Me, Myself an I
So, hi. I thought I'd blow the dust off my LJ and post a wee update.
There really isn't much to report. My main focus over the past few months has been the EMT-Intermediate course at TVAC, a time-consuming endeavor which merits a great long post all its own that I will never write. I took it, I passed it, things were learned, a valuable friendship was forged, great fun was had and I am now a certified EMT-I. What does this mean? Here in Connecticut, it doesn't mean very much. I can start IV lines now. I can stick a Combitube down someone's throat. I'm expected to have more and better assessment skills, and I'm working on 'em. That's mainly it.
The course textbook threw this paucity of scope into woeful relief, as it covered all the Intermediate skills for the whole country. Individual states determine the scope of practice for their EMTs, and it certainly does make sense to allow field techs to do as much as possible when the nearest hospital is well over an hour away. Connecticut, being small and rather densely populated, doesn't have that problem. In some cases this is depressing, such as when I realize that there are EMT-Basics in other states who can do things that a CT EMT-I can't. But then I remind myself that I do not have to worry about having to stick a large-bore IV needle into a child's leg bone, and I perk right up.
As for the actual ambulance work, I'll spare you the boring details and just let you know that it's going well and I'm very happy at TVAC. I will also spare you the grim details of the protracted unpleasantness between TVAC and the town guvmint, which hasn’t quite shaken itself out yet. At least we’re still extant, which is more than we thought we’d be.
In interesting news, I now have a cat. She's a former stray that my landlady asked me to adopt. Her name is Chiana, and she is, as the receptionist at the vet's office diplomatically put it, "such a little spitfire!" We had a difficult week or two at the beginning until we got to know each other, but we get along fine now. I love her dearly, so much so that I abandoned my principles and installed an air conditioner so that she won’t have to suffer in the summer heat. My apartment finally feels like a home now that she's there.
And in annoying news, my aunt called me and asked if I filed the marriage certificate for my cousin, at whose wedding I officiated. Which, yes, I did. I sent it to the Town Hall in Seymour, having gotten the address from their website. Now my cousin is trying to get her last name changed, but they say they don't have the certificate on file. Sonofabitch.
There really isn't much to report. My main focus over the past few months has been the EMT-Intermediate course at TVAC, a time-consuming endeavor which merits a great long post all its own that I will never write. I took it, I passed it, things were learned, a valuable friendship was forged, great fun was had and I am now a certified EMT-I. What does this mean? Here in Connecticut, it doesn't mean very much. I can start IV lines now. I can stick a Combitube down someone's throat. I'm expected to have more and better assessment skills, and I'm working on 'em. That's mainly it.
The course textbook threw this paucity of scope into woeful relief, as it covered all the Intermediate skills for the whole country. Individual states determine the scope of practice for their EMTs, and it certainly does make sense to allow field techs to do as much as possible when the nearest hospital is well over an hour away. Connecticut, being small and rather densely populated, doesn't have that problem. In some cases this is depressing, such as when I realize that there are EMT-Basics in other states who can do things that a CT EMT-I can't. But then I remind myself that I do not have to worry about having to stick a large-bore IV needle into a child's leg bone, and I perk right up.
As for the actual ambulance work, I'll spare you the boring details and just let you know that it's going well and I'm very happy at TVAC. I will also spare you the grim details of the protracted unpleasantness between TVAC and the town guvmint, which hasn’t quite shaken itself out yet. At least we’re still extant, which is more than we thought we’d be.
In interesting news, I now have a cat. She's a former stray that my landlady asked me to adopt. Her name is Chiana, and she is, as the receptionist at the vet's office diplomatically put it, "such a little spitfire!" We had a difficult week or two at the beginning until we got to know each other, but we get along fine now. I love her dearly, so much so that I abandoned my principles and installed an air conditioner so that she won’t have to suffer in the summer heat. My apartment finally feels like a home now that she's there.
And in annoying news, my aunt called me and asked if I filed the marriage certificate for my cousin, at whose wedding I officiated. Which, yes, I did. I sent it to the Town Hall in Seymour, having gotten the address from their website. Now my cousin is trying to get her last name changed, but they say they don't have the certificate on file. Sonofabitch.