Tulane EMS

How much does TEMS cost?

Nothing! TEMS is funded by Tulane University and the Uptown Student Health Center and all EMTs are volunteer. All services, including care and transport, are free of charge for Tulane and Loyola students, faculty, and staff on and nearby their Uptown properties. If you are transported to a hospital, however, be advised that you may receive a bill from the  hospital for services rendered at their facility. Additionally, if care is transferred to New Orleans EMS or one of their units responds to a call for service, you may receive a bill for service. Such bills will be sent directly from these agencies or their representatives, and will usually be billed to your insurance first. You will never receive a bill from Tulane EMS!
 

What about if I am a Loyola student?

TEMS is still free. Loyola University has an agreement with Tulane that TEMS can respond to medical emergencies as necessary and needed on Loyola's campus, just as we would for Tulane. We treat all Loyola students, staff, faculty, and guests just as we would any Tulane community member, and we are proud to be there for you when you need us!
 

Are TEMS members trained? Do they know what they're doing? They're in college!

Members of Tulane EMS are licensed and permitted as Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) by the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians, from the state by the Louisiana Bureau of EMS under the Office of Public Health, and in Orleans Parish by the City of New Orleans and New Orleans Emergency Medical Services. All TEMS members undergo rigorous training and continually update themselves on educational topics. In order to obtain these licenses, they must take a 120+ hour course and demonstrate proficiency in several skills, including passing a written and practical examination. All members are required to hold current AHA CPR for the Healthcare Professional Certification (BLS), and are Certified Emergency Vehicle Operator Trained. These two particular certifications are renewed every year prior to the start of the Fall semester. On top of all that, all TEMS members are required to have continuing education credits AND volunteer with New Orleans EMS, all on a monthly basis. For more information on the specific certifications or to research becoming an EMT yourself, visit www.nremt.org. If you are interested in volunteering with New Orleans EMS and are a registered EMT in the State of Louisiana, contact us at tems@tulane.edu or visit http://www.cityofno.com/pg-126-54.aspx for more information!
 

What is the difference in calling x5911 on Tulane's campus, x3434 at Loyola, and calling 911?

Tulane EMS is licensed for operation on Tulane University's Uptown properties, including the St. Charles Campus, and Loyola's Uptown Campuses, including the Main Campus and the Broadway Campus. Tulane EMS will also respond to any Tulane owned building or property, or when a call is received for service from any affiliate. When on the Uptown (Main campus), and call 865-5911 (5911 from an on campus phone), and Downtown at the Health Sciences Campus, call 988-5555 (8 5555) or when at Loyola University call 865-3434, (3434 on campus). By doing so, you are also alerting the appropriate police departments, who can respond and provide valuable assistance to the patient and responding EMTs. TEMS is also permitted to respond within Orleans Parish, and does so in cooperation with and under close monitoring from New Orleans EMS, the sole provider of 911 services and EMS for Orleans Parish. Tulane EMS operates at the Basic Life Support Level, whereas New Orleans EMS operates on the higher Advanced Life Support level.  When you dial 911, you are activating the City of New Orleans 911 system, including NOFD and NOEMS. When you call Tulane EMS you receive a BLS response that can be and often is supported by the ALS units of New Orleans EMS.
 
For more information on New Orleans EMS and the New Orleans Fire Department, please visit their pages by clicking on their logos at below.
   
 
                                                                                                                         

So why should I call TEMS first? With ALS shouldn't I just call 911?

