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Writer's pictureJoy Slaughter

4.3 Non-Emergency Transport

CAUTION: SPOILERS


This series of blog posts was developed for the Fine Literature Book Club on Facebook. Crossing the Line was their April 2022 group read, and I was honored to lead the discussion.

Page 77


In this section, we catch the first glimpse of Nathan catching feelings. :)



Nathan stared at her as he vacuumed. She was beautiful. Hers was the beauty that made men want to do great things. Climb mountains. Vanquish foes.


Aaaand a moment later, they are arguing, or rather, she is.


A bit of background:


There are two kinds of ambulance calls. The first occurs when someone calls 911 and an ambulance is dispatched. The crew drives to an address, helps the individuals, and perhaps drives someone to the hospital. The second is pre-planned or originates with a facility, such as a nursing home or hospital. This is often called NET, or non-emergency transport, due to the planned nature of the transfer. A gray area occurs when a patient is transferred to a higher level of care or specialty care. In this situation, a patient is moved from one hospital to another, often in an emergent situation requiring critical care. Many times this is accomplished via helicopter or fixed-wing aircraft.


Some individuals train for EMS solely because they are interested in emergency response calls. Because of this, they often feel bored on NET calls. Though most medics are highly professional, even on NET calls, poor attitudes can, unfortunately, lead to shoddy care.


An important remedy for this occurs during the recruitment stage of EMT education. When recruiting, it’s important that we not emphasize the “flashy” sides of EMS and the adrenaline rushes. Those who enter the field for these reasons are quickly disenchanted which can leave dissatisfied and unengaged workers who may respond to situations with a lack of compassion.


Honesty should be used when recruiting new medics. Emphasis should be placed on high-quality clinical education, compassion, and the reality of the systems the employee will engage in.


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