Good calls

daedalus

daedalus

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Lately, it seems that around work and elsewhere, people have been generally negative. Negative about life but their job more than anything else. We all love to talk about the BS we have to deal with everyday, and the negative aspects of our job. But I am reminded that it is actually a privilege to do what we do, and I like to think of it that way.

Care to share a story where you helped somebody and felt good about it afterwards? A call where you brought a smile to someone's face or perhaps saved a life, a life that was not ready to go yet? No matter how small or how big, perhaps we all need to be reminded of why we are here.
 
I tell our volunteer first aid crews that whether or not they save a life, they have a chance at every event they work to put a smile on someone's face.

You don't have to do CPR to make a difference...

Smile = 5 y/o with a scraped knee, fixed with a bandaid

Smile = 34 y/o with anxiety attack, comforting her and providing some privacy when surrounded by 100's of people at a large event

etc, etc...
 
I actually had a recent call for a 48 y/o female with MS. She had fallen and injured her shoulder. When we got on scene, she was dressed but her pants were down to about mid-thigh. She was completely alert and stable, just the shoulder injury. Found out later she fell wearing only a nightie. Her daughter attempted to dress her and got as far as she could. As soon as we enterd the house and I saw her, I could tell there was no immediate distress and mentioned to my (female) partner that maybe we could do something about getting her pants up to try to give her at least SOME of her dignity back. This made an impression with my pt who mentioned it to her best friend. The best friend works with my GF at the local grocery. Plus, the pts sister who was on scene is pretty high up at the bank I go to. The same bank that just approved my mortgage loan. This is a very small town, so it's very important to keep in mind that human factor. It a huge city, you may never see your pt again. But here, I see these people every day. They even know what vehicle I drive, and some even remember my name. I love working here.
 
Anytime I get a genuine smile and a "thank you" is a good call to me. It's rare enough that it's something special.
 
I once took a female geri-pysch from a nsg home to a hosp a little ways away. She was hearing voices and I had to hold her hand the whole ride and comfort her. I see her now and then and she still remembers my name, then agian she remembers everybody's name, but she still thanks my partner and I for the ride we took together.
 
Simple things that make a difference for a patient, a kind word and a smile. ;)
 
We had a kid the other night. Three years old, at the YMCA daycare, and he went into a feveral seizure. By the time we show up, he's conscious and aware, but scared witless. And here's me, big dude with a freshly shaven head, trying to talk to him while he's cuddling with his teacher and waiting for his mom to show up.

I give him a teddy bear from our truck, get him talking a little bit, but he's still scared of me. We take him to the hospital (with mother, of course) and he's holding her hand and still looking at me distrustfully, but smiling a bit more at my antics and interested in what I'm doing as I explain the equipment to him.

About five minutes out of the hospital, I call in my CORE and get them ready, and come back to sit next to him. He let's go of his Mom's hand, grabs mine, and smiles. He held my hand the rest of the way to the hospital, talking to me about how he's "a-scared" of Doctors but likes my purple hands (the gloves, of course). He even wanted me to carry him into the ER instead of his mom. He didn't want me to leave him while the Doc checked him out, and so I let my partner take care of the paperwork while I hung out with the little man until his Dad showed.

That made my day, honestly.
 
Ran a call on a 4 year old girl who had fell down some steps. Nothing major to note other than a small lac to the forehead. When I walked in she seemed frightened by my size but after a few minutes of using my "poppy mode" she started warming up to me. By the time we arrive at the hospital she was clinging to me like she had known me all her life. A few weeks later at the store with my wife I heard a little voice say look mommy the man from the woo-woo truck and a little girl running up to hug me. a simple act by a child but it sort of puts everything into a different perspective. We don't always have to do any major interventions to make a difference to our patients.
 
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