tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64193462011-04-22T00:08:28.604-04:00Mental meanderings of a college professor and volunteer emergency services worker. I live in a small community and due to the nature of the postings I'll leave things semi-anonymous.DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.comBlogger2191100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-58659595483767612232008-04-07T23:27:00.001-04:002008-04-07T23:28:36.560-04:00

Anyone still stop by here?I'm alive and well, still doing the academic and EMS "thang".The Prof.

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1167138171013892662006-12-26T08:00:00.000-05:002006-12-26T08:02:51.030-05:00

There is a one car roll over...There is a suicide attempt...You get the post Christmas meal syncope call...You open your work e-mail to find complaints about grades...Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1166267837613270842006-12-16T06:06:00.000-05:002006-12-16T06:17:17.630-05:00

You get to your car and the key won't work in any of the doors. It is after 3am and you've been "out" with some friends, but none of them are around. In fact it is awfully quiet in this sleepy little village you are in.What to do? You are a fairly intelligent person, and you realize that the key's close friend is the brick (they share the common denominator of both having atoms...). With some

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1166008395884723222006-12-13T06:09:00.000-05:002006-12-13T06:13:15.913-05:00

According to my wife, our five year old daughter was invited over to a friend's house for a play date. The friend, who is also five and refers to my daughter as his "girlfriend", reportedly stated that if my daughter should come over they would be able to make full use of "the hot tub on the roof".I will have to have a conversation with the young Casanova regarding the odds of ANYONE spending

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1165626029080821782006-12-08T19:47:00.000-05:002006-12-08T20:00:29.093-05:00

It's Friday and the last day of classes for the Fall of 2006. YEAH!ESPN2 is currently showing a NCAA Iaa football semi-final between Montana and U-Mass. Note that this isn't Ia which everyone admits (behind closed doors) is basically semi-pro ball with teams associated with schools in a very loose fashion (separate dorms, eating areas, admissions criteria, etc.). No, this is the next tier down

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1163705960191049592006-11-16T14:31:00.000-05:002006-11-28T09:18:43.763-05:00

Before I get to the topic of this post let me address a question raised in a comment: No, I would not move to Australia to live full time. The main reason would be that it is just too far away from our other family members. In terms of a country, Australia has a LOT going for it and if I could take my job and extended family...Now, on to the post. It is course registration season around these

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1163090144165189752006-11-09T11:31:00.000-05:002006-11-09T11:35:44.183-05:00

Yo,Long time no write.Adjusting to being back in the states has been a bit depressing. I just have SO much to do here, and being in Australia reminded me what life SHOULD be about. I worked enough there, but I got to spend real time with my family, something I don't get to do a lot of during semesters back here.EMS stuff: Lot's of political crap between our board of directors and chiefs.

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1153347997936203902006-07-19T18:06:00.000-04:002006-07-19T18:28:02.770-04:00

(note: all of the information in this post comes from contact that is not HIPPA protected...)There's this guy who worked at the hospital that I'd see in the ED on occasion. Doc, nurse, resp. therapist, admissions clerk - It doesn't matter what he did. I probably interacted with him 40 times or so after bringing in a patient.This guy, call him "L", pretended to be a curmudgeon. You'd walk in

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1153050936416406182006-07-16T07:40:00.000-04:002006-07-16T07:55:36.436-04:00

Regarding my death...To Verizon's credit (so to speak), they contacted the credit agencies and proclaimed that my death was exaggerated. It is good to be alive...And then...Our call last night seemed to be going fine until the doc on duty, who happens to be our medical director, says "Why isn't this patient on a backboard?" There were a lot of reasons I won't go into here. And in the end the

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1152702097660568012006-07-12T06:50:00.000-04:002006-07-12T07:06:51.256-04:00

My wife and I are in the process of making a rather large purchase. To achieve this, we need to borrow money. Our credit is very good historically, but we are having a bit of a problem... I AM DEAD.Well, I do not FEEL dead. I've seen dead. I've smelled dead. I know dead. I even know "almost dead" and "soon gonna be dead". It is my honest opinion as an Advanced Emergency Medical Technician

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1151771119012081312006-07-01T12:00:00.000-04:002006-07-01T12:25:19.030-04:00

We are back in the U.S.A.! Australia was G R E A T, but I am glad to be back home.In my absence I could not properly defend myself against being nominated for an assistant chief position. So, now I am a "white hat". Be very afraid...Just as we were settling in and feeling like the 14 hour time change was being absorbed the floods that have swamped the East Coast hit. Tuesday night was spent

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1149572975805848382006-06-06T01:40:00.000-04:002006-06-06T01:56:49.406-04:00

Some things I'll miss about the last few months, in no particular order:Time with my kids and wife.Kookaburras, Parrots and Cockatoos everywhere.Seeing Kangaroos, Wallabees, crocodiles, Echidnas and Pythons in the wild.Living 10 minutes from some of the most beautiful beaches in the world (NSW coast) and only 2 hours from the Blue Mountains (STUNNING).Having a butcher within a 3 minute walk

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1148887054230580962006-05-29T03:12:00.000-04:002006-05-29T03:17:34.243-04:00

Classes are over here "down under", with this being reading week and then two weeks of finals. Two weeks from this coming Friday we head home to the U.S.Our time in Australia has been amazing, and we all feel really lucky to have been able to be here for long enough to get a great feel for the country.I know it is memorial day in the states. For those of you who have served... THANKS.DNJ

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1146218698322168342006-04-28T05:54:00.000-04:002006-04-28T06:04:58.340-04:00

So things are good. We are still in Australia (will be here until mid-June), hence the lack of activity from me. This country is amazing. I am learning, thinking, relaxing, playing and just plain growing as a person. GREAT experience.The class I am teaching is going well. The students are smart, fun and engaged to the level I'd expect given the distractions they have all around them.

