Guest guest Posted August 29, 2007 Report Share Posted August 29, 2007 When docs and nurses get paid less than $12 per hour then I will have compassion. Even in our rural hospital, the ER staff works 12 hours and go home. Our doc usually works 24 hours, nurses do a lot of preliminary work like ordering labs, xrays, etc. then call doc…which could take an hour or more. And hey…what’s better than a 3 minute power nap at 2 am? D _____ From: texasems-l [mailto:texasems-l ] On Behalf Of THEDUDMAN@... Sent: Tuesday, August 28, 2007 01 08 To: texasems-l Subject: Re: EMS Fatgue What do they do with ED Docs???? After working two codes and 8 patients coming in from an MVA around the corner....how does the ED Doc request down-time to rest and recuperate?? What about the nurses?? What about lab, RT or radiology who not only have to run to the ED but have other duties throughout the hospital...how do they request down time??? Dudley No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.484 / Virus Database: 269.12.10/976 - Release Date: 8.27.07 18 20 No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.484 / Virus Database: 269.12.10/977 - Release Date: 8.28.07 16 29 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 29, 2007 Report Share Posted August 29, 2007 Easy with the paint brush! No hospital I have worked in in the last 6 years even has a sleep room for ED physicians! When I need a break, I go to the office and do push ups, sit ups, etc. The last time I slept while working in an ED was moonlighting as a resident in 1995. I could only sleep if no patients were in the ED! > > The ER docs go to their room and take a nap. > > GG > > > > > > > What do they do with ED Docs???? After working two codes and 8 patients > > coming in from an MVA around the corner....how does the ED Doc request down-time > > to rest and recuperate?? What about the nurses?? What about lab, RT or > > radiology who not only have to run to the ED but have other duties throughout the > > hospital...how do they request down time??? > > > > Dudley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 29, 2007 Report Share Posted August 29, 2007 So...if you get paid $18 an hour you no longer get fatigued? Interesting...I have heard of circadian rhythms, sleep cycles, etc...never heard of sleeping cash cycles...Should REM sleep be re-spelt as REMM? Rapid Eye Movements looking for Money? Honestly, like any other work, we have to take care of our people and have means of addressing this. If it is an occasional thing " break " periods may be possible, but honestly, if it happens often...no more 24 hour shifts is a means to solve this. It isn't cool, it isn't sexy, and it does mean that our 2nd or 3rd jobs/careers may need to be adjusted...but a guy most on here think is an idiot once said " In EMS, we can NEVER allow the conveniences of our employees to inconvenience our customers. " Also, as the " angry cruel management " guy on here...medics also have to come to work prepared to work a 24-hour shift. Coming in still feeling the effects of the night before or staying up until 0300 playing PlayStation before an 0700 start time and then EXPECTING to be able to catch up on sleep while on shift is another tremendous problem. When an employee is dozing off during unit checks and station duties...how can we expect them to be able to function after lunch let alone after 2200? Dudley RE: EMS Fatgue When docs and nurses get paid less than $12 per hour then I will have ompassion. Even in our rural hospital, the ER staff works 12 hours and go ome. Our doc usually works 24 hours, nurses do a lot of preliminary work ike ordering labs, xrays, etc. then call doc…which could take an hour or ore. And hey…what’s better than a 3 minute power nap at 2 am? D _____ From: texasems-l [mailto:texasems-l ] On ehalf Of THEDUDMAN@... ent: Tuesday, August 28, 2007 01 08 o: texasems-l ubject: Re: EMS Fatgue What do they do with ED Docs???? After working two codes and 8 patients oming in from an MVA around the corner....how does the ED Doc request own-time to rest and recuperate?? What about the nurses?? What about lab, T or radiology who not only have to run to the ED but have other duties hroughout the hospital...how do they request down time??? Dudley No virus found in this incoming message. hecked by AVG Free Edition. ersion: 7.5.484 / Virus Database: 269.12.10/976 - Release Date: 8.27.07 18 0 No virus found in this outgoing message. hecked by AVG Free Edition. ersion: 7.5.484 / Virus Database: 269.12.10/977 - Release Date: 8.28.07 16 9 Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ahoo! Groups Links Individual Email | Traditional http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ ________________________________________________________________________ Email and AIM finally together. You've gotta check out free AOL Mail! - http://mail.aol.