Now there's a good endorsement!
I’ve had a series of clinicals leading to not very interesting stories.
The other day I did have the weirdest reaction to having an ambulance crew showing up at your place of employment. Apparently, the patients’ co-workers had called the ambulance for her, and must have forgotten to tell. When we walked in, she just started laughing hysterically. It was really bizarre, as if she was on candid camera, or we were throwing her a surprise party. “Surprise, you’ve won an ambulance ride to the hospital of your choice!” She kept giggling and guffawing “You guys!” to her co-workers. It was an amusing and interesting way for someone to deal with stress.
The rest of that day turned out to be a day of cancellations. For example, the calls we were sent out on in rapid succession: non-breathing...cancelled, unconscious...cancelled, pedestrian struck...cancelled. I kept getting my hopes up but then, “oh, nevermind.”
Patient quote of the week “I take percocet fo’ my toof!”
I also had entire day of what I like to call “Grade C BS.” We EMSers love to categorize things almost as much as we love acronyms. I’ve developed grades of BS calls. This will prove to you how bored I have been at clinicals. Do not take this list as a list of patients who do not deserve attention or care, they’re just lucky enough to not be dying.
Grade A are patients with minor injuries or maladies that require attention but certainly not that of an ambulance.
Grade B includes patients with problems with taking alcohol or other drugs to excess.
Grade C are those calls to nursing homes, doctor’s offices, or clinics, where the patient is completely fine. For example when a “severe trouble breathing” is really a patient who had an oxygen sat of 92%. Or, the “chest pain” where the patient hadn’t experienced chest pain that day, or perhaps ever in their life.
Grade D includes the patients who have no complaint at all. They cannot come up with anything true and/or good to tell as the reason for phoning 911. These patients are a complete mystery to me.
Yesterday I went to work. You read right, work. It had been a long time, and it didn’t take long to remind me of why I like to stay away. The day wasn’t too trying though, and for the first time I upgraded a BLS call. It came over as a call only requiring basic life support to a local clinic. The patient was probably fine, but as we were an ALS unit, we decided to work it up. It was a good idea as on the monitor the patient had, let me think, as there were so many adjectives for the heart rhythm, a sinus rhythm with bigeminal, multifocal, couplet PVCs. Fortunately for the patient, they were completely asymptomatic. Oh well.
We also transported a patient only 2 years my junior who had come to the ER days prior with a fever that led to a seizure that led to cardiac arrest that led to the discovery of a mysterious and rare heart defect. Yikes.
Today was absolutely gorgeous and Ewing and I finally go out on the river. The area had the rain we desperately needed, leaving us some good class II rapids in the four miles we traveled. The amount and speed of the rapids was surprising and welcome. At several points in our trip the spray splashed over my head leaving me saturated, it was awesome! We portaged 2 dams, saw 2 herons, 3 types of ducks which I can’t name, many fisherman and other people enjoying the park. It was the perfect balance of adrenaline inducing whitewater and relaxing flat water.
The other day I did have the weirdest reaction to having an ambulance crew showing up at your place of employment. Apparently, the patients’ co-workers had called the ambulance for her, and must have forgotten to tell. When we walked in, she just started laughing hysterically. It was really bizarre, as if she was on candid camera, or we were throwing her a surprise party. “Surprise, you’ve won an ambulance ride to the hospital of your choice!” She kept giggling and guffawing “You guys!” to her co-workers. It was an amusing and interesting way for someone to deal with stress.
The rest of that day turned out to be a day of cancellations. For example, the calls we were sent out on in rapid succession: non-breathing...cancelled, unconscious...cancelled, pedestrian struck...cancelled. I kept getting my hopes up but then, “oh, nevermind.”
Patient quote of the week “I take percocet fo’ my toof!”
I also had entire day of what I like to call “Grade C BS.” We EMSers love to categorize things almost as much as we love acronyms. I’ve developed grades of BS calls. This will prove to you how bored I have been at clinicals. Do not take this list as a list of patients who do not deserve attention or care, they’re just lucky enough to not be dying.
Grade A are patients with minor injuries or maladies that require attention but certainly not that of an ambulance.
Grade B includes patients with problems with taking alcohol or other drugs to excess.
Grade C are those calls to nursing homes, doctor’s offices, or clinics, where the patient is completely fine. For example when a “severe trouble breathing” is really a patient who had an oxygen sat of 92%. Or, the “chest pain” where the patient hadn’t experienced chest pain that day, or perhaps ever in their life.
Grade D includes the patients who have no complaint at all. They cannot come up with anything true and/or good to tell as the reason for phoning 911. These patients are a complete mystery to me.
Yesterday I went to work. You read right, work. It had been a long time, and it didn’t take long to remind me of why I like to stay away. The day wasn’t too trying though, and for the first time I upgraded a BLS call. It came over as a call only requiring basic life support to a local clinic. The patient was probably fine, but as we were an ALS unit, we decided to work it up. It was a good idea as on the monitor the patient had, let me think, as there were so many adjectives for the heart rhythm, a sinus rhythm with bigeminal, multifocal, couplet PVCs. Fortunately for the patient, they were completely asymptomatic. Oh well.
We also transported a patient only 2 years my junior who had come to the ER days prior with a fever that led to a seizure that led to cardiac arrest that led to the discovery of a mysterious and rare heart defect. Yikes.
Today was absolutely gorgeous and Ewing and I finally go out on the river. The area had the rain we desperately needed, leaving us some good class II rapids in the four miles we traveled. The amount and speed of the rapids was surprising and welcome. At several points in our trip the spray splashed over my head leaving me saturated, it was awesome! We portaged 2 dams, saw 2 herons, 3 types of ducks which I can’t name, many fisherman and other people enjoying the park. It was the perfect balance of adrenaline inducing whitewater and relaxing flat water.
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