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1141625773010096382006-03-06T01:03:00.000-05:002006-03-06T01:16:13.023-05:00

Yo,Classes started. Students are here. Things are good, except I am now down one...Phone rings...Student B: "Prof. [DJ], it's [B]"Me: "Hi B, what's up"Student B: "Well, a bit of bad news.... [Student A] broke his leg and needs surgery".So goes the beginning of a nightmare situation for me: An injured student thousands of miles from home. In the end, things worked out as well as you could hope

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1139698292601691042006-02-11T17:39:00.000-05:002006-02-11T17:51:32.613-05:00

The students have been arriving over the last day or so, with the bulk due in today (Sunday in Australia). Monday sees us at orientation (which I will attend as well). In addition to the usual, orientation includes surf safety information, something my land locked institution at home doesn't have to worry about. The pictures above come from Jervis Bay, which is about 1.5 hours south of

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1139178372336983082006-02-05T17:16:00.000-05:002006-02-05T17:26:12.380-05:00

The family and I went to a rain forest (part of a national park here). There were clear signs (as you can see above) that we are around different flora and fauna. Very nice!DJ

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1138520562961228832006-01-29T02:31:00.000-05:002006-01-29T02:42:42.970-05:00

The fam-Damn and I made it from the East Coast to L.A., L.A. to Sydney, and Sydney to Wollongong. The kids traveled better than I expected, though we are all tired and adjusting to the time change (16 hours ahead of EST). We've been busy setting up house, swimming in the Pacific and finding our way around town. This coming week I'll get settled into the university I'm visiting (The University

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1137628584511870982006-01-18T18:33:00.000-05:002006-01-18T18:56:24.583-05:00

So Travis the wonder dog, whose picture gracies this blog somewhere, and the last remaining K-9 in our home, had to be put down. Worse, for me, is that this happened remotely as Travis was staying with my mom as we are headed for Australia this week (to return in June). Travis was special. All dogs are, I suppose. But I've been around a LOT of dogs in my life, and Travis was one of three that

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1135185484043375912005-12-21T12:09:00.000-05:002005-12-21T12:18:04.053-05:00

Spent the last two days driving from the east coast to Iowa to spend Christmas with family. Contents of vehicle: 1 Dog (who is staying at Grandma's while we are in Australia), 2 kids, one wife and myself. Q: Can a kid who can't tie her shoes figure out the weakness of each person in the car and exploit said weakness to maximize irritation?A: YES.Q: Is it possible, after eating fast food for two

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1134876187233147902005-12-17T21:44:00.000-05:002005-12-17T22:23:07.283-05:00

Ah, last day of finals yesterday. I'm finished with grading for two out of my three courses. The last will be horrific, as it involves a lot of writing. Serves me right for thinking open-ended thought questions were a good idea...Continuing on my 419 saga...Dear Eliot, Greetings and thanks for your massage.What I meant in my last massage is that %10 of our own share will be for charity

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1134560394948103832005-12-14T06:19:00.000-05:002005-12-14T06:39:54.960-05:00

Finals week. So, of course, intoxicated male call at 0300 on Sunday, 20 some odd hours before finals start. Can you imagine getting so trashed you have to go to the hospital the day before final exams? Me either.You ever get those "419" scam e-mails? Of course you do. Do you ever reply? I have finally had too much so I've started playing with "Patrick". The exchange started with the

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1133886282894820462005-12-06T10:55:00.000-05:002005-12-06T11:24:42.960-05:00

Yesterday started early with two classes and kept going with a full schedule. I forgot to eat breakfast, and had a reasonable lunch (which means I was still hungry…). A campus wide faculty meeting ended about 1730, I stuck around and chatted for a couple of minutes, and then headed to my car, thinking of my wife, kids and lasagna (let’s just pretend that was the order).As I’m driving home, my

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1133432490920771452005-12-01T04:37:00.000-05:002005-12-01T05:21:30.930-05:00

Had a BUNCH of folks in the house for Thanksgiving. As "he who is in charge of the turkey", I was hoping for a quiet EMS day. Overall things were, and it has been a quiet week. We did have a DOA in a car and an abdominal pain (who didn't have abdominal pain last week?), but nothing really sticks out as a call to remember. I'm awake now as a nearby agency asked for a medic and then cancelled

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1132748033640343242005-11-23T06:51:00.000-05:002005-11-23T07:13:53.650-05:00

My agency had been running really quiet for a few weeks, but things are picking up with the calls now coming in spurts. On Sunday we had 3 calls within an hour, and somehow I managed to see (if not treat and transport) all three patients. This brought up a tough situation for me, but I think I did the right thing morally if not legally.The problem started with the first call, which came in as

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1132013758849888762005-11-14T19:00:00.000-05:002005-11-14T19:15:58.890-05:00

