Some future fun!
I have been going over some of the things that I get to do in the next few years. At any rate, I’d like to share some of my future classes and future classes with you all!
My core classes:
General chemistry (1 year)
Calculus (1st year)
Physics (1 year)
General chemistry (1 year)
Organic chemistry (1 year)
Intro to biochemistry
General biochemistry (3 courses)
Topics in human biochemistry
Physical chemistry: chemical thermodynamics
Topics in physical biochemistry
General biochemistry ralated to biomedical sciences
Intro to humanitarian and healthcare service
Internship in humanitarian or healthcare arena
Fundamentals of cell biology
Functional anatomy of vertibrates (2 courses)
Human anatomy and physiology
Now if I go with a slightly different emphasis with the biochem major, I will have the opportunity to take some of these other classes on my way through the bachelor’s program!
Intro to cel and molecular biology
Intro to evolution and ecology
Intro to genetics
Plant biotechnology
Microbiology
Introduction to comparative virology
Pathogenic microbiology
Immunology
Invertebrate zoology
Chromosomes
Parasitology
Biology of nematodes
I don’t know what is going down right now, mostly because CMC is organized terribly and seems to be hellbent on keeping me from taking the classes that I need. I may end up ditching the medical emphasis for biochemistry in favor of a more interesting selection of classes in the chemistry and biology emphasis. Any way you slice it, I’m rediculously excited about this process.
A day in the life
Disclaimer:
I wrote this at the request of a family member. It is not a statement of absolute truth, and is meant to shed a little light on what a day of work on an ambulance is like—for people who don’t work on ambulances, and from the perspective of one person at one ambulance company.
Day on an ambulance.
A day generally begins with coffee and conversation. The off-going crew relates the state of things to the oncoming crew. This is called pass-down. If the crews are EMT/Paramedic partners, then the EMT usually receives a mechanical pass-down related to the status of the ambulance’s fuel, tires, fluids, damage and overall running condition. In addition to mechanical information, the EMT is generally expected to keep track of the most basic emergency equipment: back-boards, splints, oxygen etc… Meanwhile the paramedic will receive a similar pass-down regarding the medical supplies and equipment. Most notably, any missing supplies and the status of the narcotics that must be accounted for. After pass-down the crew usually begins inspecting their equipment for themselves. This built-in redundancy helps avoid mistakes when it comes to making sure everything is present and in working order. Each member of the crew has to fill out extensive check out sheets regarding their various responsibilities. After morning pass-down and checkout, the crews usually clean their station and themselves, if necessary, and go about their business waiting for the first call of the day. Often, crews don’t get the luxury of finishing all of their mandatory tasks before the first call comes in.
Calls come in by pager, then dispatch will come over the radio with call information. Crews are expected to respond quickly no matter what they are doing. Generally, the rule of thumb is under one minute during the day and one and a half minutes at night, though it rarely ever takes that long. Calls tend to be routine and uneventful. Simply put when the crew arrives, they are paying attention to all sorts of external factors such as safety, proximity to the nearest hospital, the call type and so on… The paramedic performs a patient assessment on every patient in a similar way. The purpose of the assessment is to categorize the patient and prioritize the various treatment options. Paramedics are required to operate under a set of protocols that are defined by regional organizations. Essentially they say, if the patient presents one way, do this. If the patient presents another way, do that. Depending on the nature of the call, treatment may or may not be necessary on-scene, but will be performed on the way to the hospital. The paramedic is usually expected to make “base station contact” at some point prior to arrival at the hospital, in order to let the emergency room know that they are coming in with a patient. Base station contact also allows the paramedic to receive orders for treatment that requires a doctor’s approval. Once they arrive at the hospital, the patient is transferred over to the care of the hospital staff, and the ambulance crew parts ways for a while. The EMT will return to the ambulance to put everything back in its place and clean, while the paramedic does paperwork. Once the paperwork is finished, they are usually allowed to return to their station (if they have one) to wait for the next call. This whole process takes about 2 and a half hours.
The other aspect of private ambulance work is inter-facility transfers. Transfers are longer than calls and generally last at least 3 hours from start to finish. These are especially rough on the crews at night when sleep deprivation kicks in. It is not uncommon for crews to start a transfer at 10pm and get home at 6am.
Aside from those similar activities, private ambulance work varies immensely from person to person. This is because the rest of the time that the crews spend at work is generally spent doing whatever catches their fancy. Some exercise, some study, some play video games. There is, however, a certain tense feeling that never seems to go away when the crews are at work. Even when there is nothing to do, there is always a sense that at any moment they might have to spring into action. Crews tend to note that they do not rest well at work even on the rare occasion that they get a full nights sleep. Eventually, they get to go home, passing their rig down the same way that the crew before them did.
