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.

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"

----------------------------------------------------------

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

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

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

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. ;)

End Of Stage & What's Next

Well, my stage is completely over. For school it ended on August 20th but I kept going in for fun and extra experience. I'm not really able to describe my experience, but it's definitely one I'll never forget. I got to see a lot of calls, the people at the hospital and CETAM were very nice to me, the police were nice as well. The last few days my Maitres de stage were leaving me alone with the patient, leaving me alone to give my reports and fill out the paperwork. They said they have no doubt in my mind that I'll be an excellent Paramedic, and I'm ready to go out and work on my own, they said I was the ideal stagiare and they were lucky to have me. They were so nice to me, and taught me so much, throughout my career I'll never forget them. My last night of stage we got a sweet call:

The call comes in as a priority 1 possible stroke. We we bolt lights and siren to the house. When we pull up we see a large older man lying on the grass with all his family around him. I'm thinking, "oh no he's in cardiac arrest" so I hurry towards him, I turn on the monitor I tell his daughter to move and make me some space, I squeeze his trapeziums muscles to wake him up, he makes a face but doesn't wake up, I tilt his head back, listen for breathing, he's breathing fine, I check his carotid pulse, it's strong but irregular, his family tells me he's known for arrhythmia's (irregular heart beats) so I don't think much of it, I rip his shirt open, put on the pas for defibrillation in case his heart stops we can shock him right way. On the monitor I see an irregular sinus rhythm. I check his radial pulse its strong but irregular as well, his family mentions that he had ten beers, I take it into consideration, but based on the size of the man I don't think this is just an intox. Then his family mentions he's diabetic. A light goes of in all our heads, he's hypoglycemic (low sugar) Alcohol can lower ones sugar level so this was a clear case. as I monitor the patient and ask the family questions my parent checks his blood sugar level it's a 2.0, (normal between 4-6) so we prepare a drug called glucagon, my partner prepares the needle, and injects it in his arm. Two minutes later the man wakes up, still out of it, not talking and not aware of where he is. He put him on the stretcher, I ask the family if he complained of any chest pain before he fell down to make sure this is just a case of hypoglycemia because diabetics have heart attacks too, they say so, so we hop in the Ambulance and take off. I watch as he slowly regains consciousness, when we get to the hospital, his eyes are fully opened, he's being combative and aggressive (normal behavior in a case like this) so we have to hold him down on the stretcher, so the nurse can get an I.V in, he was very strong. Once he starts to settle down we pack up our stuff and leave.
We bring another patient about an hour later and the doctor says our diabetic patient is awake, and doing great, and that we did a good job. Pretty amazing stuff.

What's next: Well now that I'm done my stage I return to school on September 15th, for my final exams. Practice exams and written exams. Then on September 26th I should be graduated and a real Paramedic. Stay Tuned...

My First Code

A code is the term we use when we get a patient in Cardiac Arrest and we have to try to reanimate them by doing CPR, and Difibrillation. I got my first code Monday August 25th. But it wasn't what I expected.
Since the beginning of my stage I said I wanted a code so I can practice, I was expecting a old lady, or an old man who's time had simply come, but what I got was an 18 year old boy. He was epileptic and I think his family found him on the floor of the bathroom and he got out of the shower when they got home from work. We showed up, hurried down the stairs, I checked a pulse felt nothing so I began CPR. This patient was blue, and looked like he's had been there for a while, his parents said it's been more then half an hour since they've seen him alive. We did CPR, attached the defib pads, and did an analyze ''Choc- non conseillé'' shock not advised. I look at the monitor asystolie (flat line, no cardiac activity) so I continue CPR, my partner prepares the combitube and intubates him (Placing a tube down his throat to breathe for him and prevent him from vomiting into his lungs) the tube is in place, we continue CPR, and 3 more cycles ( one cycle= 30 compressions + 2 breaths) we do another analyze ''choc non conseillé) asystolie on the monitor, we did that one more time and never shocked him, because we didn't have a shockable rhythm. We stopped our maneuvers our efforts did not work. This poor family lost they're son and brother.
We did a good job, nobody was going to save this man, we gave him the best chance at survival and that's what our job is. My partner had to explain to the parents that he was gone. Seeing the family collapse as their world came crashing down is the worst part of the job so far. Nothing about this was right 18 year old kids aren't supposed to die like that.
The story I heard was this man got out of the shower had a seizure and fell face first in the garbage can, the bag suffocated him. ¸
After a call like that you go over it in your head, see if there was anything else you can do, make sure that no one else could've done a better job, and on this call nobody could've done better in Quebec. In the rest of the world there could have been Advanced Care Paramedics who could've administered cardiac drugs via I.V that might've worked. No guarantee because most people don't come back from asystolie, especially more than 30 minutes, but an Advanced care Paramedic, could've given him a better chance. Somethings gotta change in this province.

