EMT refuses to help dying woman because she is on coffee break gets off scott free

[Wyatt earp]

Bottom line she was a stujpid ***** that didnt give a shit if a person died on her while she was drinking her cup of coffee... and how did anyone know she was a Emt? unless the ***** was wearing her uniform at the time and did nothing.... and no where in the story did it say the ***** called 911 or her friends/coworkers that could of gave her info to save her...

 

[WillowTree]

There are, quite probably, a number of things that the EMT-Dispatcher could have done, in order to settle the patient down and buy her some more time until better-equipped help arrived, from the obvious (inhaler, airway clearance, etc.) to more radical stuff like an emergency tracheotomy if a closed airway was the problem, over-and-above giving emotional comfort to a badly distressed pregnant mother-to-be...

They DO still teach EMT's how to perform trach's, don't they?

Personal opinion: even if she didn't technically break the law, this POS EMT-Tech needs to be sent back down to the minors for some refresher training in Basic Humanity, Ethics, and Having-a-Heart...

A tracheotomy would not have helped an asthma attack. And asthma attack is something going on within the lungs themselves....not a blocked airway.

i agree... she did not have to help

Her NOT helping makes her a low life piece of shit

Yep and subject to the harshest laws of KARMA, she won't get off scott free smug as she thinks she bee.

 

[Kondor3]

Are the EMT's of her State or Locale governed by a particular Code of Ethics for EMTs?

If true, and, if it can be demonstrated that she violated that Code of Ethics (or Conduct)...

The State can probably pull her EMT certification...

Not that they'll have the balls to stand up to the union, but...

 

[Immanuel]

There are, quite probably, a number of things that the EMT-Dispatcher could have done, in order to settle the patient down and buy her some more time until better-equipped help arrived, from the obvious (inhaler, airway clearance, etc.) to more radical stuff like an emergency tracheotomy if a closed airway was the problem, over-and-above giving emotional comfort to a badly distressed pregnant mother-to-be...

They DO still teach EMT's how to perform trach's, don't they?

Personal opinion: even if she didn't technically break the law, this POS EMT-Tech needs to be sent back down to the minors for some refresher training in Basic Humanity, Ethics, and Having-a-Heart...

A tracheotomy would not have helped an asthma attack. And asthma attack is something going on within the lungs themselves....not a blocked airway.

i agree... she did not have to help

Her NOT helping makes her a low life piece of shit

Yep and subject to the harshest laws of KARMA, she won't get off scott free smug as she thinks she bee.

She did have a very smug, almost arrogant attitude to her. It would serve her right to collapse and not be able to breathe and have everyone around her stand there and do nothing to aide her.

That being said, I hope after such an event, she recovers and lives a long miserable life realizing she could have done something to save the other woman's life.

Immie

 

[Wyatt earp]

There are, quite probably, a number of things that the EMT-Dispatcher could have done, in order to settle the patient down and buy her some more time until better-equipped help arrived, from the obvious (inhaler, airway clearance, etc.) to more radical stuff like an emergency tracheotomy if a closed airway was the problem, over-and-above giving emotional comfort to a badly distressed pregnant mother-to-be...

They DO still teach EMT's how to perform trach's, don't they?

Personal opinion: even if she didn't technically break the law, this POS EMT-Tech needs to be sent back down to the minors for some refresher training in Basic Humanity, mEthics, and Having-a-Heart...

A tracheotomy would not have helped an asthma attack. And asthma attack is something going on within the lungs themselves....not a blocked airway.

i agree... she did not have to help

Her NOT helping makes her a low life piece of shit

I know that a Trach wouldnt have helped but I threw it out there to piss off people who say "what the ***** was supposed to do with no medical equipment"? the ***** was supposed to help....any way she could.. yet she did nothing...

 

[Wyatt earp]

There are, quite probably, a number of things that the EMT-Dispatcher could have done, in order to settle the patient down and buy her some more time until better-equipped help arrived, from the obvious (inhaler, airway clearance, etc.) to more radical stuff like an emergency tracheotomy if a closed airway was the problem, over-and-above giving emotional comfort to a badly distressed pregnant mother-to-be...

They DO still teach EMT's how to perform trach's, don't they?

Personal opinion: even if she didn't technically break the law, this POS EMT-Tech needs to be sent back down to the minors for some refresher training in Basic Humanity, Ethics, and Having-a-Heart...

A tracheotomy would not have helped an asthma attack. And asthma attack is something going on within the lungs themselves....not a blocked airway.

i agree... she did not have to help

Her NOT helping makes her a low life piece of shit

Yep and subject to the harshest laws of KARMA, she won't get off scott free smug as she thinks she bee.

yup she will pay one way or the other they all do in the end...

 

[Immanuel]

There are, quite probably, a number of things that the EMT-Dispatcher could have done, in order to settle the patient down and buy her some more time until better-equipped help arrived, from the obvious (inhaler, airway clearance, etc.) to more radical stuff like an emergency tracheotomy if a closed airway was the problem, over-and-above giving emotional comfort to a badly distressed pregnant mother-to-be...

