ART.

No,

Not paintings an' sculpture an' edumicated fancy stuff.

Ambulance Relief Team! I got offered one of these shifts even though I hadn't put in for it.

The basic idea is whether it's from Bed Block, Ramping, Code Red or what ever your local health service might call it the Emergency Departments can get chocked with ambulance crews.

Here in NSW we have off duty crews who will be called in for an ART shift at O/t rates.
They have not an ambulance but a covered utility vehicle that may contain as many as six stretchers.
They are tasked to an ED that is experiencing delays.
On arrival they will, after meeting some criteria move pts to their stretcher thereby releasing the ambulance crew.

The pts must be non monitored but may have active treatment under way, ie; fluids etc.

To some it may sound like we're just making the problem worse by putting the crews back out there to just bring in more pts!!!!

True but it also can give crews a break rather than spending long hours standing in the glare of the hallway and a pts relatives.

The reason for the delays themselves?

Well I'm sure we all have our opinion and could solve it just like that if we were in charge.
And enough said.


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

Taz