It's hard to be the guy who wants to help everyone learn in class.

Let me try that again...

It's hard to be the guy who wants to help everyone learn in and out of class, especially when the teacher cracks jokes about you, and people don't show an extended interest in learning beyond class.

If you're in this for a career, you should be like a sponge. You should want to know EVERYTHING about everything you come across. Knowing "the minimum" isn't enough to get by. That's like taking the FR or EMR class, and not doing any A&P & Patho studying outside of class.

With resources like http://www.theeemtspot.com , http://paramedicine101.blogspot.com , and the various podcasts; MedicCast , EMS Garage , EMSLive , you should spend a certain time per week brushing up on your knowledge, or learning something new.

Medicine is always changing & expanding. Stay ahead of the game.

You should be eating/sleeping/breathing this stuff, so you can be the best possible advocate for your patient.

... our second week of mis-representation in the media.

In light of watching NBC's "Trauma" for the second week (thanks to http://channelsurfing.net/watch-nbc.html), we've decided to officially start listing the rules for the drinking game.

(disclaimer: I do not encourage or condone drinking to excess, yada yada yada. Know your limits and be smart about it, but this show doesn't do anything to help...)

Drinking Rules for NBC's "Trauma"

• one-handed CPR
• breaking protocol (medical)
• breaking standard operating guidelines
  
• any ethically questionable choice
  
• unsafely driving ambulance or flying helicopter
  
• sex anywhere where a dead person has been (ambulance, hospital bed, chopper, etc...)
  
• entering when scene isn't safe (or failing to retreat when it becomes unsafe)
  
• stethoscope backwards in the ears ("Nurse Jackie" is guilty of this too)
  
• washing gloves... ???!!! (S01E02, just before Kid + Rabbit cutesy scene)
  
• touching your face with gloves on (Rabbit, I'm looking at you! You put your finger in your mouth in S01E01)
  
• stupid EMS games (darts with syringes?)
  
• unprofessional talking down to a medic in the middle of an active scene
  
• loss of control of C-spine (throwing the stretcher into the heli and watching the pt jump 6")
  
• use the word "ambulance driver"

Who's with us next time? We may need an ambulance sooner rather than later, if NBC doesn't start listening to their consultants...

The past few days have been testing.

Let's start with a quick tip I just made up to help remember GCS (Motor). Eyes are easy. Spontaneous, Verbal, Pain, None. Motor seems to always stump me. Here's the tip:
"Spontaneous", "Pain In" (Localizes), "Pain out" (Withdraws), "Core in" (Decorticate), "Core out" (Decerebrate), "None" (None)

More tips to come later as I figgure them out!

It's been a rough week. I'm guilty of not updating, and writing down some of the things I wanted to blog about.

Good things? I got 97% on a test, was able to fire off some information that the teacher wasn't expecting to know. Bad things? Messed up a scenario pretty hardcore, Internet's cut off for a week, and didn't get the chance to run a scenario in yesterday's class.

Also, our "classroom ambulance" platform got approved. I will post photos as that project evolves.

Wednesday we got the opportunity to listen to 4 case studies presented by the graduating class. If you ever get the chance to sit in on case presentations, DO IT. If you're a class and the teacher is willing to let you do a project like this, do it. Learning about all of the lab values, etc... is a great way of stretching your Pathophysiology knowledge.

Short post for now, more will come later as I work out some topics to write about. Anything you'd like to see me write about? Feel free to comment below.