(insert post here)

Sorry, not much to say today. Not feeling well. Talked via IM with the Operations Manager of one of the services I've applied to. She wants me to start ASAP. I've told her October 11th would be the earliest. I have some doctors appointments I want to get out of the way before I mess up my insurance coverage. Also, the 10th is my wedding anniversary. No way do I want to start a new job that day.

Check out the "Clicked (MSNBC)" link I have on the right side of my page. Lots of good links usually, but extra active with Katrina links lately.

Good Night, sorry about the lame posting tonight. Feel free to spice it up by adding comments. Thanks.

I hate being sick...

I don't like even calling myself sick...it's more like I feel ill...or even better...I feel "not well". Saying I am sick just implies a bunch of stuff that I am trying to avoid.

Well, nothing happened today, did very little at work except for the normal helpdesk-think for people type questions. It is raining like crazy here. Left overs from Hurricane Katrina. I'm really interested in how Acadian Ambulance (www.acadianambulance.com) prepared for this and how they think their plans have worked out. I suspect they'll be very busy until they get the whole city emptied. Then I suspect they will be even busier when people move back in and have to deal with a dirty and damaged city. Best of luck to all down there in LA, MS and AL.

Lots of testing, Little pay

Has anyone thought about how much we study and test for a career that pays as little as EMS does?

The normal argument is that Paramedics tend to consider themselves equal or at least similar to most nurses they know. Nurses tend to know a lot about their specific area of care, and I know some nurses that are amazing in their knowledge and patient care skills. The thing is, that is not the average. I really have met quiet a few nurses that really have very little clue what they are doing, other than that they do exactly was the doctor says and only that. Mind you, I am sure there are medics and EMTs out there like that but with their protocols. The thing is, medics make half of what a starting nurse makes in this area. Half. They each have specialized training for their area. From my experience medics are more prepared to deal with unstructured situations out-of-hospital. Medics have standing orders/protocols that make it easier for them to deal with a wide range of issues without having to contact a doctor (medics and intubate (tube down throat) a patient where 99% of nurses can't.) There is also the legal issue that outside a hospital, a nurse is only able to deliver first aid until EMS arrives. They may be knowledgeable and skillful, but the laws reflect that nurses are for hospitals and clinics (near doctors) and EMT/Paramedics for out-of-hospital.

Now, I know some arguments from nurses tend to say EMT/Paramedics are just for advanced first aid and are not their equal. Well, EMS professionals do like to talk about their latest trauma run, but medical (non-trauma) are overwhelmingly more common. Paramedics do a lot of sick-person care. Now, an average run for me could take an hour and a nurse in the hospital could be with that same patient for days. But, I know the ER nurse will pass this patient off as quickly as he can. Also, how long do you think a nurse in a doctor’s office or convenient-care office would be with this patient? In those cases it would be almost zero. Those tend to be the ranges of patient care I see from nurses...zero to hours to days of intensive care. So, why is a medic making half the pay of the nurse who gets your vital signs and leads you to a room in the doctor's office?

Well, I am ranting. Maybe it is the cold medicine talking. I'm curious to see if anyone comments about this one. I'd like to see if anyone with no EMS or Nursing experience would have something to say. Perspectives from the outside are sometimes helpful. So, if you are a random reader and actually have made it though this whole posting; please let me know what you think.

***

Go to www.salary.com if you want to find your own numbers. Also note that education *could* be different for a nurse and a medic, but they are not always. Some medics have Associates degrees and some have Bachelors. Same for nurses (Associates or Bachelors).

***

Does this all come down to supply and demand? The demand for nurses is high right now. But since the demand has pushed the pay up, it has increased the size of some nurses egos. Thoughts?

Sick on test day

Of course the nastiness that hit my family last week and this weekend seems to be starting on me today. Luckily, all for me so far is the feeling like crap part.