If anyone still checks by - Sorry for the dead air of late.What's Up?EMS:Worked my first code as the only ALS provider on scene (patient was a guy who I've met in professional capacity). Not fun.Went mutual aid to a choking call. Unlike 99.99% of our choking calls, this gentleman was still choking when we got there and had gone pulseless. We didn't get him back. Nothing quite like having a

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1127051465619783192005-09-18T09:32:00.000-04:002005-09-18T09:51:05.626-04:00

A recent call came in as severe difficulty breathing. Upon arrival the patient was tripoding, with rapid, shallow breaths and expiratory wheezes audible from 5 feet away. Rescue had placed the patient on O2, and her pulse ox was in the mid 80’s. When I listened to her chest and back, I heard diminished breath sounds in the lower lobes, and clear wheezes on expiration. We were 3 minutes to the

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1126872538977322592005-09-16T08:02:00.000-04:002005-09-16T08:08:58.983-04:00

That's how the call came in. I was a bit dubious as I was fairly sure most people can't have an allergic reaction to an endogenous chemical. Turned out that the pt's symptoms overlapped perfectly with the side-effect list for epinephrine.Why take the Epi? Here, I blame the person who prescribed Epi for this patient and did not explain how and when to use it. The pt had a bee sting, there was

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1126654021835800252005-09-13T19:24:00.000-04:002005-09-13T19:27:01.840-04:00

I'm guessing most of those who read this blog also read The MacMedic, but in case you missed it, he had a call that is a fear of all of us, particularly those working in a small community. You can read it here.No words can fix that pain.

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1126555086743711722005-09-12T15:33:00.000-04:002005-09-12T15:58:06.750-04:00

Here is how my weekend went:("Drug" here includes but is not limited to alcohol...)Accidental Drug overdoses: 2(the consumption was no accident, just the overdose part...)Purposful Drug overdoses: 1Severe chest pain with Cardiac hx: 1Seziures with seziure hx: 1Ankle injury: 1The call I felt best about was the cardiac. Nothing heroic, it just felt good. Fast IV start on firt shot, good treatment

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1126027880447977662005-09-06T12:45:00.000-04:002005-09-06T13:31:20.506-04:00

A few things about Katrina I feel compelled to comment on:If you read this October, 2004 article in National Geographic, you'll see that there were people who saw it coming: "The Federal Emergency Management Agency lists a hurricane strike on New Orleans as one of the most dire threats to the nation, up there with a large earthquake in California or a terrorist attack on New York City." I guess

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1125963030430252302005-09-05T19:22:00.000-04:002005-09-05T19:30:30.436-04:00

My agency doesn’t do many “transfers”(non-emergent transport, usually from facility to facility). The local hospitals and other facilities know we are an all-volunteer agency and try to keep from taking us away from home and work unless necessary (there are two paid agencies within 25 minutes and they happily take the business).In the last week or so I’ve been on two transfers. The first was an

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1125546295231007282005-08-31T23:36:00.000-04:002005-08-31T23:44:55.236-04:00

Ahh, what a nice last few weeks, followed by a slamming.My mom gave me an IPod for my 40th birthday. So far I love it. My wife and kids gave me exactly what I asked for, including breakfast fit for a king.My family and I spend several days over the last few weeks at nearby campgrounds and a water park. It was my first visit to a water park, ever, and I had as much fun as my 7 year old son (and

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1124106493174850902005-08-15T07:41:00.000-04:002005-08-15T07:48:13.676-04:00

Approximately 0200 hours…“… ambulance monitors, request for your equipment. The county sheriff unit requests you meet them {someplace} for a 20’s male who has ingested gasoline.”Lovely. Out of bed, on with the rags, off to the station. We arrive on scene to see a car on the side of the road with a police car behind it. The officer reports he pulled the vehicle over, suspecting that the driver

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1123371253948940012005-08-06T19:12:00.000-04:002005-08-06T19:34:13.953-04:00

EMS has been relatively quiet. Had a patient with a history of brain cancer and stroke develop sudden onset stroke symptoms on her previously un-affected side. I did the best I could with her but she looked scared (she was non-verbal) and I felt helpless. We all roll the dice each day we wake up, but some people just end up rolling "craps" more than others, and this poor woman has been getting

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1123082044387841222005-08-03T11:10:00.000-04:002005-08-03T11:41:25.890-04:00

I've grilled out tuna twice this summer. Both times, just as the tuna steaks were hitting the plate, we got toned out. Both times, the location was the same. The first call was the first time I'd been to this place, the second call was the second. BOTH calls were for injuries to camp counselors. BOTH injuries happened due to a game called "capture the flag".How weird is that?DJP.S. - I was

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1121951605752548052005-07-21T09:09:00.000-04:002005-07-21T09:13:25.756-04:00

First of all, update on the firefighter. Not only was she OK, but a friend of mine reports she is still going on calls. REALLY…V is for Vomit. On a recent call the patient (who has a history of diabetes) was unresponsive even after we got her blood sugar level in the normal range. The patient was in VERY tight quarters, and we were getting her out on a back board. Due to where we were, we

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1121113151993460192005-07-11T16:10:00.000-04:002005-07-11T16:19:12.000-04:00

First, thanks for the kind thoughts both public and private. It was one of those situations where the death bothered me less than knowing how much it bothered those I love, as odd as that sounds. It was NO fun carrying a casket in 90+ degree heat while wearing a dark suit. But I'm back.Been on several ambulance calls, and some stick out more than the others.Call comes in as injuries to a

