EMT Suspended For Stopping Ambo to Help Choking Girl

[Kent_Clark]

@Leaper

Wait, I got the impression from the discussion and the OP’s link that the EMT stopped to treat the girl, then returned to the ambulance after it was all over and continued on his merry way.

Am I to understand that he actually went with the girl to the hospital and left the ambulance there without a professional present except the nursing home aide? Did he tell the aide what he was doing? Did the aide say to go on ahead, I’ll wait for someone?

From the original story.

About four minutes later, an FDNY team arrived and took the girl to Woodhull Hospital. Reid, who went along for the ride, said he had been the one who called 911.

Now the way I read it, it looks like actually DID leave his own ambulance and ride along with the FDNY team.

Interrupting a routine patient transport to render assistance until help arrives? Absolutely. Leaving your own patient (and your ambulance) after qualified help has taken control? Highly irresponsible.

[doreen]

@AHarris

My understanding is that EMTs need to stay with the patient until the file can be transferred to a nurse or doctor at the hospital. This is based on when my dad was taken to hospital and the EMT stayed (for an hour or two) until this happened.

They may have to stay at the hospital until they can give a report and officially turn over care to the hospital - and that could conceivably take an hour or two. But that doesn’t mean that the EMT’s in the first arriving ambulance can’t turn over care to the paramedics who arrive a few minutes later, or that the first ambulance crew arriving at an accident remains responsible for all the injured even after more ambulances arrive. Or that somehow the two EMTs from the first ambulance are required to split themselves so they can ride along with each of the four victims. Unlike the ER staff, those later arriving ambulances are not already involved in caring for other patients and unable to take information from the first EMT.