This morning was testing day for one of the services that I've applied to. The test was 60 questions was OK. I'm not sure if I am performing my best today, but the questions were not insane as I had feared. We then had two scenarios. The trauma scenario was pretty straight forward with a drunk falling down the stairs and possible head injury. The medical was also not insane. It was a male pt with a possible AAA (abdominal aortic aneurism) and a bp of 80/40. There were other details, but the bp was the key. I treated with a fluid bolus and dopamine. The thing that I hate is that after the scenario I realized that I never said I would just generally treat for shock by raising his legs and covering with a blanket. I did it in my head and I've done it with all my real patients. But, for some reason, in this scenario, it never came out of my mouth. Grrr... I'm not sure it is something that would fail me, but I am worried that is something that would make another candidate better than me. By the way, I did mention PASG (Pneumatic Anti-Shock Garment aka big blow-up pants) and inflating just the legs. But, I said to the tester and he agreed that it would likely never happen in reality. Nobody locally uses PASG anymore, but they are still in the testing scenarios because they are still in the national testing scenarios.

Now it is just a waiting game. I do not think they are hiring very many positions and they did not say during the testing. So, I am staying a little pessimistic on this just to be safe. The other server I've applied to is not as nice to work for, but they have already said they would love to have me. So, no need to stress too bad today.

Now I'm waiting for my wife to get home from work and then I'm going off to bed and hope I feel better when I wake up in the morning and have to go to work.

ever-growing blogosphere, ever-shrinking universe

Here I am surfing the web tonight and clicking around on some blogs. Then I read this guys description of himself. I was amazed at how much we have in common. So much so I actually read the page to my wife. (NOTE: I send my wife a lot of links to read, but they have to really peak my interest for me to stop her in what she is doing to read it aloud.)

Here, read it for yourself. He's been blogging a lot longer than I have, but there are some interesting similarities. I think one thing he does not say on this page, but does on another is his part-time job as a Park Ranger.

http://maddogmedic.blogspot.com/2004/01/getting-started.html

Here is a little about me that I am prepared to share with the blogoshpere, in the order that it flows out of my brain:

I am male.
I am married.
I have children.
I am currently 32 years old.
I live in the Midwest, though I have lived elsewhere.
I have a BS in Geography and an AAS in Paramedic Science.
I am a NREMT-P (www.nremt.org)
I really enjoy patient care.
I really really enjoy the occasional adrenaline rush of EMS.
I handle chaotic and emergency situations better than most people I know.
I currently work as a network administrator.
I really really dislike working in an office.
I do not want my mark on this world to be that I helped a rich person become richer.
I believe in public service.
I am a former US Park Ranger.
I have lived in cabins with no electricity for more than camping.
I have gone months without even seeing/hearing/smelling an automobile.
I enjoy academic life, talking with smart people, and debate.
I wouldn't mind being a college professor or lawyer (constitutional law).
I have a very mild case of Essential Tremor. (www.wemove.org/et)
My ET is being treated, I tend to notice it more than others now...most days.
I believe one of my sons has ET (too early to be official).
I tend to vote for Democrats.
My wife tends to vote for Republicans and I am ok with that.
I believe children should have heroes...preferably not celebrities.
My hero as a child was a fireman.

Well, I could likely go on for awhile, but I think this is good. You can figure out more about me by reading this blog as it grows.

Puke & Squirt

Though that could be a title of some run reports, this is actually the theme of my home right now. Seems my wife was up as many times as I was for the sleep study. I get home to find my wife still in bed, she got an OK to go into work late. Both my sons (6 & 4) have been up multiple times in the night puking and with diarrhea. I apologize to my wife for not being here. But, since she has 3 hours until she needs to be at work and the boys are now sleeping semi-peacefully. I decide to make my bi-weekly run to Wal-Mart while everyone is sleeping. Actually a very good time to go: 0630 on a Friday. Very few people there and most of the stockers were done. I only had the floor cleaners to deal with. I get home just after 0800 and I make sure to stop and get the wife some coffee on the way home...definitely a day she'll need it.

