Medical First Responder Test

[WyomingBEC]

Yesterday I took my Medical First Responder Test. I had thought that I was well-prepared, but when it came to the practical portion of the test my team did not do so well. Our team of six were "called" to a bathroom where a 30 year-old female manikin had fell in the shower and was unconcious. After sizing up the scene, I immediately sent one person to hold c-spine and one person to begin an intial assessment. ABC's were okay so we quickly moved the patient onto a backboard. My partner holding c-spine remained in the shower due to the small size of the bathroom. During the initial assessment we found a deformed shoulder, mid-femur fracture, cool-clammy skin, and incontinence. Just as I began assigning jobs, the patient went into respiratory arrest while unsecured on the backboard. At this point two people were traction splinting, one person was running the BVM, one person was holding c-spine/jaw-thrust, and my cousin and I were monitoring the patient. Suddenly the patient entered cardiac arrest! I started CPR and my cousin went to get the AED. After five cycles of CPR, the AED was attached and ready (SOMEHOW!). We "cleared" everyone and press the shock button... our instructor then informed us that the provider sitting in the METAL shower was now down. We sent the two traction splint people to care for the downed provider. He was concious and slightly injured, but unable to further care for the patient. We continued CPR, and after five more cycles, we "cleared" everyone and pressed the shock button. Our instructor sadly informed us that my cousin and I were injured because we sat much too close to the patient. Now our team had four victims and three providers, so our instructor informed us that we needed to regroup and try again.

There you have it... my testing disaster story! Just so you know, we regrouped and passed with flying colors. I know there were so many things I could have done differently, but I just thought everyone might get a little laugh out of this story.

[Just Plain Ruff]

what was the rationale of the instructor or evaluator putting all your crew in arrest?

The only reason I can think of is that you were still in the bathroom and the floor was wet.

Clearing everyone should have consisted of making sure no-one was touching the patient but since you were in the bathroom and the floor was probably wet all of you got zapped. If you were sitting too close to the patient how close were you? I've been 3-5 inches from the patient before and we shocked them and I never felt a shock so my thoughts were that the evaluator was either taking into account the water in the bathroom or he was an asshole.

Was that the rationale the evaluator gave you?

Or you could have gotten a sadistic evaluator.

Edited April 7, 2009 by Ruffems

[WyomingBEC]

what was the rationale of the instructor or evaluator putting all your crew in arrest?

The only reason I can think of is that you were still in the bathroom and the floor was wet.

Clearing everyone should have consisted of making sure no-one was touching the patient but since you were in the bathroom and the floor was probably wet all of you got zapped. If you were sitting too close to the patient how close were you? I've been 3-5 inches from the patient before and we shocked them and I never felt a shock so my thoughts were that the evaluator was either taking into account the water in the bathroom or he was an asshole.

Was that the rationale the evaluator gave you?

Or you could have gotten a sadistic evaluator.

He never mentioned anything about the water, he just said that we were sitting to close. We were both sitting approximately 3-5 inches away just as you said. This was also our first combined scenario, so there was a little panic and confusion.

[Chief1C]

If the patient was on a board, how did the shock go to the shower? You weren't using a metal fold-a-board were you? Sounds like your instructor is a sandwich short of a picnic. We're always that close to the victim, don't have much choice in the ambulance. Maybe even closer when you're manually delivering a shock. It's not like you're using a live wire, it's not going to jump to you like you reached out to arch off a power line.

Edited April 7, 2009 by 4cmk6

[WyomingBEC]

If the patient was on a board, how did the shock go to the shower? You weren't using a metal fold-a-board were you? Sounds like your instructor is a sandwich short of a picnic.

No we were using a new plastic/composite backboard. Thats a good question... the patient was centered on the backboard with just the top of the backboard touching the shower. I did end up bring this issue up with the co-instructor (my aunt) who was unable to come the day of testing, but she said that we were prepped to be placed in teams of two that would go to different stations for various assessments-treatments-techniques. So idk but we have another 3 hour class before we become the first members of the youth ambulance program.

[Chief1C]

Now Echo will want to move to Wyoming.

[WyomingBEC]

Now Echo will want to move to Wyoming.

haha the more people we have, THE BETTER! In our class of 11 only 4 of us are joining the youth ambulance. The rest are either explorers on the fire department or uninterested.

[CBEMT]

Your instructor sounds like a dope.

So idk but we have another 3 hour class before we become the first members of the youth ambulance program.

And I don't like the sounds of that at ALL.

[FireMedic65]

surely sounds like nothing more than the evaluator being a jerk.

[WyomingBEC]

And I don't like the sounds of that at ALL.