I have a job, and some classes

So I've had some questions about what a "Health Promoter" does. Essentially they develop programs to increase awareness, compliance, safety and health in the community or industries they choose to work in. The reason I am in this track instead of say, Environmental/Occupational Health or Epidemiology, is that I plan to use this training and knowledge to make me a better Paramedic. I see the more progressive EMS systems in the country as taking a more public health oriented course in their future. I mean, why not? Trauma and chronic disease (the major reasons for EMS utilization) are public health problems. In some EMS systems, they are identifying at risk patients (usually "frequent fliers"), and developing programs to decrease their need to visit the Emergency Department. For example, a diabetic who is non-compliant with his oral medication and diet recommendations frequently calls 911 for low blood sugars and minor injuries related to his peripheral neuropathy (a complication of uncontrolled diabetes). If the EMS system preemptively came by his house at scheduled intervals and visited with him, they might prevent his need to utilize the EMS system for transport to the hospital. They might go over a checklist where they offer to check his blood sugar, look through his refrigerator to see if he has appropriate meal options. Check his supply of oral medication, and if low or depleted, offer recommendations on low cost prescription options ($4 prescription plans, etc.). They could also survey the house and try to eliminate trip hazards and make sure he has a pair of "house shoes" to prevent foot injuries, a precursor to diabetic ulcers and injuries that require amputation. All this could be done in an hour, and in that prevention visit, which probably costs the community $70, they could avoid a trip to the ED that would cost over $1400, which would also be charged to the hospital and the community if the patient is unable to pay (honestly, most patients that match this description can't). I could help develop those programs, after getting some Paramedic street cred.

/Rave.

So anyways, I have a job. I am a research assistant for a father-son professor team on campus. They teach in my department and I actually have classes from them both. I am researching articles describing experiments done to prove the ideas behind the upcoming changes in the First Aid Guidelines put out by the American Red Cross and American Heart Association. This is the first research position, so these first weeks have been about getting used to the searches etc. Later next week I will present what I have so far so I can restart it and do it the right way after they give me comments on what I have so far. It's going to be for a book used in First Aid Training. And I get to pick my hours. Sweet, but tempting to put in fewer hours than I need to, as I don't have "scheduled hours."

Classes are good. As I mentioned, I am taking classes from my employers (professors). They are both named Thygerson (said THUR-ga-son). The father teaches my Injury Prevention class, and the son teaches my Occupational Safety and Health class. Injury Prevention is being taught using a team learning approach. We take a test every class, once as individuals, once as teams. We do an application activity as a team every week, and starting next week, we will be doing team presentations on interventions to prevent specific injuries (in 2 weeks, my team covers Occupant Protection in Motor Vehicle Collisions, I am covering the "seat belt reminder light" and it's effectiveness in preventing injury). I am surprised how much I like this class as well as my Occupational Health class. I find the idea of being a safety manager at a company interesting. My other classes are the Public Health Intro class, which I have yet to get a seat in (I am enrolled, but there are exactly the number of students as there are seats, and no one scoots to the center of the aisle.) Also Program Planning and Evaluation, which is only once a week. The teacher is interesting, but his lectures are very scatter brained. I guess we'll see how I do on the first test... Aside from that I am getting credit for research, taking a Geology class for GEs and also taking the EMS Continuing Ed class.

Yup, I'm doing BYU EMS again. I am a "floating" supervisor this year, meaning I fill in where needed. I will be co-teaching some of the classes this year as well, specifically the Pediatrics Section. More on this later probably.

As far as fun stuff, I spent the night at a friend's cabin up near Sundance. I went last year for an EFY Counselor Clump, and just like last year it was a blast. Thanks Davis and Jenna for inviting me. Great night sky, clear crisp mountain air, and staying up till 4am talking to friends. It was great.

So that's the last week in a nutshell. Take care all!

In the tops of the mountains...

Stewart Falls - Provo Canyon - Near Davis' family cabin
Suffice it to say, I am having a blast out here in Utah. I will give better details in coming posts, but I am staying at Gpa. Bezzant's house right now. I have taken care of a lot of details for me to return to BYU next fall, and I have seen a lot of people I know and love out here. Namely, family, work friends (RAs, BYU security friends, and EFY COUNSELORS...), and a lot of guys that were residents when I was an RA. It has been great to see them become great men, and also see how the ways in which they haven't changed, which can be comical. Oh, and I have met up with a few people from BYU EMS, and things are really starting to take off for the program in a lot of ways. I feel like I could write term-paper sized posts about each of these areas. Things are going very well though. I feel sad I will be leaving.