Top 10 ways to make your paramedic’s life easier:
Top 10 ways to make your paramedic’s life easier:
10.
Be aware of the difficulties medics (and EMTs) face and be understanding
Emergency workers have very stressful lives. They work long hours, some for very little or even no pay, and often have multiple jobs in order to pay their bills. Any way you slice it, it is not uncommon for your emergency responder to be dangerously over worked and under-rested. Which most of them will not complain about, but you must be understanding when they look and sound haggard at 3 o’clock in the morning.
9.
If you are a spectator, be extra careful of your behavior around the medics and the patient.
You are not an emergency worker, and it shows. No one’s mad here, we all dealt with the excitement of emergencies when we first started, but chances are that if you think that you’re being helpful on scene of an emergency, you’re probably not. Take a deep breath and remember, if you’re not the patient, the best thing that you can do for them is to stay calm and composed. Most medical emergencies are aggravated by excitement, so just keep that in the back to your head. Also, a special note about trauma: the good Samaritan law is gone now… at least in California. That means, that if you are trying to help someone—in good faith—and they are injured or otherwise put out by your efforts, they can sue you. Be especially careful about moving a patient who could have sustained a spinal injury.
8.
Keep your medications organized, have an all inclusive list
Unfortunately, a great number of people are on an unimaginably large list of medications. Paramedics have to take your medicines with them to the hospital, so if they are not well organized and easily transportable, it will take extra time (that you may not have) to get them together. It is a very good idea to keep a list of medications as well. This helps paramedics complete their paperwork more rapidly as well as making it easier on the hospital staff.
7.
Avoid using 911 in order to get medical advice from paramedics
This one is just a bad idea all around, but people actually do it. Paramedics are NOT doctors. They do not have the training nor the diagnostic equipment to tell you what is wrong or how to treat it. Moreover, once you call 911, the paramedic is obligated to take you to the hospital, and must—by law—tell you that you must be seen by a physician and could possibly die from your condition. This is another unfortunate aspect of being part of a medical system that is mostly run by lawyers.
6.
Stay on top of your health conditions
If people did this, most of them would never even see the back of an ambulance.
5.
Keep your animals confined and away from emergency workers
Even if you have never seen your dog or cat (yes cat) be aggressive towards anyone, lock them up. Remember that your animals are probably more in tune with what’s going on with you than you are. The last thing that you should add on to that stress is a big group of strangers poking and prodding you. It proves too much for more pets than you would think.
4.
Consider a taxi (or the bus)
It sounds insensitive, but seriously if you can drive yourself to the hospital, you probably should.**see exceptions in #1.** If you don’t have a car to drive yourself to the hospital, consider a bus, or even a taxi. Remember, even the most expensive taxi ride will undoubtedly be cheaper than an ambulance. Also your insurance (if you have it) may not cover your ride if it deems that your emergency is not emergent enough to validate transport by ambulance.
3.
Keep your house clean
This is a good idea just for the sake of appearances, but please keep in mind that if you are in poor health and have any significant chance of needing ambulance transportation, the paramedics will need clear hallways and uncluttered floors to roll the gurney in to your house. This is essential for expedient treatment and transport.
2.
Lose some weight
The number one reason for disability in ambulance workers is back injury. Aside from it being bad for your health, obesity is really rough on the people who have to carry you. Do yourself and everyone else a favor and try to stay within a normal healthy weight range for your height.
1.
Know what constitutes a real emergency
Know your ABC’s. Airway, breathing, circulation. Anything that threatens any of those functions is a serious emergency. Adding to that list of credible emergencies: trauma, altered level of consciousness (big subject), chest pain, and a few other special circumstances. Although making a list of emergencies is much easier than making a list of non-emergencies, I’ll list a few just to drive a point home.
Not an emergency worthy of transport by ambulance:
Insomnia
Stubbed toes
Constipation
Running out of a prescription
Colds
Flu symptoms
Stomach aches
Vomiting
Restless leg syndrome
Well, you get the picture. Now take note. I am NOT saying that those are not significant problems, OR that you should not see a doctor. However, it is important to understand the difference between a problem that may need to be checked, and an emergency that requires an ambulance.
Obviously I’d like to stress that any of the ABC problems as well as trauma, altered level of consciousness, chest pain, and some other fairly well known emergencies should always be treated as emergencies and transported by ambulance. This is because treatment and transport destination decisions for those types of problems should be made by professionals, and in those situations in particular, a paramedic can make the difference between life and death.