Now it is time for me to sign-off and enjoy my day off...well, do laundry and clean up after the "little squirts"...oops, I mean my boys.

Sleep Study

Well, last night I went and had a sleep study performed on me to verify my sleep apnea I've reported. A local Pulmonologist has opened a sleep disorder clinic with a very cool twist. Instead of sleeping in a hospital bed and being studied. He actually has leased out a section of a local hotel, a nice one too.

So, I arrived at 1930 last night and checked in at the front desk as directed. They call up to the nurses office and tell me when I can go upstairs to meet her. Well, after meeting the nurse and being led to my room, I just hang out for the next few hours. It's just a normal hotel room, TV, bed, chair, etc. The thing is that this room has some added equipment on the night stand and a camera on top of the TV that's pointed at the bed and a intercom box in the corner of the room. Sadly, there was no Internet access in these rooms. Seems the hotel did not wire this section like the rest. There was one wireless network, but it was secured and it was for the sleep study equipment anyway.

There are three patients tonight. (All in separate rooms, of course.) The nurse and I had agreed earlier that I would be the last one she prepared for bed, since I had the latest normal bed-time. Well, she later stopped by the room and said it was time. We went to her office (a converted hotel room) and I set in a large chair. She then leads on each of my legs, my chest, all over my head and face as well as a microphone on my neck near my vocal cords. She then circled my head in gauze to help keep the leads in place...mind you they already have some glue-gunk too. All these had wires of various colors and lengths that lead to a box where she plugged them into specific ports. I was able to pick-up this little box and then walk back over to my room and get in bed. After in bed there we two more things that weren't as mobile. The little box was hooked to a big box. This big box also had a pulse-oximetry sensor to be taped to my finger. She, of course, saved the worst for last. There was something similar to a nasal cannula. No O2 comes out of it, it actually is a sensor to see if, where and how I am breathing. The cannula had the prongs for my nostrils like normal, but it also had this other tube connected that has this open hard plastic thing that extended from my nose to just past my bottom lip (approx. 1.5cm wide). One set looks at breathing through the nose, the other through the mouth. We then had to calibrate everything, she had some straps she put around my chest and waist to measure movement and we tested the microphone on my neck. Then it's night-night time with the aid of a sleeping pill they provide.

As hotel beds go, this one was nice, but actually they had really good pillows. There was a very strong thunderstorm that I wish I could have gotten up and enjoyed, but I would have had to call the nurse to get out of bed, and I suspect she wouldn't have liked the reason...potty ok...everything else not a good reason.

Well, the night was like most others, I had trouble getting to sleep, woke up at least 3 times that I can remember and had trouble getting back to sleep each time. The nasal cannula was very annoying because the prongs were hard plastic, not soft at all. Also, the couple times the cannula moved out of my nostrils, the nurses voice came over the intercom telling me to move it back. What is with that anyway? Even a nice nurse like her has to wake you up multiple times a night!

Once 0530 arrived, it was time to get up. The nurse came in, turned on ALL the lights and removed the electrodes with some of my chest a leg hair for good measure. I had a survey to complete and then I was allowed to take a shower. (highly recommended to get all the glue off.) Then it was check out time, but not until I enjoyed the hotel's continental breakfast (also above average in quality and quantity.)

I'll see the doctor for a follow up in one week to hear the results of the study. I already know I have an enlarged uvula, large tonsils for my age, and a narrow/high palette. So, I suspect to hear that I'll need to sleep there one more night to get a CPAP machine calibrated for me.

Hey, this is one of the reasons I have told the local ambulance providers that I could not start full-time for them until October. I want to get this all done before I would be between insurance providers. Just think of how all of this would cost out-of-pocket?

