They had best not win...

I'm jumping on the bandwagon of bloggers currently posting on the suing-of-the-paramedics topic currently happening in the UK - original article here.

Some posts I highly recommend reading are from Random Acts of Reality and Nee Naw, which sum up my thoughts on the matter exactly (also means you should go read them and save me having to rant ;P).

This is one of several problems that I'm scared we'll start to see more of in Australia - one of the reasons I've chosen Paramedics over Medicine is that you are less likely to be sued (others include how stretchers in the US are now being redesigned as patients are too 'large' for them, increased levels of abuse of the EMS services and an increase in drug induced psychosis and aggression - more on these at a later date).

One thing that really surprised me about the article is that ambulance crews are expected to rush into dangerous situations where their life may be put on the line - but in reality we're taught to do the exact opposite. The very first thing we do on arrival of an unknown scene? The primary survey - DR ABC. The D is for Danger. If it's dangerous to us, we don't proceed, because otherwise you can just end up having to call in more ambulances to treat injured (or worse) paramedics, these days ambulance services are short staffed as it is - just read this to get an idea.

Final words - have mercy on paramedics (including don't sue). It's an underpaid, overworked, sweat/urine and feces* filled job - but one that wouldn't be traded for anything else in the world, and you'd be lost without.

* Urine and feces usually not ours