They DO still teach EMT's how to perform trach's, don't they?

Personal opinion: even if she didn't technically break the law, this POS EMT-Tech needs to be sent back down to the minors for some refresher training in Basic Humanity, mEthics, and Having-a-Heart...

A tracheotomy would not have helped an asthma attack. And asthma attack is something going on within the lungs themselves....not a blocked airway.

i agree... she did not have to help

Her NOT helping makes her a low life piece of shit

I know that a Trach wouldnt have helped but I threw it out there to piss off people who say "what the ***** was supposed to do with no medical equipment"? the ***** was supposed to help....any way she could.. yet she did nothing...

And even if she lost the battle and the other lady still died, at least she would have tried.

Immie

 

[asaratis]

She called for rescue vehicles.

I'm surprised she even bothered to put her coffee down to do even THAT.
The woman needs to be removed from her job. Period.

What does her job have to do with anything?

How stupid of you to ask that silly ******* question. She's an EMT! A trained "professional" in the EMERGENCY MEDICAL TREATMENT of people with EMERGENCY problems. She is a callous ***** and should be fired. Give her a job at McDonald's...where nobody cares about serving the public!

actually the "T" is for Technician.

 

[9thIDdoc]

The fact remains that there are times when "nothing" is exactly what should be done. There is nothing at all moral about the "do anything" argument. It should be obvious but if you don't know what you're doing you damn well shouldn't do it. You are many times more likely to cause harm than help and there is simply no excuse for that. Some of you guys would have cut the woman's throat to no purpose other than wanting to act like a TV hero.

 

[Kondor3]

Perhaps we need the services of an EMT or Nurse or PA or MD, to enlighten us...

Regarding whether something could have been done by a bare-hands EMT, to help...

But even if the answer comes back: "No, nothing could have nor should have been done."...

The presence of an EMT might very well have calmed and comforted such a victim, if she was conscious at the time...

There remains the cowardice or negligence or intransigence of the EMT, to fail to take charge of the situation in the interim and to direct any efforts towards making the victim comfortable or reducing her pain or anxiety or lessening her symptoms in any way possible...

There is a reason why this kind of story resonates with so many on a visceral level...

And that reason is the complete lack of humanitarian effort made by the EMT under emergency conditions, in connection with an expectant mother...

That, in itself, is shameful...

The EMT may very well not have been legally obligated to do any such thing...

But any decent human being would have gone out of his-or-her way to attempt to bring comfort and calm to such a victim under such circumstances...

More than anything else, it is this person's Failure as a Decent Human Being that seems to vex many of your colleagues so much - yours truly included.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

The fact remains that there are times when "nothing" is exactly what should be done. There is nothing at all moral about the "do anything" argument. It should be obvious but if you don't know what you're doing you damn well shouldn't do it. You are many times more likely to cause harm than help and there is simply no excuse for that. Some of you guys would have cut the woman's throat to no purpose other than wanting to act like a TV hero.

Asthma attacks are not one of those times.

 

[9thIDdoc]

"Perhaps we need the services of an EMT or Nurse or PA or MD, to enlighten us..."

I spent aprox. 40 years as Army medic and civilian LPN and was awarded a Combat Medical Badge and Army Commendation Medal w/oakleaf for my service as a medic in Vietnam.

"The presence of an EMT might very well have calmed and comforted such a victim, if she was conscious at the time..."
"And that reason is the complete lack of humanitarian effort made by the EMT under emergency conditions, in connection with an expectant mother..."

These actions could have been carried out just as effectively by a friend, relative, or coworker and we do not have enough information to know that they were not. We are told that the EMT called an ambulance which seems to me to be most decisive thing that needed to be done.

 

[9thIDdoc]

The fact remains that there are times when "nothing" is exactly what should be done. There is nothing at all moral about the "do anything" argument. It should be obvious but if you don't know what you're doing you damn well shouldn't do it. You are many times more likely to cause harm than help and there is simply no excuse for that. Some of you guys would have cut the woman's throat to no purpose other than wanting to act like a TV hero.

Asthma attacks are not one of those times.

Then in your considered opinion what should the EMT have done?

 

[syrenn]

The fact remains that there are times when "nothing" is exactly what should be done. There is nothing at all moral about the "do anything" argument. It should be obvious but if you don't know what you're doing you damn well shouldn't do it. You are many times more likely to cause harm than help and there is simply no excuse for that. Some of you guys would have cut the woman's throat to no purpose other than wanting to act like a TV hero.

Asthma attacks are not one of those times.

Then in your considered opinion what should the EMT have done?

how about...

walked into the back room where the incident was happening....

and evaluate the situation.


THAT....is the least she could have.... should have done.

 

[Noomi]

So she IS actually a EMT/Dispatcher who called (dispatched) an ambulance. Why would she be arrested? What kind of care can an EMT give for a breathing problem without equipment?