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 29, 2007 Report Share Posted August 29, 2007 Dudley, Your such a kidder! What a jokester! Henry RE: EMS Fatgue When docs and nurses get paid less than $12 per hour then I will have ompassion. Even in our rural hospital, the ER staff works 12 hours and go ome. Our doc usually works 24 hours, nurses do a lot of preliminary work ike ordering labs, xrays, etc. then call doc…which could take an hour or ore. And hey…what’s better than a 3 minute power nap at 2 am? D _____ From: texasems-l [mailto:texasems-l ] On ehalf Of THEDUDMAN@... ent: Tuesday, August 28, 2007 01 08 o: texasems-l ubject: Re: EMS Fatgue What do they do with ED Docs???? After working two codes and 8 patients oming in from an MVA around the corner....how does the ED Doc request own-time to rest and recuperate?? What about the nurses?? What about lab, T or radiology who not only have to run to the ED but have other duties hroughout the hospital...how do they request down time??? Dudley No virus found in this incoming message. hecked by AVG Free Edition. ersion: 7.5.484 / Virus Database: 269.12.10/976 - Release Date: 8.27.07 18 0 No virus found in this outgoing message. hecked by AVG Free Edition. ersion: 7.5.484 / Virus Database: 269.12.10/977 - Release Date: 8.28.07 16 9 Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ahoo! Groups Links Individual Email | Traditional http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ __________________________________________________________ Email and AIM finally together. You've gotta check out free AOL Mail! - http://mail.aol.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 29, 2007 Report Share Posted August 29, 2007 Why should EMS folks have to work 24 or 48 hour shifts and count on overtime to make a decent wage that will raise a family? Police officers don't. Waste disposal technicians don't. Nurses don't. Respiratory technicians don't. X-Ray techs don't. All those folks make more money than EMS folks do. There is no reason other than lack of funding for an essential service, EMS, that requires EMS personnel to have to work three times more hours a week than your postal service employee does to make the same living. And if your postal employee doesn't deliver your mail, generally nobody dies. Yet, our wonderful elected representatives, City Councilpersons, County Commissioners, County Judges, State Representatives, State Senators, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Commissioner of Health don't see us as being an essential service. So we're not. We're not needed in more than 20 counties in Texas, and our elected officials are quite willing to outsource EMS to the LOWEST BIDDER, which is common practice. God forbid that a governmental entity in Texas ought to have to fund an EMS service as a part of its fundamental services and to have to accept responsibility for its level of care. Why do municipal employees in most big cities work a 40 hour week and make more than a Paramedic and not have to risk being run over on the highway while trying to help somebody or shot by a crazy when responding to a call? Why do we subject the people who make the most difference in the lives of most people to the worst working conditions of all folks who deal with emergencies? Elevator technicians have better working conditions than EMS folks do. I wonder whether it is because we have very low self-esteem in our jobs. If we truly thought we were essential to the survival of mankind, we would de mand that we be paid for the essential services that we provide, right? But NOOOOoooooooo! We SAY we're essential, but we cannot convince the money people that we are, and we just accept our fate and go on doing what makes us happy and rationalizing why we are eligible for food stamps even though we just saved the life of the Mayor's love-child. " I love this so much I would do it for nothing. " ----LeRoy Mushbrain, EMT We don't organize. We don't use the most elementary methods of political pressure to help ourselves. We just pull back into our shells and say " well, there's nothing I can do about it. I'm just lucky to have a job. " We pride ourselves on being aggressive, " Git 'r Done " types, but when it comes to taking up for ourselves, making the elected dopes take notice of us, and standing up to the stupid, [sOMETIMES] mindless SUITS who [sOMETIMES] rule us, we become whining, whimpering, lambs, ready for slaughter. So we work for low pay, accept poor working conditions, don't demand benefits such as health insurance and pensions, allow ourselves to be sent out when we're exhausted and cannot possibly render optimum healthcare, and don't complain because we are afraid. Afraid of being fired. And we ought to be afraid because Texas is an " at will state, " and you can be fired for the shape of your nose. But then you knew that, didn't you? You voted for the idiots who passed those laws, didn't you? Or you voted against them, didn't you? OH! You didn't vote? Well, then don't whine. We also won't spend $1.00 a day to join an organization that might negotiate much better working conditions for us (typical union dues). We won't spend $0.10 a day to belong to an organization that might have a real influence on EMS if all 50,000 of us joined EMSAT. We are our own worst problem. Now that I'm in Arizona, rather than Texas, I am beginning to assess the EMS scene here, and I will be posting some comparisons for you. So far I'm not impressed! LOL. Gene Gandy, JD, LP ************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 29, 2007 Report Share Posted August 29, 2007 In a message dated 8/30/2007 1:36:49 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wegandy1938@... writes: We also won't spend $1.00 a day to join an organization that might negotiate