Ever grossed out a Bystander/Partner/Fireman

[lafmedic1]

Anyone here have a story about grossing out a innocent onlooker on scene.Ill share my two.
When I was an EMTB I was working a code of an approx 300lb female with a paramedic partner that I wasnt usually with. A fireman was ventilating And I was doing CPR. As the paramedic turned to grab an epi I noticed a Cheeto fall out from under the patients breast. Without a thought I crunched it with my glove and said " Hey man she couldnt have been down long cause they are still crunchy" the look I got from the fireman and my partner as I chewed my gum trying to figure out why they were so shocked was priceless. It took several hours to convince him I didnt bite the cheeto.

The second call involves a patient who put a large commercial device into his rectum for fun. I wont get into all of it but the large baseball bat size tool was found under the patient. As we loaded him up I picked up the "object" and placed it into a biohazard bag with the police watching me. We loaded the patient up and I got in front to drive. Before we left I put on a new set of blue gloves to eat my french fries which got left in the truck as we were eating. As we get to the end of the hotel driveway the cops see me eating fries and waving to them with a blue gloved hand and dont know that I threw away the gloves that I used to grab to "object". One officer soiled his vest with his lunch and I only found out the next day that this had happened as I saw him and he asked me how I could be so sick. It took several hours to explain that one away too.
Anybody else ??

 

[TransportJockey]

Never done it on scene... but me and my classmates have had people get up and leave in the lounge on campus when we're eating and talking about class.

 

[lafmedic1]

I used to show my buddies the EMS textbook pics of all the traumas, I know now that the nursing home surprises beat those tenfold

 

[johnrsemt]

don't think I have ever done anything on the scene; but I have helped to clear out restuarants multiple times;
esp on nights when we would meet up with hospital and fire dept based 911, and private services. get 6-10 EMS crews together, clean out any eating establishment of customers, and sometimes even the staff

 

[lafmedic1]

I love the people that ask whats the worst seen youve ever seen. I usually reply with a vivid description of a trach suctioning or a foley insertion.

 

[VentMedic]

I usually reply with a vivid description of a trach suctioning or a foley insertion.

That works well grossing out many Paramedics when asking if they know the proper procedure for suctioning a trach. When they reply "it's in our scope of practice" you know they have never actually suctioned a patient's trach before. So, with one quick demo, an RN or RRT can usually send them gagging from the room or cause them to have a look like they're going to hit the floor. Unfortunately, that means the RRT or RN will have to accompany the patient but better find out what the transport team is made of before and not after.

 

[PapaBear434]

I'll concur with everyone else, that we've freaked out a lot of folks at restaurants. We make a tradition out of early day shifts meeting at IHOP, no calls permitting. And of course when you get a bunch of EMT's together, the conversation will turn to the most disgusting of topics.

The best, though, was last week. We were sitting there, talking about amputations, disembowelments, and various seeping fluids over a short stack with a side of bacon, and didn't realize that a Cub Scout troop sat down right next to us.

After a few minutes, they get up and walk out in a huff. The troop leader walks over and tells us "You guys might want to be more conscious of who's around you when you talk about that stuff. It's pretty sick."

We felt horrible and tried to apologize, but the manager stopped us. She said that this wasn't the first time they done this. They apparently stormed out because some teenagers were talking too loudly about a party the night before, over a woman talking to her girlfriend about a Jimmy Buffet concert she went to years ago and she could smell pot, and a guy that was talking about his dog's dry, flaky skin. So we didn't feel TOO bad.

 

[VentMedic]

As well, when you talk about scenes and patients, you never know if a member of that person's family might be around to recognize the details. This is where some are in violation of state patient privacy statutes (not HIPAA).

It may also give the appearance to others that you are being disrespectful to your patients in a "kiss and tell" way. You see patients when they are vulnerable and there is an expectation of some type of privacy that you won't be telling their neighbors about their body parts.

