Bondi Rescue.

Greetings all,
Apparently I was shown on Bondi Rescue on the 10 Network last night. Thank you to those how sent messages and support. I am on night shift and have not yet seen it. Tracy has taped it for me along with NCIS so I'll try to look at it before I go back to work tonight.
That's it right now I have to sleep.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One


Taz

Made some money.

Today I drove, and as I sit here and think about it, the patients were not mine today they are my partners so I'm not going to talk about them.
We had a busy day worked right through and picked up some red.
I have been asked by some about the blog. Thank you for what ever interest you have shown I don't publicise it so it must be you.
If you have any concerns about the content please make a comment on any of the posts and I will get it. I have had some feed back and while I believe that I am in no way interfering with patient privacy and possible other thing to do with 'Professional Standards & Conduct' I will be checking it out to make sure I'm in the clear.

I am a quiet, little shy thing as you all know or must be picking up from posts and I don't know how people recognise me or why they remember me, but if I maintain my own standards I will never regret being remembered for I have done nothing wrong. Sorry I'll get off the soapbox now,

Be careful and I'll see you at the big one,


Taz

Well now the holidays are out of the way!

A new partner!
New patients, some old.

So what did my first day back hold.
Most hospitals got a flogging yesterday so there were a few discharge patients for just about very ambulance on the road.
A mixed bag,but a good day, some good work and plenty of sunshine.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the big one.


Taz

Lest We Forget

ANZAC Day 2008, From age 15 for ten years I attended the Hobart parade as part of the Army Band. Then my hips started to play up on me and I was discharged because of my decreased physical ability. In the next twelve years I sporadically attended ANZAC day marches as the Drum Major of the Hobart City Band, Glenorchy City Concert Brass and then Derwent Valley Concert.

Last year I received my one and only military medal, Australian Defence Medal, recognition of the time in the Sixth Military District Band/Australian Army Band - Tasmania, and I don't have anyone to wear it with.
Still it looks nice in the box.




Maybe I'll wear it someday?


Taz

Only two days to go.

Well Uni essay is done. Now I can clean up the study, put all my texts back in the bookcase.
And Tracy and I celebrated our fouth wedding anniversary today also.
Nothing much else going on. Hoping we have some improvement in the weather so I can get some riding in before I go back to work, I'll be out of shape otherwise.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the big one.


Taz

A sad event

It is with much regret that I have to post that we have just had to have our oldest dog put down. This brings Tracy and myself much sadness as Hope had been apart of our family for many years, 17 in fact. Hope predated Tracy and I as a couple, Hope lived with me when I was a single, stumbling male post divorce and was there to support me through the troubled times of my first marriage.
I know that we ascribe many human traits to our pets. Even with this knowledge I feel that she is now in a place where the rabbits are plenty, the cats are slow enough to possibly catch! The food dish has always got something in it and there is soft green grass with warm sun to sleep on.
Loved you more than would think old girl.

So who's counting?

Only four more days before I hit the roads and back alleys of Sydney again!!!!
Two days left to complete my essay for Uni, less than 1000 words to go too!
Wedding Anniversary the same day as the essay.
A batch of new ribbons made and here's a first I'll post them here just for the hell of it. In case you are not a Sydney ambo and have never met me I have long hair, very long hair. In my previous life I was a musician, apart from the tuba I also played electric bass, double bass and was a drum major (marching director) so that's where the hair came from from the rear it looks like this!


The uniform is the old one but the photo show the ribbon.
So I had some fun with the printing that I have on the ends of each one, have a look at these and let me know what you think.






Be safe out there and I'll see you at the big one.

Taz

Maybe an apology for the 15th's post to the CSU students.

Or maybe just a clarification,

I was an ambulance virgin once. While still working in the concrete masonry industry as a sales clerk I undertook basic training with the Tasmanian Ambulance Service to become one of their volunteers at Sorell. I had never called an ambulance in my life. Due to a congenital hip defect I had spent much time in the back of one as a teenager (now this will date me!) back in 1975, being ferried from the Royal Hobart Hospital to the family home for weekend release while I spent five months in a plaster cast from my nipples to my toes.

