your pager sounds,
Or radio brings a call;
You know that someones life has changed,
You go assist them all.
You do your duties, do your job,
thankless though it seems;
Because your heart is giving,
and your following your dreams.
Dangers ever present,
though the fears you push away;
Your gentle spirit led you here,
to help someone today.
You've heard it time and time again,
"One call can change it all;"
Still you answer every one,
standing proud and tall
Your courage never failing,
a heart beyond compare;
When this solemn call came in,
You responded you were there.
How could you have known?
How could you foresee?
That helping those in need today,
would be your destiny.
Unselfishly you gave you life,
as lives you tried to save;
faces though you did not know,
your life for them you gave.
By: Cathleen Turner
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Update
I am sooooo bored. I've been out of school for almost a month and still don't have a job. I went through the hiring process at Urgence Sante. I did the driving test, the written test, and the practical test, all that's left is the interview on October 29th. I also did the hiring process at CETAM, but told them Urgence Sante was my top priority, so they told me that they were impressed by me, but I should stick with Urgence Sante, and forget about them until I can manage my hours and work for both. So I've just been hanging out, watchig Oprah a lot, reading my protocols and medical journals etc. I got to help my dad teach ACLS (advanced cardiac life support) and noticed that I think I'd be a good teacher. I'm beginning to realize that I'm more like my father then I initially thought. So not too much to write about since my life is boring and uneventful right now. I'm tired of feeling useless, like there aren't enough ambulances to meet the demands of the public, and here I am with all these new skills being left at home instead of being put on the road. I don't understand what takes so long. Oh well just one more thing that needs changing.
....'til next time
Phil McHugh PCP
....'til next time
Phil McHugh PCP
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Phil McHugh - Paramedic
WOW, I'm officially a Paramedic. After 10 long months my school is over, I have passed all my exams and I am now proud to say that I am a Paramedic. It's strange to say but I never thought this day would come, I thought somewhere along the line something's going to go wrong and I'm not going to make it, but I worked hard, and wanted it bad enough and now Phil McHugh is a Paramedic.
So I applied at CETAM and Urgence Sante and haven't heard from either of them yet, so now I will remained unemployed until I get some news. Maybe spend a few stress less days while I still can.
I will forever be associated with Group 89 and all the men and women in it, and I couldn't be happier. We all share a certain bond that's unexplainable. We shared highs and lows, didn't always get along all the time but in the end we cheered each other on and wished well. I'm proud to say that I was part of Group 89, and any one of them can take care of my loved ones any day. So I present to you, the newest group of Paramedics, who will be protecting the streets of Quebec for years to come.
Charlene Bourdages Taylor
Olivier Simon Chayer
Michael Cote
Bridgette Desrochers
Pierre Deziel
Justin Gauthier
Olivier Garneau
France Gignac
Julein Henry
Marc Andre Lacroix
PIerre Masse
Phil McHugh
Dominic Pepin
Bridgette Proulx
Melissa Roy
Samuel St Louis
Nicole-Anik
Mihai
Daniel
Felicitations Je suis fier de vous autres. BONNE CHANCE
So I applied at CETAM and Urgence Sante and haven't heard from either of them yet, so now I will remained unemployed until I get some news. Maybe spend a few stress less days while I still can.
I will forever be associated with Group 89 and all the men and women in it, and I couldn't be happier. We all share a certain bond that's unexplainable. We shared highs and lows, didn't always get along all the time but in the end we cheered each other on and wished well. I'm proud to say that I was part of Group 89, and any one of them can take care of my loved ones any day. So I present to you, the newest group of Paramedics, who will be protecting the streets of Quebec for years to come.
Charlene Bourdages Taylor
Olivier Simon Chayer
Michael Cote
Bridgette Desrochers
Pierre Deziel
Justin Gauthier
Olivier Garneau
France Gignac
Julein Henry
Marc Andre Lacroix
PIerre Masse
Phil McHugh
Dominic Pepin
Bridgette Proulx
Melissa Roy
Samuel St Louis
Nicole-Anik
Mihai
Daniel
Felicitations Je suis fier de vous autres. BONNE CHANCE
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Paramedic in 7 days....