Spring 10′
Tomorrow I will be starting the spring semester of school at CMC. I’m taking bio-organic chemistry which is a class that introduces organic and bio-chemistry in one semester. The intended audience for this chem class includes nurses who want to continue their education past the associates level, as well as physician’s assistants that require only one year of chemistry but must have x number of O-chem units. I don’t have to take this class because I will be taking the full two year general and organic chemistry circuit. I decided to take the class anyway, though, because I love the subject and the teacher is great. I figure that I can’t go wrong taking an extra class that gives me a solid foundation in my future major.
I’m also taking intermediate algebra, which I’m anticipating will be the harder of the two classes for me. If things go well, I will be in calculus by the fall. I’m a little bit skeptical because I have not yet had a positive in class experience with math. I’ve worked really hard over the last 6 months to make sure that I am able to turn that around this semester.
As far as the writing goes, I am going to try to keep up a rigorous writing schedule, but seeing as how I will be taking the most units that I have attempted so far (while working) I will borrow any extra time that I need from my ungraded writing project. It looks as though I will be taking another writing class at the end of my time at CMC, so I’d definitely like to keep my chops up, but obviously it is not the priority at the moment.
Aside from all of that, I am really excited to get back to school! Wish me luck.
Food
I just finished with The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food. Now, I really liked these books, and aside from making me feel pretty cynical about the future and health of Americans in general, I think that these books have given me some much needed motivation for a change in the way I think about food. That having been said, there are some issues that I have.
In Defense of Food suggests that we should eat a regional diet. Specifically, eat like the French, or the Italians and so on. I wonder whether Rebeca and I could realistically pull something like that off. Moreover, when I started to think about it, I realized that I have no idea whatsoever how French or Italian people actually eat. I know how Americans eat like Italians, but I’m pretty sure that defeats the purpose of eating culturally. Too put it simply, if I’m supposed to eat culturally, how do I find out how a culture eats?
The next thing that comes to mind is that I am pretty attached to the idea of variety. Now I know that I am only clinging to the idea because in reality, I don’t eat very many different things, but the idea that I can seems important. More specifically, now as it currently stands, I make 3 or 4 major meals for Rebeca and myself every week. Those meals range from classic American style cooking to Italian or Chinese style cooking (another culture which I have no accurate idea of their REAL dietary habits.) So is the idea of eating food, not too much, mostly plants possible without sacrificing the idea of variety? And if so, Where do I find the information to do that.
This is all just the tip of the iceberg, but I feel too disorganized to go on today.
01-07-2010
Prompt: 32
A country needs enemies, real or imagined, in order to maintain its identity.
Describe a specific situation in which a country might not need an enemy in order to maintain its identity. Discuss what you think determines whether the existence of enemies is necessary for a country to maintain its identity.
A country needs enemies, real or imagined, in order to maintain its identity. That phrase is the credo of the neo-conservative movement in America. A while ago, some clever fellows figured out that the only way to keep the white-bread, “gee-whiz mister,” culture afloat was to monopolize on the idea of good versus evil. From these minds came phrases like “freedom fighters,” to rename the much less heroic sounding, “guerrilla terrorist forces.” From freedom fighter, to freedom fries, to threat level orange, to the war on terror. All of these things were carefully engineered by people with a vested interest in projecting the idea of an enemy, real or imagined.
In a way, it is true that manufacturing fear creates a tightly knit community of Americans. Scared ignorant ones, but at least they are more likely than ever to stay at home eating twinkies and watching pay-per-view. That culture becomes so dependent on the media to tell them how safe or unsafe they are, that they do have a certain identity. The question is whether that identity is worth having at all. Considering how macho we Americans tend to think of our selves, it is almost comical to think about how scared we have become. I would assert that the situation in which we do not need an enemy is the one that we’re in right now. Who needs this awful identity anyway.
What determines whether this doctrine of fear and domination that the neo-cons use is necessary, is the tolerance of the people. Too much money and too many industries rely on the fear of a real or imagined enemy to let it fade away, so it is—again—up to the people to avoid becoming consumers of a dangerous idea. If we as a people can stomach being led around like doomed cattle by the idiot ruling class then, yes, we do need an enemy to make that seem okay. However, if people want to be free of the confounded fear machine that we’re all a part of, then next time someone tells you that there is someone out that is going to get us, that we need to tighten security and hold close to our loved ones… Go ahead and laugh at them, or spit in their face. Its up to you.
01-06-2010
Prompt: 31
There are times when an individual’s private acts should become a public concern.
Describe a specific situation in which an individual’s private acts should not become a public concern. Discuss what you think determines whether or not the acts of an individual should become a public concern.