For any Uptown on campus emergency, it is best to call for TEMS first. Tulane EMS activates NOPD, NOEMS, and NOFD as necessary (and sometimes as required) for calls that occur both on and off campus and necessitate Advanced Life Support. Tulane EMS works with the men and women of the Orleans Parish 911 system (NOEMS and NOFD) to provide all patients with the best quality care in the shortest amount of time. The location of the Tulane EMS units and ability to respond quickly gives the opportunity for trained EMTs from Tulane to be on scene assessing the patient and rendering aid quickly- usually within 5 minutes. Additionally, Tulane EMS can treat and transport a wide variety of illnesses and injuries. For those patients that require ALS, Tulane EMS Supervisors quickly alert NOEMS and get much of the preliminary work out of the way so that ALS units can focus on specialized care. Tulane EMS can provide stabilizing care, begin moving patients, package patients for transport, and guide NOEMS units through Tulane's campus, ensuring an easy, seamless transfer of patient care and ensuring that patients get to the hospital quicker.

When located at any of the buildings in the Health Sciences Centers, Tulane EMS still recommends contacting the TUHSC Police Department (988-5555), and contacts New Orleans EMS for medical emergencies. New Orleans EMS has units stationed at Tulane Hospital and LSU Interim Hospital, as well as throughout the metro area. One of these units is usually closer to the downtown campus. The goal is expeditious response to the patient, and often New Orleans EMS will be better positioned to serve these callers.
 

Why did New Orleans EMS come if I called Tulane EMS?

There are few circumstances when a New Orleans EMS unit may respond to your call:

• Most often, if there is a call that requires Advanced Life Support and a Paramedic, we will respond and also call New Orleans EMS in order to provide you with the best quality medical care. Paramedics can offer more interventions and treatments that Basic services such as TEMS cannot. TEMS can most likely respond to the call much faster since we know the campus like the back of our hand and perform any necessary interventions until the Paramedics arrive.
• If all of the TEMS ambulances are currently on a call and serving other patients, we will call NOEMS for backup to handle any calls that come out while we are busy.
• If at any time TEMS is out of service, the dispatcher will call NOEMS, but they will first notify you that TEMS is out of service and ask you if you would still like to call a New Orleans EMS ambulance.
• Lastly, we do not respond to call outside of our service area (Napoleon to Carrolton & Earheart to the River). If you are out of this area, our dispatcher will send New Orleans EMS if you are in the Orleans Parish. Our service area is shown below:

If I call TEMS, do I have to go to the hospital?

Not necessarily. There are some instances where you have no choice in going to the hospital.

• If you are under 18, the law states that unless you cannot refuse transport to the hospital, unless your parent or guardian is present, or you are legally emancipated.
• If someone poses a threat to themselves or others, then under law, that person can be transported to a hospital for evaluation.
• If a person is under the influence of drugs or alcohol, they are no longer able to offer what the law calls informed consent. In EMS a person's state of intoxication is determined by the presence or absence of several factors, including their ability to recall and remember such things as their name, where they are, the day of the week, and what happened in the past several hours. If a person cannot answer these questions, then they are said to have a decreased level of orientation, and cannot legally refuse medical care.
  
• EMTs will check if someone is slurring their words, cannot walk, or has nystagmus, a type of rapid eye movement that can be caused by excessive alcohol consumption. If someone exhibits any of these signs (called clinical signs of intoxication), then they are not legally allowed to refuse medical care.

If someone cannot refuse medical care, then what happens?

Tulane EMS operates with standing orders and online medical control, a licensed physician who can be contacted and consulted for orders and advice on patient care. Tulane EMS uses the physicians at LSU's University Hospital for on-line medical control. If a person wishes to refuse care, but there is an injury or condition that warrants medical attention, then the EMT can ask the physician for orders to allow the patient to refuse Against Medical Advice (AMA). If the physician feels that the patient is demonstrating appropriate decision making capabilities, the physician can allow the patient to refuse care, under specific conditions. Alternatively, if the physician feels the patient should be evaluated in an emergency room, then a request for an AMA can be denied, and EMTs can be instructed to bring a patient into a hospital emergency room. AMAs cannot (and will never) legally be granted on patients who are under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
 

I was transported to the hospital for an alcohol incident, and now Tulane or Loyola knows about it. I thought my medical records were private documents.