My volunteer unit was not running when I had finished basic training so I mostly worked, after finishing my normal work day, three night shifts a week at the Bridgewater station. This a low socio-economic, housing division area that averaged 7 call-outs a night. I worked with a single salaried officer and had to provide him with as much support as I could manage. Before midnight I would open the second vehicle and ferret around in it to familiarise myself with the contents and location because at two o'clock AM I needed to know right away where it was when we could be out in the back blocks somewhere at an MVA in the dark. I didn't always do it as best as I thought I could and I remembered these times and trained myself to do better the next time.

That's the brief on how I got started in this job. So I do know what it's like, even deciding to leave forty years of my life behind and move here to NSW to commence training to make this my career left me with even bigger security issues.

My Station Officer told me even before I got my transfer to the town that he had noted that I enjoyed working with and teaching probationers and that I wouldn't have the time to do it. Our monthly call-outs divided by the staff on duty per shift (6 usually) make us the busiest station in NSW if not the country, so I'm told.

My training officers when I was a probationer here found the time and I do too. I haven't worked with a peer officer for the last 7 months, I've had four probationers straight (one of them for two rosters), I've had a ride-a-long during those times and even put one up here in my home who was at my station while I was on holiday. I have no problem with any student as I strongly remember all of my teachers and what they did for me. My spray on the 15th was more directed at the institution and my perceived preparation of the students thinking there was a cardiac arrest, pulmonary oedema and major trauma on very corner for every shift.

There, I hope that this corrects what I did say, as I read it a day later, about students.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the big one.

Taz

Damn! Too much coffee?

Well I don't know but I can't sleep and I'm not going to work tomorrow.

My Uni essay is coming along ok. Knocked up about 950 words so far. Apart from that Tracy and I are on track to have an IVF egg retrieval on Friday and a possible transfer of any embryos on Sunday. I administered the trigger drug tonight and we have a blood test booked for in the morning to check the progress. I have an appointment also tomorrow to donate whole blood so I hope we don't get delayed at the clinic.

I take my donations to the Red Cross Blood Bank seriously, in our business we see a lot of it lost and I'm O neg blood group so I'm a universal donor and I also give plasma and platelets every four weeks or so as the roster allows because I have a very high platelet count. The girls in at the donation centre were always excited to see me in for the platelet donation and I asked why. I make a double donation which I thought was good and then they told me my count was so high that I could give another double and still be well above the cut off range if they were not restricted to donation limits. One day I must see if this platelet count might be something that may produce health problems for me later in life with thrombus issues?

What did you think of the photos from the dress up party. The jersey has the bike shop name on it Renegade Cycles, as I am very happy with them and the service I have got over the last five years here. The name of mine and Tracy's bike brand Trek and it also shows support to the Breast Cancer Foundation by the pink ribbon motif and $25.00 of the purchase price was donated to the foundation, Mum will like that as BC survivor.

Well that will do here. I might go and surf the net for a while.

Be safe and I'll see you at the big one,

Taz

One week down, two to go!!!

That's the count on the holiday toll so far.
First Week, do nothing if possible, recharge the batteries, get sleep. Things I did do were;
1) Finish off the remaining TAO Question Books, of the original bulk print of 100 books I had assembled and sent to the ACAP Shop 35 copies, I had assembled and sold to on-road staff 7 direct so I still had 58 to assemble and get to the shop.
2) Go with Tracy to the fertility clinic for two blood tests and one ultra sound. I would normally do this anyway if I wasn't at work so it's no biggy.
3) Do the trek to Gunnedah and Party for Hayley







So now I'm into the second week of holidays. Foundations of Paramedical Science 4 (FPS202) with Charles Sturt University is my course this semester and my first written assignment is due on the 24th, 2500-3000 words on Acute Myocardial Infarction. Adjusting to the strict academic style of essay with whichever style of referencing they want is not something I have found easy, it was many decades ago that I was at school and my study skills were never properly developed then. I find myself frustrated by the fact that I already as a qualified officer do assess, diagnose and treat patients with this condition and I believe I do it well, yet I have to jump through the hoops of some school that sends me student ride-a-longs who often have little or poor understanding of the 80% of the real, everyday work of an ambulance service.

