A nugget of EMS organizational wisdom every day. #3 Celebrate Coaches Has it really been more than a decade since the late great Barry Tottle died? He was one of the all-time EMS Coaches and his far-too-early departure serves as a reminder to Celebrate our Coaches while they can still […]
Hal Newman
157 posts
A nugget of EMS organizational wisdom every day.#2 Become part of your neighbourhood A giftwrapped box of chocolates held with an unsteady outstretched arm by the diminuitive seventy-something year-old woman who came by The EMS House to say, “Thank you for the wonderful care” she received from our providers. She […]
A nugget of EMS organizational wisdom every day. # 1 Gardening is believing Sew with good will, maintain strong faith in the possibilities, provide loads of support, harvest frequently and always allow the sun to shine on the those who deserve the credit. Gardening is believing in the combination of […]
Norm Rooker’s piece on Ghosts got me thinking about the two EMS ghosts I’ve been carrying with me for a long while and whether or not it might be time to share their stories. They are both old ghosts of young men who died many years ago long before their […]
Ghosts (part 1) by Norm Rooker How many of you have read Joe Connelly’s 1998 semi-fictional book ‘Bringing Out The Dead’? Joe, a former New York City EMS paramedic, spun a very realistic tale of the dark side of EMS. The parts they don’t tell you about, or at best […]
I believe Mateo has learned the art of the occasional yield. Mateo is a big black dog. At his last weigh-in at the vet’s, he tipped the scales at 97 pounds and he’s likely over the century mark at this point. He’s a gentle soul who is likely to do […]
Editor’s note: I received this note a few minutes ago from a friend/colleague in Washington DC. It’s a vivid up-close-and-personal reminder to stop, look & listen to the patient as a whole being and not just a collection of seemingly disconnected parts and episodes. While she prefers to remain anonymous, […]
I’ll just go ahead and tell the story. “Step up, tell the truth and take responsibility for your actions and all will be big medicine.” When I said those words I was the newly-minted director of a small Emergency Medical Services department in suburban Montreal attempting to establish an organizational […]
Stanstead QC | 11 Feb 2012 Chickens are interesting little creatures. Who’d have thunk it? If you live long enough in the city with no exposure to farm life, you can be forgiven if you begin believing that chickens are egg-laying automatons. And then one day you find yourself walking […]
It’s snowing again just a couple of hours before Vicki, my bride of 28 years & sister paramedic are about to hit the road for a weekend getaway. No big deal, we live in the mountains of southwestern Colorado and knew snow was part of the package when we relocated […]