I have seen it done once before in the field, and with all the noise of the engines running and people chatting you miss some of the subtleties of the process. the biggest detail I missed before was the incredible,very audible,rush of air escaping from the patient, followed by the almost immediate relief the patient feels. too bad that gem is out of my scope of practice.
Later on in the day,I got to spend some time talking with a retired firefighter paramedic from Cali. (he wasn't the patient btw) This dude needs to write a book! He told me one story of when they got a call to a chicken cleaning factory. some poor bastards apron got caught in the separating machine,and when he reached in to try and pull it out, Boom! there goes his arm. clean off, right at the shoulder. He gets on scene and it for sure one of those shit and git type situations,the fucking guys arm is off!! So they scoop him up toss em in the back of the ride and start heading for the landing zone. his partner looks back in the side mirror and sees some guy,full on sprinting after them,carrying an ice chest....shit. forgot the guys arm.
I love talking to people because sometimes, they will surprise you. This guy was awesome, I would have been able to sit and listen to him all day, like a little kid listening to his grandpappys war stories. But duty called, I thanked him for his time and was on to the next one. before I walked out of the room he said." hey, you are gonna be a great medic" such a simple thing to say,but it made a huge impact on me.
This is why I always talk to anyone I can.Take some time every now and then and learn something about the people you are serving,even if you know you will never see them again. Not only will it make you more comfortable interacting with people,you just may hear exactly what you need. be safe out there folks
No comments:
Post a Comment