 

[downunderwunda]

Further to Vents comments, EMS, Police & Fire are trained & have learned coping mechinisms for dealing with trauma, but, as one post stated,

The best, though, was last week. We were sitting there, talking about amputations, disembowelments, and various seeping fluids over a short stack with a side of bacon, and didn't realize that a Cub Scout troop sat down right next to us.

The vicarious vision of this can cause undue & unnecesarry stresses on this cub scout, far worse than if they had been there.

Discussions between services are essential debriefs, as is black humour, but this thread has shown some people do not know where to draw the line. I have had this happen with my son through the stupid actions of some who thought it was funny & spent the next week trying to get the mental pictures out of his head. Kids especially have vivid imaginations.

Grow Up. Save it for the station & consider the fact others are not able to cope with what we do daily.

Instead of thinking it is funny to gross out a bystander, we should be looking at them to ensure they are OK with what has happenned. Not laughing at their inability to cope. I suggest you look up what stress disorders can do to people because that is what these actions can vicariously create.

 

[VentMedic]

Anyone ever read the EMT Oath and Code of Ethics?

http://www.naemt.org/about_us/emtoath.aspx

 

[Sasha]

That works well grossing out many Paramedics when asking if they know the proper procedure for suctioning a trach. When they reply "it's in our scope of practice" you know they have never actually suctioned a patient's trach before. So, with one quick demo, an RN or RRT can usually send them gagging from the room or cause them to have a look like they're going to hit the floor. Unfortunately, that means the RRT or RN will have to accompany the patient but better find out what the transport team is made of before and not after.

Trach patients in general make me gag, on the inside. Trachs are just one of my ick factors.

 

[reaper]

That works well grossing out many Paramedics when asking if they know the proper procedure for suctioning a trach. When they reply "it's in our scope of practice" you know they have never actually suctioned a patient's trach before. So, with one quick demo, an RN or RRT can usually send them gagging from the room or cause them to have a look like they're going to hit the floor. Unfortunately, that means the RRT or RN will have to accompany the patient but better find out what the transport team is made of before and not after.

Yes, showing a newer medic how to properly suction a trach, will usally drop them. I do admit that it used to be the only thing that could make me gag.

 

[PapaBear434]

Further to Vents comments, EMS, Police & Fire are trained & have learned coping mechinisms for dealing with trauma, but, as one post stated,



The vicarious vision of this can cause undue & unnecesarry stresses on this cub scout, far worse than if they had been there.

Discussions between services are essential debriefs, as is black humour, but this thread has shown some people do not know where to draw the line. I have had this happen with my son through the stupid actions of some who thought it was funny & spent the next week trying to get the mental pictures out of his head. Kids especially have vivid imaginations.

Grow Up. Save it for the station & consider the fact others are not able to cope with what we do daily.

Instead of thinking it is funny to gross out a bystander, we should be looking at them to ensure they are OK with what has happenned. Not laughing at their inability to cope. I suggest you look up what stress disorders can do to people because that is what these actions can vicariously create.

It's not as if we did it on purpose. I wasn't even saying anything, just sitting there and laughing.

Lesson learned to be conscious of our surroundings, if nothing else.

 

[mycrofft]

Try these innocent stunts...I did, inadvertantly..

Eat peanut butter out of the jar using your finger instead of a spoon but wearing exam gloves.
Or carry the head from the old style Resusci Annie you are repairing in a tinted but translucent trash bag across the parking lot to your car.

Detective used to try to gross us out at coroner's pickups. Naw...until we saw the Dispose-all in the coroner's walk in cooler with an evidence tag.

 

[downunderwunda]

It's not as if we did it on purpose. I wasn't even saying anything, just sitting there and laughing.

Lesson learned to be conscious of our surroundings, if nothing else.

All I am saying is regardless of it being an accident, I have berated my colleagues for saying things in fromt of my & other children. I regularly visit schools, scout groups etc so they will not have the fear factor, but stupidity like this is really negligent.

