Amazing Facts Learned in the Field

[mklandrew]

I am a volunteer EMT-B with an ALS Fire Rescue Department. I am normally pretty good at what I do. My last shift was with an EMS Instructor who I was determined to impress. We get to a call around dinner time. an 85 y/o unresponsive, but breathing male. We go in and he has 3 family members there. He is a solid V on the AVPU scale, but not very cooperative. I decide immediately to get a 4 lead before doing vitals. I had surveyed everything, just like I was taught, and even noticed what I will reveal in the end, and applied the electrodes. Turn on the Lifepak, and nothing. I adjust the upper leads that my medic said was loose. I simply cannot figure this out. I finally ask the senior medic (the EMS Instructor) for help. He walks up, and says nonchalantly, "You will have a hard time getting a reading from a prosthetic leg." OMG, it wasn't bad enough that I had looked like an ass to him, but the grandson pipes in with "I saw that, but I thought he was checking for termites."

Well, I was the laughing stock of the receiving ED staff, then the station guys, finally the volunteer dept training group who was at the station waiting. To make matters worse, I am the training coordinator and a First Responder Instructor.

I will be adding my new nickname to my helmet soon, Woody. :? :oops:

[Richard B the EMT]

Somewhere in the distant past, on this site, someone revealed he had asked a double amputee to walk down the stairs to the ambulance. He hadn't checked the patient fully.

WAS NOT ME!

Don't feel too bad about it. Mistakes happen, it's how you deal with the results, and correct them if you can, that will be the telling factor.

[Kaisu]

Great first post and welcome to the city.

[firedoc5]

We had one Medic report an MVA patient had good pedal pulses bilaterally. Got to the ER and a nurse checked. He had a prosthetic leg from the knee down. I think they still make jokes about it to this day.

So you're not the first and won't be the last.

[dougd]

Great story, thanks for sharing. We all have brain farts - welcome to the club.

[letmesleep]

Is it ok that I am laughing my ass off at you right now? I hope so!

Anyways, been there done that. My partner did the same thing about 4 years ago to me. She set up the EKG and we got nothing, she put the RED lead on the prosthetic leg and couldn't figure it out. The pt lost it when I found it and moved it.....quite humorous!

I think my biggest on going issue is there always seems to be some wrong with my pants......heres just one of many "I looked stupid" stories for ya. I was new at this district (where I work currently). We got a MVC call (years before we had turnout gear), so I grabbed my uniform shirt, put it on, tucked it in, and went to the call. Got the Pt to the ED, gave a verbal report, wrote my PCR, and left to return for a board meeting. Get to the meeting, stood up and introduced myself to the BOD (because I was new), and left to return to my station. En route back I realized that my fly was down and had been since I tucked in my shirt. I sat on the bench seat during transport with all my "junk" right at eye level of the Pt. Standing in a crowded room giving report, and writing my PCR. Stood up in front of the BOD for all to see my Bart Simpson Boxers. Then my partner says to me "Oh yeah, I saw that on the scene, in the ED, and at the BOD meeting, I meant to say something, but could stop chuckling at ya"! Thanks ass! was my reply.

We have all done something dumb.............

[mklandrew]

Thanks. After I got over the humor of being teased, I realized I had made what could have amounted to a huge mistake. Have come to the realization that to impress someone I need to worry about my pt and not showing off. Glad my lesson wasn't life threatening. 8)

[Christopher.Collins]

Great post bro... sorry to hear your impression didnt go quite as planned. Unless your idea of impressing him was just getting him to remember you, which Im assuming worked well.

Dont know how long youve been in that department but one of my old ones had a tradition. If you broke something or do something memorable you would recieve it as an award during the annual banquet. Heres some examples:

Our old boat ran up an uncharted rock... the crew of the boat were presented various parts (the drive shaft, prop, etc.)

One member tore apart a 5" line (dont remember how)... he recieved a good 3' section of it with the coupling.

My point... Im sure it will haunt you forever, maybe even in the form a trophy.

Somewhere in the distant past, on this site, someone revealed he had asked a double amputee to walk down the stairs to the ambulance.

I was called to a male unable to ambulate... got on scene to find he was a double amputee above the knees. FYI no prosthetics either. Somewhere along the lines there was a mix-up between him and dispatch between, cant walk and weak and tingly lower extrematies.

[mklandrew]

Chris, are you telling me you got bad info from dispatch? Unheard of. lol It was true though, he could not walk and maybe he was having phantom weakness and tingling.

I have my trophy, my new nickname, Woody.

[AMR2RezQ]

I've had the lovely things happen, like when on an MVA putting the pt on the board, while picking them up, having my pants split right down the middle, while a news crew is filming everything in the background. There isn't nothing like having you panties shown to the whole media & it's viewers!!

&

Picking up pts running in their wives underwear (grannie panties style) on their residential streets. The pt was male, the wife left for a trip with her sister and he thought she left him completely & put her underwear on and threatened his family bodily harm.

&

Having a teenage (19) 5150, just dropping her off for eval. before sending her to a psych facility. Leaving the hospital and going straight to the station, she managed to literally get to her boyfriend's house just 2 mins after we got to station. the residence was four blocks away from our station. She ended up going this time with Sherriff escort!! Now, we didn't even stop for food or anything.