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1120756937426442362005-07-07T13:21:00.000-04:002005-07-07T13:22:17.430-04:00

Sorry,Death in the family (not my parents, wife or kid) lead to a quick journey out of town and I am now back in action.Update soon.DJ

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1118785437599279242005-06-14T17:41:00.000-04:002005-06-14T17:43:57.606-04:00

Below, un-edited, is the bed-time routine for my daughter, as typed by my wife who is going out for the night. It'd likely be easier to defuse a car bomb...Sadie’s Bedtime Routine 6/05She pees and brushes teeth in bathroom (she can use Fairly Oddparents toothpaste, but make sure she spits!);While she’s doing these things, I put juice cup and lambies on the floor next to her Spongebob towel;She

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1118195594139402542005-06-07T21:42:00.000-04:002005-06-07T21:58:13.160-04:00

I have been busy with purported plagiarism and cheating cases this week (we went from 1400 to 2330 on Monday, did four cases today and have five or six tomorrow). I guess the semester isn’t really over until all of the potential academic dishonesty cases have been heard.Can't give too many details here at this point, but we had an expert witness who is an ex-FBI agent and is now working as a

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1117811248763165662005-06-03T10:56:00.000-04:002005-06-03T11:07:28.766-04:00

Things had been very quiet – Days without a call of any kind. Then yesterday… Two calls I couldn’t go on: a difficulty breathing followed by a full arrest.Third call of the day – Call comes in as nausea and vomiting. I’m in the middle of something, but the call is close by, the other medic worked a 12 hour shift at his job followed by working the full arrest, and I figure it will be an hour

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1117210663558468642005-05-27T12:04:00.000-04:002005-05-27T12:27:50.240-04:00

Call: "Unresponsive female at [store]".Scene:Our ambulance rolls to a stop in front of a store, and as we go into the entryway we see a crowd around a bench. On the bench is a mid-50’s female lying supine, legs elevated and head on a coat. A person approaches us with a tube of glucose in her hand. She identifies herself as a bystander, and has taken a brief history (she asked the patient her

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1117041827614744792005-05-25T12:56:00.000-04:002005-05-25T13:23:47.656-04:00

For the last few days, when I am awake, I have a slightly sour stomach and mild tachycardia most of the time. Rational or not, I am tweaked at the idea that at any second the tones could go off and I’ll arrive on a scene with people looking at me to quickly and accurately know how to help very sick people. When I’m actually on a call, things are going fine (though I still have a lot to learn).

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1116682410285037102005-05-21T09:29:00.000-04:002005-05-21T09:33:30.290-04:00

State written exam was Thursday. I drove two hours to take it at a site where they could score my exam right away. The exam was broken into BLS and ALS sections. The BLS seemed easy and the ALS seemed REALLY hard. I wasn’t alone in this assessment as everyone I spoke to about it agreed that the ALS was a nightmare. In any event, I passed (97% for the BLS part and 88% for the ALS part).

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1116291237386981222005-05-16T20:30:00.000-04:002005-05-16T20:53:57.403-04:00

Well, until today our Ambulance Corps has had two advanced life support providers who take 95% of the calls (one a paramedic and the other what New York calls an AEMT-CC, sort of in between the national registry intermediate and the national registry paramedic). Our paramedic graduated yesterday and drove off today after giving me his corps issued medic jacket and some last minute instructions

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1116207954893976942005-05-15T21:37:00.000-04:002005-05-15T21:45:54.900-04:00

Marched in graduation today and went with the family to a graduation party at the ambulance station. I'm tired and going to bed, but wanted write an update on the state practical skills exam I took Saturday.For my state practical skills exam we had to do 18 “skill stations”, not finding out which they would be until the morning of the test (there are over 30 to know). Each station has some

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1115916839948278372005-05-12T12:49:00.000-04:002005-05-12T12:53:59.953-04:00

Classes are done (both at work and EMS). Graduation is this weekend, as is my state practical skills exam. Senior grades are turned in, and I'm close on everyone else. I'm swamped, and starting to get nervous (needlessly, I hope) about the practical skills exam on Sat. 18 stations (drawn from thirty-something we need to know).Off to a d-board - if found responsible for plagerism some of the

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1115290166319789642005-05-05T06:42:00.000-04:002005-05-05T06:49:26.326-04:00

Yesterday was totally consumed by honors defenses at work and the cumulative written final for my medic class. The entire department was locked into a room together from 8 AM to 5 PM, with a steady stream of VERY nervous but talented students. My student went at 8 and it was nice to get the most stressful one (for me) over early so I could enjoy the others. She did a GREAT job, and I am very

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1114944457731896862005-05-01T05:51:00.000-04:002005-05-01T06:47:37.733-04:00

We finished up PALS (pediatric advanced life-support) yesterday with a review, written exam and some “Mega Codes” to test our practical skills. The review really helped pull things together and solidified some concepts for me. The written exam was a 33 question multiple choice test, and most of the questions were straightforward (there was only one I didn’t know for sure, and I guessed right).