much better working conditions for us (typical union dues). We won't spend $0.10 a day to belong to an organization that might have a real influence on EMS if all 50,000 of us joined EMSAT. I cannot begin to think of the power we could wield if 1/4 of the carded Providers in Texas joined EMSAT. Louis N. Molino, Sr., CET FF/NREMT-B/FSI/EMSI Owner and President of LNM Emergency Services Consulting Services (LNMECS) Freelance Consultant/Trainer/Author/Journalist/Fire Protection Consultant LNMolino@... (Cell Phone) (IFW/TFW/FSS Office) (IFW/TFW/FSS Fax) (Home Phone) The comments contained in this E-mail are the opinions of the author and the author alone. I in no way ever intend to speak for any person or organization that I am in any way whatsoever involved or associated with unless I specifically state that I am doing so. Further this E-mail is intended only for its stated recipient and may contain private and or confidential materials retransmission is strictly prohibited unless placed in the public domain by the original author. ************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 29, 2007 Report Share Posted August 29, 2007 OK so I have read ALOT about what everyone is saying here and I do agree with the complaints. 24s are tough and they are not getting any better. I can remember when we would work several in a row setting paid $60 for a 12 and no ot we did a lot of them and it was not bad. Maybe it is just that I am getting old and that my bones are wearing after 22yrs of the EMS abuse but they seem to be worse and almost terrible. OK so how do we fix it. cut 24's? then we cannot pay our bills. after all we live on our OT. so then what happens we have to find other jobs and maybe even other career's in an effort to make ends meet. Again I am not saying that I want to stay on 24's but for us to get off them and have what everyone who is not in EMS considers a " normal " life our pay levels will have to increase for our very survival So is there a true ends to the means??????? For what its worth Terrell EMT-P CC...,...,...,.,....( all the other things that still mean I am a paramedic) RE: EMS Fatgue When docs and nurses get paid less than $12 per hour then I will have ompassion. Even in our rural hospital, the ER staff works 12 hours and go ome. Our doc usually works 24 hours, nurses do a lot of preliminary work ike ordering labs, xrays, etc. then call doc…which could take an hour or ore. And hey…what’s better than a 3 minute power nap at 2 am? D _____ From: texasems-l@yahoogro ups.com [mailto:texasems-l@yahoogro ups.com] On ehalf Of THEDUDMAN (AT) aol (DOT) com ent: Tuesday, August 28, 2007 01 08 o: texasems-l@yahoogro ups.com ubject: Re: EMS Fatgue What do they do with ED Docs???? After working two codes and 8 patients oming in from an MVA around the corner....how does the ED Doc request own-time to rest and recuperate?? What about the nurses?? What about lab, T or radiology who not only have to run to the ED but have other duties hroughout the hospital...how do they request down time??? Dudley No virus found in this incoming message. hecked by AVG Free Edition. ersion: 7.5.484 / Virus Database: 269.12.10/976 - Release Date: 8.27.07 18 0 No virus found in this outgoing message. hecked by AVG Free Edition. ersion: 7.5.484 / Virus Database: 269.12.10/977 - Release Date: 8.28.07 16 9 Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ahoo! Groups Links Individual Email | Traditional http://docs. yahoo.com/ info/terms/ ____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _ Email and AIM finally together. You've gotta check out free AOL Mail! - http://mail. aol.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 30, 2007 Report Share Posted August 30, 2007 Reverand Gandy PREACH ON!! You are right on the money. Tom Tom & Marsha LeNeveu Paramedic, Future RN & RN Fort Worth Texas Email: TomMarshaLeNeveu@... yahoo Group: Christian_Medic Re: EMS Fatgue Why should EMS folks have to work 24 or 48 hour shifts and count on overtime to make a decent wage that will raise a family? Police officers don't. Waste disposal technicians don't. Nurses don't. Respiratory technicians don't. X-Ray techs don't. All those folks make more money than EMS folks do. There is no reason other than lack of funding for an essential service, EMS, that requires EMS personnel to have to work three times more hours a week than your postal service employee does to make the same living. And if your postal employee doesn't deliver your mail, generally nobody dies. Yet, our wonderful elected representatives, City Councilpersons, County Commissioners, County Judges, State Representatives, State Senators, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Commissioner of Health don't see us as being an essential service. So we're not. We're not needed in more than 20 counties in Texas, and our elected officials are quite willing to outsource EMS to the LOWEST BIDDER, which is common practice. God forbid that a governmental entity in Texas ought to have to fund an EMS service as a part of its fundamental services and to have to accept responsibility for its level of care. Why do municipal employees in most big cities work a 40 hour week and make more than a Paramedic and not have to risk being run over on the highway while trying to help somebody or shot by a crazy when