Responded off duty... Looking for critique

[Melclin]

Sounds perfect to me.

Helmet sidebar: responded to a guy hit a bakery truck on his moped w/o helmet, leaked CSF onto the tarmac street. I took a running class next semester and ran over that stain for about ten weeks before it became indistinguishable.

I went to car vs two pedestrians and I drove past the blood stains on the road and gutter for a week before either it rained or someone cleaned it up. It reminded each time only of how much fun I had at that job. We're an odd bunch.

 

[WuLabsWuTecH]

Why are so many people against giving their status as an EMT?

I've only identified twice off duty, once was a car accident, the other was an active seizure where the mall cop was about to make things worse so I stepped in to intervene. Assessments only in both cases with a little bit of helping the seizure patient lie back down in the second case. I think identifying myself as an EMT helped calm the chaos in both cases...

 

[rwik123]

Why are so many people against giving their status as an EMT?

I've only identified twice off duty, once was a car accident, the other was an active seizure where the mall cop was about to make things worse so I stepped in to intervene. Assessments only in both cases with a little bit of helping the seizure patient lie back down in the second case. I think identifying myself as an EMT helped calm the chaos in both cases...

Because in some instances once you declare you are an emt or any other link of medical professional, you are no longer covered by the good samaritan laws and could become liable.

 

[AMF]

Because in some instances once you declare you are an emt or any other link of medical professional, you are no longer covered by the good samaritan laws and could become liable.

I don't know about New England, but down here even doctors are covered by Good Samaritan if they don't intend to bill. I think the hesitation stems from planting the idea in the patients head. I know in New Hampshire if you have a star of life on your car (even a decal) you have to stop and render aid to car accidents.

 

[Medic Tim]

If you don't have a duty to act then you don't have to stop and/or do anything. I know some places are different but I can't think of anyplace in the USA where an EMT has a duty to act when off duty. Where I am where I am we are considered medics 24/7. I actually have a higher scope of practice when not on duty. Once I identify myself I am stuck there. I will usually stop to see what is going on. Make sure 911 was called, and make sure someone isn't in real bad shape. There is usually a ff or fr who is there anyway taking charge of the scene. I will only step in if I need to.

 

[ffemt8978]

I don't know about New England, but down here even doctors are covered by Good Samaritan if they don't intend to bill. I think the hesitation stems from planting the idea in the patients head. I know in New Hampshire if you have a star of life on your car (even a decal) you have to stop and render aid to car accidents.

Do you have a link to the law that says so? That way I cab update the Duty to Act thread.

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[ffemt8978]

If you don't have a duty to act then you don't have to stop and/or do anything. I know some places are different but I can't think of anyplace in the USA where an EMT has a duty to act when off duty. Where I am where I am we are considered medics 24/7. I actually have a higher scope of practice when not on duty. Once I identify myself I am stuck there. I will usually stop to see what is going on. Make sure 911 was called, and make sure someone isn't in real bad shape. There is usually a ff or fr who is there anyway taking charge of the scene. I will only step in if I need to.

Vermont and Minnesota are two.
http://www.emtlife.com/showthread.php?t=5825

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[WuLabsWuTecH]

Because in some instances once you declare you are an emt or any other link of medical professional, you are no longer covered by the good samaritan laws and could become liable.

Ah, in my state, once we stop to help we are not good Samaritans regardless of whether we identify or not. For that reason i tend to not give my name...

 

[Medic Tim]

Vermont and Minnesota are two.
http://www.emtlife.com/showthread.php?t=5825

Sent from my Android Tablet using Tapatalk

Thanks for the info and the link.

 

[hippocratical]

1. I watch from the side lines until I establish an actual threat to life

Something I've seen before is that bystanders can be a serious threat by trying to help. I once had to guard a guy having a seizure because everyone was trying to stuff things in his mouth, including shoes, "so he doesn't bite his tongue".

I recently saw a news report claiming how bystanders had saved a car crash victim - by yanking the poor woman out of the wreckage by her ankles. There was no immediate threats, but I'm sure their spine had a fun time being dragged out by these idiots. Yet the newscaster hero-ized them.

Please save me from the well-intentioned!

Oh, on an interesting note on the Good Samaritan Act; I lived in Korea for a few years, and it was common that if someone was found hurt on the road, people would ignore them and step around them. Korea (and many Asian countries) have laws that basically say "if you break it you buy it" where if you start helping someone you're liable for their hospital bills! :sad: - Thus nobody helps.

 

[firetender]

Well, if you're trained as an EMT and you come across the scene of an illness or injury and decide to announce yourself as an EMT and step in then it would be a good thing to commit to your choice, commit to your patient, and commit to doing what you can to help the patient get to the next level of professional care.

My first impression of your choice to not go further on your patient assessment was "Weren't you curious?" You were trained to be curious and you could have scratched that itch without touching her or manipulating her. More in depth questions and observations were called for here, if for nothing else than you announced yourself as an EMT and me, as a responding paramedic, would expect a more thorough indication that you made an attempt.

If I get on to a scene and others tell me the guy with the patient told them he was an EMT, unless he stepped right up to the plate and gave me a professional response I would brush him aside. I would want him to act like an EMT and I wouldn't take the time to wait for him to show it or even produce ID! You communicate you are what you are by being what you are.

In the end what you did was appropriate; you showed up and protected an injured patient from others who could have been dangerous...even if no one on the scene was. You did no further harm. That's all good.

But I think you cheated yourself of a learning experience because you didn't take that extra step to practice your evaluations or to challenge yourself to figure out what was the BEST you could do to assist the patient under the circumstances.

Your description showed some notable hesitations and hesitation is something that you need to eliminate from your diet if you're going to get good at the game. Taking a moment to discern is much different than hesitating because of insecurity or because you had to figure if what you read in the books was right.

Also, don't forget the immensely important role you could have played by connecting with the patient and letting her know a little of what to expect when the ambulance gets here, while also checking with her to see she IS in a position of comfort and stability.

All this, of course is a matter of practiceuntilyougetitdown!