Cetam Vs Urgence Santé

It seems as though many of you do not know how the ambulance service works in your community. There are several companies in Quebec who run the Ambulance service depending on where you live. I`m going to talk about the two I was debating working for Cetam and Urgence Santé.
Cetam is a privately owned company, which means somebody owns it. It has many offices around the Montérigie:
Chateauguay,Delson,Valleyfield,Dorion,Rigaud,Ormstown,St-Chrysostome and Greenfield Park. There are more differences then just territory, equipment is also different. Cetam uses a newer type of stair chair which is incredible, the Monitor is different, they use a Lifepak, they don`t have as many Cube ambulances and mostly use Mirages. They don`t have as many calls as Urgence Santé, don't have as many employees, and Cetam is more of a family setting when it comes to it's employees. Everyone knows everyone and they all seem to be friends.
Urgence Santé. They're owned by the Government of Quebec. They are the largest ambulance service in Quebec, and cover Montreal and Laval. Urgence Santé uses the older stair chair that isn`t as good, and use the Zoll monitor. They have GPS in they're ambulances and use Cube trucks. They have people hired to clean and re-stock your ambulance,and mechanic's that work full-time to repair the ambulances. They have a higher call volume, and more employees, so not everyone knows everyone.
Where I chose to work:
CETAM: I decided to work at Cetam because I've enjoyed it immensely so far. Both Urgence Santé and CETAM have they're up sides and down sides. The main thing is the hiring process at Urgence Santé takes up to three months where at Cetam in can take a few days. Once I graduate I don't feel like waiting 3 months before I start getting paid. I won't have to cross that damned Mercier Bridge everyday to get to work, or sit in traffic while I work as well. At Cetam they have internet, and TV and pool tables in the office so when there's no calls you have a place to hang out. At Urgence Santé they don't have a place to hang out so you're out all day sitting in the Ambulance.
At Cetam you have to clean and re-stock your own Ambulance, you don't see as many calls, or as interesting calls as you would in Montreal. The people at CETAM seem to enjoy their job more then the people at Urgence Santé on average, the traffic, the violence, the long waits at the hospitals, the homeless people, and the ''B.S'' calls, and the high call volume take a toll on a Paramedic and they get burnt out quicker at Urgence Santé. I really really want to work with my Dad, and Richard (both of whom work at Urgence Santé) I really want to be ALS (Advanced Life Support) one day, or perhaps a Swat Medic, all of which is only at Urgence Santé right now. But I decided to start at Cetam, finish my probation at Cetam then see where I am, I'm a little sad that I can't start working with my father right away, but perhaps it's a good way to build a name of my own, and not just be known as Gary's son. Though my father has never pushed me, or put pressure on me in any way, I would put it upon myself, he is such a legend at Urgence Santé that I would feel pressured to serve the name McHugh with pride.
So I will spend a year a Cetam then see where the world takes me. The great thing about the job is everywhere needs Paramedics. So perhaps one day I will hop on a plane to live and work in Hawaii......

