Drugs of Badness
The main thing that makes a paramedic a paramedic is the ability to push drugs in the field. Based on preestablished protocols and medical training, paramedics can make deceisions on what drugs to give in a vaireity of situations. A paramedic is basically making the same decisions as a doctor and inacting them in the way an ER nurse would.
As one would imagine, such responsibility is both humbling and something to take pride in. By the end of my training, I will be responsible for forty drugs, most of which if used improperly can kill my patients. Needless to say I have been busting my ass to memorize correct dosages and infusion rates. Countless multicolored lie in neat little stacks in my massive binder and After about twenty five times through the carefully arranged stacks I am able to spit out dossages, indications on when the drugs will be used, how and why they work. I can tell you that you shouldn't use dopamine in patients that have a tumor on the Adrenal gland, a condition known as pheochromocytoma. I can just as easily tell you that you give Morphine sulfate in incriments of 1 to 3 miligrams every five minutes untill the patient either feels better or their Ischemic Chest pain disipates due to Morphine's vasodilating properties.
All of this and I got a C in high school chemistry.
In order to get the drugs into a patient, you need to be able to either inject them like the dreaded nurses at the peditrician's office or flow them through an IV line.
To that end I have spent many hours sticking rubber arms complete with fake blood and veins in order to learn how to catheter a line and adminster fluids and drugs. Sometimes the patients only need a little bit of fluid, they could be dehydrated or in shock and a little shot of saline will make things all better. Just because I can "push the poison" doesn't mean I always have to.
I have a small key chain for St. Joseph's School of Nursing. Years ago at a college fair in high school I scooped it up off of a table because I thought that I might due well in the healthcare field. But I went to school for teaching. I guess I finally have it figgured out now, or maybe I always did and I just didn't realize it. I know a lot of people who have tried to become paramedics and had to drop out because it was too much work or too much memorization or they just got sick of it. After all, most guys my age become paramedics to become firefighters. Knowing that cells have a bilipid membrane layer that sepereates them from the cytoplasm in which they dwell is a huge pain the ass when all you want to do is cut holes in a roof and spray shit with a hose. But for some reason I am really enjoying learning all about this stuff. I like the whole medical aspect of my job as a firefighter because it allows me to help people in yet another way.
As one would imagine, such responsibility is both humbling and something to take pride in. By the end of my training, I will be responsible for forty drugs, most of which if used improperly can kill my patients. Needless to say I have been busting my ass to memorize correct dosages and infusion rates. Countless multicolored lie in neat little stacks in my massive binder and After about twenty five times through the carefully arranged stacks I am able to spit out dossages, indications on when the drugs will be used, how and why they work. I can tell you that you shouldn't use dopamine in patients that have a tumor on the Adrenal gland, a condition known as pheochromocytoma. I can just as easily tell you that you give Morphine sulfate in incriments of 1 to 3 miligrams every five minutes untill the patient either feels better or their Ischemic Chest pain disipates due to Morphine's vasodilating properties.
All of this and I got a C in high school chemistry.
In order to get the drugs into a patient, you need to be able to either inject them like the dreaded nurses at the peditrician's office or flow them through an IV line.
To that end I have spent many hours sticking rubber arms complete with fake blood and veins in order to learn how to catheter a line and adminster fluids and drugs. Sometimes the patients only need a little bit of fluid, they could be dehydrated or in shock and a little shot of saline will make things all better. Just because I can "push the poison" doesn't mean I always have to.
I have a small key chain for St. Joseph's School of Nursing. Years ago at a college fair in high school I scooped it up off of a table because I thought that I might due well in the healthcare field. But I went to school for teaching. I guess I finally have it figgured out now, or maybe I always did and I just didn't realize it. I know a lot of people who have tried to become paramedics and had to drop out because it was too much work or too much memorization or they just got sick of it. After all, most guys my age become paramedics to become firefighters. Knowing that cells have a bilipid membrane layer that sepereates them from the cytoplasm in which they dwell is a huge pain the ass when all you want to do is cut holes in a roof and spray shit with a hose. But for some reason I am really enjoying learning all about this stuff. I like the whole medical aspect of my job as a firefighter because it allows me to help people in yet another way.
posted by Nick Stabile at 9:55 PM
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