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| Training
Evolutions |
A
Night in the ER
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Among the very
diverse fields associated with firefighting, the need for medically
trained personnel supercedes all others. Many of the smaller rural
volunteer departments rely on their first responders to take medical
control of a scene until more competent medical personnel arrive.
Some of these small departments also have EMT's who are a vital resource
in the field of pre-hospital emergency care.
I am currently enrolled in one of the many EMT programs provided in
the state of Washington. Through many hours of instruction and studying
I am learning not only medical treatment, but psychological symptoms,
body substance precautions and personal safety as well. Personal safety
is highly stressed in this course, because EMT's as well as all other
emergency branches, are always walking into unknown situations and
hazards.
I recently had the opportunity to pull a 10 hour shift at Deaconess
medical center in the ER room. I saw only the slightest portion of
medical emergencies but each emergency was so different and diverse
it put me into awe. It was an incredible night to behold, watching
each patient come through the emergency room door and treated instantly.
However there were some disgruntled patients who found the questions
asked unnecessary. This is a big problem with medical treatment today.
There is so much paperwork that we in the medical field must fill
out that it becomes tedious and tiresome for the patient to answer
all the questions. However it is a must so we can treat the patient
to the best of our ability, so we can find out the history of our
patient and to have a detailed record of treatment provided to the
patient.
The emergency medical field is heavily burdened with legality issues,
especially in this day in age where so many people are sue happy.
We must cover ourselves so we do not become victims of an unhappy
patient, so all the paperwork is a must.
In the ER I saw everything from chest pain, to assault victims, to
infected extremities to miscarriages. I commend the staff of the ER
at Deaconess for their dedication to their patients as well as their
medical knowledge and desire to do what they do so well. I personally
would like to thank all of those in the field of emergency medicine,
as it seemed to be an extremely stressful occupation.
Thank you
Jessy Wardwell |
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