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1114744295988884042005-04-28T22:52:00.000-04:002005-04-28T23:11:35.990-04:00

Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) has been going well. I am sure, however, that I do NOT want to work a kid-code. REALLY SURE.The semester is running 100% full stress mode right now. My research students are all finishing up, and my honors student is doing a great job. All of them remind me that there are really wonderful young adults out there. Smart, creative, hard working and

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1114079247955039252005-04-21T06:21:00.000-04:002005-04-21T06:27:27.956-04:00

Things are busy...Second to last week of classes at "work", which means preparing exams, meeting with students who have avoided help all semester and now want to turn their D- into an A+, crunching data with seniors doing their senior research, planning a big end-of-semester conference, etc.EMS stuff also finishes in this home stretch. My medic class is PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support)

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1113337081358239912005-04-12T15:26:00.000-04:002005-04-12T19:25:09.930-04:00

EMS Update:ClassOur last module exam was tough and killed off two more people. I really feel bad for them, as we've been going at this for over seven months now. I have a system down now such that without worrying about things much I score between 91 and 95 (I got a 93 on this one). I have given up trying to score in the high 90s as there are always a few strange questions that I'll never

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1112881513304853832005-04-07T09:26:00.000-04:002005-04-07T09:45:13.306-04:00

Recent events:2 student DWI cases.E-vited (by accident) to a drinking party.Sent these links (again, by accident):Student Drinking GamesSuck and Blow (it's bad, but not THAT kind of bad)Custom Tables (if you don't know what these are for, good for you!)How do I get sent things "by accident"? Imagine my name is David Jones. My e-mail address at work would be DJones@myschool.edu. Now imagine a

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1112708088419777572005-04-05T06:50:00.000-04:002005-04-05T09:34:48.423-04:00

Wednesday my medic class will take our second to last “module exam”. Originally this exam was to cover abdominal, endocrine, behavioral, environmental and OB/GYN emergencies. Now it will include all of the above plus 55 questions on cardiology. Why? Because Wednesday we had TWO quizzes – one on OB/GYN and one a REPEAT cardiology quiz from over a month ago. People did fairly well on the OB/

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1112293402154083942005-03-31T13:07:00.000-05:002005-03-31T13:23:22.156-05:00

While I still think about the events I blogged about last, I am back in action and coming to terms with what happened.There is light at the end of the medic class tunnel.The requirements for the program I am in include clinical hours in various hospital departments and ride time on an ambulance that isn’t your home agencies’. The clinical hours, perhaps obviously, are time-based, and I only have

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1111506820479654652005-03-22T10:47:00.000-05:002005-03-22T10:53:40.480-05:00

I just found out that the young man with sepsis died later that night in the hospital. I just was not mentally prepared for a younger medical patient to die within hours of my helping him and talking to him. I don't know why this is hitting me so hard, but here I sit in my office with the door closed unable to stop crying.

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1111415406272730132005-03-21T09:25:00.000-05:002005-03-21T09:30:06.273-05:00

The first few days after Travis' surgery I was wondering if we had done the right thing. He looked zonked, and could not move his hind legs AT ALL. We spent many days going outside with him and holding up is hind quarters so he could do his "business". Humbling...My how things have changed. He is still crated most of the time to let him rest and heal, but he can WALK! An ugly walk, but a

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1111108737980333202005-03-17T20:00:00.000-05:002005-03-17T20:22:58.910-05:00

Inside the well kept home is a young man supine on the couch. He looks like I did when I was his age. Tall, lanky, and his hair just a tad too long for his mother's taste, but just right for his age. One look at him shows things are not right. He is moaning, and not the fake moaning of a drug seeker. His skin is very pale and he has goose bumps all over. He is VERY dry (skin, lips, tongue)

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1110971822488166182005-03-16T06:07:00.000-05:002005-03-16T06:17:02.490-05:00

I’m on spring break and should be grading tests and relaxing. I’m doing neither. Monday I rode with my preceptor for 8 hours and had 3.5 hours of medic class. Yesterday I spend 8 hours following respiratory therapists around listening to lung sounds. Today is 8 more hours with my preceptor plus a night being on call for my home agency (with the students out of town the board is fairly empty).

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1110715173360930072005-03-13T06:24:00.000-05:002005-03-13T06:59:33.363-05:00

You can ask the same history question five times and get the same answer, only to have the receiving nurse ask it a sixth time and get a totally different answer.Some people can be dieing, literally, before they will reluctantly agree to have an ambulance called.Others will call with a toothache when they are within walking distance of their dentist’s office. My favorite, though, is the

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1110460276065812422005-03-10T07:47:00.000-05:002005-03-10T08:11:16.066-05:00

Ride time with my preceptor has been very useful. When I have more time I’ll fill in more details, but calls I remember include:Major house fire. My first chance to see second degree burns in the field.Mutual aid for a call in the boonies. Pt complaining of severe abdominal pain in a house set back from the road. Driveway unplowed. Took the county plow to make it so we could get the pt out (I

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1109873689084306842005-03-03T12:35:00.000-05:002005-03-03T13:14:49.086-05:00

I had medic class last night (allergic reactions and anaphylaxis) and had a harrowing drive home due to the blowing snow and variable road surface. Upon reaching our house I looked at the driveway to see a considerable amount of drifting. I wonder how deep that is? This is what a scientist calls an “empirical question”. You can answer it by getting your ass out of the car and taking a 50 foot

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1109684383727213492005-03-01T08:35:00.000-05:002005-03-01T08:39:43.726-05:00