End Of Stage

Well my stage is officially over, and it has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I feel like a real Paramedic now, and I have confidence, that I can do this job and do it well. Over the past few weeks the things I`ve learnt have been incredible. The way they teach you at school isn`t at all the way things are done on the road. The school gives you a base to follow, but on the road you have to find your own way to do it.
I didn`t see any major trauma, or a cardiac arrest but I saw a lot of different things. I don`t feel I personally saved any lives during my stage, but I do feel I made a difference in everyone of my patients`lives in some respect.
The one thing I really noticed was how hard it is to be old, you really lose all independance and become a completley different person. I try to look at my older patients and imagine them being my age and wonder what they were like.
I have decided to continue on, on my stage, because even though I don`t need the extra time to pass the course, I need all the help I can get to be a great Paramedic. Throughout my career I never want to feel like I know enough, I want to continue to learn everyday and continue to learn for the better of my patients. My ''Maitres de stages'' have said they would like me to stick around for as long as I can so thankfully I can continue to work on the ambulance until school starts.

My ''Maitres de Stages''

One thing that has made my transition from stupid kid, to confident Paramedic easier has been the team I'm working with on the Ambulance. Anne and Annie have been the best people any Paramedic student can ask for, Their knowledge, they're excitement, they're attitude, and they're bed side manner have all been qualities that I have seen in them that I hope to have one day.
Not once have they ever made me feel stupid, or inadequate, or incapable of doing this as a career. They have always been there to back me up, and when I do make mistakes they tell me in a very respectful manner. They are great Paramedics, great teachers, and great people. There are a few people whom throughout my career I will never forget and will play a huge role into what kind of Paramedic I'll be, and Anne and Annie are two of them.

Coming Into My Own

I'm starting to believe a bit more in myself. I feel more like a Paramedic then a stupid kid who doesn't know anything. On my Mid-Stage evaluation, all the lower notes that I got were because of one thing...lack of confidence. So I decided to suck it up, take a deep breathe and believe in myself, and it seems to be making a difference. There are times where I freak out a bit.
We got a call last night, for a nine year old epileptic girl, who had convulsions. On the way to the call I told my partner to stay close because I was very nervous. I've never done a seizure before, and I've never done a pediatric, and I got both at the same time. I handled it very well, remained calm, and didn't even need that much help.
We got another call for a 14 year old woman, who had severe vaginal bleeding, it was so bad that her skin was very pale. She was obviously bothered by it, and though I don`t know what it must feel like to have vaginal bleeding and abdominal pain like that, I can imagine how frustrating and embarrassing it must be. In the Ambulance she started crying, because of being annoyed, embarrassed and scared, so I decided to talk to her about school, and summer vacation and what school she goes to etc... Her tears stopped and for a little while she forgot about her problems. I felt really good after that call, sure I didn`t treat her in the medical sense if you will, but I spoke to her and made her feel better, and that's what a Paramedic is supposed to do.

Mid-Stage

Well here we are half way done my stage, and still not confident enough in my abilities. My "stage masters" say I'm ready to be on my own but for some reason I don't feel it. I think maybe I'm just too hard on myself. Now I'm torn between figuring out where I wanna work, Cetam or Urgence Sante, there are things about both companies that I like, and things about both that I don't.
I went in for an extra shift yesterday even though it was my day off, and I'm happy I did, we did a transfer of a 12 year old boy to the children's cause he got a balloon in the eye and his eye was bleeding, no emergency, we did a car accident where everyone was OK, and a 15 year old girl who got in a fight with her best friend, and her friend litter ally bit her lip right off, there was a chuck about 1cm3 that we found on the ground very strange, women are crazy. We also had a 94 year old man with Alzheimer's who was just getting worse, nothing we, or anyone can do for him. It's sad to look into his eyes and see nothing, he looked like a sad little boy. I started to think about him as a young man, working hard to support his family, playing catch with his son, or pushing his daughter on the swing, and now his eyes are empty, physically there, but emotionally absent. Getting old isn't something I'm looking forward to.
I still need to see a big trauma, and a Cardiac Arrest.