Oh yeah Gandalf?

Bummer, so I didn't pass my reentry*.  I had a whole post venting about the inadequacies of my partner and frustrations at the system.  While it was good to vent, it wasn't very constructive and not effective in changing anything, so I deleted it like one of those letters that you are supposed to write, seal in an envelope and then burn.  It did help to get it out, but now to move on.

The part I didn't pass has plagued me before.  When I was trying to get back into the local county EMS system they do their own little testing.  The Trauma Scenario is 20 minutes long, 10 of which are allotted for scene time in unstable patients.  You almost always get an unstable patient, usually unconscious.  You have those 10 minutes to manage life threats to Airway Breathing or Circulation (ABCs), do a rapid assessment for life threatening injuries, and get them immobilized on a backboard.  That's a lot to do for 2 EMTs, and I'm sure we both could have done better.  But anyways, it took me about 14 minutes to finish immobilizing the patient and be ready to say "We are in the ambulance."  

I can't start my clinicals until I get certified, and I can't recertify for another week.  Will that be in time?  Will I still be able to pass the classes coming in to the rotation 3 weeks in?  Man, this is not the best situation, but I'll get through it, move over Gandalf.

*Basically, a test that determines if I can recertify after I have expired.  It still requires that I have all the recertification credits (CEUs/CMEs) needed to renew before the expiration date, just if you are over the date they make you retest.  I got into this mess when some of my credits didn't qualify because they weren't submitted by my county training office, which doesn't believe in CEUs/CMEs.  Wonderful!

The return...

(at L it's me at the OBX with some EFY Counselor friends clumping)

I've done a pretty good job keeping up with all y'all's blogs, but I haven't done a great job keeping up with mine.  I am going to give a quick update on my past, present and future.

Past:

In the past I posted some of my goals.  Here is the update:

I carried my beginning Braille book with me all summer, and didn't take the chance to feel it up at all.  (Actually, I am learning to "read" it with my eyes first).  So that isn't going super well, but I did do some research and am narrowing it down to which book of fine literature I am going to purchase to fuel my desire to learn to read with my fingers.  It is definitely going to be one of the Hardy Boys series.

I am not much closer to finishing the Appalachian Trail hike I'd love to do than I am to starting it.  I have, however, made the acquaintance of an EFY counselor who was a ranger (the one who starts troops out on their trips) at Philomont Scout Ranch.  She has quite a lot of knowledge about that sort of thing, and I was impressed, so I am going to need to do some research to get to know the requisite info before I embark on what will likely be 2-3 month trips.

I started my ASL class at NOVA last week.  I guess if I can't read with my hands, I can at least start to learn to speak with them.  I know the words for right, wrong, yes, no, "you're over my head", "slow down", boring, Republican, Democrat, "If McCain gets elected I'm moving to Canada" (my teacher is, I think, a Democrat : ), and the alphabet as well as numbers one through five and the word "first".  I have learned that there is a continuum of deaf speech which goes all the way from "Signed Exact English" to "Pidgin Sign" to ASL.  ASL and SEE are the extremes with most deaf culture groups/people using Pidgin Sign, although the only actual language is ASL.  What does that make SEE and Pidgin, dialects?  I'll need to look up the definition.  Very interesting.

I started Paramedic classes again last week as well.  This semester I am taking Special Populations (Pediatric/Neonatal/Geriatric/Obstetric patients), Medical Care (with an Advanced Cardiac Life Support Class, though I am already ACLS certified), and the ever popular clinical (6 hrs now vs. 3 last semester) and the added bonus of 12 hr internship on an Ambulance.  The one hitch is that I need to recertify (technically called "reentry" in this case, but never mind) my EMT.  I am not sure if I passed my re-certification test.  I really hope I passed, but if I don't I will just recertify a few weeks later and postpone this semester (stinky option, but I am looking into other ones, all while hoping I passed).

Going to space.  Yup, that one's gonna take a little while.  The closest I have gotten has been dinner table conversations and looking at this site for the chance to have a Zero-G flight like the ones the astronauts train on.  Yup, $4,950

Speaking of weightlessness; Griffon, the coaster at Busch Gardens, is my next quarry.  Some time in October I think.  Watch this space for the recounting of the experience...

That's all for now folks.  I'll be dealing up another update soon.  Any suggestions?