Had a great weekend just hanging out with my family. Felt strange to not have to be anywhere or have anything that HAD to be done.Medic class last night was “Acute Abdomen”. People seem more relaxed now that cardiology is over.I have a busy weekend planned – 8 hours of clinical time and 12 hours of ride time.My ambulance corps is taking delivery of a new rig this week (one of our old ones had

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1109385605149846382005-02-25T21:12:00.000-05:002005-02-25T21:40:05.150-05:00

I got an e-mail this week that I still haven’t responded to as my initial reaction is to send off something nasty. As background, I gave a test in a relatively large class. This week I went over the test, question by question, during regularly scheduled class time. If I were to do this individually for each person in the class, it would take up three weeks of working solely on this from 8am to

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1109040972089733142005-02-21T21:20:00.000-05:002005-02-21T21:56:12.093-05:00

Travis the super-dog came home today. For those wondering, he is a 12 year-old Cardigan Welsh Corgi. He is still paralyzed below the “waist” (if you knew travis this term would make you laugh), but has control of his bowels and bladder. Imagine holding up the back end of your dog while he does his business – For my wife and I this is not something we have to imagine any more... He was VERY

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1108828484017732822005-02-19T10:49:00.000-05:002005-02-19T10:54:44.016-05:00

Forgot to relay a story from last night. During a lull I'm hanging with the nurses in the nurses' station (who wouldn't :-) ) and one of them starts in on a dilemma she is having. Seems her 18 y/o daughter is in college and has taken a job at a rather famous restaurant known for its chicken wings and waitresses who wear t-shirts with owls on them (nudge, nudge, wink, wink). The dilemma was

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1108788338499385532005-02-18T23:29:00.000-05:002005-02-19T10:48:30.370-05:00

Whew what a day.8:20 class, bunch of crap, 11:20 exam for 160+ people, more crap, sneak home to play with my daughter while my wife picks up our son from school, back to work to post the grades of the exam, off to a party where I couldn’t drink as I had clinical time latter, attempt to sound semi-intelligent in speaking with the Dean of the Faculty at the party as he asked me questions about the

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1108665063482577452005-02-17T13:22:00.000-05:002005-02-17T13:31:03.483-05:00

Travis the super dog is still at the Vet’s (as expected). He is now a "1" on a scale that goes from 0 (no function what-so-ever) to 4. The Vet hopes he will get a lot more function back over the next week or so. Thanks for your well wishes via comments and e-mail. He’s “just” a dog, but he’s our dog and we love him.Work has been wicked busy but should slow some after tomorrow (tonight a

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1108256217001670892005-02-12T19:49:00.000-05:002005-02-12T19:56:57.003-05:00

I can think of a lot of ways to spend $2,500. Lots. Some responsible, others not.No matter. I have been sick as a dog, so to speak, and woke up tired and cranky. Wife goes to feed Travis the super dog, and calls me down to look at him. Paralyzed from the "waist" down. Poor pup.So, to the doc. Basically three options:1) Kill him.2) Treat him with meds and hope he gets better.3) Send him to

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1108011855533251072005-02-09T23:59:00.000-05:002005-02-10T00:04:15.533-05:00

Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) is an American Heart Association course that was sandwiched into the middle of my medic class. The teaching of this section was farmed out, and it has been a mess. We took the written and practical (“mega code”) exam tonight to see who would earn their ACLS card. The test was based on a book we were never given. Our didactic time was spent with our local

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1107619474930539262005-02-05T11:04:00.000-05:002005-02-05T11:13:03.656-05:00

When you want to grill out, you want to grill out... Travis the super-dog asleep in the kids' play tent.

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1107454821694288322005-02-03T13:19:00.000-05:002005-02-03T13:20:21.693-05:00

I’m waiting on a student for a meeting and will try to write as much as I can until she gets here (if I start doing any “real” work she’ll appear immediately…). Medic class is going OK. We had a cardiac quiz on Monday which caught some people asleep at the wheel (7 out of 19 of us failed it). I made a couple of idiotic mistakes (there were 25 questions so each mistake was painful) and just

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1107288721320874652005-02-01T14:58:00.000-05:002005-02-01T15:12:01.320-05:00

Every now and then an administrator tells me a story that kills me. I heard one such story last week... One of our students interviewed for but did not get an internship at major business (you'd recognize the name). The kid's mother calls the company and explains to them that they should really give her son an internship because [insert all the things all of our mothers think about us here].

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1107235886550257772005-02-01T01:20:00.000-05:002005-02-01T00:31:26.550-05:00

The last two medic classes have ended up with me drinking beer with the instructors. They are both really nice guys, and usually have a cast of firefighters with them who are fun to interact with. Given I tend to not drink with my students, it is a bit akward to consume with my instructors, but it was their idea and who am I to say no? Work has been super busy in a bad way. I am feeling

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1106627751294886522005-01-24T23:06:00.000-05:002005-01-24T23:35:51.293-05:00

One of those days... Class 8:20 - 9:10, a bit hurried and didn't finish the topic as I wanted. That hurried feeling didn't leave me today... 9:15 or so to 11:00 - Answer e-mails, phone calls, etc. The kind of stuff you have to do but feel like nothing is getting done. I swear I deal with one and two more would come in! Class from 11:20-12:10. Goes fine, but again, I am running a bit behind

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1106413685230207522005-01-22T13:03:00.000-05:002005-01-22T12:08:05.230-05:00

Forgive me for I have not blogged in forever and a day. Classes started this week, I'm knee deep in cardiology, have had four student conduct board cases (two plagiarism, a plain old "cheating" charge, and a charge of stealing expensive equipment), writing a letter for a junior faculty member's promotion file, interviewing 40 (nope, not a typo) kids for the 2006 study abroad.... yada yada yada.

