Sometimes I Drive the Ambulance (but I’m not an ambulance driver)
Posted: September 5, 2011 Filed under: EMS, Thoughts 2 Comments »
Paramedics and EMTs were drawn to EMS for various reasons. Obviously there is the excitement, the variety, and the opportunities to help people. EMS workers are usually lumped in with the other helping professions: Physicians, Nurses, Firefighters, and even Police Officers. In fact, when you talk to any of these folks, you’ll find the overwhelming majority are motivated to help people.
Something has changed in the last 30 years, and I’ve been trying to put my finger on it. My first experiences in emergency services were with organizations that truly sought to help people in need. Whether working for a government agency, or a for-profit ambulance company, there seemed to be a push to help people.
Bellies and Belles
Posted: August 31, 2011 Filed under: EMS, Parenting, questions, Thoughts 2 Comments »
Our shift has barely started and we aren’t quite ready to go on the road, but dispatch calls to see if we can take a rectal bleed call just down the street. We look at each other, nod, and take the call.
We get a lot of calls for rectal bleeds, few of them are anything significant – but when people truly have an active gastrointestinal bleed, it can be very bad. Very life threatening. Who knows what we’ll find. On the way to the call I dig out my safety goggles and glove up. Read the rest of this entry »
Am I Glad?
Posted: November 23, 2010 Filed under: EMS, Spirituality, Thoughts 6 Comments »
A couple of weeks ago, my friend Ray asked me if I am glad I returned to EMS? We had just finished a long breakfast chat and he needed to get back on the road, we had already stood by our table and my mind was already drifting off to my next task. His question caught me flat-footed, and I stumbled in my reply. I’m going to take another stab at it here.
Ray has a lot of reasons for asking this questions. Not only have we been friends since high school, but as roommates in college, we were on the volunteer fire department together and we used to run ambulance calls together. We both have a long history in emergency services and healthcare. Then last year, Ray was the messenger that inspired me to get back into EMS – even paying some of the costs of that process!