So I'm back at school doing more practice and studying and some final tweaking before I become a working Paramedic. It's a bit frustrating to be back at school and doing everything for pretend, after spending 6 weeks, with real equipment and real patients. School at the college, has been out all summer and now we're all back. The area where the Paramedic students are located, isn't very big and there are a lot of us. We returned from our stages to realize we had no classroom anymore. The Paramedic section has two groups of people the students doing the 10 month AEC and the students doing the 3 year DEC. The Dec students get the better equipment, and all the classrooms so the students doing the AEC, about to be on the road doing it for real in two weeks (like us) have no equipment to practice with, or any place to practice. Very frustrating.
We all shared stories about our stage and we all seems to have a great experience. One of my teachers asked me and a classmate to speak to his 1st year DEC students about our thoughts on the profession and our gols for the future. He chose my classmate because she didn't like the road and doesn't want to be a Paramedic, and I loved it and showed a lot of passion for it. So we addressed the students and told them about our experiences. I was honored that he chose me to speak.
Yesterday I went to Urgence Sante for an information session on their hiring process. It's ridiculous. It would start on October 7th, and by the time it's done it's November 28th. They make you take a bunch of tests you've already taken, such as a TAPTA ( Test D'apptitude Physique, Technicien Ambulancier) and UVU (utulisation d'un vehivule d'urgence). The whole process takes too long, so I really hope I hear from CETAM.
I want to talk a bit about something that's really been bothering me about the DEC students. They walk around with shirts that say PARAMEDIC on the back of them, even though they were specifically told not to.. I find that completely inappropriate. They are not Paramedics they are Paramedic Students there's a big difference, to me it's the same as a Med student walking around with a white coat that says Doctor. Yes they have some training, but not enough to call themselves Paramedics. I think being called a Paramedic is something you earn. Something you earn with experience, until you've had to do CPR for real, or give a report at a hospital,or have had puke on your hands, and had the responsibility of some stranger's life in your hands, then you're not a Paramedic, and it's disrespectful to the real Paramedics to call yourself one when you're not. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, am I making a big deal out of nothing or do I have a point?
My friend Ian started school in Ontario last week, and he seems to be liking it and doing real well, I wish him the best of luck on his journey, and hope I can help him in anyway I can. I have no doubt he'll make a great Paramedic and one day be almost as good as I am. ;)
We all shared stories about our stage and we all seems to have a great experience. One of my teachers asked me and a classmate to speak to his 1st year DEC students about our thoughts on the profession and our gols for the future. He chose my classmate because she didn't like the road and doesn't want to be a Paramedic, and I loved it and showed a lot of passion for it. So we addressed the students and told them about our experiences. I was honored that he chose me to speak.
Yesterday I went to Urgence Sante for an information session on their hiring process. It's ridiculous. It would start on October 7th, and by the time it's done it's November 28th. They make you take a bunch of tests you've already taken, such as a TAPTA ( Test D'apptitude Physique, Technicien Ambulancier) and UVU (utulisation d'un vehivule d'urgence). The whole process takes too long, so I really hope I hear from CETAM.
I want to talk a bit about something that's really been bothering me about the DEC students. They walk around with shirts that say PARAMEDIC on the back of them, even though they were specifically told not to.. I find that completely inappropriate. They are not Paramedics they are Paramedic Students there's a big difference, to me it's the same as a Med student walking around with a white coat that says Doctor. Yes they have some training, but not enough to call themselves Paramedics. I think being called a Paramedic is something you earn. Something you earn with experience, until you've had to do CPR for real, or give a report at a hospital,or have had puke on your hands, and had the responsibility of some stranger's life in your hands, then you're not a Paramedic, and it's disrespectful to the real Paramedics to call yourself one when you're not. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, am I making a big deal out of nothing or do I have a point?
My friend Ian started school in Ontario last week, and he seems to be liking it and doing real well, I wish him the best of luck on his journey, and hope I can help him in anyway I can. I have no doubt he'll make a great Paramedic and one day be almost as good as I am. ;)
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