responding to a call? Why do we subject the people who make the most difference in the lives of most people to the worst working conditions of all folks who deal with emergencies? Elevator technicians have better working conditions than EMS folks do. I wonder whether it is because we have very low self-esteem in our jobs. If we truly thought we were essential to the survival of mankind, we would de mand that we be paid for the essential services that we provide, right? But NOOOOoooooooo! We SAY we're essential, but we cannot convince the money people that we are, and we just accept our fate and go on doing what makes us happy and rationalizing why we are eligible for food stamps even though we just saved the life of the Mayor's love-child. " I love this so much I would do it for nothing. " ----LeRoy Mushbrain, EMT We don't organize. We don't use the most elementary methods of political pressure to help ourselves. We just pull back into our shells and say " well, there's nothing I can do about it. I'm just lucky to have a job. " We pride ourselves on being aggressive, " Git 'r Done " types, but when it comes to taking up for ourselves, making the elected dopes take notice of us, and standing up to the stupid, [sOMETIMES] mindless SUITS who [sOMETIMES] rule us, we become whining, whimpering, lambs, ready for slaughter. So we work for low pay, accept poor working conditions, don't demand benefits such as health insurance and pensions, allow ourselves to be sent out when we're exhausted and cannot possibly render optimum healthcare, and don't complain because we are afraid. Afraid of being fired. And we ought to be afraid because Texas is an " at will state, " and you can be fired for the shape of your nose. But then you knew that, didn't you? You voted for the idiots who passed those laws, didn't you? Or you voted against them, didn't you? OH! You didn't vote? Well, then don't whine. We also won't spend $1.00 a day to join an organization that might negotiate much better working conditions for us (typical union dues). We won't spend $0.10 a day to belong to an organization that might have a real influence on EMS if all 50,000 of us joined EMSAT. We are our own worst problem. Now that I'm in Arizona, rather than Texas, I am beginning to assess the EMS scene here, and I will be posting some comparisons for you. So far I'm not impressed! LOL. Gene Gandy, JD, LP ************ ********* ********* ******** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover. aol.com/memed/ aolcom30tour Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 30, 2007 Report Share Posted August 30, 2007 In a message dated 8/30/2007 1:37:23 P.M. Central Daylight Time, hatfield@... writes: I can appreciate those numbers, however (and this is a positive post believe it or not….), of those, how many are already associated with a FD, and therefore already represented by IAFF? Just curios about that…. I am sure you are right and I will even say it is likely that a decent percentage (no way to know how much of one I must say) of the card carrying Providers in Texas are already Members of some type of Union (IAFF likely has the highest percentage of those that are members of a Union) BUT IAFF or any other Union is NOT an association that does this kind of thing for its members as well as the rest of EMS as a whole on a regular basis. The job of a Union is to represent is Members period and we have already had some debate on this list and others about how Unions are NOT the same animal as an animal like EMSAT. For example (and its the " ugly " one), How would the IAFF deal with the much greater numbers of EMS Providers that are volunteer since at the highest levels of the IAFF (International) they are anti-volunteer at minimum? Unions have a HUGE political lobby even here in Texas which as a Yankee I can tell you is a LOT less union friendly then say my home state of New Jersey, they are however just a different animal then an EMSAT model. Louis N. Molino, Sr., CET FF/NREMT-B/FSI/EMSI Owner and President of LNM Emergency Services Consulting Services (LNMECS) Freelance Consultant/Trainer/Author/Journalist/Fire Protection Consultant LNMolino@... (Cell Phone) (IFW/TFW/FSS Office) (IFW/TFW/FSS Fax) (Home Phone) The comments contained in this E-mail are the opinions of the author and the author alone. I in no way ever intend to speak for any person or organization that I am in any way whatsoever involved or associated with unless I specifically state that I am doing so. Further this E-mail is intended only for its stated recipient and may contain private and or confidential materials retransmission is strictly prohibited unless placed in the public domain by the original author. ************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 30, 2007 Report Share Posted August 30, 2007 Lou, I can appreciate those numbers, however (and this is a positive post believe it or not….), of those, how many are already associated with a FD, and therefore already represented by IAFF? Just curios about that…. Mike Re: EMS Fatgue In a message dated 8/30/2007 1:36:49 A.M. Central Daylight Time, HYPERLINK " mailto:wegandy1938%40aol.com " wegandy1938@-aol.com writes: We also won't spend $1.00 a day to join an organization that might negotiate much better working conditions for us (typical union dues). We