I panicked

[Sasha]

You'd have to pry my phone out of my cold dead fingers.

I love having the ability to look up any disease/medication/piece of equipment/therapy at my finger tips.

Last monday I was on it all day on shift trying to figure out wtf was up with my patients feet. No joy.

 

[Tigger]

And they can leave their phones at the base so they are not texting the whole time and (cough cough) keep the stretcher from 'just' dumping the poor patient.

If someone is on the phone while handling a patient loaded, they should be spoken too. But I think it's a bit of jump to say "no phones at work" because of this. I use my phone for work related things all the time.

 

[bigbaldguy]

If i was an untrained individual and encountered a medical emergency, my first reaction probably would not be to flag down the first high school freshman i could find in the street...

Bad things happen and people start looking for uniforms, if that uniform happens to be on a 14 year old most people wouldn't even notice.

 

[Steveb]

My bad.

Even still. The young people should have assembled at the agency's headquaters, arrived and departed as a group in an agency vehicle.

This is in no way the OP's fault. I blame the adults.

This was not the adults falut they are at the first aid post ready to come to our troubles. Had I had my radio I would have been able to radio for two emr and an ambulance. But as I said I was caught off duty.

 

[Steveb]

Bad things happen and people start looking for uniforms, if that uniform happens to be on a 14 year old most people wouldn't even notice.

That is very true the people thought I was a paramedic untill I told them. Since our uniforrms are very similar just different patches.

 

[adamjh3]

This was not the adults falut they are at the first aid post ready to come to our troubles. Had I had my radio I would have been able to radio for two emr and an ambulance. But as I said I was caught off duty.

A good practice to get into is to bring a sweatshirt or a different shirt to change into when you leave. Hell, even on my way IN to work in the morning I wear a plain hooded sweatshirt over my uniform, or just a tee shirt if it's warm.

 

[Epi-do]

A good practice to get into is to bring a sweatshirt or a different shirt to change into when you leave. Hell, even on my way IN to work in the morning I wear a plain hooded sweatshirt over my uniform, or just a tee shirt if it's warm.

And then you can stop by the local bar on the way home, too!

Oh wait....the OP is 14. Little young for the bar. Disregard.

 

[JPINFV]

Where are all of these people working that they have to brave crowds to get to their car? The only time I had to pass any serious amount of people to go home was my first year at the water park (we went from half day shifts to full day shifts the second season I was there, thus arrived and left when the park was closed), and even there I wasn't arguably clocked out till I passed the operations window at the employee parking lot.

 

[Aidey]

I don't have to brave crowds, but I often stop for groceries on the way home. No way in hell I wander around a grocery store off duty in uniform.

 

[adamjh3]

I don't have to brave crowds, but I often stop for groceries on the way home. No way in hell I wander around a grocery store off duty in uniform.

This. I'll usually stop for coffee on the way in, and grab dinner from the store on the way home.

 

[DesertMedic66]

I just take my blue shirt off and am wearing my undershirt. As long as I'm not doing anything stupid then it's fine with the supervisors. I don't get the whole change into clean cloths just to wear them for a couple minutes drive home just to change out of them again.

 

[firetender]

14 and a voulenteer
community event
heading out to the bus stop
I gave my kit and radio to another voulenteer
someone had fell down the stairs
pedestriens where applying pressure to his head
I spoke with a pedestrien to find out what happened.
My pataner comes and applys and helps the pedestrians control the blood loss.
I. Flaged down two senoir members and
started on the paper work.

All this adds up. You were off duty and leaving your assignment, a security guard notifies you someone fell down you go to the scene, ask questions while others are rendering aid, your partner shows up and assists in patient care, you flag down two senior members and start paperwork.

What's the problem? You did stuff that was important and a part of rendering proper care; #1 You showed up! #2) You asked questions #3) You got better help to show up, and #4) You did paperwork. Did it occur to you that you were a part of a TEAM?

Sorry I don't hear panic here, I see actions being taken...Oh, but I see this, too:

I felt that I wasn't thinking right how do I avoid no to do this on my next call.