Stage Update.

I have began "leading" on all the interventions, and while I have a lot to learn, I'm coming along fairly quickly as a paramedic. We've been fairly busy each night, getting 5-6 calls a night, and I've gotten a lot of different calls. A woman who was literally struggling for air, a 17 year old aggressive patient intoxicated on alcohol and cocaine, to a woman who really just wanted a ride to the hospital because she was bored. The coolest thing so far, was we did a transfer from Anna Laberge Hospital, to Pierre Boucher. A man was having a Heart Attack, and they needed to unblock his arteries at Pierre Boucher. We transferred him there, then I watched the surgeons perform the angioplastie. I still haven't seen any major trauma, or had to perform CPR, or Intubation. But I'm loving it more then you can imagine. The staff at Anna Laberge Hospital have been so nice to me, very patient and understanding when I'm giving my reports. The Staff at CETAM Chateauguay has been so nice to me it's incredible. I feel I've learnt more in 5 days of stage then 10 months of school.
We got a call for a 17 year old female, who got in a fight with her boyfriend. She was intoxicated with beer and coke, she was combative and aggressive, she punched and spit on some police officers. She had her hands cuffed behind her back, and had blood all over her (during the physical exam we noticed the blood was from her boyfriend, she punched him in the face and broke his nose) All throughout the intervention the patient was kicking her feet, moving, cussing etc... We tied her to the stretcher and a police officer came in the Ambulance with us en route to the hospital. Out of all the cops, and all the Paramedics, I was the only one able to calm her down, stop her from fighting, and get information like what happened and how much drugs and alcohol she took. It's a pretty nice feeling to have police officers tell you, you did a great job while you're on your stage. I love this job more then you could imagine.

Stage Day 2.

Much busier day today. We had 5 calls and from 2:00 am until 5:00 am it was one call after another. My "maitres de stage" are extremely nice and I couldn't ask for better people to learn from. Here's a list of my calls:

1st Call: Call came in for Respiratory Distress, 58 year old male. Upon our arrival the patient was breathing fine, was well coloured, and not complaining of any pain. We took the vital signs, attached the monitor, and took him to the hospital.

2nd Call: Transfer from Anna Laberge Hospital to Montreal Children's. 15 year old male, was climbing a tree and the branch broke and he fell about 1 story and landed on his back, he broke his left hip. This was my favorite call of the night, even though we didn't do anything medically, I got a chance to talk to this young man the whole way to the hospital. He goes to the same high school I went to and we talked a lot about that. This kid was very nice and polite, and after talking to me, he now thinks he might want to become a Paramedic. I felt that in one way, I made a difference in his life, simply by talking to him, and showing him, that a kid who went to Billings can actually move on an do something.

3rd Call: We get called for a 32 year old woman with abdominal pain, diarrhea nausea, etc.... We show up, and the woman is waiting for us lying on her porch complaining of severe pain. One of my partners, says that this woman is a known "psych" patient and calls at least once a month. Again we check the vitals, put her in the ambulance and bring her to the hospital.

4th Call: We get a call for a woman with severe non traumatic back pain. We show up, she's lying in bed, complaining of back spasms. We bring her to the hospital, where she looks to be in pretty bad pain, when we transfer her from our stretcher to the hospital bed. We wish her good luck, and continue on.

5th Call: We get called at 5:30 am (half an hour before our shift ends) for a 62 year old woman who can't get out of bed, on a priority 3. This woman has the whole kit, known asthmatic, cardiac history etc... We show up at the house, bring in our equipment, and see a 550 pound woman half on half off the bed. She tells us she wants to sit, but she can't move, she has severe swelling and dehydration of both her feet. There's no way we can move this patient, just us three so we call for help from the firefighters. This woman is confused, and unoriented. when we ask her the year, she can't tell us what it is. She's a known diabetic, so I check her blood sugar level and it way high at 22 (Normal is between 4 and 6). We tried our best to get her on the stretcher, and bring her to the hospital as quickly as we could.