won't spend $0.10 a day to belong to an organization that might have a real influence on EMS if all 50,000 of us joined EMSAT. I cannot begin to think of the power we could wield if 1/4 of the carded Providers in Texas joined EMSAT. Louis N. Molino, Sr., CET FF/NREMT-B/FSI/-EMSI Owner and President of LNM Emergency Services Consulting Services (LNMECS) Freelance Consultant/Trainer/-Author/Journalis-t/Fire Protection Consultant HYPERLINK " mailto:LNMolino%40aol.com " LNMolino (AT) aol (DOT) -com (Cell Phone) (IFW/TFW/FSS Office) (IFW/TFW/FSS Fax) (Home Phone) The comments contained in this E-mail are the opinions of the author and the author alone. I in no way ever intend to speak for any person or organization that I am in any way whatsoever involved or associated with unless I specifically state that I am doing so. Further this E-mail is intended only for its stated recipient and may contain private and or confidential materials retransmission is strictly prohibited unless placed in the public domain by the original author. ************-*********-*********-******** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at HYPERLINK " http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour " http://discover.-aol.com/memed/- aolcom30tour Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 31, 2007 Report Share Posted August 31, 2007 In a message dated 8/31/2007 9:07:58 P.M. Central Daylight Time, tmartin_emtp@... writes: I am planning on joining EMSAT(thanks for the info Lou) and I will only be 1 more voice. But even if we as medics are able to get to a point where we could push for a salary range that is anywhere equal to what the job should dictate all we will do is put most of our job opportunity away. No, thanks to YOU and to everyone that bothers to join any of the associations that are out there supporting this kind of stuff. If every EMSAT Member got us one more then did it again we'd have well if I could do math well I'd be a Medic not a Basic Louis N. Molino, Sr., CET FF/NREMT-B/FSI/EMSI Owner and President of LNM Emergency Services Consulting Services (LNMECS) Freelance Consultant/Trainer/Author/Journalist/Fire Protection Consultant LNMolino@... (Cell Phone) (IFW/TFW/FSS Office) (IFW/TFW/FSS Fax) (Home Phone) The comments contained in this E-mail are the opinions of the author and the author alone. I in no way ever intend to speak for any person or organization that I am in any way whatsoever involved or associated with unless I specifically state that I am doing so. Further this E-mail is intended only for its stated recipient and may contain private and or confidential materials retransmission is strictly prohibited unless placed in the public domain by the original author. ************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 31, 2007 Report Share Posted August 31, 2007 Terrell, You score a bullseye. EMS has always seemed to be a dog-eat-dog world. Why is that? Why is it that the working medics have tolerated the abuse that EMS management has heaped upon them all these years without fighting back in any sort of cohesive way? OK, not ALL EMS management. Henry, Andy, Dudley, you know damn well I'm not talking about you. But there has been so much abuse, and so little response by the troops. What has made medics the dogs that run under the porch and hide when the postman comes by? Gene G. > > Gene > > Believe me when I say I agree with you We should not have to work the long > shifts as we do It is psychotic in all aspects of the words! Unfortunately it > is the reality. Patient care has almost taken a backseat to the bottom > line...money. > > I am planning on joining EMSAT(thanks for the info Lou) and I will only be 1 > more voice. But even if we as medics are able to get to a point where we > could push for a salary range that is anywhere equal to what the job should > dictate all we will do is put most of our job opportunity away. > > Just as you stated about the lowest bidder that makes the cheapest and there > goes the pay rate. and there goes the quality of the service as well( at > least alot of the time) > > I am tired. and I would love to have a normal life like everyone else. > Firefighting and even police make reference to themselves as a " brotherhood " and > they stand together. Ultimately they are municipal employees and can look at > things from a different perspective( I am tired. and I would love to have a > normal life like everyone else. Firefighting and even police make reference to > themselves as a " brotherhood " and they s > > For what its worth > Terrell EMT-P CC...,...,.. Terrell EMT-P CC...,...,..<wbr> > .,.,....