r/emergencymedicine • u/Former_Bill_1126 ED Attending • Jul 20 '24

Advice US won’t come in if pain >12hrs

Working at a new site, US techs are very picky, will not come in for torsion studies if pain is >12hrs. I talked her into coming in and she’s pissed af, said she knows I’m new and “I’ll learn the protocol”.

Am I in the wrong?

Edit: Does anyone support the US tech or rad protocol and do you have any studies or evidence to support this practice? I’m just wondering if they pulled this out of their ass or where they got the arbitrary 12 hour thing?

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u/Former_Bill_1126 ED Attending Jul 20 '24

Don’t worry lol, I didn’t just take it. When she said I’m new I’ll learn I told her “well I’m not new; I’ve been doing this for 8 years. If you want, I’ll document your name to say you’re refusing to come in, and we’ll transfer the patient to the city to get the scan.”

She’s on her way in currently lol

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u/FlabbyDucklingThe3rd Jul 20 '24

God that’s actually an awesome response, I’ll have to remember that for the distant future if I ever find myself in your position.

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u/Former_Bill_1126 ED Attending Jul 20 '24

When calling consults, calling a tech, talking to an APP for report, talking to EMS etc never be a dick. Always be professional. But never allow someone to talk down to you or try to get out of doing their job. Always advocate for the patient. You’ll get shit on all the time on the phone by people with big egos who would be way to scared to do it to your face, but if you remain calm and advocate for your patient, you’ll be fine.

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u/KumaraDosha Jul 20 '24

This is 100% the truth, and explaining the situation in a way that advocates for the patient would most likely earn my respect if I were previously dubious.