Stage Day 1:

I wish I had more interesting things to talk about. But after a 12 hour shift we only did one call. That's what it's like outside of Montreal. We did a 48 year old strangle victim, he was dead for quite some time and there as nothing we could do....NOTHING. We did a lot of hanging out and coffee drinking.
The thing I found strange was that I'm sitting there bored, dying to get a call, everytime the radio crackles, I hope I hear 621, 6-2-1, but I hear nothing. It's an odd feeling to be sitting there hoping someone gets sick,has trouble breathing, or gets in a car accident, because you're bored.

WE ARE NOT AMBULANCE DRIVERS

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

"Late night, brakes lock, hear the tires squeal
Red light, can't stop so I spin the wheel
My world goes black before I feel an angel steal me from the
Greedy jaws of death and chance, and pull me in with steady hands
They've given me a second chance, the artist in the ambulance"
- The Artist In the Ambulance - By Thrice

"EMTs are trained in emergency medical procedures that need to be deployed within a rapid time frame from onset of a patient's condition (e.g. treatments for cardiac arrest). The EMT's immediate focus is rapid evaluation of a patient's condition and maintaining a patient's airway, breathing and circulation. Immediate EMT interventions include providing CPR and cardiac defibrillation when necessary, controlling severe external bleeding, preventing shock, immobilization of the neck to prevent further spinal damage, immediate treatment (such as splinting) of bone fractures (both open and closed). Interventions are designed to prevent further injury or disability and preserve life or conditions conducive to life while EMT's expedite transport of the patient to a hospital emergency department for definitive medical care."
-Wikipedia 2008

I was talking with my friend yesterday who's about to begin his studies in Prehospital care, when he told me a story that I found disturbing. He told me he ran into an old friend that he went to school with a few years ago. She asked what he was up to, and he told her that he was about to start school to become a Paramedic, and the same question I always get was asked to him, "Wow, cool, does that pay a lot" he answered with the usual, "it's not bad but, Paramedics don't get paid as much as they should." and she answered back with..." Well you guys don't really do that much anyways."
The thing that bothers me so much about that comment is that she didn't say it to be mean or condescending, it's just that she doesn't fully understand the job a Paramedic does. No one does. All throughout my studies I've been called an "Ambulance Guy," an "Ambulance Driver", "An Ambulance" etc.... I always answer back with, "No, I'm a Paramedic."
I've been asked many many times if I'm going to drive the Ambulance, or take care of the person in the back. People still think that there are Ambulance Drivers. While yes, driving an Ambulance is a part of our tasks, what we do is so much more important and complex.
It seems as though Police, Firefighters, Nurses, and Doctors are praised on a regular basis, by both Hollywood, and regular civilians, and deservedly so, however they often forget that Paramedics are an equal part of that team.
Police prevent you from getting shot, but if you do it's the Paramedics that take care of you.
Firefighters put out fires and pull you from burning buildings, but if you do get burnt or inhale smoke, it's the Paramedics that take care of you
Nurses and Doctors, look after you in the hospital and diagnose you and tell you how to treat it, but it's the Paramedics that get you there, and keep you alive.
If it wasn't for Paramedics doctors and Nurses would have nothing to do. We're on the front line of medicine, what we do in the first 10 minutes of our intervention determine your outcome. If we don't get you, or keep you alive on the way to the hospital, the Doctors and Nurses wont be able to help you.
In one day a Paramedic has to be a Pediatrician, a Cardiologist, a Respiratory Therapist, a Gynecologist, a Neurologist, a Psychiatrist, and a best friend. While doctors choose what type of medicine they want to dabble in and choose what kind of patients they get, Paramedics have to be good in all fields and deal with all different kinds of patients.
What I ask for is a little respect and recognition, we don't do it for the money, or the fame, or to get a pat on the back, we do it because we love the job and we love our patients. Next time you see an Ambulance drive by, give them a little wave, next time you see them in line at Tim Hortons buying a coffee give a wave, a smile, and say "Thank You". You don't know what that Paramedic has seen that day, or what he will see in the Future. Everyday we interact with people who are having the worst day of their life, and we have to continue on and treat the next patient the best we possibly can.
So while you might have had a bad day at work, because you're completely swamped and your boss doesn't understand how much you do, keep in mind that, that Paramedic you see in Tim Hortons might have had a bad day because a child died in their arms.