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1105854436866280512005-01-16T01:22:00.000-05:002005-01-16T01:04:16.206-05:00

S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y, NIGHT! [sorry, Bay City Rollers outburst]) It is Saturday night and I have been in my office working on a syllabus. We had an EMS call at about 2030, and so down I went. The call was for a diabetic emergency, and things went fine, but it took a while as we were a ways from the Hospital. By the time we got things put back together, I left the station at about 0010. I really

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1105752986198124732005-01-14T20:28:00.000-05:002005-01-14T20:36:26.200-05:00

Blah. My day started OK. A full day to finish two syllabi and get copies made for my 0800 class on Monday. I had a plan. I was focused. Nothing could get in my way... Interruption #1: EMS call for 94 female with injuries from a fall (maybe syncopal episode secondary to dehydration?). The students are starting to be around, so I had mentally been prepared for the day to be covered by them (

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1105626108882806892005-01-13T09:15:00.000-05:002005-01-13T09:21:48.883-05:00

Calm before the storm. Monday I will face: 150+ students in a large introductory class. This is a small lecture class at some institutions, but for us it is the largest on campus. 40+ students who want to be in a class limited (in theory) to 18 students. Seniors nervous about finishing up their senior research projects. In the mean time, I have been trying to pound out syllabi, handle some

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1105449059823632342005-01-11T07:41:00.000-05:002005-01-11T08:10:59.823-05:00

---- I have been on several conduct boards where something like the following happened. What follows is a general version of these cases and is not meant to (and doesn't) reveal anything about any particular case ---- While driving a car from the bars to campus (a 20 min walk or so if you decide to not take the free shuttle bus), an underage college student is pulled over for crossing a double

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1105292748255314002005-01-09T13:45:00.000-05:002005-01-09T12:45:48.256-05:00

Oh my, how this changes things… Odds of DJ hooking up with JA before the above: 0.00000000 Odds of DJ hooking up with JA after the above: 0.00000000 (note to any statisticians out there: The above are, of course, rounded) Hmmm, never mind. I now return you to your regularly scheduled programming…

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1105172014835550682005-01-08T02:21:00.000-05:002005-01-08T03:13:34.836-05:00

Take: 6 young adults (use 18-21 year olds without helmets) 3 Modern Snowmobiles 5 inches of powdery snow with a layer of ice on top 1 Very Dark Night 1 Very Hilly Piece of Property with lots of obstacles. Ethanol 1 HEAPING serving of luck. To make tonight’s dish, combine all of the above, and don’t skimp on the luck! Just got back. Call comes in for a 20 y/o with head injuries from a

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1104986516193668752005-01-05T23:34:00.000-05:002005-01-05T23:41:56.193-05:00

Just got back from medic class and had to post this real quick. We took a quiz, got yelled at, and then did some lab work on respiratory emergencies. As I have mentioned, I love this stuff and had a good time (but for the yelling…). Last March I was taking an EMT-B class and posted on getting the riot act read to us because some people were not performing to the best of their ability. Tonight

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1104945939939595872005-01-05T13:14:00.000-05:002005-01-05T12:25:39.940-05:00

Happy New Year everyone. Things have been relatively quiet of late. Been on a few EMS calls, but mostly glorified taxi runs. Work is quiet as the students are gone, but I need to generate some syllabi soon and have a job search meeting this week. Medic class started back up this week. We started respiratory emergencies Monday and will continue on the subject tonight. I really like the topic

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1104269292595670882004-12-28T16:12:00.000-05:002004-12-28T16:28:12.596-05:00

Turned grades in Monday. The Fall semester of 2004 is officially over for me. Some family in town for Christmas, then out the door, and then more to replace them. Rapid house cleaning and restocking as we had just a few hours between overnight visitors. Busy EMS time as well. From Friday to Today I went of every call we had... Two more MVAs. One involved no significant injuries. The other

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1103833439434174842004-12-23T15:15:00.000-05:002004-12-23T15:32:21.586-05:00

Wednesday we had two calls… “WALK, people!” Around 1030 or so freezing rain came out of no where. A campus safety officer stops by my office to tell me to be careful if I go outside as it is SLICK. Ten minutes later my wife calls to tell me the roads are horrific and that I should be careful as we will likely get a call and it is nasty out. She’s got the power… At around 1300 tones drop for

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1103716120309499882004-12-22T06:29:00.000-05:002004-12-22T06:48:40.310-05:00

Call came in yesterday evening: MVA rollover, state police on the scene asking for an evaluation. The scene is in the middle of nowhere. The secondary roads, which are all we’ll be on for the whole call, are covered with a mix of packed snow, ice, and slush (you can’t see pavement). On the way to the scene I felt like we were going a bit fast, and the medic even said “slow down, rescue is

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1103656396295920482004-12-21T14:01:00.000-05:002004-12-21T14:13:16.296-05:00

