Earned Day Off, or better known as "EDO"
Since we work one day on, two days off, we average a 48 hr work week. Instead of paying us overtime for the extra 8 hours a week, it's in our contract to get an EDO every 3 weeks. Mine just happens to be on Fridays. I'll use these days to either tell of things that have happened in the past, or rant and rave about things I feel are stupid. Hell, it's my blog... I can do what I want.
I can remember as a kid, the only time I was ever at the hospital was to:
* Get my tonsils out.. overnight stay, then right back home to recuperate.
* Get stitches..
* Visit someone that was really sick..
And the only time I ever rode in an ambulance was:
* Dog bite.. had over 100 stiches in my head
What happened to those days? I have responded to 911 calls for people that want to go to the hospital because they have been "Voodoo'd", had a bad dream, need their prescription refilled, had a bead stuck in their nose, had *you name it* stuck in their ass, have a headache, have no place else to go, need a ride across town, too drunk, "took a new medicine 3 days ago and now I'm having an allergic reaction" and my favorite "I just don't feel good".
I had a run a couple weeks ago. 19 y/o male, good medical history, lives with his girlfriend in a small apartment. Mind you, it is 3:30 in the morning. Girlfriend meets us at the curb. "Hurry! He's real sick. He has ammonia and was at the emergency room yesterday. They gave him a subscription but we don't have no money to get it filled." Here we go again... Turns out the kid wasn't complaining of his "ammonia". He had a headache. I asked him how long his head had been hurting and he told me "about 3 weeks". Then came the story, there's always a story... He had been assaulted 3 weeks ago and had been hit in the jaw. His head has been hurting ever since. And yes, he did go to the emergency room the night of the assault, Doctors couldn't find anything wrong. So now, this kid has had a headache for 3 weeks and has decided that tonight, on my shift, at 3:30 in the morning, that he just cant go on and wants to go back to the ER. He showed us his scripts from the previous nights visit to the ER, and he had one for an antibiotic for his upper respiratory infection, and one for pain for his headache. I asked him what he thought they might be able to do different tonight than last night, but he didn't know.
Thanks to lawyers, we are only able to refuse patients for a few specific things. To refuse them also makes us read them a script about "alternative transport" and do more paperwork. So we almost transport everyone. This kid ended up going to the hospital and was told the same things he was told the night before. I think he'll live to call again another night.
I can remember as a kid, the only time I was ever at the hospital was to:
* Get my tonsils out.. overnight stay, then right back home to recuperate.
* Get stitches..
* Visit someone that was really sick..
And the only time I ever rode in an ambulance was:
* Dog bite.. had over 100 stiches in my head
What happened to those days? I have responded to 911 calls for people that want to go to the hospital because they have been "Voodoo'd", had a bad dream, need their prescription refilled, had a bead stuck in their nose, had *you name it* stuck in their ass, have a headache, have no place else to go, need a ride across town, too drunk, "took a new medicine 3 days ago and now I'm having an allergic reaction" and my favorite "I just don't feel good".
I had a run a couple weeks ago. 19 y/o male, good medical history, lives with his girlfriend in a small apartment. Mind you, it is 3:30 in the morning. Girlfriend meets us at the curb. "Hurry! He's real sick. He has ammonia and was at the emergency room yesterday. They gave him a subscription but we don't have no money to get it filled." Here we go again... Turns out the kid wasn't complaining of his "ammonia". He had a headache. I asked him how long his head had been hurting and he told me "about 3 weeks". Then came the story, there's always a story... He had been assaulted 3 weeks ago and had been hit in the jaw. His head has been hurting ever since. And yes, he did go to the emergency room the night of the assault, Doctors couldn't find anything wrong. So now, this kid has had a headache for 3 weeks and has decided that tonight, on my shift, at 3:30 in the morning, that he just cant go on and wants to go back to the ER. He showed us his scripts from the previous nights visit to the ER, and he had one for an antibiotic for his upper respiratory infection, and one for pain for his headache. I asked him what he thought they might be able to do different tonight than last night, but he didn't know.
Thanks to lawyers, we are only able to refuse patients for a few specific things. To refuse them also makes us read them a script about "alternative transport" and do more paperwork. So we almost transport everyone. This kid ended up going to the hospital and was told the same things he was told the night before. I think he'll live to call again another night.
posted by Bill at 11:14 AM
2 Comments:
Hello! I'm just following the links this morning and found your blog. Oh did you have me laughing and then blushing in embarrassment.
I had a treadmill 'blow up' once. It was a faulty electrical component that exploded in the engine housing and caught fire. So OMG I freaked :)
I lived in an apt. building at the time with a bunch of elderly people and all I could think was 'these people can't run, they're all going to die'.
So, of course, I called 911. The firemen came running and diagnosed my treadmill. The fire was not self-sustaining and had reduced itself to smoldering smoke signals by then.
I felt SO stupid and my husband was so shocked to come back from the laundry room and find our small apartment packed with firemen (it all happened so fast).
I suspect in Parma Hts they have my name on the 'idiot' list.
Although, b/c of the firemen I knew the cause was a faulty electrical component and I was able to get a brand new treadmill from the manufacturer which was nice.
So that's my 'chinese fire drill' story!
Michelle
So, when are you going to post again? (tapping foot impatiently)
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