If you know first aid, I expect you to lend a hand. She should have been made to help.

see, that just it. You cant make anyone help.

should she have helped...... anyone with a scrap of humanity would have helped.

A few weeks ago after my karate class, a young Asian woman collapsed and was brought inside our Dojo. We had no idea how to care for her because none of us knew what was wrong, but we still lay her down, kept her warm, and kept her awake and talking until the paramedics arrived.

She had a heart attack, it turned out - at age 32.

Despite the fact none us had the appropriate first aid training, we did everything we could for that woman - the same as this trained paramedic should have!!!

 

[Noomi]

If you know first aid, I expect you to lend a hand. She should have been made to help.

I disagree. Nobody should be made to help anyone. They should be called out for the pieces of shit that they are though. For the rest of her life this woman will live with what she did, or didn't do. I hope she enjoyed her coffee.

Did you see the interview with the EMT? She was angry, hostile and very happy with her decision. It's one she would make again.

I hope that she collapses one day and no one bothers to help her. Then she will know what it feels like. What a low life.

The law requires ambulance drivers to respond to a person in distress. It doesn't say a dispatcher in uniform on a coffee break with no equipment is responsible for the death of a person suffering from an asthma attack.

She could have rendered assistance. She chose not to, because her coffee was more important than the life of another human being.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

The fact remains that there are times when "nothing" is exactly what should be done. There is nothing at all moral about the "do anything" argument. It should be obvious but if you don't know what you're doing you damn well shouldn't do it. You are many times more likely to cause harm than help and there is simply no excuse for that. Some of you guys would have cut the woman's throat to no purpose other than wanting to act like a TV hero.

Asthma attacks are not one of those times.

Then in your considered opinion what should the EMT have done?

I can tell you what my daughter would have done as I have seen her do it before.

She would have said, pull over Mom, there's an accident! I did and she got out and comforted the woman who was an emotional basket case due to the accident she had been in.

She told my daughter she appreciated her being there to hold her hand and help her breathe and calm down until the ambulance showed up. When the ambulance showed up she spoke with the EMT's about the womans condition. Yes, my daughter was an EMT and I know that the best EMT's are always patient conscious first - will do everything in their power to comfort the accident victim - until they can get them to the hospital.

Today my daughter is Physicians Assistant and is finishing her education to become a MD. She is in the right field. As for the EMT who was on a coffee break after making a phone call? She doesn't belong in the medical field. Give her a job as a receptionist. It is a job where she can sit down, drink her coffee, yack on the phone and no ones life will be endangered over it.

Problem solved. You're welcome!

-Jeri

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

I disagree. Nobody should be made to help anyone. They should be called out for the pieces of shit that they are though. For the rest of her life this woman will live with what she did, or didn't do. I hope she enjoyed her coffee.

Did you see the interview with the EMT? She was angry, hostile and very happy with her decision. It's one she would make again.

I hope that she collapses one day and no one bothers to help her. Then she will know what it feels like. What a low life.

The law requires ambulance drivers to respond to a person in distress. It doesn't say a dispatcher in uniform on a coffee break with no equipment is responsible for the death of a person suffering from an asthma attack.

She could have rendered assistance. She chose not to, because her coffee was more important than the life of another human being.

It is a terrible shame when someone chooses the wrong field for their profession. Obviously the medical field is the wrong field for her. I remember a story years ago about a doctor who did an operation on a mans leg that had snapped in half in a freak accident. He had put a bar of some sort into the leg to keep it straight but he didn't do it correctly and it caused a serious problem. The patient returned and said, you have to remove that pin and redo the operation and the doctor replied - too late the calcium has already built up around the bone. Nothing I can do.

The man replied then it is too late for you because you and your family are all dead if you can't do the surgery. He then put him on the phone with someone who verified who he was and that would be the consequences of inaction on the matter.

The doctor suddenly took a profound interest in the mans leg and the story is he was in there for hours sawing away to get the rod out of the mans leg and correct his surgery. He did do it and the mans leg was corrected. Amazing how capable some otherwise disinterested people become when it is their own life on the line.

The EMT should get a different job. One day she could end up with a patient such as that man and then she would be putting her entire family in danger for the consequences of her behavior.

You never know who you'll meet in your line of work. As Forest Gump once said, Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you are going to get.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

If you know first aid, I expect you to lend a hand. She should have been made to help.

see, that just it. You cant make anyone help.

should she have helped...... anyone with a scrap of humanity would have helped.

A few weeks ago after my karate class, a young Asian woman collapsed and was brought inside our Dojo. We had no idea how to care for her because none of us knew what was wrong, but we still lay her down, kept her warm, and kept her awake and talking until the paramedics arrived.

She had a heart attack, it turned out - at age 32.

Despite the fact none us had the appropriate first aid training, we did everything we could for that woman - the same as this trained paramedic should have!!!

Great story! That is exactly what a trained paramedic would have done!

 

[Brain357]

Any decent person would have tried to help. Especially one with EMT training.