***

Good sleep disorder and treatment information:

WebMd

7 Mistakes for your First Week Blogging

I found this blog entry enlightening. I think I've done OK, I just fudged on Rule #1. I have a theme, I just started a little early (just before I start the new job.)

http://blog.studentnyc.com/archives/26

The age of innocence

Just one of those days where I feel crappy… not feeling well, work being a pain and tired all day.

Then we get a call from the school...

We are told that my son (6 yo) had touched a girl in an inappropriate place. That's really all that we knew. The teacher said she was floored. My wife and I were speechless. So, tonight we had a talk with our son. Here's his story: They were playing on the playground and he was tickling her and it seems when not paying attention he accidentally put his hand "by her private parts." She told him to stop and he stopped...

Well, I feel awful. After I explain about the whole necessity of avoiding even getting close to any private areas and how even accidents can be bad....I feel bad because I know how this all happened. During the past six years, we have known my son is very ticklish. Sometimes just threatening tickling would get him giggling. Well, one of the most ticklish spots is on the inside of his thigh half way between his knees and his "privates". Well, I suspect he was attempting to tickle the same area and did not realize that a little girl at school might not like that. He cried for some time this evening before I was home and our talk. I feel bad.

I understand the need for my son to act appropriately and I explained it to him. But, I feel that he lost a little bit of his childhood innocence today. As a parent watching my children grow up so fast as it is, it is sad.

WooHoo

I got my first comments today. Thank you Stacey! Now I know someone other than my wife has looked at my blog.

Stacey's blog:
http://thingsthatmakeyougoblah.blogspot.com/

Big day for the boys

The day started by taking my youngest boy to his pre-school orientation. He seems eager if not excited. Let's just say he seems to be looking forward to it, if also taking in the whole change aspect of it.

The day ended with taking my oldest son to sign up for Cub Scouts. He is going to be a Tiger Cub. This is the youngest group reserved for 1st graders. He is extremely excited and it made it even better when he saw some other boys from his school there. I'm actually excited about this too. This is so much more my thing and so much more what I want to pass on to my sons. Much more than what? Well, things like little league. Mind you, I think it is great to have physically active children, even if I am not the best role model in that regard. But, other than swimming lessons (every child should learn to swim), this is something I believe in. I want them to learn leadership and public service. I'm hoping the scouts will help in this.

The one thing I am worried about is that as a Tiger Cub, a parent is required to be with the child at the meetings. The meetings are only about an hour long, I have heard. The issue I am trying to overcome is that I have no idea what my schedule will be in the future. EMS work schedules aren't always conducive to other regular activities. We'll have to see, hopefully I can work something out with the den leader to have the meetings on nights when I am free.

http://www.scouting.org/

EMS Haiku

Saw this and thought it was great:

Blood, tears and vomit
I can deal with all of it
But stupidity

The day is coming

So, the owner of the company I work for sat everyone down for meetings this past week. This took awhile, we are about 70 employees right now. Seems we have lost a client's business. Not, the biggest client, but a noticeable loss none the less. She (the owner) is letting three employees go that day. My department is only two people. I'm the network administrator and there is one technician. We are in the meeting together. We find out that neither of us are going that day. But, my coworker is going to have some majorly changed job responsibilities. Instead of being in the IT department, he will be in GAD (Graphic Art Department). The logic there is that he shows talent in Flash and web design. Too bad he just finished a degree in IT and is working on a higher degree in network security.

He's upset. He is hiding it relatively well. But, I would not be surprised if he starts actively looking for another job. He asked about how much IT he would still be able to do. He would be my "backup." He mentions me "eventually leaving." Mind you, everyone at the company knows I've been training to be a medic. But, it seems the Executive Committee members forgot that time keeps going by. This prompted the fun question "So, what ARE your plans? If you're leaving we need to know." My answer? "I did just get my National Registry certification. What's that mean? I have more paperwork ahead of me. But, to get to the point… It would be ignorant to think I'll be here forever. I expect I'll get a job offer in the next 6 months. What I say to that offer, I have not decided."

