Quick Update!
Class is going well! I will continue to post blogs about current happenings in class. Those of you who read my blog seem to like that and I love sharing it with you!
This class is sucking the life out of me right now, I’m feeling slight resentment against it right now just because I feel like I have such little time for my precious family and I have no free time what so ever.
I know I shouldn’t be upset at all about the amount of work I have, but it gets to me when my family is starving for my attention and I just can’t give them 100% of it! Plus, everyone knows, you need your “YOU” time once in a while too and I have zero time for that, hence the abandonment of my YouTube channel :(
Class is almost over though! I just have to get my IV certification, which is a short class, and then I can start working on the ambulance!! I am so excited to get out and find a job right out of school! I’ll do some volunteering until then and possibly work for 911 dispatch in the mean time.
All the countless hours of studying and boats loads of reading and homework will pay off in the end.
I’ve loved this class and everyone I’ve met along the way. I’m truly looking forward to working in the field!
I’m totally psyched and the passion I feel for this career is an amazing feeling!
I hope to be an exceptional EMT.
911 Dispatch Experience
So I sat with Weld County’s 911 Dispatch center and I truly enjoyed it. It was a whole new world to me.
I think we as citizens take 911 dispatchers for granted sometimes. I was floored when I saw what exactly they are doing when you call them.
The multitasking they do alone is an amazing art.
The picture above is similar to what I saw. All those computer screens are in use at once while taking calls! Notice the three mice, there are also foot pedals below the desk so the dispatcher can continue to communicate over the radio and still be hands free to input information.
I was able to witness the stress level’s they feel with stressful calls and I could feel the somewhat ‘helpless’ feeling by not being able to be there personally with the patient. The coaching and reassurance they give over the phones lines though is truly touching.
I heard multiple calls, most of which were pretty uneventful. However, the dispatcher beside us took a suicide call of a teen girl who had shot herself. The father called in and was clearly distraught. I listened to how the dispatcher coached the father through dealing with such a stressful situation, this dispatcher did an amazing job.
I was able to read what was being said between dispatch and the paramedics that arrived on scene and several times “Patient is obviously dead” continued to read across the screen. Even though the dispatcher I was sitting with and I didn’t actually take this call, it has stuck with me ever since.
I can tell already children are going to be the hard calls for me. I just can’t stop thinking about this teen girl and what she must have been feeling before she decided to do what she did. I also think about her parent’s and how devastated they must be.
I am considering working for 911 Dispatch until I can find a position as an EMT. The training is one year long, training includes dispatching police, fire and EMS.
The following videos are random calls I found, just so you can hear a sample of the type of calls that come in and how they are handled.
(dispatcher did a good job at keeping her cool, keeping your cool with even the craziest patient’s is a must)
(This is a chilling call. Near the end you can hear the wounded teens moaning)
I was going to post here steps to actually assist in delivery of a baby, but you should call 911 if you are faced with this situation and/or be properly trained to do so.
Here is what we are also learning currently:
Routes of exposure:
Ingested poisons:
Inhaled poisons:
*Inhaled toxic can directly damage alveoli (air sacs of the lungs responsible for gas exchange which circulates oxygen throughout your body). This causes fluid to leak into the alveoli and disturb gas exchange, leading to hypoxia (not enough oxygen in body cells). Inhaled poisons usually have a quicker onset than injected poisons and may produce more systemic effects.
Commonly abused inhaled poisons:
Injected poisons:
Absorbed poisons:
*Dry chemicals should be brushed off the body, protect the patient’s airway as well as your own to not inhale any of the chemical. Call poison control to find out if you should flush (water) the skin down.
*liquid chemicals should be flushed with water for at least 20 minutes. Be aware of hidden areas on the body such as finger nail beds, skin creases, area b/w fingers and toes and remove contaminated clothing and jewelry.
***Three fourths of poisons can be treated at home, still call your Poison Control Center to be sure of first aid procedure. Never guess if a poison will hurt you or someone else, even if taken in a small amount!
