I just may order this, the excerpts are so good.
My second ambulance training shift was yesterday. It was not pretty. First call: attempted suicide, OD on pills. Afterward I got a dressing-down from the paramedic over having moved one of his items, and also for being too nice to the patient (a fair complaint, really-- one can be too nice to a pateint, especially certain kinds). After the second call (I don’t even remember the problem this person had) I was told not to do anything unless I was specifically trained/shown how to do it (ie, don't touch anything, rookie). The third call I started getting sick from the motion and the diesel fumes. The paramedic (had three different ones, one for each call, due to a weird combination of circumstances) told me if I ever got sick on a “real call” (this one was “merely” a trouble-breathing), he’d "throw me out of the back of the moving rig" himself. I started at 12:00 and finished at 6:45, 45 mins. late for meeting a friend for dinner.
Welcome to EMS!
Really, I do expect it. I expect to get gnawed on by paramedics for being clueless. It’s like being a pledge in a fraternity all over again. It’s not fun to be corrected and sergeanted-on, but at least I am learning some useful things. And wouldn't you want a hard-nosed SOB in charge of your emergency care keeping the clueless newbies in line while saving your miserable skin? I sure would.
My second ambulance training shift was yesterday. It was not pretty. First call: attempted suicide, OD on pills. Afterward I got a dressing-down from the paramedic over having moved one of his items, and also for being too nice to the patient (a fair complaint, really-- one can be too nice to a pateint, especially certain kinds). After the second call (I don’t even remember the problem this person had) I was told not to do anything unless I was specifically trained/shown how to do it (ie, don't touch anything, rookie). The third call I started getting sick from the motion and the diesel fumes. The paramedic (had three different ones, one for each call, due to a weird combination of circumstances) told me if I ever got sick on a “real call” (this one was “merely” a trouble-breathing), he’d "throw me out of the back of the moving rig" himself. I started at 12:00 and finished at 6:45, 45 mins. late for meeting a friend for dinner.
Welcome to EMS!
Really, I do expect it. I expect to get gnawed on by paramedics for being clueless. It’s like being a pledge in a fraternity all over again. It’s not fun to be corrected and sergeanted-on, but at least I am learning some useful things. And wouldn't you want a hard-nosed SOB in charge of your emergency care keeping the clueless newbies in line while saving your miserable skin? I sure would.
posted by Matt Campbell at 12:52 PM
1 Comments:
You've signed up for a job well worth doing. Well done !
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