Firefighter Intern: Day 45 and 46
Nov. 22nd, 2018 09:28 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
grim23Life is not so much about beginnings and endings as it is about going on and on and on. It is about muddling through the middle. - Anna Quindlen
Today, because it's Thanksgiving, it's just the Duty Officer and two paid Firefighter/Paramedics and me. Most of the house chores got done yesterday, so today will be making a small Thanksgiving dinner for ourselves and running calls, and watching football for the rest of the crew - but completing take-home quizzes and studying Cardiac Emergencies and Secondary Medical Assessment for me. *smile*
Halfway through our Thanksgiving dinner, we were toned out in Engine 481 for some downed trees blocking the road. My job was Traffic Management, setting out the cones and flares behind the Engine and standing down the road, to keep vehicles from driving into the Engine or the crew using the chainsaw to cut away the downed trees. We cleared the road, cleared the scene, and returned for our cold seconds.
After dinner, part two, we got the dishes done and settled in to watch some football and study, and then ... we were toned out in Medic 483 for a gentleman who had fallen and couldn't get up to his walker or wheelchair. We checked him out and helped him back into his wheelchair, and cleared.
I started studying again, and then we were toned out again for a demented lady that her family suspected was having a stroke. We determined that there was likely not a stroke, but there was an obvious smell of urine - so the paramedic suspected an urinary tract infection, and some concern about her overall health, so we transported her to the hospital. I provided a comforting face and managed to get a set of vitals on the bouncy ride with a confused patient, and got more practice with hospital transfer at the head of the gurney rather than at the foot.
Then there was dessert - warm strawberry rhubarb pie, and more studying. I finished my first and second take-home quiz (General Pharmacology and Communication and Documentation), and reached for my third of the six quizzes assigned ... and we were toned out again for an older lady with medical, mental health, and substance dependence issues who needed a transport. I got more practice with vitals and prepped a flush and lock set for an IV we ended up not using, and more practice with hospital transfer.
On the way back to the station, we got another call from Westport FD who called appropriately for an ALS (Advanced Life Support) transport for a larger woman with both cardiac and respiratory distress. I took several sets of vitals, watching them improve over time as the paramedic engaged in breathing treatments, and noticed an improvement in skin color. I prepped another flush and lock set, and helped with the IV prep. Once we transferred to the hospital, I correctly cleaned and loaded the gurney back in the Medic by myself for the first time. We got back to the station and restocked Medic 483 and got into bed about 1 am - fortunately, there were no more calls during the night.
Today we have the Paramedic Intern, so I have been assigned to basically chasing the medical calls in U482 when needed, and I've spent almost the whole day knocking out Respiratory Emergencies and Cardiac Emergencies take-home quizzes. I wasn't needed, so I slept well most of the night.
DCAP-BTLS is a mnemonic acronym to remember specific soft tissue injuries to look for during a person's assessment after a traumatic injury. This is a key component during a rapid trauma assessment.
Deformities
Contusions
Abrasion
Penetrations
Burn
Tenderness
Lacerations
Swelling
Use FAST to remember and recognize the following signs and symptoms of stroke:
F: Face drooping. Ask the person to smile, and see if one side is drooping. One side of the face may also be numb, and the smile may appear uneven.
A: Arm weakness. Ask the person to raise both arms. Is there weakness or numbness on one side? One arm drifting downward is a sign of one-sided arm weakness.
S: Speech difficulty. People having a stroke may slur their speech or have trouble speaking at all. Speech may be incomprehensible. Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence and look for any speech abnormality.
T: Time to call 9-1-1! If a person shows any of the symptoms above, even if the symptoms went away, call 9-1-1 and get the person to a hospital immediately.
Today, because it's Thanksgiving, it's just the Duty Officer and two paid Firefighter/Paramedics and me. Most of the house chores got done yesterday, so today will be making a small Thanksgiving dinner for ourselves and running calls, and watching football for the rest of the crew - but completing take-home quizzes and studying Cardiac Emergencies and Secondary Medical Assessment for me. *smile*
Halfway through our Thanksgiving dinner, we were toned out in Engine 481 for some downed trees blocking the road. My job was Traffic Management, setting out the cones and flares behind the Engine and standing down the road, to keep vehicles from driving into the Engine or the crew using the chainsaw to cut away the downed trees. We cleared the road, cleared the scene, and returned for our cold seconds.
After dinner, part two, we got the dishes done and settled in to watch some football and study, and then ... we were toned out in Medic 483 for a gentleman who had fallen and couldn't get up to his walker or wheelchair. We checked him out and helped him back into his wheelchair, and cleared.
I started studying again, and then we were toned out again for a demented lady that her family suspected was having a stroke. We determined that there was likely not a stroke, but there was an obvious smell of urine - so the paramedic suspected an urinary tract infection, and some concern about her overall health, so we transported her to the hospital. I provided a comforting face and managed to get a set of vitals on the bouncy ride with a confused patient, and got more practice with hospital transfer at the head of the gurney rather than at the foot.
Then there was dessert - warm strawberry rhubarb pie, and more studying. I finished my first and second take-home quiz (General Pharmacology and Communication and Documentation), and reached for my third of the six quizzes assigned ... and we were toned out again for an older lady with medical, mental health, and substance dependence issues who needed a transport. I got more practice with vitals and prepped a flush and lock set for an IV we ended up not using, and more practice with hospital transfer.
On the way back to the station, we got another call from Westport FD who called appropriately for an ALS (Advanced Life Support) transport for a larger woman with both cardiac and respiratory distress. I took several sets of vitals, watching them improve over time as the paramedic engaged in breathing treatments, and noticed an improvement in skin color. I prepped another flush and lock set, and helped with the IV prep. Once we transferred to the hospital, I correctly cleaned and loaded the gurney back in the Medic by myself for the first time. We got back to the station and restocked Medic 483 and got into bed about 1 am - fortunately, there were no more calls during the night.
Today we have the Paramedic Intern, so I have been assigned to basically chasing the medical calls in U482 when needed, and I've spent almost the whole day knocking out Respiratory Emergencies and Cardiac Emergencies take-home quizzes. I wasn't needed, so I slept well most of the night.
DCAP-BTLS is a mnemonic acronym to remember specific soft tissue injuries to look for during a person's assessment after a traumatic injury. This is a key component during a rapid trauma assessment.
Deformities
Contusions
Abrasion
Penetrations
Burn
Tenderness
Lacerations
Swelling
Use FAST to remember and recognize the following signs and symptoms of stroke:
F: Face drooping. Ask the person to smile, and see if one side is drooping. One side of the face may also be numb, and the smile may appear uneven.
A: Arm weakness. Ask the person to raise both arms. Is there weakness or numbness on one side? One arm drifting downward is a sign of one-sided arm weakness.
S: Speech difficulty. People having a stroke may slur their speech or have trouble speaking at all. Speech may be incomprehensible. Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence and look for any speech abnormality.
T: Time to call 9-1-1! If a person shows any of the symptoms above, even if the symptoms went away, call 9-1-1 and get the person to a hospital immediately.