Yo, Still grading stats exams. Yech. It has been FREEZING cold here the last few days (as in below zero F). No ambulance calls for my agency in almost a week! Cold must be keeping people inside. Last week MacMedic and aoblog (see blog links at right) gave a rundown of provider levels and allowed drugs/procedures for their regions. I find it interesting to read what prehospital care

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1103458497677554642004-12-19T07:12:00.000-05:002004-12-19T07:14:57.676-05:00

Thanks for all the comments. Regarding the “Car-Deer” woman: The hospital gave me no grief for bringing her in like I did. We do not have a field spinal clearance protocol, though I have read many and go through them in checking out any patient who may have this type of injury. Regarding the plagiarism cases: Several years ago “intent” was removed from the definition of plagiarism. If you

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1103315656097366262004-12-17T15:31:00.000-05:002004-12-17T15:34:16.096-05:00

Whew! While still in the process of grading finals, things are slowing down to a tolerable pace. The last week or so has seen the normal flurry of activity that surrounds the end of the semester (extended office hours, writing final exams, etc.) along with a test in my medic class, meetings galore (a job search, Student Conduct Board, the group that oversees the core curriculum, yada, yada,

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1103005067428101842004-12-14T01:16:00.000-05:002004-12-14T01:17:47.426-05:00

I'll be back in service by thursday. I have not forgotten the blog - just so swamped I can't do it justice. Sorry for the down time. MadDog and MacMedic - I'll fill in some of the details then... DJ

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1102597513725628742004-12-09T07:54:00.000-05:002004-12-09T08:05:13.726-05:00

Wednesday was busy. At work from 8:00 to 4:45. Home from 4:45 to 5:30. Left home for medic class and learned about abdominal trauma from 6:30 to about 9 (our test got moved to Monday). After medic class I stopped back by the office and worked again until right before midnight (finishing up some nominations for NCAA postgraduate fellowship awards). Had to get home by 0000 because I was on the

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1102297185794979482004-12-05T20:30:00.000-05:002004-12-05T20:39:45.796-05:00

I just got back from my agencies annual awards banquet. I got two “awards”: A toy ambulance “stuck” in the mud (real mud in a Tupperware container). I got the rig stuck after a football game last year and you’d think they would have forgotten, but NO. The medics and medic to be (me, I hope) were awarded a new training aid (the game Operation). Since I am still in training the medics decided

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1102258493999215432004-12-05T09:46:00.000-05:002004-12-05T09:54:54.000-05:00

A local EMT Basic class had their state practical skills exam yesterday (Sat.). In these exams you go to "stations" where you perform a skill or treat a patient. Some of the stations, like airway, have NO variation in them. That is, you know exactly what will happen in the station months in advance (some, like trauma and medical, follow a prescribed order, but you won't know what is wrong with

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1102014569678994072004-12-02T14:01:00.000-05:002004-12-02T14:37:17.173-05:00

Exam 2 in my stats class was way too hard. I tried to make it up by making Exam 3 easier. If you look at the median and mode, it clearly was EASY, right? Exam 3: Median=90.00; Mode=92.00 However, look at the grade breakdown: Exam 3 Frequency 35.00 1 37.00 1 49.00 1 50.00 1 58.00 1 62.00 1 64.00 1 73.00 1 75.00 1 82.00 1 84.00 1 85.00 1 87.00 1 89.00 2 91.00 2 92.00 4

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1101788397201077332004-11-29T23:19:00.000-05:002004-11-29T23:19:57.803-05:00

Sorry for the delay in posting. Been crazy busy… Just got back from medic class. Spinal trauma. Whoo Dog! The lecture for medic class last Wednesday went well (according to my fellow students and the instructor who sat in on it), though I wasn’t really happy with it as I was a bit rough in a couple spots. Doc Shazam (see Mr. Hassle’s Long Underpants link at the right) suggested that maybe I

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1101181045264208382004-11-22T22:20:00.000-05:002004-11-22T22:45:02.183-05:00

Lecture in Medic class tonight was burns. Interesting enough, but mostly a repeat of what I learned in EMT class and PHTLS class. At work my students are gone as of tomorrow afternoon, but I'll be doing class prep. Why? Because a couple of weeks ago the instructors of my medic class approached me and asked "hey [dj], did you know the state tells us to ask experts in a field to teach a lecture

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1101070524916520782004-11-21T15:55:00.000-05:002004-11-21T15:55:24.916-05:00

Grumpy mood producers: 1) Hand, foot and mouth disease. No, really. I have a mild case, my daughter is overwhelmed with it (her throat looks like it was hit by a shotgun full of birdshot). 2) Lack of common courtesy. I just finished an hour and 40 minutes of reviewing statistics for about 20 of my stats students. On a Sunday afternoon. At their request. Not one "thanks Dr. J!". Really.

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419346.post-1100893078205548902004-11-19T14:22:00.000-05:002004-11-19T17:48:26.313-05:00

I occasionally bitch about students. This is an anti-bitch. I am writing a recommendation for a student. This woman is a NCAA Division 1 athlete. She is not good enough to play at a Tennessee or U-Conn. She is good enough to be competitive at the D1 level. Her cumulative GPA is a 3.5. She is NOT an under-water basket weaving major. She got an A- in the second semester of Organic Chemistry

DJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10396109683728275685noreply@blogger.com0