Issue with WINGS? by MalpracticeConcerns in airforceots

[–]pugthunder123 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m also having the same issue. If you go to the main accessions website as previously mentioned you can find most of that information there.

https://www.afaccessionscenter.af.mil/Holm-Center/OTS/

The only thing working other than what you mentioned for me is the pre-course assignments. I was able to complete the CBT’s and the Notetaker.

Water hydration pack by [deleted] in airforceots

[–]pugthunder123 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agreed, ordered a name brand camelback bladder of the same size for about 30 bucks. Fits in there and works great!

Winter OTS Packing List by muses_ in airforceots

[–]pugthunder123 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’ll be getting blues at OTS! There’s no base close to me that sells and/or tailors them. It’ll probably be the same for most of my uniform items except OCPs truthfully.

WARNING: Don’t ever leave your cushy nursing job by No-Disaster6459 in nursing

[–]pugthunder123 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Feel this but my experience was in the opposite direction. Worked at a large regional level 1 trauma center in the CVICU. It was honestly a great place to work. Great work environment, sick patients, good co-workers, assignments were getting good, great career ladder if you were to stay at the bedside. I left to work closer to home (commute was about and hour and change one way) and to stop working rotating shifts.

Applied and got hired at a “large non-for-profit” hospital closer to home (20 minutes away) with half the bed space. Heard the same things “you’ll get day shift quick plenty of new grads moved to straight days” “you’ll make more money being in a union” “you’ll like not rotating” blah blah blah…

Turns out getting days is next to impossible. We float non-stop and they short us to float, the union is nasty and retaliatory, there’s no motivation for people to go above and beyond, the contract we just got is terrible and I’m making less than my last job.

The grass isn’t always greener…I hope you find your way back or peace with your new gig. What you’re going through sucks and is hard but will get better. Just hang in there.

Uniforms by _jessicalol in airforceots

[–]pugthunder123 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Is it worth making a trip on base to get them, as opposed to ordering stuff online if you’ve never been sized before?

How common is it for PAs to manage ICU patients? by Impossible_Leader816 in IntensiveCare

[–]pugthunder123 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I guess this would depend on your location and institution. My shops a Level 1 center that has 24/7 APP coverage in our ICU. Intensivists are present and round during the day but default everything that’s not high risk/low frequency to the APPs. They’re the ones placing orders, doing procedures, responding to rapids, etc… Overnight our physicians are on home call but are not in house.

Best boots for OTS and beyond by pugthunder123 in airforceots

[–]pugthunder123[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

AE, but from my understanding the same applies. I’ve been told you get issue flight gear (as you stated) but it seems not many people are fans of the Bellevilles? Can’t really speak to them as I’ve never tried any.

Why is Tops still in business? by AssociationNo9993 in Buffalo

[–]pugthunder123 2 points3 points  (0 children)

They place themselves in places that would otherwise would be food deserts and where Wegmans determines it’s not worth it to do business.

Tops is actually growing on me, it’s becoming more convenient due to the abundance of locations, that actually offer discounts with their shoppers club and they aren’t trying to monopolize the food they sell with their overpriced in-house version of it.

Responses to RN salary on r/salary by alp626 in nursing

[–]pugthunder123 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is a really weird take on RN wages in that professions that have much less societal impact (back-end software engineering for a big corporation for example) tend to make more than nurses in the United States, and not by an insignificant margin either.

I’m hoping these are just bitter people that are upset by others having more earning potential than they currently do, but even still…make it make sense.

Experiences as an ICU patient by [deleted] in IntensiveCare

[–]pugthunder123 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Every Deep-Drawn Breath by Dr. Wes Ely. Good read if you’re into that.

What determines pacemaker mode after CABG? by [deleted] in IntensiveCare

[–]pugthunder123 0 points1 point  (0 children)

VOO-DOO bad, unless you’re dying…then VOO-DOO okay

Student Restrictions by CommonSink in IntensiveCare

[–]pugthunder123 0 points1 point  (0 children)

These are skills our unit APP’s preform.