( all the other th > > Re: EMS Fatgue > > Why should EMS folks have to work 24 or 48 hour shifts and count on overtime > to make a decent wage that will raise a family? > > Police officers don't. Waste disposal technicians don't. Nurses don't. > Respiratory technicians don't. X-Ray techs don't. > > All those folks make more money than EMS folks do. > > There is no reason other than lack of funding for an essential service, EMS, > that requires EMS personnel to have to work three times more hours a week > than > your postal service employee does to make the same living. And if your > postal employee doesn't deliver your mail, generally nobody dies. > > Yet, our wonderful elected representatives, City Councilpersons, County > Commissioners, County Judges, State Representatives, State Senators, > Governor, > Lieutenant Governor, and Commissioner of Health don't see us as being an > essential > service. So we're not. We're not needed in more than 20 counties in > Texas, and our elected officials are quite willing to outsource EMS to the > LOWEST > BIDDER, which is common practice. > > God forbid that a governmental entity in Texas ought to have to fund an EMS > service as a part of its fundamental services and to have to accept > responsibility for its level of care. > > Why do municipal employees in most big cities work a 40 hour week and make > more than a Paramedic and not have to risk being run over on the highway > while > trying to help somebody or shot by a crazy when responding to a call? > > Why do we subject the people who make the most difference in the lives of > most people to the worst working conditions of all folks who deal with > emergencies? Elevator technicians have better working conditions than EMS > folks do. > > I wonder whether it is because we have very low self-esteem in our jobs. If > we truly thought we were essential to the survival of mankind, we would de > mand that we be paid for the essential services that we provide, right? But > NOOOOoooooooo! We SAY we're essential, but we cannot convince the money > people > that we are, and we just accept our fate and go on doing what makes us happy > and rationalizing why we are eligible for food stamps even though we just > saved > the life of the Mayor's love-child. > > " I love this so much I would do it for nothing. " ----LeRoy Mushbrain, EMT > > We don't organize. We don't use the most elementary methods of political > pressure to help ourselves. We just pull back into our shells and say " well, > there's nothing I can do about it. I'm just lucky to have a job. " > > We pride ourselves on being aggressive, " Git 'r Done " types, but when it > comes to taking up for ourselves, making the elected dopes take notice of > us, and > standing up to the stupid, [sOMETIMES] mindless SUITS who [sOMETIMES] rule > us, > we become whining, whimpering, lambs, ready for slaughter. > > So we work for low pay, accept poor working conditions, don't demand > benefits > such as health insurance and pensions, allow ourselves to be sent out when > we're exhausted and cannot possibly render optimum healthcare, and don't > complain because we are afraid. Afraid of being fired. And we ought to be > afraid > because Texas is an " at will state, " and you can be fired for the shape of > your nose. But then you knew that, didn't you? You voted for the idiots who > passed those laws, didn't you? Or you voted against them, didn't you? OH! > You didn't vote? Well, then don't whine. > > We also won't spend $1.00 a day to join an organization that might negotiate > much better working conditions for us (typical union dues). We won't spend > $0.10 a day to belong to an organization that might have a real influence on > EMS > if all 50,000 of us joined EMSAT. > > We are our own worst problem. > > Now that I'm in Arizona, rather than Texas, I am beginning to assess the EMS > scene here, and I will be posting some comparisons for you. > > So far I'm not impressed! LOL. > > Gene Gandy, JD, LP > > ************ ********* ********* ******** > Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at > http://discover. aol.com/memed/ aolcom30tour > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 31, 2007 Report Share Posted August 31, 2007 Gene Believe me when I say I agree with you We should not have to work the long shifts as we do It is psychotic in all aspects of the words! Unfortunately it is the reality. Patient care has almost taken a backseat to the bottom line...money. I am planning on joining EMSAT(thanks for the info Lou) and I will only be 1 more voice. But even if we as medics are able to get to a point where we could push for a salary range that is anywhere equal to what the job should dictate all we will do is put most of our job opportunity away. Just as you stated about the lowest bidder that makes the cheapest and there goes the pay rate. and there goes the quality of the service as well( at least alot of the time) I am tired. and I would love to have a normal life like everyone else. Firefighting and even police make reference to themselves as a " brotherhood " and they stand together. Ultimately they are municipal employees and can look at things from a different perspective(even the volunteer's are accepted ) EMS has always been (at least in my 22 yrs) been a dog eat dog world. No I don't like it either. I do hope we can change it. For what its worth Terrell EMT-P CC...,...,...,.,....