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Originally Posted by Smittie61984
Well one thing is he was not an EMT for NY. He didn't ride around in an ambulance or even act as a 1st responsder in a a firetruck. He was just certified and worked as a dispatcher. Do we even know if him being an EMT has anything to do with his job?
I'm still trying to figure out the ins and outs of the legal side of EMS but if he tried to do something for that woman and used EMS skills without being under a medical director then he'd be operating outside of his scope of practice and can be sued and woudl not be protected under the good samaritin laws. I'd be like you seeing a person with an obstructed airway and doing an emergency tracheotomy without being in a hospital. You could be the best but if something goes wrong (or right), you are getting sued.
We haven't covered seizures yet so I don't know what an EMT on duty could do, but I'm really doubtful an EMT-B/I who doesn't practice EMT-B/I skills or have any ALS/BLS equipment on hand could do anything. I myself don't plan on carrying a BVM and OPA with high flow oxygen on me wherever I go (which I"m guessing is what I'd have to do for a seizure patient). Depending on the seizure I guess they could have put her in the recovery position BUT if she had a seizure and fell then you'd have to do C-spine immoblization and keep her supine. If they put her in recovery and she broke her back on the way down then they'd be sued
But if people are upset I guess we can only blame ourselves. We've sued our medical professionals so much that they are scared to take risks for someone and now we are paying for it with our lives.
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Very interesting take...I hadn't thought about it like this.