MariaCatEMT
Forum Asst. Chief
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Those of you that know me...know it has been a long road getting where I am. Tonight I finally crew a rig for the first time. I'm assigned as a "third" which is fine with me, and will be with a very seasoned medic, and an intermediate I have met a few times. So, I know them both, which will make me much more comfortable. Last year I finally gave up trying to get on the two services in my own community, and started looking outside my own county. I was hired as paid/on-call for an ambulance service in Piatt county (I live in Champaign county). Tonight may be a long shift with no calls, or maybe, not, who knows. I'm nervous a little. I've been reviewing protocols and my ABC's like crazy, will do what I'm directed to, and will try to do what I should be doing as a basic partner, with as few prompts as possible. The medic I'm with has assured me they all remember their first time, and already know I will be nervous, and what they expect from me at this point is to be able to listen, observe and take direction well. However, I have concerns, I need to learn the area as I'm unfamiliar with where things are.....I'm not from there, nor live there, and don't know my way around. This last Wednesday, I went down to the ambulance service per their request to go over the rigs one more time to ensure I know where all the equipment is, to get my key, was shown my mailbox, and assigned a permanent call sign. Because I am not from there, they have a room at the station where I can hang out.....bed, TV, little 'fridge and microwave, chair....basic comforts....which is nice. A few on their staff live far enough away that having a space like this became a necessity. It also gave me an opportunity just to talk to one of the medics who took the time to review things with me, and just ask questions. Some of you might wonder what the "big deal" is...for me this moment has been two years coming and by rather convoluted routes.
I'm also not at the hospital anymore on the cardiac floor....I was recruited off the floor and out of the hospital by an internal medicine physician in private practice...for better pay and hours (nights, weekends, holidays off and "banker's hours") and with the statement on his part of liking the way I work. So, my bread and butter job has gotten cushy. I see my husband more, which makes both of us much more content.
I obtained Firefighter II a few months ago, with the volunteer fire department I'm on in my own county. I'm hoping I can swing being on two departments. So far it looks doable.
Here are some links for the two departments I'm on for anyone that is interested:
Kirby Ambulance (Piatt County) on Firehouse.com:
http://cms.firehouse.com/content/department/index.jsp
Kirby Ambulance (Piatt County) on the Kirby Hospital website:
http://www.kirbyhospital.org/services.php
Eastern Prairie Fire Protection District (Champaign County) on a site I'm fiddling with myself---we will eventually move to our own domain once the trustee board approves it:
http://members.aol.com/mariacat2003/
Provena Regional EMS is who both my departments are affiliated with:
http://www.provenaregionalems.com/
Wish me well, wish me luck, offer any beneficial advice you feel may be helpful. I know I haven't participated much in here...but I read all of you. I know without a doubt that many of you do what you do very well, and I have great respect for that.
I hope everyone has a great weekend, it's Friday! Take care. I send you all good thoughts and best wishes.
I'm also not at the hospital anymore on the cardiac floor....I was recruited off the floor and out of the hospital by an internal medicine physician in private practice...for better pay and hours (nights, weekends, holidays off and "banker's hours") and with the statement on his part of liking the way I work. So, my bread and butter job has gotten cushy. I see my husband more, which makes both of us much more content.
I obtained Firefighter II a few months ago, with the volunteer fire department I'm on in my own county. I'm hoping I can swing being on two departments. So far it looks doable.
Here are some links for the two departments I'm on for anyone that is interested:
Kirby Ambulance (Piatt County) on Firehouse.com:
http://cms.firehouse.com/content/department/index.jsp
Kirby Ambulance (Piatt County) on the Kirby Hospital website:
http://www.kirbyhospital.org/services.php
Eastern Prairie Fire Protection District (Champaign County) on a site I'm fiddling with myself---we will eventually move to our own domain once the trustee board approves it:
http://members.aol.com/mariacat2003/
Provena Regional EMS is who both my departments are affiliated with:
http://www.provenaregionalems.com/
Wish me well, wish me luck, offer any beneficial advice you feel may be helpful. I know I haven't participated much in here...but I read all of you. I know without a doubt that many of you do what you do very well, and I have great respect for that.
I hope everyone has a great weekend, it's Friday! Take care. I send you all good thoughts and best wishes.