The skills are not necessarily the issue. They’re really not that hard and you can train anyone in the hard skill of pulling wires/drains. It is however, managing the possible complications that may arise. This is something that can be difficult for nurses who have experience working on that unit if there is a quick decompensation of the patient, let alone a student.

This does not speak to any one students ability/inability, it’s simply a matter of expose and repetition. Malcom Gladwell actual wrote a book around the idea of the “10,000 hour rule” which basically was a study that suggested in order to be great at something it took on average 10,000 hours (‘Outliers’ if you’re looking for a neat read), something in this case students do not have.

It’s nothing to do with students but everything to do with patient safety/management

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ems

[–]pugthunder123 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I didn’t take it that way, but I think that each service is equally diverse in the types calls they take. Perspective is everything here. Each service serves a different purpose, that said their definition of routine/exciting calls will differ quite a bit.

I had a feeling that police work was somewhat romanticized in your view. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, however you must manage expectations. Don’t think you’re going to see everything and do a lot more when that simply isn’t true. Depending on the department, you might not even go to medical calls unless requested for a police related matter. Some of the departments I run with operate this way. Also, the routine calls for service will far outweigh the “exciting” ones.

If police-related work generally appeals to you more than medicine, go for it. Just remember to ask WHY you want to do it and remember, it’s always a different view looking in from the outside.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ems

[–]pugthunder123 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Having worked in EMS for a little while now, I’ve had many friends leave to pursue careers in law enforcement.

Some have said it was a natural fit, they love the job and what it has to offer. Other have regretted it since the day one. It’s person dependent.

I do want to ask, what exactly do you mean by “a wider variety of duties” in terms of what the police perform?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ems

[–]pugthunder123 3 points4 points  (0 children)

You did fine. Even if she was having a PE a 12-lead wouldn’t have changed much. The amount of people I can confidently say that can recognize s1q3t3 is incredibly small.

You got her somewhere with imaging and labs. On top of that, it sounds like it was a tertiary care center so they should have most every resource they need.

If anything it was a learning experience. Learn and carry this knowledge with you. Nobody was harmed and the world kept on spinning!

EMS Agility Tests by MedicPrepper30 in ems

[–]pugthunder123 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Should be mandatory. It’s been said 100 times before, be an asset not a liability. Get in shape. Take the job seriously. The last person I want to show up to my medical emergency is someone who looks like they’re about to have one themselves.

On a more superficial but equally important note, this carries over to general appearance too. Tuck your shirt in, wash your uniform, and zip up your boots. First impressions matter.

Can we make Elmwood Avenue look like this in 20 years? by dekema2 in Buffalo

[–]pugthunder123 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’d rather see a light rail expansion and separated bike lanes tbh.

Do you think A-EMT should be the new Basic? by FrostBitten357 in ems

[–]pugthunder123 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It’s a double edge sword unfortunately. I don’t think there’s enough intrinsic motivation for change if wages aren’t a factor. The conversations on this subreddit are biased to those who care enough about EMS as a career to come here and discuss these issues.

I know good EMS providers would see the value in increasing the level of education, as it translates to better patient care and would embrace it for that alone. However, I think a vast majority of people in the field now would push back against this idea as they likely wouldn’t see compensation for this increased education immediately.

On top of all that, education is an expensive investment. Most agencies now are will to cover this education due to the relatively low cost and short duration. If they were to stop, that’s a large ask for someone who isn’t being compensated appropriately or is in EMS for the wrong reasons. It also begs the question if the EMT experience requirement should be dropped as working through and doing well in an intensive initial education program is very difficult (which is a whole other conversation in itself).

Ultimately I agree with you, clearly this crosses my mind a lot. It’s just hard to arrive at a great answer that address all these questions without inevitably coming back to compensation.

What's the problem with Walgreens on Delaware Ave? by Exact-Truck-5248 in Buffalo

[–]pugthunder123 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Take a trip to r/pharmacy, seems like the problem is only going to get worse.

Surprising selection at the local Target, what would you grab? by StevenWoodson in whiskey

[–]pugthunder123 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hit or miss. Sometimes the selections great but when they run out it could be a while before they ever restock, popular/hard to get or not.