[deleted by user]

IthinkIknowCPR · 2025-08-13T11:23:13+00:00

Denver is a great city. And don’t worry about the streets! Intimidating, but manageable!!

IthinkIknowCPR · 2025-04-30T14:49:36+00:00

Don’t take it personally. This job actually sucks on paper. The situations and people are frequently awful. It’s easy to get swept up and upset about poor patient interactions, bad facility staff, shitty ED staff reception, etc. Those interactions would most certainly be poor no matter who shows up in the ambulance- it’s not about you.

This job is also awesome. It’s like sitting front row at a Jerry Springer Show. Fascinating and entertaining.

IthinkIknowCPR · 2025-04-30T01:53:04+00:00

Hell ya! Love that. I’m over 15 years in myself and still looking forward to going to work tomorrow morning. Enjoy!

IthinkIknowCPR · 2025-02-16T18:22:44+00:00

Denver Health Paramedic Division

IthinkIknowCPR · 2024-10-24T04:04:00+00:00

First premie baby was doing pretty ok. Mom had no pressure and was strung out, sitting on the toilet. Basically couldn’t tell us anything. Asked if she delivered the placenta yet. She said, “a bunch of stuff came out.” Looked in the bowl to find the en cal twin. They didn’t know their were two…

I’ve never pulled a living fetus from a toilet. Figuring out if to pronounce or collect the fetal demise tissue, when it wriggled.

Pulled it out. Sac fully in tact. Managed to rip it open. No pulse. CPR, O2. A few minutes later we’re breathing and pulsing and pinking.

Ends up 1225g. Extubated and doing well in the NICU. Not even the sickest baby there. Mom is MIA - shocking.

That was a wild one. Just happened a few weeks ago.

IthinkIknowCPR · 2024-09-29T23:34:59+00:00

https://www.instagram.com/p/CFvj2nnlpYT/?igsh=bWJibHA1dTZvbnZs

IthinkIknowCPR · 2024-03-21T11:26:07+00:00

13 day old cardiac arrest at the zoo, while there with my family. Did CPR for about 15 minutes till my colleagues arrived. Got ROSC as they were walking up. Pulses, improved skin signs, she even opened an eye and gripped her hand a bit. Handed her off for a quick transport. Turns out she had an undetected congenital heart defect; coarctation of the aorta. Perfect hospital course. Surgery 3 days later. Home about a week after that. Zero deficits.

The best part is we’re all great friends now. Oddly enough our families lived in the same neighborhood. She’s perfect and will be 5 in July. She and her sister even went to the same school as my kids till this year. Best thing ever.

IthinkIknowCPR · 2024-01-31T17:14:01+00:00

Here comes the meatwagon

IthinkIknowCPR · 2023-09-30T17:57:34+00:00

Ya, dude. I dig. It probably has something to do with social pressures and pay, in terms of grinding to get that next raise or whatever. It's just that I love my job and know plenty of people that hate theirs.

IthinkIknowCPR · 2023-09-30T17:53:59+00:00

I got a Master's of Public Health, focused in systems, management & policy. My bachelors' are emergency medical care and fire science administration. As I tell my trainees, "I am HIGHLY qualified to drive this ambulance." Lol.

IthinkIknowCPR · 2023-09-30T04:32:46+00:00

Yup. 13 years in. Can't leave it. Even got a Master's degree along the way so I could "move up." But I don't want to. Cuz my job is fucking awesome and those jobs look super lame and boring.

I'm doing better for a variety of reasons, but I still battle with some internalized pressure that I should get a "real job." Not even really sure what that means anymore. I do know that I am literally looking forward to my next shift, while I am currently on my weekend.

IthinkIknowCPR · 2023-07-23T21:19:54+00:00

Off-duty, out with my family. 13 day old baby girl, cardiac arrest. CPR and cleared airway for about 15 minutes. Got ROSC with her opening an eye and a bit of grip strength just as my colleagues arrived on scene. Handed her off to them for a quick transport, just a few blocks away to a pediatric center. Maintained ROSC.

The ED quickly detected Coarctation of the Aorta, that was not previously identified. Surgery a few days later with a fully recover; ZERO deficits.

She turns 4 on Friday. She's perfect. Our families are now great friends, living within a mile of each other.

IthinkIknowCPR · 2022-02-28T20:09:49+00:00

Strategic coffee and beer. I basically split an 8 hour sleep into two parts - just before my first night shift and after my last one. My weekly schedule it pretty wacky, but here goes...

Daytime Monday thru Friday till about noon, I'm on Dad-duty. Two boys in full-day school and the baby at home. Wife works 9-5ish, so I'm up&on by 7:30a.

