Questions about getting started in EMS

[jjn85]

Okay...I'm not sure which Topic this would go under so sorry if it belongs somewhere else! I've got a few questions I'm sure MANY a paramedic/emt has heard in his/her career!!!! Okay...numero uno! GORE! How did any of you deal with seeing the gore when you first started out? I know you must get "used" to it to a certain degree but ANYONE is gonna get a little freaked out the first few times you see someone's insides on their outside! I'm just wondering if you could share what went through your mind...how'd you react..how'd you deal with it? I keep having this thought I'm gonna faint and end up in the back of an ambulance but on the WRONG side! strapped to the guy I was there for in the first place! j/k Also...how exactly do you prepare yourself for the really nasty stuff? Thanks!!!

[scubanurse]

Okay...numero uno! GORE! How did any of you deal with seeing the gore when you first started out? I know you must get "used" to it to a certain degree but ANYONE is gonna get a little freaked out the first few times you see someone's insides on their outside! I'm just wondering if you could share what went through your mind...how'd you react..how'd you deal with it? I keep having this thought I'm gonna faint and end up in the back of an ambulance but on the WRONG side! strapped to the guy I was there for in the first place! j/k Also...how exactly do you prepare yourself for the really nasty stuff? Thanks!!!

When I first started, I really thought it would bother me. A good friend, who is a child psychologist by day, gave me the following advice when you're on a really nasty gory scene:

Label how you are feeling. So you show up and see blood and guts and vomit everywhere, recognize the emotions you are feeling and put a label to it. "I'm feeling queesy and like I could faint." By putting a label to it, you are recognizing the emotion and feeling and not letting it take over how you are feeling. You might still throw up or feel faint, but I have really found this little trick to help on all scenes. With child abuse or elder abuse it helps me keep a level head on scene and not get pissed off at the abuser. By saying to myself "I am really angry at this person" it calms me down.

Not sure how it works for all but it is how I deal with it and it distracts a part of my brain from getting disgusted. Labeling the emotion tends to distract your mind from dwelling on how gross the scene is or how upset or angry you are.

Hope this helps, and best of luck to you!

[FireMedic65]

For most people, you can either deal with it, or you can't

Some people it doesn't bother them at all.

Me for example, I have see a wide variety of "gore" and gross things. I kept my composure where it needed to be. Seeing such things doesn't always get to me, but sometimes it does. We are not statues, we are human.

This is one of the many reasons there are CISD teams. So you can talk things out, or even get further help from a professional. Don't be embarrassed!

Seeing pictures of things is definitely like it is in person. It kind of hits home more, but looking at pictures might prepare you for what you might see. People try grossing me out by sending me nasty pics, and quite honestly, I don't even look. I deal with this stuff in person, I don't need to go looking for it on my down time.

If you come upon a scene and you don't feel good, excuse yourself and walk away. There is NO shame in it, even if some people give you a rough time for it. But it's all in good fun! You will make it through.

[P_Instructor]

Everyone handles these type of situations differently. Some can cut the mustard, some can't. Almost everyone will have some sort of 'uneasiness' went confronted with the 'hair, eyeballs, and teeth; blood, guts, and gore'! My advise to you may differ from many other providers out their. Dependant on the situation, one must realize that this is a 'patient' that you were summoned to help. Whether is be a simple or complex scenario, always remember your there to do the job to the best of your ability, to provide patient care and comfort. Is this always possible.....no.....but you must always strive to do the best you can. Don't be afraid to step back for a second, take a deep breath and put yourself in the right frame of mind to handle the job. Again, this may not work for everyone, but it has for me. I've dealt with 7 pediatric codes my first year as a Paramedic before my first adult code. That's a pucker factor! I have also dealt with MCI's (aircraft crash of DC10) with multiple patients, young and old, with all the patient descriptors you could think of. Look back and rely on your training. Prepare yourself for the job and one addage I use is: never approach your thinking as 'if it happens, what am I going to do', but 'WHEN it happens, what am I going to do!' The right frame of mind and confidence in yourself will go a long way.

Good luck with your career!

[spenac]

You will see very little gore. If you are properly educated you will do your job and hardly notice it.

[P_Instructor]

You will see very little gore. If you are properly educated you will do your job and hardly notice it.

I guess I should have been more informative. I agree with Spenac that the occasions of encountering the 'gore' is usually infrequent, but again one must be prepared, and as stated, being properly educated to do your job, should hopefully get you thru it. To make you not notice it might be a little open for discussion, but don't become tunnel visioned because of it.

[crotchitymedic1986]

I like scoobys answer, I would add that they more you see, the less shocking it becomes. You can google "trauma pics" or similar statements on the internet and get an eyefull of various gorey patients. The worst ones that you will see in the field will not be as shocking to you if you have seen some pics of those who have their insides on their outsides. For most people, it is the smells, not the sights that get to you. Of course, at the point you are totally callous to these scenes is probably when you should retire.

[jjn85]

Thanks so much for your answers!!! Yes, I already do look at pictures just about every day to condition myself....ever since I was kid I've always been fascinated with trauma! Its nice to know that pictures do seem to condition yourself. I'm feeling fairly confident because I can look at those pictures without my stomach turning and looking away! My best pal is an emt and she said the same thing about the smells! She said the only time she almost threw up was because she was in the back of an ambulance and took some guys shoes off and the smell almost knocked her over backwards! Your answers really helped calm some anxiety I have thanks!

[46Young]

Thanks so much for your answers!!! Yes, I already do look at pictures just about every day to condition myself....ever since I was kid I've always been fascinated with trauma! Its nice to know that pictures do seem to condition yourself. I'm feeling fairly confident because I can look at those pictures without my stomach turning and looking away! My best pal is an emt and she said the same thing about the smells! She said the only time she almost threw up was because she was in the back of an ambulance and took some guys shoes off and the smell almost knocked her over backwards! Your answers really helped calm some anxiety I have thanks!

Vomit = bad. Trench foot/decomposing body = worse. Perfed colostomy = worse still. Odor from a crispy critter = worst.

Check this out, it's a video of an electrocution fatality. NSFW. 6-05-09, Electrical Guide Wire = bad It's pretty graphic. See how you react to it.

http://www.fridaypage.com/

[dystorteddream]

Vomit = bad. Trench foot/decomposing body = worse. Perfed colostomy = worse still. Odor from a crispy critter = worst.

Check this out, it's a video of an electrocution fatality. NSFW. 6-05-09, Electrical Guide Wire = bad It's pretty graphic. See how you react to it.

http://www.fridaypage.com/

haha 46Young... I was eating my wendy's spicy chicken sandwich and i started to LOL at the brilliant guy touching the guide wire. Thanks for the chuckle. But anyway, back to the original question. I find when i'm working on a "gory" scene, I end up losing the human side of things, and view their injuries as something that's not right, and needs to be right again. If their leg's broken, it needs to be splinted. If their fingers are amputated, the bleeding needs to be controlled and the separated fingers need to be found, wrapped in a moist sterile dressing, wrapped in plastic and soaked in water. It sounds crude not viewing them as a "person", per se, but once I'm able to see the problem, do what I can to fix it, then I can focus on a little more emotional support. But that's not saying I'm being rude or ignoring their emotions. Calming a person down when they've gone through a traumatic event is part of patient care... if they're freaking out, then their heart rate's going to be up, BP will be up, which can be a bad thing if you're trying to stop gross hemorrhage.

Just my two cents on the matter.