SOP #1

Patient #1, a fifty year old male calls from a payphone outside a bar at 1:30 in the morning, states he has chest pain. The rescue arrives, the patient tells the crew to take him to St. Farthest. Apparently, St. Closest, a world class hospital doesn’t treat our patient right. He refuses to cooperate, won’t give any information other than he has been drinking all day and is now having chest pain, 10/10.

Patient #2, an eighty-three year old male sits on the floor in his bathroom at 3:15 in the morning holding the toilet bowl to keep him from slumping over. His wife of forty some years calls 911 for assistance getting him up. The rescue arrives, finds the patient is undergoing chemo to treat lung cancer, is extremely weak and dehydrated. His treatment thus far has been at St. Farthest.

Patient #1 is treated and transported to St. Closest, much to his dismay.

Patient #2 is treated and transported to St. Farthest. No questions asked.

Our protocols clearly state that Emergency Personnel transport patients without delay to the appropriate Hospital Emergency Facility.

Both patients were treated appropriately.

Rescue 1 has a Standing Operating Procedure: Nice guys never finish last!