Shift From Hell (felt it anyways)

[uglyEMT]

This will probably be a long drawn out rant from hell. I just need to vent and decompress so I can relax on my down time. Just came off my weekly second 6hr 1800-0000.

Started off bad ended bad and was FUBARed in between. Get to the building for rig check. During rig check find one jump (go) bag was missing BP cuff. Where it disapeared to who knows, checked the call sheets and the rig hadn't been used since the day before (my other shift) and I know I put it back. Must be with all the missing socks in the world, either that or the leprachun needed to check Nessie's vitals before going to Bigfoot's house in the UFO. Anyways.. go to the supply closet and get new cuff, no big deal.

Further inspection shows no darn medium gloves!! Check supply closet NONE. At least I knew I have boxes of them at home, no big deal I will just grab them if we get dispatched. Everything else was SOP. Get home and thow a box of gloves in my truck so I wouldn't forget.

Turn up the scanner and start listening, waiting for the tones but hoping for a *#&%! shift. Must have been a new dispatcher because within the first hour of the shift 3 dispatches went out but to the wrong crews (some were already on scenes or were on a general) Figured OK nothing major but will be expecting wierd things.

First tones come out and its a stroke call 3rd one in 3 shifts, not liking this but at least its the third so should be good for awhile. No major issues on the call except for the rampant complaing from the drunken family memebers that we are not moving fast enough. Bariatric patient, 2nd stroke, left side paralysis. Moving as fast as we could but awaited FD for lift assist. ALS meets at scene and decided pt needed immediate intervention, so instead of where the family wanted to go (ED over 1hr away), ALS advised closest appropriate facility, which was only 15min away but across the state line. (FYI this ED is normally used by us for time sensitive pts that are not trauma. It is in our local protocols).

Well that decision leads to the husband attempting to ride on the hood of the rig. like I said earlier drunken family members. PD gets involved (already onscene as SOP in my area) and we transport w/o further incident. I didnt stick around to see what PD did. On the ride back we all get a laugh about the husband trying to ride with us LOL I also laugh alittle harder because of remebering the JEM's article about the wife and husband rig accident.

Get back home and have a bite to eat with the wife. Literally a bite before tones. Psych transfer of a bi-polar teen POing his parents. Nothing remarkable with this call just a basic taxi ride. Get back home again and finish my dinner which is now cold and needed to be reheated. Tasted better the first time. Oh well what can you do. Finish my dinner and go sit down on my chair. Dog decides it hasn't seen me in awhile and reverts to its puppy age and tries to become a lap dog. 80lbs later while now in my lap and causing my shears and kelly's to dig into my thigh I just sit there and laugh. Hey sometimes its those moments that lighten my heart. Wife sure laughed. Checked my thigh no penatrating injuries so good to go.

Nothing for a little while so I get comfortable. Bad idea, few seconds later toned out for a fire stand-by. Get on scene and canceled. Don't mind those calls too much but after getting comfortable wish it was a real call. Get back home then nothing. Ah relief time goes by and its time to grab some ZzZs while I can. Wake up before end of shift, dont know why just did. Look at the clock and see 10min to go. Think to myself not a super bad shift could have been worse. EMT gods are funny like that, just when I thank them for a decent shift, they notify the dispatcher.

We get toned for a LOC but breathing patient. Get the adress and see its in the other squads area. Double check with dispatch, yup its our call other squad is tied up on 2 MVAs and a LOC w/ diffulty breathing. OK no problem 10-23 my rig and await the rest of my ever so happy to see me crew. "10 min to go really" is the now standard line coming through the door. Then hearing the location the jibberish starts in the back. OK full crew now 10-8 to scene. Dispatch says hold on. HUH?!? Hold on? OK awaiting further instructions.

Other squad is proceding to the scene instead, they were closer and on the way back from the ED from the MVA. OK sounds great, start backing the rig in. Everyone is elated then we hear dispatch again. Rig 54 (dont laugh please) proceed to *blank* 10-0 involving motorcycle w/ MINOR injuries. We roll but thinking about the call. Motorcycle MVA with MINOR injuries? Maybe the guy just laid the bike down and we are looking at road rash. Get on scene guy is under another car looking like a rag doll. MINOR injuries who made THAT call. Notify dispatch we need FD for extracation and find out if ALS is available. ALS is available but 45 min out. OK dispatch ALS. Hell I would rather have ALS inroute and cancel then wait for them.

FD shows up airbags the car we get in there to see what up. Guy is only minor injuries. Complaing of wrist pain. We take full C-spine and board him out. Everything else seems fine, airway is patent, vitals normal, RTA shows nothing else. Splint the wrist and get him in the rig, cut the cloths nothing. Helmet still in place we arrive ED w/o incident.

Get back home. Have to be at my regular job in 2hrs. Great, no sleep and a long drive ahead. Well Im here at my normal job. Still tired but at least Im done for the next 96hrs. Thanks for letting me vent. I know it probably pales in comparision to some of your shifts and to some they would swap with me any day. I get that and I know it sounded trivial but felt like hell to me.

As a squad we are not used to this many calls in one shift or in consecutive days. Last shift had 3 calls. 7 calls in two days when last month I had 6 calls all month seemed to be alot. If I count the weekend rotation w/ the plane crash we hit 12 calls in 5 days. 2 months of calls in less then a week. Its alot too me. Especially now I am not just a driver but an EMT and being involved with the patients, adds to the stress and emotions. Thanks folks again for letting me rant like this. It really helped. Stay safe everyone!

Please note the paragraph breaks I inserted, even if not textbook paragraphs, you always break it up otherwise no one will ever read it. If I were not a mod, I would not have read it...AK

Edited April 8, 2010 by akflightmedic

[ambodriver]

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[HERBIE1]

I have no idea what it feels like to be working from home such as that.

Unlike some here, I take my hat off to all volunteers, paid on call workers, and local agencies that may operate on a shoestring budget.

I do know- as we all do- what it's like to be interrupted during meals, bathroom breaks, important phone calls, and obviously sleep. When away from home for 24 hours, we miss important events, milestones in the lives of our kids, family emergencies, parties, and plain old family time. Such is the way of our profession, because it seems just when folks get on your last nerve, the profession makes you question your career choice, you end up really making a difference in someone's life.

When you have a day filled with nonsense, non-emergency calls, as well as verbal and physical abuse, it can certainly give you pause.

Hopefully your next shift will be better.

[stcommodore]

I had 17 calls last night in 12 hours...

[uglyEMT]

AK thanks for the edit I was just in the middle of a rant and didn't think about it much LOL

Herbie. I know what you mean. I have friends on paid services and they talk about being away from the family alot. I don't know whats harder, being away from home 24 to 48 a shift or being a voly and being home but getting pulled away at a moments notice. Sometimes I feel like I would rather just not be home then be home and in the middle of a great moment (whatever it is) and have to run out the door. I have seen the look on faces when I do. (actually had a call during brother-in-law toast at family party) It bothers me sometimes but I made this decision and once on the call usually get filled with a sense of pride that I am helping someone.

As I said before I know my 3 calls pale in comparision to most folks but when you dont get many calls to begin with it seems like alot. Guess it all just got to me yesterday. Lack of sleep for 2 days, minor things on the calls, basic life stress. I guess yesterday was my breaking point and the vent cap broke. If it was earlier in the day probably would have happened with collegues or family but being so early in the morning I came here.

STC I cant imagine that many calls period. Must be crazy running that many pts to the ED.