Under federal regulations, if you are over 18, your health care information is protected and private information, only accessible to you and other health care providers directly responsible for your care. When TEMS is called, a Tulane or Loyola University Police Officer often responds to the call as well. Additionally, and specific to Tulane, for any events in a residence hall at Tulane, the staff of Housing and Residence Life often generate a report. These reports are not held to the same standards, and are distributed to different parties throughout Tulane University to keep them aware of events happening on and around campus. It is from these reports that your information is most likely taken. Tulane EMS will NEVER share any of your protected health information with anyone other than you, your legal guardian (only if you are under 18), or a physician directly responsible for your health care. It is strictly prohibited for us to do so unless you authorize it. We can only provide the following information to law enforcement agencies who have a direct connection to the call: • Name and address

• Date of birth
• Social security number
• Type of injury
• Date and time of treatment
• Any distinguishing physical characteristics, including gender, height, weight, race, hair and eye color, etc.

If you believe that your health care information or privacy rights have been infringed upon, please contact us immediately. We take your privacy and security very seriously. We will contact the appropriate officials with the university and provide you with the information to submit an anonymous complaint, should you so choose. 
 

What if I don't want Tulane Police or the Loyola Police or anyone else there?

Politely request to the dispatcher that you only want TEMS. It is the decision of the on-duty police supervisor whether or not they will send an officer. If an officer does arrive, you may politely ask that they step out of the room or wait until TEMS arrives. Let the Tulane EMS crew members know if you are uncomfortable or otherwise bothered by additional people on scene, and they will work with the police or other parties present to come to a resolution. Keep in mind that the police, like TEMS, has a job to do and there are policies and procedures designed to protect you and the community. As such, sometimes it is not possible for police or other parties to not be present, and depending on institutional requirements or policies, we may have to deny your requests. Your health, well being, and safety are our first priority, and we will always act with that in mind.
 

Why are there so many people on duty at once?

On any given day, there can be as many as four people on duty for TEMS. Each of these has a different and specific function.
The Supervisor, or 824, is the highest ranking medical authority on the crew. They are directly responsible for all actions on the crew and responsible for maintaining the highest standards of patient care. Supervisors have extensive medical knowledge beyond the level of the usual TEMS EMT. All TEMS Supervisors are required to pass an extensive test of practical application in patient care scenarios, as well as a written exam in Region 1 and Tulane EMS protocol knowledge. On top of that, all TEMS Supervisors must have positive evaluations from crew members, and from NOEMS Volunteer shifts.
 
The Crew Chief, or 821, is the person responsible for overseeing patient care and making transport decisions. They are referred to as "Supervisors in Training," as many of them are studying or working towards Supervisor promotion.
 
The Second Rider, or 822, is the primary patient technician. This person is responsible for responding with the ambulance to the scene of a call, bring appropriate equipment, and performs most of the interventions on a patient. Second Riders have usually been an EMT for one to two years. 
 
The Third Rider, or 823, is the student rider. One of the functions of Tulane EMS is as a teaching and learning organization. The primary duty of Third Riders is to take the patient’s vital signs. Third Riders are members who may be taking EMT classes, are not yet certified as EMTs, or are newly certified EMTs working towards promotion. Their primary duty on a call is to learn. Such skills as patient interaction, scene control, and signs and symptom recognition can be taught in a classroom, but must be learned and refined in the field. TEMS takes its role in the community very seriously, and as such, uses the Third Rider position for students to get a front row seat into patient care.  In order to start riding, Third Riders must pass a class set up by TEMS Field Training Officers.
 
Having this many people on a crew can sometimes seem unnecessary, but, this arrangement also allows for TEMS to handle patients with extreme attention to detail and personalized care. Also, TEMS can sometimes have both ambulances in service at once this way, with two crew members on each unit for those times when multiple calls come out at once.

What actions does Tulane take after I go to the hospital?

A member from the Office of Student Affairs will contact you to make sure you are fine and discuss the incident with you. If necessary, they could refer you to another department for further evaluation.