I then pitched the idea that I could continue to work part-time for them if I get offered a full-time position in EMS. In effect, flip-flopping what I've been doing as a part-time EMT/full-time IT. One of the EMS services I've been looking at works 11 24-hour shifts per month. The other service works 12-hour shifts in a 4-on/3-off/3-on/4-off rotation. The owner said she'd like to work with me on keeping me...full-time or part-time. But, I still could see and feel the stress in the room. I am waiting to see how this goes. I only see the need for 1.5 network people in this company. Meaning they only sometimes need two people. Maybe it will work out. It really is a better part-time job than I could get anywhere else.

Thinking back on it, I wonder how I came up with 6 months. I just made it up on the spot, but it seems fairly accurate. I test next week for one service, but they only have one opening and I am one of many applicants. The other service said they'd love to have me. But, I told them I couldn't start until mid-October. So, who knows. It could be two months instead of six. Close enough. Right?

Change

As I mentioned in the last post, I am working on a career change. The thing is, many people don't seem to understand the change. I currently work 40+ hours a week as a Network Administrator. The pay is good, but not as good as people tend to imagine. Though I have always enjoyed the helping and teaching aspects of this job; it's never really been "my thing." I work with people who live and breathe programming, networking, etc. It is their calling. Given the current IT job market, I hope the person who eventually fills my position has that calling.

How did I ever get into computers if I really didn't want it? Just like I suspect many of us end up in jobs we never really planned for. Life happened. I was a Park Ranger out in the woods. I met my wife and "settled down." I moved to her hometown. No parks. I needed a job. After a few odd-jobs to keep busy, I landed a series of jobs in computers. I've always come across as a bit smart, and I am a decent student. So, my knowledge of computers grew and now I've been in my current position for five years.

Two years ago, I had a supervisor that just drove me crazy..made me really hate my job. But, what I hated worse was the feeling of being stuck in that job. So, I decided to enroll back in school. Mind you, I already had a BS (in Geography.) So, I thought hard about what I wanted to do in life. My desire to help others plus my ability to think quickly even under stress led me to a Paramedic training school. I knew of EMS from my time as a Park Ranger and my grandfather is a retired firefighter. So, I've been exposed to a first-responder type lifestyle already.

The two years of training went by fast, I have gained new friends. I've faced some personal challenges and I am about to start this new career in what I believe is my calling. Heck, I even got another degree. So what if it is an Associates degree when I already have a Bachelors.

I've put applications in at two services in the area. One I worked for as a EMT-Basic. They have already said they would love to have me. Also, the other service sent me a letter inviting me to prehire testing on 8/29. So, things are looking good job wise. Yes, it is a pay cut. But, doing the job you want to do does make a difference.

I can ramble on about this for quiet awhile, maybe some other time.

In the Beginning...

OK. Here I am starting this whole blogging adventure. I've considered this for awhile and I also read a few blogs daily. Though I like some free-form blogs, most that I enjoy are more focused than that.

So, for now at least, I am going to try and focus on topics that interest me the most..mind you they are huge topics.

1. My family may get mentioned occasionally. I really don't WANT to blog about them or really about my friends either. But, how can I not metion them when they are such a large part of my life.
2. My work. I actually have one job that I am thinking about leaving soon and I am about to start another in a whole new field. I expect to blog about this more than anything. Like most adults in the US, I tend to spend a lot of my time and energy dealing with working.
3. A few odd topics I have an interest in. This includes Essential Tremor, which is a condition that runs in my family.

Like most who blog about work, I am going to be making an effort to change names and not mention anything that could give me any legal or employment issues. So, don't plan on any good gossip here either. Just thoughts from a guy who has been known to be a bit blunt, a bad speller and worse typer, and mostly honest-to-a-fault.

Lastly, welcome..lets see how this goes.