Privacy is relative. The very culture that we live in prohibits true privacy. Social animals can no more have true privacy than fish can survive on land. With that in mind, an individual’s so called private acts are only a matter of varying degrees of privacy. Those varying degrees are dependent on the culture to which that person belong. Our culture, individualistic though it may be, requires people to behave within a certain framework of civility and law. In our culture, the fate of the masses ultimately depends on the actions of the individual, so issues of consequence must be brought to the attention of the public so as to preserve order.
There are, however, many things that are of little consequence to society as a whole. Dreams, aspirations, tastes. My interest in the TV show House versus my non-interest in the show Bones and the fact that I intend to watch one and not the other are examples of information that is of no concern to the greater society in which I live, so that information can remain private. In other words, society has a right to information which threatens it in some real way, and no right to information that does not.
The decision to involve the public in private matters is dependent on the parent culture’s need to know. If a culture, like ours, depends on laws and morals to uphold itself, then the need to know on the part of the public is based on those morals or laws. In our culture, for instance, it is against the law to steal money from someone else. If our culture is to uphold itself, it must collectively be made aware of thieves’ actions in order to meet its standards. This concept becomes much more complex in a culturally diverse country like the USA, however it does hold up as a generally useful rule of thumb when deciding whether private matters should be made public.
01-05-2010
Prompt: 30
Advances in communication have led to a loss of personal privacy.
Describe a specific situation in which an advance in communication might not lead to a loss of personal privacy. Discuss what you think determines when advances in communication lead to a loss of personal privacy.
100 years ago, people would have never dreamed of all of the complex communications that are now available. In those simpler times, people had very little to worry about in terms of identity theft because the majority of transactions were done face to face, not to mention locally, where people were more likely to know each other. Today, everything from government paperwork to groceries can be done without the most vague interaction between two or more people. In addition, people from the time before cell phones had what some people might call the privilege being unreachable by friends and relatives any time that they wanted.
Technology can’t be held entirely to blame though. It is the burden of the subscriber to choose to turn their cell phone off if they feel molested. Conversely, the useful and necessary advances in technological communication are supported by, while sometimes lacking, a just-as-high-tech field of identity protection. Most people will find that, generally, ones privacy and identity can be protected with minimal attention and effort.
It may be the fault of advanced communication that many of the new privacy problems exist, however these problems are inevitable in a global, heavily interconnected world. New forms of communication will open new holes, just as new technology will close them. These new forms of communication will reduce privacy, just as self control on the part of the consumer will increase it. It is unlikely that anyone would protest, at the very least, the usefulness of a cell phone, and likewise continued expansion of communication mediums will open up even more useful channels. Ultimately it is up to the user of any service or technology to regulate their own use of it in a way that is concurrent with their own privacy philosophies.
1-4-2010
Prompt: 29
The courts should punish the guilty according to the nature of the crime.
Describe a specific situation in which the courts might justifiably take circumstances into account when punishing the guilty. Discuss what you think determines whether the courts should consider the crime or other factors in order to decide punishment.
Too often over the course of human history, people have been condemned by courts on grounds that, in retrospect, seem paltry. Socrates comes to mind as an exemplification of the the out-and-out ridiculousness of condemnation on intellectual and political grounds. The state of the current American court system, however, is far more difficult to pass conclusive judgment on.
The fact is that courts do punish people according to their crimes. Each crime has a minimum and maximum sentence which the court has the ability to choose from. This system, while elegant in a way, does have flaws. The principle of having guidelines for sentencing is admirable, but unfortunately does not guarantee any amount of justice. This is shown by executive ‘scandals’ such as Enron, in which billions of dollars were more or less stolen with the relatively small trade-off in jail-time. On the other hand, the extremely harsh treatment of drug addicts in the court system shows a obvious slant towards the condemnation of the destitute.
Applying a one-size-fits-all mentality to the court system is, of course, not possible. Courts have to take circumstances into account because there are such a wide variety of situations coming at them. The difference between murder and manslaughter, though they are both forms of homicide, are worlds apart, and courts have the difficult task of sorting out those problems. Circumstances must, in those instances, be the central consideration.
The extent that people are judged more so by their crime than by their intent must be a reflection of the severity of the crime in the eyes of the parent culture. Ultimately, our culture is responsible for the actions of the courts. With that in mind, it is important that, in addition to the court system being more vigilant for the desires of its people, people must be vocal and active in the enforcement of their cultural values. In the absence of cultural pressure, however, courts must simply use their best judgment for punishment based on the crime and the circumstances.
About writing.
The interesting thing about writing is that, the more I write, the faster and more comfortable I get with the actual skill. The problem is that with my new-found skill in writing, I am forced to face the not-so-pleasant fact that I don’t have any idea what I’m talking about.
