> Cons: Smells

I'm curious about this...?

a_lizard 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

When you respond to a medical call, you are entering an unknown area with someone who is sick or injured. You have body fluids, people who don’t have the best (or any) hygiene habits, homes and alleys that have never been cleaned, and much more. EMS job is literally to pick up the person who is shitting blood and dying, put them on your stretcher, and ride in the back of the ambulance with them to the hospital, while doing everything you can to keep them from dying.

EMS also has a bad cultural issue with PPE and cleaning. Masks are not standard for every call, and by the time you walk into a house and realize you need one, your gloves may already be dirty and you may already be busy with the patient. I am thinking about wearing an n95 mask to every single call, but most people just need someone to take them to the hospital and be a friendly ear while riding. To put on a mask in front of a patient may be taken as a rude gesture, and facial expressions are a large part of communication.

	▲	zdragnar 2 hours ago \| parent \| next [-]
		You can always take the mask off if you don't need it or facial expressions are necessary. Start with it on, assess the situation, and then choose. Much better than getting a face full of nasty and then wishing you'd had it on.
	▲	PaulDavisThe1st an hour ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		We did a med call where every water container object in the person's house (sinks, toilets, showers, bathtubs) had backed up with shit-filled septic water. In addition, the entire house stank of animal (and possibly) human urine. Delightful. But you do it anyway, because that's the nature of the task.

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fm2606 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Shit, vomit, piss, etc.

Go into majority of nursing homes and the smell is a combination of shit, piss and disinfectant