Air ambulance, and the bill afterwards
- Thread starter MikeD
- Start date
Just because a medic steps onto an aircraft, doesn't automatically transform them into a super God. You'll have sucky flight medics just as you'll have sucky ground medics, and good ones each too. The basic job itself isn't different with what they do, only the environment they do it in.
The 250 hour RJ FO thing doesn't jive, as paramedic isn't an entry-level job. It's moreso X Legacy Captain flying 737 vs Y Legacy Captain flying A320: they both sit in a cockpit sipping coffee, reading the newspaper, and steering an airliner around the national airspace system, they just do it in different aircraft models. One may possibly have more years flying than the other, but their overall job is more or less the same.
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deadstick
Well-Known Member
I've met crews (front and back) who would disagree with that. I swear some egos are so big it's amazing the aircraft can get off the ground.
I worry more about their capes getting caught in the rotor than their egos personally.
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deadstick
Well-Known Member
scooter2525
Very well Member
Thats like saying that someone who turns 16 is now qualified for a drivers license. Doesn't mean they know how to drive very well. Having flown air ambo, there are certain people I would absolutely trust with my family for medical care. And some that I wouldn't.
jhugz
Well-Known Member
That's cool. Hopefully you never get sick somewhere outside the metroplex. We're more then happy to not take care of you and go back to bed or Netflix.
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Cptnchia
Dissatisfied Customer
I get the being defensive when people seem to attack your piece of the profession, but man! what flavor of koolaid you drinking? Showed your posts to some friends who are the pilots and flight medics here locally, and they had a good laugh. Especially the medics.
jhugz
Well-Known Member
No koolaid, the amount of misinformation in this thread is staggering though. I'm pretty done with Methods. Some of the recent base shuffling, watching friends lose jobs, I'm looking for an out. So to say I'm a company homer is ridiculous. However this report was a hack job that the masses took at face value and ate it up.
A heli base that flies 30 missions a month and a fixed wing base that flies 50 missions a month got shut down yesterday. Why? Poor reimbursement. Two less assets in the area.
Trying to state the level of care is equal in the back of an ambo vs. the back of a EMS asset is also ridiculous. 1 flight nurse / 1 flight medic > then one ground medic. Sorry to offend the ground medics but that is the cold hard truth.
A heli base that flies 30 missions a month and a fixed wing base that flies 50 missions a month got shut down yesterday. Why? Poor reimbursement. Two less assets in the area.
Trying to state the level of care is equal in the back of an ambo vs. the back of a EMS asset is also ridiculous. 1 flight nurse / 1 flight medic > then one ground medic. Sorry to offend the ground medics but that is the cold hard truth.
Cptnchia
Dissatisfied Customer
See, it's these statements. Two friends that I've known for years, who are flight nurses will agree that the level of care is only because you have two people working instead of one. It has nothing to do with only highly trained nurses/medics exist in air ambulances. If there are two medics in the back of the truck, the care level would be comparable.
NickH
Uber Driver
Now that isn't accurate. The scope of practice is different for a Nurse vs. Medic.
Yes,but nurses (at least in the hospital setting) have to ask for orders for literally everything. Medics are given standing orders of certain treatments/interventions they can do without having to call a doctor
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NickH
Uber Driver
In a hospital setting. Standing orders are common for nurses in a transport environment.
I'll give you that. That being said,when it comes to scene calls,the medic generally has a better handle on things when it comes to trauma. Many of the nurses I know other than ones that work in level 1 trauma centers openly admit they don't know a lot about trauma and patient packaging,extrication,etc. that being said,it's not an "us vs them" thing. It should be a team effort. For the record,I've never done HEMS,just a lowly ground guy for 9 years.
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And even so, regardless of scope, an ALS ground ambo and a medevac helo are going to have more or less the same equipment onboard, with just more space to work in an ambo. So even if there's a ER doctor on the helo, you can only work with the equipment thats present. The helo isn't a magic operating room in the skies.
Flight medic or ground medic, they learn the same thing as medics, with the flight people having some more on pumps/vents, etc. But from general medic standpoint of working 911 work, there's not a whole lot different between a Paramedic on either. Individual persons may vary of course.
deadstick
Well-Known Member
With over 600# of gear in the back with a neo flight, I'd say our f/w is pretty close.