I don’t handle the card much anymore. It stays inside a plastic sleeve in my planner. The edges are worn and the words are faded. It wasn’t printed on kind of paper that travels well in a wallet for twenty plus years. But it’s been worth carrying. It is, quite simply, the ultimate EMS protocol.
I don’t read it often. I’ve read it enough times over the past two decades to have it pretty well memorized.
It’s my STAR CARE card.
I got it back when I was a paramedic student at Baystar Ambulance in San Mateo California. It was 1992. I always believed the original author was none-other-than EMS guru Mike Taigman. Mike had signed on to be the quality care guy at the fledgling service and I knew the cards had originated in his office.
The idea was simple. We can’t write a policy for eveything you may encounter in the field. Instead, use this guideline. If the decision you’re about to make passes these eight tests, we support you. NO matter what. Come hell or high water … we have your back.
It’s brilliant really. It’s the policy to end all policies. It’s the grand daddy algorithm. It’s the ultimate protocol.
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Posted 3 months, 3 weeks ago at 6:00 am. 5 comments
I’m blessed with two kids. They are amazing. My kids changed my whole perspective on the world. They re-framed my purpose. It’s wonderful, the way a few minutes with your kids can put an entire bad day in perspective. They also force you to evaluate some of your own behaviors. (If you’re lucky.)
Here are a few of the more valuable lessons I’ve learned from my kids.
1.) Test Your Limits.
Kids know this instinctively. The moment you create a boundary they begin testing it. There is no running in this area. How fast is running? Can we just walk really fast? What about jogging? It’s like they just instinctively know that life is more fun when you’re testing the limits.
Sure there are boundaries that we all have to live within but when was the last time you gave them a little test or maybe tried to actively redefine them? “OK, are you saying that I can’t attend this training or that you’re not willing to pay for me to attend this training? So are you saying we can’t use the conference room for an EMS journal club or we can’t use it during business hours?”
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Posted 5 months, 2 weeks ago at 7:48 pm. 2 comments
It’s my STAR CARE card.