Ok, that's enough of that. I have two weeks to get the essay done and will be attempting to give it all my attention while also going through (with luck) the process of IVF egg retrieval and implantation with Tracy from this Friday.

Besafe out there and I'll see you at the big one!

Taz

We Won!

Tracy and I have just arrived back from Gunnedah where we went to celebrate Hayley's 30th Birthday. As Hayley is such a self confessed world traveller it was a fancy dress themed party with you dressing like a country. I had just bought my first bike jersey and so we took the bikes up with us and rode them from the motel we stayed at to her parents house as the tour DE France!!!!! I had a couple of woodstock tinnies instead of water bottles in the racks and if any class 179 read this they may remember the necklace of (fake, not everyone is able to read between the lines and I have to clearly state that it is fake!) cannabis leaves I was given by my secret Santa? Well I wore that which most took to be my winners laurel!!!! until a second look was taken. Well we won.
Tracy caught a few photo's of me that I may post later but we looked good and we had a fun time, even to the point of returning to mum and dad's this morning for breakfast and more conversation.

Taz

And what is ACAP?

Sorry, I forgot that there may be visitors from abroad who are not familiar with that of which I speak.
Australian College of Ambulance Professionals. Visit the website, I've just put a link up, that'll explain it better.

Taz

ACAP stuff

Has anyone else read the Operation Phoenix plan sent out with the last edition of Response?
I am very impressed with the structure of the recommendations contained in the document. I have most times in my past thought of myself as a 'Do'er' rather than a 'Thinker' but I do appreciate what appears to be a well thought out strategy.
This action does cut close to the bone with me, as many should know I have applied to the Tasmanian Ambulance Service, once as a probationer (made it to the interview stage and was not very impressed with the feedback after missing out then) and last year after qualifying with the ASNSW, that whole advertised intake was cancelled by TAS after I believe they could not get any level 5 applicants.
My P1 qualification is not recognised and I would still be required to undertake more Uni to simply obtain Ambulance Officer rating with them when I believe that I have more training and direction to act on my own as a P1 in NSW.

Sorry to sound like I'm sour graping, I don't think I am, I am just highlighting what I have found as the discrimination between Ambulance Services in Australia. This action proposed by ACAP and it's members will eventually lead to the end of this and allow movement between services and better serve the people of Australia.

Ok better get off my soapbox.

Night, Taz

F1 results

Well one of my passions is motor racing, comes from having a father who was a mechanic and if I wanted to spend time with him I had to be interested in cars. Anywho, Baharin or however you spell it, Mark Webber managed to finish and in the points. Well Done Mark.

Taz

After Midnight

Another five jobs of similar quality to round off a not to bad night.
Now I'm off home and into bed.
Be safe and have fun,

Taz

Before Midnight!

1) Unkown problem, pt ran away when approached.
2) Pub assault, minor facial injuries.
3) Domestic, Police handling.
4) Hospital to Hospital transfer.
5) Man fallen, Called off by Police.
6) Syncopy @ Bistro. Decreased LOC, clammy, weak pulse, unpalp BP, nausea, wanting to have a bowel motion. Possile ST elevation in leads 1& 2, bat phoned it through & urgent transport.
7) Confirmed LOC @ a pub. Normally healthy, not too much to drink, no PMHx, transport to investigate.

Busy enough, let us see what the rest of the night holds. Sent by phone from the plantroom at Station.

Nothing Much!

That about describes my last two rostered nightshifts. Some medical jobs that gave me the opportunity to discuss clinical diagnosis with the probationer along with possible treatment plans and management but nothing really juicy and fun.
I did get a late call last night for overtime at my normal station that I accepted but we were up and down all night and when we got to clean the car this morning the gabage bin only contained a single bandaid wrapper!!!! how crappy is that?
So I've got one more o/t Friday night locally if nothing else comes up in town and then the holidays are on in ernest.
An assignment to write for Uni, TAO Question books to assemble, Ambowife and I have some things to do so I should survive the three weeks. If you don't see much posted here you'll know why, so be safe and have fun and I'll see you at the big one.

Taz