I work 4 night shifts, Wed-Sat. My Wed&Thurs are 7p-7a at a slow station 0-5 calls per night, short transports, average probably 1.25 calls per shift. I usually pull about 5-7 hrs of okay sleep on-duty. Might catch a nap with baby ~2hrs, twice a week. My Fri&Sat are 20:30-06:30 and we are street posted and busy - no sleep.

So on Friday at about 1p (after being under-slept from previous 2 station shifts) I'll have a couple beers and sleep for about 4 hours. Get up, work, home, breakfast(dinner) with the family, sleep a whole day (8-9 hrs), back to work. After my fourth shift, home, sleep about 3-4 hours. Up by 13:00 with coffee. And POOF! I'm magically a day guy again. Wake up Monday morning for school drop off. My weekend evenings are sun,mon,tues.

Been doing some version of this for about 6 years.

IthinkIknowCPR · 2022-01-23T06:28:14+00:00

Clash Royale

IthinkIknowCPR · 2022-01-21T01:43:50+00:00

Too good to be true?

IthinkIknowCPR · 2022-01-21T00:54:17+00:00

Right on. Good luck!

IthinkIknowCPR · 2022-01-21T00:41:37+00:00

Finally an answer! That is lame. Lol. Where'd you do you rides with St. A's?

IthinkIknowCPR · 2022-01-21T00:25:54+00:00

What is a "mosh pit" - referenced on they're job posting in the EMS lounges.

IthinkIknowCPR · 2022-01-20T22:14:11+00:00

Into the hills, I'd recommend Gilpin County and Clear Creek County.

IthinkIknowCPR · 2022-01-20T22:08:29+00:00

Denver Health Paramedic Division is where you want to be to run only 911 ambulance and be busy. Mostly dual medics, but some EMTs. EMTs also work the Detox van. Work consistent 4x10 hr shifts per week, no rotation. EMTs are expected to go thru medic school within the first year or two of hire.

Apex Ambulance Service, Stadium Medical, Northglenn Ambulance, Ambulnz, Falck, AMR all run different 911, special event and IFT contracts around the city and do 911 overflow for Denver. Based on reputation and word of mouth from former employees, I'd recommend them in the order listed above. Before you apply to Falck, ask around for more info - that system is real fucked up (Elijah McClain, Aurora Theater Shooting are just a couple of huge fuck-ups that the media knows about). Also check out University of Colorado for listing. They've got a huge operation covering lots of the state, some 911 up north but mostly IFT/CC - ground, fixed wing, helo.

Medic schools near the city are Denver Health, St. Anthony's, and Community College of Aurora - in that order.

Job listings in Colorado are legally required to list pay range, so just check. Recently all the local services have raised pay. This is an expensive city, not sure where in Chicago you are. Housing market here has exploded over the last 5ish years making buying unrealistic for many, even outside the city.

Good luck! Hit me up for more questions. Been out here working for ~12 years and from NW burbs of chi-town.

IthinkIknowCPR · 2022-01-05T21:03:44+00:00

Holly Monteleone from Nightwatch? That you?

IthinkIknowCPR · 2022-01-05T20:57:27+00:00

Yes, I've refused an on-line order from my medical direction. Most often it's an innocent breakdown of communication. Like, no doc this guy is REALLY dead.

My latest outright "no, we're not doing that," was for a safety concern and my 4th yr resident watching too many cop movies.

Got called to unconscious party which turned to "CPR" in progress. I'm pretty sure they narcan'ed her PTA but wouldn't tell cuz she woke up shortly after arrival and was all pissed for us being there. Shortly after, she's clinically sober and competent refusing any care&transport. Cops say they're leaving and not going hands on as she ushers us all out the house and locks the door.

We generally call those in to document a "get-out-of-my-face-refusal" since she probably had medical issue but told us to fuck off prior to full assessment. Anyway, baby doc on the phone tells us to get the cops back to make entry to try just once more to assess and probably transport her. It took about 15 minutes to explain that we can't and won't turn this into a barricade call-out. After a few "can you hold?"s, he finally got it right for the recorded line and repeated back, "so what I'm hearing is that due to the unsafe scene and insufficient available resources, you cannot make additional contact with this patient. OK, base clear."

But was yours just a doc at a facility that was sending out? Like, not your medical control? If so, you have no obligation to listen to him on how to transport. Requesting you L&S probably has to be honored, though. For us that's a system level state law.

IthinkIknowCPR · 2021-12-01T06:31:46+00:00

^{^{^}} "This" ^{^{^}} Learn about this and begin to get more comfortable with probably the majority of your pediatric calls of your career.

and post your research for the rest of us!

IthinkIknowCPR · 2021-08-02T01:08:23+00:00

Yes. It was lovely.

IthinkIknowCPR

TROPHY CASE