So please click the link I posted at the beginning and see what it is we do, and no longer call us "Ambulance Drivers", we're Paramedics and we wouldn't change it for anything in the world.

..." Our Patients did not choose us....We have chosen them"
-PHTLS

College Ahuntsic

I started school November 19th 2007 in a class of around 24, only 17 would finish. There are 4 semesters for the program. I didn't know what to expect when I started. I expected to be kind of a loner and left to myself, being the only anglophone student. This was an ignorant point of view on my part. I was treated just like everyone else, and really changed my views on language relations in this province. I quickly realized that not only was I not the only anglophone, but I would not be treated any differently by the teachers or the students. During the 10 months I feel as though I made a bond for life with the 17 students still in the program, we've been through a lot together, and I feel as though I have a personal interest in how their careers will develop. All the students have helped me out tremendously, but I have to give a special shout out to Charleyne, Pierre M, Pierre D, Justin G, Bridgette P, and D, Olivier G, Olivier S.C and Julien. There is one classmate in particular whom I would like to mention. Mikael didn't speak a word of English when we started school, but now 10 months later, because of hard work and determination, I am proud to say that Mike is now able to have a conversation in English, and treat the English patients just as well as I could. He is doing his stage in a mostly English community and I wish him all the best.
The following is quick class by class account of my studies:

1st Semester
SFV (Supports Des Fonctions Vitals) Teachers Marco Harnois & Michel Demeo
Very important course and good introduction to our tasks as Medics. Learning CPR, and how to Intubate.

ECP (Evaluation Clinique Prehospitalier) Teacher: Dave Boisvert
Another very important class, how to take vital signs and the step by step process of evaluating the scene and the patient

Biology ( Anatomy and Physiology) Teacher Katy Perron
My white whale, the hardest course in the program in my opinion, learning the ins and outs of the Human Body in a few weeks.

CPTA (Champs De Pratique en Techniques Ambulancier) Teacher Claude Labarre
An introduction to the profession, nothing really medical to learn, but learning how to act and to respect the profession, and important course for the advancement of the profession.

2nd Semester
UMP1 (Urgence Medical Prehospitalier 1) Teacher Dave Boisvert
Learning how the heart works, Pulmonary Edema, how to read ECGs, and Defibrillate how to do a 10-10 and a Rapport Verbal, How to fill out a RIP, and our first experience with Medications, Nitro and Asprin for Myocardial Infarctions

UTP 1 (Urgence Traumatique Prehospitalier 1) Teacher Michel Demeo
Introduction to trauma, how to evaluate the patients, and put on a neck brace in fully immobilize on a back board and a Vacuum Mattress. And how to recognize Shock

UMP2 (Urgence Medical Prehospitalier 2) Teacher Anik Gagnon
Learning about Respiratory Emergencies and Diabetes, learning how to administer Salbutamol for Asthma attacks and respiratory emergencies, and Glucagon for Hypoglycemic emergencies.

UPP ( Urgence Psycosocial Prehospitalier) Teacher Emmanuel Bourdon
Learning how to talk to patients who's soul is aching, how to deal with violent, suicidal or mentally handicapped patients

3rd Semester
UMP3 (Urgence Medical Prehospitalier 3) Teacher Anik Gagnon
Learning about Child Birth, Drugs, Drownings, Burns, Diving Accidents, and Anaphylactic Shock. And how to Administer Epinephrine for Anaphylactic Shock.

