# higher in command the worst they are...



## Resqswimmer (Aug 16, 2006)

First was my old Lt. one day we got a call to the local hardware store. A lady was carrying a lawnmower and somehow she tripped over it and fell onto a bolt in the ground. lets just say with the help of the bolt, she now had 2 butt holes... one oozing with fat and blood.. well as funny as the situation was, i managed to hold back my giggles until after pt. transport. my lt. was my driver, and every five minutes i could hear a chuckle. Well after the call was over, we got back to the station where 1. he admitted that he had laughed the whole way there, and 2. he started making so many jokes... "I could make an *** load of jokes on her" " i bet that was a pain in the ***."

secondly my wonderful captain. i was still precepting, when we got a SOB. When we got there we walked in and my captain takes one look at the 400 LB pt. and all he says is MOOO... his face turns red, and he goes "excuse me for a sec." i follow him outside, and with my best attempt i help him stop laughing so he can go in and care for the pt. Later that week, we had a cardiac arrest pt. This is going to sound horrible. but we knew he wasnt coming back, but we were going to give it our best anyway. well when the medic got into the unit with us, my captain goes over to the pt. and snaps his figures and goes "sir can you wake up for me" ::snap snap:: even the medic had to try his best not to laugh.


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## gradygirl (Aug 16, 2006)

Hahaha, that's funny and awful at the same time. 

We were on scene with a group of kids and the ambulance medic asked the patient's friends which of them weren't drunk in an attempt to determine if they could ride to the hospital. My partner (the Asst. Dir.) and I looked at one another and raised our hands. The medic and EMT looked at us and couldn't help but laugh.


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## MariaCatEMT (Aug 16, 2006)

*Laughing at a patient who is fat in front of them, or snapping fingers in a dead patient's face in front of others...I'm really hoping there was no family or bystanders seeing this...not so funny. I'm sure the gal with the penetration wound to her buttock wasn't too amused, and probably didn't think it was funny, and more than likely was fairly embarrassed considering the location of her injury and given the fact it happened in public. Not so sure making patients feel worse is part of our job. If it were one of my relatives, or someone I loved...being made fun of...you would certainly hear about it. I am not saying humor isn't appropriate....what I am saying is keep your venues appropriate.*<_<


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## fyrdog (Aug 16, 2006)

I have a sticker under the back of my helmet the reads- You can be sure as soon as you leave we will be laughing about you. You really cant see it unless I show it to you, but there have been a couple of calls where I have shared it with other responders and the PD.:beerchug:


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## Stevo (Aug 16, 2006)

i had a nutter that swallowed a fork once, i couldn't help telling the charge nurse (out of his earshot) that _'he was forked'_

everyone in the biz slips in a little dark humor now and then, it's how we survive it

~S~


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## MariaCatEMT (Aug 17, 2006)

Stevo said:
			
		

> i had a nutter that swallowed a fork once, i couldn't help telling the charge nurse (out of his earshot) that _'he was forked'_
> 
> everyone in the biz slips in a little dark humor now and then, it's how we survive it
> 
> ~S~



*Sounds like something I may have said too! But, keywords.....out of the patient's earshot (and family).*


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## Resqswimmer (Aug 17, 2006)

MariaCatEMT said:
			
		

> *Laughing at a patient who is fat in front of them, or snapping fingers in a dead patient's face in front of others...I'm really hoping there was no family or bystanders seeing this...not so funny. I'm sure the gal with the penetration wound to her buttock wasn't too amused, and probably didn't think it was funny, and more than likely was fairly embarrassed considering the location of her injury and given the fact it happened in public. Not so sure making patients feel worse is part of our job. If it were one of my relatives, or someone I loved...being made fun of...you would certainly hear about it. I am not saying humor isn't appropriate....what I am saying is keep your venues appropriate.*<_<




 oh i agree. you should never do that in front of the pts. or their family.  during the cardiac arrest there wasnt any family around, and the buttocks wound it was really funny.. bc she actually found it funny too.. she was making fun of herself the whole way saying she could think of some good jokes too.


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## FF894 (Sep 2, 2006)

MariaCatEMT said:


> *Laughing at a patient who is fat in front of them, or snapping fingers in a dead patient's face in front of others...I'm really hoping there was no family or bystanders seeing this...not so funny. I'm sure the gal with the penetration wound to her buttock wasn't too amused, and probably didn't think it was funny, and more than likely was fairly embarrassed considering the location of her injury and given the fact it happened in public. Not so sure making patients feel worse is part of our job. If it were one of my relatives, or someone I loved...being made fun of...you would certainly hear about it. I am not saying humor isn't appropriate....what I am saying is keep your venues appropriate.*<_<



I'm going to agree.  Its human nature to make jokes, but it should def be the right place and the right time.  The longer you do this job, the more you have to remind yourself how you would feel if you were your own patient.  How would you want to be treated?  For some of our frequent flyers its sometimes annoying to get the call, but for some people calling 911 for a serious emergency is one of the worst days of their lives.


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