( all the other things that still mean I am a paramedic) Re: EMS Fatgue Why should EMS folks have to work 24 or 48 hour shifts and count on overtime to make a decent wage that will raise a family? Police officers don't. Waste disposal technicians don't. Nurses don't. Respiratory technicians don't. X-Ray techs don't. All those folks make more money than EMS folks do. There is no reason other than lack of funding for an essential service, EMS, that requires EMS personnel to have to work three times more hours a week than your postal service employee does to make the same living. And if your postal employee doesn't deliver your mail, generally nobody dies. Yet, our wonderful elected representatives, City Councilpersons, County Commissioners, County Judges, State Representatives, State Senators, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Commissioner of Health don't see us as being an essential service. So we're not. We're not needed in more than 20 counties in Texas, and our elected officials are quite willing to outsource EMS to the LOWEST BIDDER, which is common practice. God forbid that a governmental entity in Texas ought to have to fund an EMS service as a part of its fundamental services and to have to accept responsibility for its level of care. Why do municipal employees in most big cities work a 40 hour week and make more than a Paramedic and not have to risk being run over on the highway while trying to help somebody or shot by a crazy when responding to a call? Why do we subject the people who make the most difference in the lives of most people to the worst working conditions of all folks who deal with emergencies? Elevator technicians have better working conditions than EMS folks do. I wonder whether it is because we have very low self-esteem in our jobs. If we truly thought we were essential to the survival of mankind, we would de mand that we be paid for the essential services that we provide, right? But NOOOOoooooooo! We SAY we're essential, but we cannot convince the money people that we are, and we just accept our fate and go on doing what makes us happy and rationalizing why we are eligible for food stamps even though we just saved the life of the Mayor's love-child. " I love this so much I would do it for nothing. " ----LeRoy Mushbrain, EMT We don't organize. We don't use the most elementary methods of political pressure to help ourselves. We just pull back into our shells and say " well, there's nothing I can do about it. I'm just lucky to have a job. " We pride ourselves on being aggressive, " Git 'r Done " types, but when it comes to taking up for ourselves, making the elected dopes take notice of us, and standing up to the stupid, [sOMETIMES] mindless SUITS who [sOMETIMES] rule us, we become whining, whimpering, lambs, ready for slaughter. So we work for low pay, accept poor working conditions, don't demand benefits such as health insurance and pensions, allow ourselves to be sent out when we're exhausted and cannot possibly render optimum healthcare, and don't complain because we are afraid. Afraid of being fired. And we ought to be afraid because Texas is an " at will state, " and you can be fired for the shape of your nose. But then you knew that, didn't you? You voted for the idiots who passed those laws, didn't you? Or you voted against them, didn't you? OH! You didn't vote? Well, then don't whine. We also won't spend $1.00 a day to join an organization that might negotiate much better working conditions for us (typical union dues). We won't spend $0.10 a day to belong to an organization that might have a real influence on EMS if all 50,000 of us joined EMSAT. We are our own worst problem. Now that I'm in Arizona, rather than Texas, I am beginning to assess the EMS scene here, and I will be posting some comparisons for you. So far I'm not impressed! LOL. Gene Gandy, JD, LP ************ ********* ********* ******** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover. aol.com/memed/ aolcom30tour Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 1, 2007 Report Share Posted September 1, 2007 For all the dogging Austin EMS seems to take on this board, they made a big move on fatigue over a year ago and went to a primarily hybrid schedule with 80% of the medics working two 12's and a 24 in 3 consecutive days, the 12's at a busier urban station and the 24 at a suburban or rural station. We then have 4 days off with overtime scheduled in the middle of the 4 days off every 3 weeks or so. We have no more 48 hr shifts. We have a 10 hr rule so no more late holdovers as you wait for someone to come from another station for relief. You always have fresh relief at the station. Most medics seem to like this schedule as the last bid, there were straight 24's open very late in the bid process. As a 26 year veteran, my fatigue level is the lowest it has ever been. We work a 48 hr workweek and get overtime for any hours over 40. Benefits and pay are very good and management is changing. Bill Needles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 8, 2007 Report Share Posted September 8, 2007 In a message dated 9/8/2007 2:37:45 P.M. Central Daylight Time, summedic@... writes: We also won't spend $1.00 a day to join an organization that might negotiate much better working conditions for us (typical union dues). We won't spend $0.10 a day to belong to an organization that might have a real influence on EMS if all 50,000 of us joined EMSAT. It's really $ 0.10 per day pro-rated over a year. I have said it before and I will say it again if we had 10% of the 50,000 as members Austin would HAVE TO LISTEN for their survival. It's called politics. Louis N. Molino, Sr., CET FF/NREMT-B/FSI/EMSI Owner and President of LNM Emergency Services Consulting Services (LNMECS) Freelance Consultant/Trainer/Author/Journalist/Fire Protection Consultant LNMolino@... (Cell Phone) (IFW/TFW/FSS Office) (IFW/TFW/FSS Fax) (Home Phone) The comments