UTP2 ( Urgence Traumatique Prehospitalier 2) Teacher Michel Demeo
Learning, how to treat stab, and gunshot wounds, and impalements

UTP3 (Urgence Traumatique Prehospitalier 3) Teacher Pat Bertrand
Learning how to treat and immobilize fractures, and tweaking our Trauma skills.

ISEP ( Intervention dans les Situations Exceptionelle Prehospitalier) Teacher Louis Phillippe Tetrault
Learning how to triage and care for multiple victims, radio communication, how to work with electricity, extrication, and how to use ropes to transport patients uphill.

4th Semester
UVU ( Utulisation d'un Vehicule D'Urgence) Teacher Claude Labarre
How to drive an Ambulance.....PRACTICE

Stage: Teacher Anne & Annie
Stay Tuned

Synthese: Teacher Virginie Ares Trepanier
Stay Tuned

Introduction

Hello,

My name is Phil McHugh. For those of you who don't know, I've been studying for the past 10 months at College Ahuntsic in Prehospital care. I'm about to wrap up my studies and am starting stage in a few days. In this blog I will account my calls that I do during my stage. I will explain the calls, how I reacted, what I did wrong, what I should've done, and how the call made me feel. This is more for personal use so I remember by journey, but also for those who are interested in becoming a Paramedic and wonders what it might be like, and for two of my friends who plan to follow in my footsteps and become a Medic.

The Beginning: I said before that I've been studying for 10 months to become a Paramedic, but I've really been preparing for it my whole life. My Father is one of the best and most respected Paramedics in Canada, and his influence on me is enormous. I don't really remember ever being told what my father did for a living, but I always remember being proud of it. Growing up I attending some of the classes my father would give on CPR and what not, and it was normal for me to be 5 years old and know CPR, (both me and my sister knew CPR when we were very young) I always felt very safe growing up, whenever I was sick, I never panicked and felt comforted knowing that my father knew what he was talking about, and I knew I wanted to, one day give the same sort of support for my kids.
When I finished high school I had no idea what I wanted to do, so I quickly took the first job I could. I worked at a customs broker for 6 years and realized that I didn't want to do that anymore. I was not an office person who could fall into a routine of a 9 to 5 job. I always knew I wanted to be a Paramedic but if I were to tell you it's been a life long passion of mine I'd be lying. After about 2 years at this customs agency, I started thinking about going back to school to become a Paramedic but didn't follow through with it, because of my stubbornness of not wanting to do it in French, so I brushed the thought aside and continued working at that Customs job.

Realization: In May 2007 I began to experience severe abdominal pains. Fed up of the pain and the sleepless nights I decided to get checked out at Montreal General Hospital. After doing some tests I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis, and because of my severe dehydration I was told to stay at the hospital for a week so I could be monitored. My Mother, My Father, My Friends, The Doctors, and the Nurses were so great to me, I realized that I need to do something more with my life. The way the Nurses treated just confirmed my thought that I want to do something in the medical field to help people. When I got out of the hospital I started the process of registering for school and ended up starting my classes at College Ahuntsic on November 19th 2007.

Today: Here we are July 24th 2008, two days after my 24th birthday and I feel as though I'm just starting my life. On Monday July 28th I will do my first day of Stage in Chateauguay from 6:00 pm until 6:00 am. I will be covering Chateauguay, Lery, Mercier, Beauhornois, and St Isidore. I will be doing my shift with two female Paramedics who's names I will change for privacy sake, once I think of two names to use.
Everyone has influenced me and helped me throughout my studies but these next people I would like to thank personally.

Gary McHugh
Yveline McHugh
Melissa McHugh
Rene Durand
Michel Demeo
Pat Bertrand
Claude LaBarre
Pierre Lahaie
Charles Alexandre Campbell
Pierre Bayard
Richard Leblanc
Leo Scampanella
CoCo Hui
Nelly Stipdonk
All the Teachers at Ahuntsic in SPU
and everyone in Group 89.

Please Stay tuned....
Phil