scubanurse

Lately we've had a string of crappy cases in my er and want to pose a question to y'all.  When all the medicine in the world won't save your patient, how do you cope?  When the patient doesn't realize the severity or their family doesn't how do you as a provider cope?  Lately I just come home and hold my daughter and cry for my patients who don't get to go home to their kids.  I've dealt with horrific trauma but lately I'm questioning the why.

This.  My ER handles a lot of critical patients being a trauma center.  We almost always incorporate the family in critical patients, letting them stand with the chaplain and watch us work on their loved one does a lot of good in the long run.  But, this is in a large trauma bay with adequate staff to monitor the family.

In an ideal world, you would have the room to have someone sit with the kiddo in the ambulance and explain things to them, but we don't live in ideal worlds and truth is sometimes in EMS it isn't possible to bring family members along.  If possible and dad was critical, I would have PD bring them following right behind so they can be at the hospital where they have resources to handle these things.

Definitely not old, but am older   

Not sure how NJ does it, you could call them and ask?  As for as keeping track of CEU credits, I have to do this for my CEN and CCRN.  I have a binder with a tab for each month and put my certificates in under the month that I did the CEU and at the front I keep an excel spreadsheet with the date I did the CEU, the CEU, and the number of credits.  

Welcome 

I did have a doc the other night dis-impact a lady for me so you never know!  Maybe doctors can do the work of nurses and medics, only the really smart ones though

I'm working the next three nights in our stand alone ED... Just me, a doc, and a paramedic.  Should be a fun weekend!

You'd be better off with a multi-tool knife to be honest.  Leatherman of the sorts, and if not that then a simple pair of trauma shears will go a very long way in the field.

Welcome   ask lots of questions and jump in on discussions!

Welcome

I am so sorry for your loss.  Your husband was a great asset to this site and he will be missed.  

The problem will lie with the company's insurance carrier.  Being that this was <10 years ago, I imagine it will be difficult to find an employer. I would call local companies near you and ask them though.

I'll be 30 in two years... :D

I'm all for treating it like an Epi-Pen, you need a prescription for it.  Like doc said, no side effect is worse than death so why not?

Haha Ruff is old!  I'm probably still one of the youngest that's been around this long...

Who are you calling old??

Welcome back!

Was the concern over provider safety maybe?  I could see LEO's being on scene of some OD calls before EMS d/t provider safety concerns. 

On a side not, I had an ICU nurse tell me to push Narcan as fast as I could and chase it was a flush to get to the patient quickly when they were just slightly respiratory depressed...  

Welcome back!

Welcome!  I used to live/work in Maryland!

Was he on DVT prophylaxis in the hospital?  Heparin or Lovenox?  Pneumatic compression devices?  I don't work on a cardiac floor but know that DVT prophylaxis is standard on the inpatient units.  It does seem like it was just this guys time to go.  bummer.

It's going to be interesting.  Only time will tell if having one big empire vs two will be ok or not.

Would be nice to see a larger portion of the EKG and a 12-lead.

Just thinking off the top of my sleep deprived brain, but height/weight ratio is a big one in flight. I have friends who are amazing critical care paramedics but can not fly d/t the fact that they are overweight or too tall.

I think safety around aircraft goes without saying as well.

Thanks ruff!!!