Lets see, lets go sit in a public place & relay really gross stories for fun. There is a good intelligent idea. The fact they

After a few minutes, they get up and walk out in a huff. The troop leader walks over and tells us "You guys might want to be more conscious of who's around you when you talk about that stuff. It's pretty sick."

speaks volumes, & when the manager said

this wasn't the first time they done this. They apparently stormed out because some teenagers were talking too loudly about a party the night before, over a woman talking to her girlfriend about a Jimmy Buffet concert she went to years ago and she could smell pot, and a guy that was talking about his dog's dry, flaky skin. So we didn't feel TOO bad.

This is nothing compared to

I'll concur with everyone else, that we've freaked out a lot of folks at restaurants. We make a tradition out of early day shifts meeting at IHOP, no calls permitting. And of course when you get a bunch of EMT's together, the conversation will turn to the most disgusting of topics

.

The best, though, was last week. We were sitting there, talking about amputations, disembowelments, and various seeping fluids over a short stack with a side of bacon, and didn't realize that a Cub Scout troop sat down right next to us.

By simply being there, not stopping what was said, laughing shows your peers you support their actions. I bet you wern't saying anything not because you were concerned you might gross out other patrons of the restaurant, but because you didn't have a war story to top the

amputations, disembowelments, and various seeping fluids

that were already on offer.

 

[johnrsemt]

had a medic in the ER one night that made up an interesting concoction in a stool sample cup and put a handwritten label on it; and then tube it to different parts of the hospital. Med-surg, L&D, Pharmacy. they all sent it back except L&D who sent it to the Lab.
The lab tech brings it back to us and says something about it having a handwritten label, and he didn't know what to test it for.
The medic took it, opened it; put a finger in it and tasted it. Lab tech went white, and was grabbed by me and a nurse so he wouldn't hit the floor.

It was made from chocolate cake, banana pudding, orange puffs and chocolate milk mixed together. didn't taste too bad actually.

Lab tech never did like to come to the ER at night after that

 

[TransportJockey]

had a medic in the ER one night that made up an interesting concoction in a stool sample cup and put a handwritten label on it; and then tube it to different parts of the hospital. Med-surg, L&D, Pharmacy. they all sent it back except L&D who sent it to the Lab.
The lab tech brings it back to us and says something about it having a handwritten label, and he didn't know what to test it for.
The medic took it, opened it; put a finger in it and tasted it. Lab tech went white, and was grabbed by me and a nurse so he wouldn't hit the floor.

It was made from chocolate cake, banana pudding, orange puffs and chocolate milk mixed together. didn't taste too bad actually.

Lab tech never did like to come to the ER at night after that

That's awesome! Count on L&D to send random things to the lab too

 

[PapaBear434]

All I am saying is regardless of it being an accident, I have berated my colleagues for saying things in fromt of my & other children. I regularly visit schools, scout groups etc so they will not have the fear factor, but stupidity like this is really negligent.

Lets see, lets go sit in a public place & relay really gross stories for fun. There is a good intelligent idea. The fact they speaks volumes, & when the manager said this is nothing compared to By simply being there, not stopping what was said, laughing shows your peers you support their actions. I bet you wern't saying anything not because you were concerned you might gross out other patrons of the restaurant, but because you didn't have a war story to top the that were already on offer.

Only on the internet could someone take a humorous story of "whoopsie, shouldn't have done that" and turned it into a freaking lecture.

Yes, I know it was wrong. Thanks for pointing that out Chief. I agree. You can get off your soapbox now. The thread, however, was about the stories. Not confessions of our sins and subsequent tongue lashings as penance.

Just sit back, laugh at the stories you find humorous, and ignore the rest.

 

[lafmedic1]

When you say the tube i guess you mean the old vaccum systems like the banks used to have. Ill bet the sample got some curious looks.

 

[mycrofft]

Had a guy in my factory send a frog in a vacuum transporter.

Didn't do well after a few long stretches to build speed ending in 90 degree turns.
Wasn't me, they fired me for something else much later.