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This weekend I worked a large event as a BLS standby unit. The event requested 1 ALS and 1 BLS unit. We volunteered 2 ALS units, 1 BLS unit, and 2 medics. Following a 60 mile walk everyone was crowded into a park for the closing ceremonies. It was a sunny 90 degree day. Needless to say, we had far more patients than we could handle.
They throw an elderly female in my ambulance, clearly suffering from heat exhaustion. Vitals were good, all was good, but she wasn't feeling well and passed out. All of a sudden her daugher hops into my ambulance and keeps the back door open. I start asking who she is and if she can please close the back door, I'm losing all the AC, and she gives me this rant on how she's a nurse. That's fine, I could use a nurse, I just kicked a patient off of the cot so I could put her mother on it.
Then her husband, a MD, opens both back doors and starts giving me the "I'm a doctor routine". He hops in the ambulance. It's him, his wife, their mom, me, and another patient I have sitting on the captains chair. It's at that point that I say "Sir, I'm a very nice person, but I need you to get out of my ambulance." This goes on for a bit, then he leaves. Next we have the other lady's husband, and he wants to come in. I do the same routine.
The truth is, I simply wanted to room to do my work, and to keep the AC in the ambulance. It's not easy cooling down a mod in 90 degree heat. It's bad enough trying to keep it cool, but it's even harder when the doors and constantly opening and closing. Fortunately I had a partner that I used to work with step up and loudly say "You need to get out my the ambulance NOW".
How do you handle it? I really do believe it was in the patient's best interest. There is only so much room and AC in my ambulance, but they didn't seem to understand it. I didn't mind the nurses help, she was taking care of her mom while I took care of the other woman, but I wanted my ambulance back.
They throw an elderly female in my ambulance, clearly suffering from heat exhaustion. Vitals were good, all was good, but she wasn't feeling well and passed out. All of a sudden her daugher hops into my ambulance and keeps the back door open. I start asking who she is and if she can please close the back door, I'm losing all the AC, and she gives me this rant on how she's a nurse. That's fine, I could use a nurse, I just kicked a patient off of the cot so I could put her mother on it.
Then her husband, a MD, opens both back doors and starts giving me the "I'm a doctor routine". He hops in the ambulance. It's him, his wife, their mom, me, and another patient I have sitting on the captains chair. It's at that point that I say "Sir, I'm a very nice person, but I need you to get out of my ambulance." This goes on for a bit, then he leaves. Next we have the other lady's husband, and he wants to come in. I do the same routine.
The truth is, I simply wanted to room to do my work, and to keep the AC in the ambulance. It's not easy cooling down a mod in 90 degree heat. It's bad enough trying to keep it cool, but it's even harder when the doors and constantly opening and closing. Fortunately I had a partner that I used to work with step up and loudly say "You need to get out my the ambulance NOW".
How do you handle it? I really do believe it was in the patient's best interest. There is only so much room and AC in my ambulance, but they didn't seem to understand it. I didn't mind the nurses help, she was taking care of her mom while I took care of the other woman, but I wanted my ambulance back.
it's good to see ya active again!
