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How Dr. John Hunter Influenced Modern Medicine

With all the amazing medical technology and knowledge we have today, it's probably hard to believe that much of modern medicine got its start from a single man, who was born in Scotland in 1728. This man was John Hunter, a surgeon who is regarded as one of the most distinguished surgeons and scientists of his time.   It's interesting to note that Hunter didn't start out wanting to become a surgeon or even a scientist. In fact, he did very poorly in school and by the time he was seventeen he worked as an assistant to a cabinet maker, but he decided he wanted a more settled occupation and obtained a job working for his older brother William (who was an anatomist). William trained John in the art of dissection and specimen preservation. John learned quite a deal from his work and apparently found it very interesting, as he later became a surgeon and opened up his own anatomy school 1764.      John Hunter was known for being very blunt and having an argumentative nature, however, he was also…
Score: 1.0

A Career Guide to EMS

After five years of experience as an Emergency Medical Technician-basic (EMT-B), I've decided to pass my knowledge of the field along to the rest of the world. Although my journey was a good one, there are definitely some things to consider before getting into this line of work. Unfortunately, too many people become EMTs without really knowing what they're getting into. If you're considering a career in EMS I'm here to show you the good, the bad, and everything in between.      Different Levels of EMS Providers      First off, you should know that there are typically four levels of EMT certification. This can vary from state to state but generally, you have CPR driver, EMT-basic, EMT-intermediate, and EMT-paramedic.      A CPR driver's (sometimes called a CPR technician) duties include driving the ambulance during an emergency and assisting their partner with patient care. Although they can't ride in the back with the patient, they are not simply "ambulance drivers". They are trained in CPR and…
Score: 1.0

Unusual Signs Of Heart Attack In Women

I was an EMT for about 5 years and I learned a lot about heart attacks. When most people think about heart attack symptoms, they think of stabbing chest pain. But that isn't always how a heart attack presents and this is especially true when it comes to women. Women tend to have much less severe signs and symptoms than men. Many people don't know that though, which is dangerous because a woman may have a heart attack and not seek out medical help. Regardless of what's going on with your body, if you think something serious might be going on you should always go to the doctor. But here are some possible signs and symptoms of a heart attack that you should know about. And even though these tend to be more common in women, men can also suffer from these less common symptoms.      1. You might experience chest discomfort but not always in the form of actual pain. Your chest might feel tight or you might feel a lot of pressure. It's easy to mistake this for indigestion or gas but it could be a…
Score: 1.11

Avoiding Burnout In EMS

  I was an EMT for five years but that was about nine years ago. I left the field after becoming severely burnt out. At the time we were working 72-hour long shifts and each night I was on duty I was only getting about two or three hours of sleep a night. This took a huge toll on me mentally and physically. I became depressed and my eating habits got worse. I even developed gallstones and had to have my gallbladder removed.    Unfortunately, in the time since then, I've struggled to find work so I'm going through EMT training again so I can go back into that line of work. So I've been doing a lot of research to make sure I don't become burnt out again. EMS, along with several other types of work, including fire, law enforcement, and other medical jobs can be extremely stressful. Here are several tips that I've either learned from personal experience or from my research that can help you stay healthy if you work in any of these jobs.      1. Do your best to maintain a normal sleep schedule.    This was…
Score: 1.06

Why I Had A Bad Reaction While Donating Blood

  I donated blood for the first time about a year ago. Fortunately, everything went well. I didn't have a bad reaction or anything. So naturally, when I went to donate again recently I assumed everything would go okay this time too. But people can and do have negative reactions. It isn't a big deal though but it can be very unpleasant and even a little scary. I've worked in the medical field so I knew these reactions could happen and I wasn't too freaked out when it happened to me. I was a little surprised though. I thought I had done everything that they tell you to do beforehand to prevent it.    Everything started out fine. I don't have an issue with needles or anything like that and the entire process takes about 15 or 20 minutes so just played on my phone the entire time. It wasn't they were almost done taking the full amount of blood they needed that I started feeling bad. At that point, I told the staff what was going on. I started feeling very lightheaded. Then I felt nauseated and…
Score: 1.06