The only thing you did wrong was feeling you weren't thinking right.

Maybe inside you felt panic, but outside, from what you said, you pretty much performed at a level appropriate for the situation . You handled what you could without jumping in and adding two more hands and fifteen new ideas to an already over-occupied scene. First two people and then your partner for what was most likely a minor head wound.

(Maybe the vital piece of experience you're missing is that cuts to the flesh of the face and head bleed profusely and it usually looks much worse than it is.)

But even if was bad or even fatal, you stepped up to the plate and played a role in helping out without putting yourself in any danger.

That ain't bad; you didn't get in anyone's way. Did I miss anything?

 

[Handsome Robb]

I just take my blue shirt off and am wearing my undershirt. As long as I'm not doing anything stupid then it's fine with the supervisors. I don't get the whole change into clean cloths just to wear them for a couple minutes drive home just to change out of them again.

Agreed.

I just have a zip-up fleece to throw on for the ride in or the ride home. It doesn't matter a whole lot though, the girls at Starbucks know exactly what I do along with the gas station attendant, my neighbors and a few of the clerks at the grocery store.

One day I forgot my zip up and right as I get home in full uniform there's an ambulance in front of the building and the two girls were moving a larger human being down from the 3rd floor. Needless to say I got wrangled into helping them with the stair chair. "Rob we need your musclessssssssss" :glare: The patient was pretty funny, "Where the hell did you come fro..oh hey Rob!"

Worth scoring points with the cute medics at my company though

 

[BandageBrigade]

Work clothes stay at work. Thats why we have washers and dryers there. I don't want to wash off that stuff in my own machines.

 

[Remeber343]

Work clothes stay at work. Thats why we have washers and dryers there. I don't want to wash off that stuff in my own machines.

Agreed. I stay, well, try to stay as clean as possible with this job but even then I will not take my clothes home to wash.

 

[Sasha]

I don't have to brave crowds, but I often stop for groceries on the way home. No way in hell I wander around a grocery store off duty in uniform.

I forget time to time and will wander into gas stations, food places etc in uniform. It never fails, someone will wander up "so.... You're a paramedic?"

Once I intentionally wore it after work because I was visiting my grandma after visiting hours in the hospital. I intentionally used my patch to get me in after hours. CNA was like "omg! You work on an ambulance?" "yeah." "did you work today?". I was like..... No.... But what I wanted to say was no, I wear my uniform every day in case I need to spring into action!

 

[Anjel]

A good practice to get into is to bring a sweatshirt or a different shirt to change into when you leave. Hell, even on my way IN to work in the morning I wear a plain hooded sweatshirt over my uniform, or just a tee shirt if it's warm.

And then you can stop by the local bar on the way home, too!

Oh wait....the OP is 14. Little young for the bar. Disregard.

Why didnt I think of this!!!! Genius! Lmao

 

[Tigger]

Work clothes stay at work. Thats why we have washers and dryers there. I don't want to wash off that stuff in my own machines.

We are not provided with laundry facilities, nor changing facilities. I wear my uniform for the ride in and wash it in my own machine, provided it has no blood or other bodily fluids in it. If that's the case it goes in a biohazard bag and the company takes care of it. But honestly I put a lot dirtier clothes in my laundry machine than my uniform. I rarely stop on my way home and I get the uniformed public safety discount at my breakfast place so...

 

[Aidey]

I just take my blue shirt off and am wearing my undershirt. As long as I'm not doing anything stupid then it's fine with the supervisors. I don't get the whole change into clean cloths just to wear them for a couple minutes drive home just to change out of them again.

I usually keep my pants and boots on. My issue is that my undershirt is white, and most white shirts aren't 100% opaque so I have to put something on so I'm not running around with my bra showing.

 

[jjesusfreak01]

I have a fleece embroidered with a patch from my old service which no longer exists. Looks cool, is really comfortable, and I can wear it off duty at will (since the company doesn't exist). Hasn't gotten me dragged into any impromptu rescues yet, and has gotten me out of one ticket, so I can't complain.