if you responed to a scene with a dead loved one

Humor is an important aspect of dealing with death! It was meant as a tension breaker and I am sure the OP is smart enough to see that.

Maybe that is how I would deal with it from my side. So you are saying I would be wrong to deal with it my way? Not everyone is retired and bored. Some of us still deal with this on a daily basis. I am not really worried about what you think. I deal with my Pt's just fine, without your permission!
 
firetender said:
Here's my point.

It looks like CARRERA kind of disappeared, though. I wonder why? A little feedback could be valuable for all of us from you CARRERA.
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I'm a little confused, what kind of feedback?

Someone posted a while ago in this thread about how it would be especially hard to deal with responding to a call involving their mother and that made me think about my experience.

I have not replied since my last post because I have not been online much this week.
 
CARRERA said:
I'm a little confused, what kind of feedback?
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My bad! Your first entry sparked a comment that I got self-righteous about. That sparked a flurry of stuff and I noticed your absence and got concerned you may have been turned off by the whatevers.
 
reaper said:
Humor is an important aspect of dealing with death! It was meant as a tension breaker and I am sure the OP is smart enough to see that.

Maybe that is how I would deal with it from my side. So you are saying I would be wrong to deal with it my way? Not everyone is retired and bored. Some of us still deal with this on a daily basis. I am not really worried about what you think. I deal with my Pt's just fine, without your permission!
Click to expand...

You know what, Reaper? I think I may have screwed the Pooch on this one. Since the thread hadn't been on view in a while, I assumed your comment was directed to CARRERA's entry because that one put the thread back on the radar screen. I just re-read the whole thread to realize that's something I originally did NOT do...I just picked it up from CARRERA'S new entry.

If you responded to the Original Post (as someone suggested), then I really have my head up my...and apologize because I EASILY could have responded the same as you to it because it was neither specific nor personal.

I misinterpreted your intent, Reaper, and that was not fair. I'm aware of your contribution to this site and its people and you deserve better.
 
No problem. We all miss posts once in a while.
 
I look at the whole topic a bit differently...although I haven't become an EMT yet, I'm pretty sure my adrenaline would kick in and I would do everything I could...however, if they did die in my transport, I would probably question every stinkin' move I did...now, fast foward to 20 years from now...it would probably just be another day on the job...it's a part of life.
 
This actually happened to my cousin, who is an EMT/FF in our hometown. We do live in a rural area and he was the first of the only 2 ambulances in the area, to arrive on scene. It was for an MVC (rollover), it was night and in the middle of a cornfield. He didn't recognize the vehicle, but the other FF's found identification of the DOA driver, and it was my cousin's brother. I don't think he has really ever gotten over this, but he is still a FF/EMT, he didn't get out of the profession, nor did he leave the hometown dept.
 
First time I performed. CPR was with a bvm on my friends grandfather who had been down. 25 min before 911 was called. Family was all around and my friend wound up seeing her cyanosed grandad. It wasn't pleasant.
 
About 6 months after I got my basic cert, I was called for an unknown problem. We were eating dinner and I wasn't driving, so I didn't pay attention to the address. It wasn't until we pulled in the driveway that I realized it was my grandparents house. I worked a code on my grandfather that night. All the while having to look at my mom and grandmother standing there looking to me for answers. I will never forget hearing my mom say to my grandmother, "Don't worry, Heather will make everything okay." I knew nothing was going to be okay. After the initial shock of everything, I went into work mode. I treated my patient and dealt with the family just like I would have any other patient and any other family. It wasn't until we were at the hospital and my chief showed up to take my spot on the rig that everything hit me. I worked as much as possible for weeks after that, just trying to focus on something else. Still to this day, certain dispatches get to me, certain patients, etc. But the way I have come to look at it is, I know I did my best on that call. I know I cared. Could I say the same about some other medic or emt? Maybe, maybe not. Bottom line is, I know he got the best care, and I know that for a fact.
 
I live in a small town and i know quite a few people. I have really thought about going to a different county to work. Just got my license a month ago and have not made up my mind yet. The hospital i am wanting to work for has good insurance so that will make up for the lack of money. On the other hand i dont know how i will handle coming up to a scene where it is a loved one or even someone i've known my whole life. It will be hard. I was told in class to stay strong then break down. i do know one county i am thinking about only has a driver and medic. Sometimes they have two medics on board but rarely. I want to thank everyone for there insight. I was going to ask the same question until i came upon it.
 
Anthony said:
I live in a small town and i know quite a few people. I have really thought about going to a different county to work.
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That's what I've done, and it's worked out well so far, although it was far from the only reason I decided not to work in my own county. I figure I'll get a critical patient I know eventually, though. I've had non-critical patients and bystanders I knew a couple times now.
 
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