contained in this E-mail are the opinions of the author and the author alone. I in no way ever intend to speak for any person or organization that I am in any way whatsoever involved or associated with unless I specifically state that I am doing so. Further this E-mail is intended only for its stated recipient and may contain private and or confidential materials retransmission is strictly prohibited unless placed in the public domain by the original author. ************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 8, 2007 Report Share Posted September 8, 2007 Amen, Gene, amen. wegandy1938@... wrote: Why should EMS folks have to work 24 or 48 hour shifts and count on overtime to make a decent wage that will raise a family? Police officers don't. Waste disposal technicians don't. Nurses don't. Respiratory technicians don't. X-Ray techs don't. All those folks make more money than EMS folks do. There is no reason other than lack of funding for an essential service, EMS, that requires EMS personnel to have to work three times more hours a week than your postal service employee does to make the same living. And if your postal employee doesn't deliver your mail, generally nobody dies. Yet, our wonderful elected representatives, City Councilpersons, County Commissioners, County Judges, State Representatives, State Senators, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Commissioner of Health don't see us as being an essential service. So we're not. We're not needed in more than 20 counties in Texas, and our elected officials are quite willing to outsource EMS to the LOWEST BIDDER, which is common practice. God forbid that a governmental entity in Texas ought to have to fund an EMS service as a part of its fundamental services and to have to accept responsibility for its level of care. Why do municipal employees in most big cities work a 40 hour week and make more than a Paramedic and not have to risk being run over on the highway while trying to help somebody or shot by a crazy when responding to a call? Why do we subject the people who make the most difference in the lives of most people to the worst working conditions of all folks who deal with emergencies? Elevator technicians have better working conditions than EMS folks do. I wonder whether it is because we have very low self-esteem in our jobs. If we truly thought we were essential to the survival of mankind, we would de mand that we be paid for the essential services that we provide, right? But NOOOOoooooooo! We SAY we're essential, but we cannot convince the money people that we are, and we just accept our fate and go on doing what makes us happy and rationalizing why we are eligible for food stamps even though we just saved the life of the Mayor's love-child. " I love this so much I would do it for nothing. " ----LeRoy Mushbrain, EMT We don't organize. We don't use the most elementary methods of political pressure to help ourselves. We just pull back into our shells and say " well, there's nothing I can do about it. I'm just lucky to have a job. " We pride ourselves on being aggressive, " Git 'r Done " types, but when it comes to taking up for ourselves, making the elected dopes take notice of us, and standing up to the stupid, [sOMETIMES] mindless SUITS who [sOMETIMES] rule us, we become whining, whimpering, lambs, ready for slaughter. So we work for low pay, accept poor working conditions, don't demand benefits such as health insurance and pensions, allow ourselves to be sent out when we're exhausted and cannot possibly render optimum healthcare, and don't complain because we are afraid. Afraid of being fired. And we ought to be afraid because Texas is an " at will state, " and you can be fired for the shape of your nose. But then you knew that, didn't you? You voted for the idiots who passed those laws, didn't you? Or you voted against them, didn't you? OH! You didn't vote? Well, then don't whine. We also won't spend $1.00 a day to join an organization that might negotiate much better working conditions for us (typical union dues). We won't spend $0.10 a day to belong to an organization that might have a real influence on EMS if all 50,000 of us joined EMSAT. We are our own worst problem. Now that I'm in Arizona, rather than Texas, I am beginning to assess the EMS scene here, and I will be posting some comparisons for you. So far I'm not impressed! LOL. Gene Gandy, JD, LP ************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 8, 2007 Report Share Posted September 8, 2007 In a message dated 29-Aug-07 08:11:28 Central Daylight Time, phillipsdo@... writes: Easy with the paint brush! No hospital I have worked in in the last 6 years even has a sleep room for ED physicians! When I need a break, I go to the office and do push ups, sit ups, etc. The last time I slept while working in an ED was moonlighting as a resident in 1995. I could only sleep if no patients were in the ED! Catching up on an old thread. I generally only sleep if there are no 'active' patients in the ED (yes, I work 7x24s at my primary job). A sleep room has been provided at every one of the primary hospitals that I have worked at over the last 20 years...at least the ones that have expected 24 hour shifts out of the docs. ck S. Krin, DO FAAFP ************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.