I wrote this a couple months ago when I was feeling really burned out. The burnout passed, as I knew it would, and I am back to myself, so I can post it now. (1) I have been responding to 911 calls for twenty-six years, 21 as a full time paramedic with a busy urban commercial…
Month: March 2016
New EMS Books
This past year has been a banner year for new EMS books, memoirs and fiction. Each book that reaches an audience outside of the EMS world increases the public’s understanding of what we do and hopefully, increases their respect for us. Here is a roundup of recent books. Lights and Sirens: The Education of a…
American Pain
Two tattooed muscle head dudes in their twenties, one a convicted felon, who used to work construction as well as sell steroids, started a small business in which they hired a doctor to write prescriptions for pain medicine to most anyone who came through the clinic’s doors during business hours. The doctors got $75 a…
EMS Opiates and Chronic Pain – 2
I wrote recently about my new found concern about giving opiates to patients with chronic pain. Opiates for Chronic Pain Subsequently as a member of our regional medical advisory committee, I submitted the following draft proposal: Paramedic Chronic Pain Management Guidelines (Draft) Providing opiates to certain patients with chronic pain conditions may not always be…