Two very quiet day shifts.

Even the Padawan with all of his four week experience commented on how quiet it had been both at the Hospitals and on the radio.

Four jobs first day, five the second.
Most noteworthy?
Second day, until our last job our youngest patient had been Seventy four years of age.
So our average had been,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, yeah hang on,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, and carry the two,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, got it!

Our average patient age had been 84.25 years until we blow it on the last job.

A Sixty two year old with Wobbly leg syndrome (See post on the 27th Oct 08).

And that has been the most notable thing about our days at work.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

Trainee Question Books.

The sale of my book was not really going well.

With fifty or so new trainee officers going through the Ambulance Education Centre every course I had expected there to be a regular sales pattern.

Just to retell the history of the book, my original mentor (training officer) prepared the first one for all the trainee officers on that station. I thought it was a bloody good idea, re-gigged the format and content, added a few things and made a better one for myself.

Other officers saw it and started to buy them off me either for themselves or their own trainee's. I thought it still a bloody good idea so I approached the Australian College of Ambulance Professionals in my state, they have an education bookshop at our school and were happy to stock it.

It's not an entrepreneurial undertaking for me.

I tried to give it to education but nobody wanted it so to get it out there I had to publish, assemble and promote it.

Well, it seems that a local Uni that has a Paramedic Course (that I didn't do well in, cause I'm a good ambo but a poor academic, and I know which one I want working on me in an emergency, Doctors and Nurses can be academicly smart{grads that get the on-road experience then make good ambos}) may be interested in my little book.

Looks like I'm going to re-visit publishers to investigate mass production (well more than the 100 I make on the coffee table), if any reader has contact in the publishing game feel free to drop me a line on the email.
It's a pocket sized book 11cm x9cm, with 22 pages printed on both sides, laminated and bound.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

And that's a wrap.

Of this week anyway.

Padawan and I are developing our communication skills with each other as you do when you work as a team for eight weeks.
The teaching and development goes on. I envisage what my training officers might say along with my own perspective and then rethink it again before speaking.

I have offered to allow him to have as much time (within reason) with the patient as he wants and I have seen the silent panic look that invites me to take over treatment.

We are setting boundaries of where his knowledge does in fact cease.
He is young and confident and we are learning when that confidence is misplaced.

I am proud of the journey he is making.
That is one of the reasons I like to teach the new ones, get them young and learn them about,

Shiny Boots,
Clean and ironed uniforms,
A clean, washed (don't forget the wheel rims) and stocked ambulance,
Station duties,
The right way to drive both response and with a patient,
Scene assessment,
Scene control,
How you can go up to a complete stranger and get their most intimate details, no matter their age, sex, religion or race,
The correct protocols for the job
Not all chest pain is cardiac, if there is a story or evidence of trauma,
Vomiting does for a moment interfere with normal breathing but it is not a breathing problem like true SOB,
When in doubt, Airway, Breathing and Circulation they always help.
Respect for every patient, work mate and allied staff,
Coping with what we do.

It's hard, tiring work teaching and it's an honour.


Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

Whatsup!

So three shifts done now with the new Padawan.

We're starting to make some progress but time will tell.
There's a good reason why the probation period is twelve months.
It takes that long to perfect the basics of the craft of Pre Hospital Care.

So we're spending a bit longer on patient health care records and not doing as many jobs as we might be otherwise.


Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

So it's been about three months since Tracy last went riding on her push bike.

What did we do today? Along a new track I discovered three or four months ago. A nice easy but long ride from near the international airport and follows the canals out to Homebush Bay.
It's a good three hour round trip without stopping along the way and she made comment on returning that she bet that I wasn't tight (muscular wise).

So I guess I deserve the deep snoring that has me out here in my study posting at this hour of the morning.


Picked up an overtime shift for what will now be tonight at my station and I've just calculated that my new Padawan and I will be on our second night shift for the final of the Australian Idol at the Sydney Opera House.

Always a few hyperventilators and a few minor injuries there but don't watch it on the off chance you might see me because you won't. The cameras never go near the Johnnies tent out the back, God bless volunteer Johnnies (no offence intended Outback, I fully appreciate them).

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

New Boots

And the first thing you should do is put some polish on them.

I love new boots.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

NEWS FLASH!

Dit, dit dit, clack, clack sound like and old news reel news flash.

Zoom in on a serious looking newsreader with one hand over his ear and a deep voice.


Disturbing new 'glassing' trend found amongst Sydney party goers!
Several cases have been attended over the weekend of punters getting so intoxicated that they glass themselves.

Further detailed investigations (cutting through the pissed bullshit during history taking) has revealed this trend to be a result of slobbering clumsiness rather than violent intoxicated behaviour.

Fadeout back to normal transmission
Dit, dit,dit, clack,clack.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

So what would you do?

Call comes in, 'Suicide/Mental Health - Violent Patient.

You wait six minutes for the Cops (from whom the call came)
The two girls (still with big guns) who turn up ask
'Don't you know her?, '
'She hates us'
'It'll get very out of hand if we go in first!'

I failed the mental health course last year when I was doing Uni by correspondence.
I think it was designed by someone who didn't know what it was like to talk someone with a knife in to discarding it with out the shield of police protection in front of you.

I was not in great danger, the police were behind me, but out of sight and they did have those guns but I have to try my way first. She put the knife down, moved away from the chair (where another one was hidden) and sat in the middle of the lounge room while I pulled on every ounce of life experience I had to get us both out of there unharmed.

An hour we were there.

I never had her in my control but she let me guide her if it suited her mood at that moment.
She let me select Bra and Knickers to take because the bedroom had not been searched yet to let her in there.

Another three quarters of an hour at hospital trying to get her settled. She was aggressive to everyone but me, she had seen me before, I don't know where but she remembered the hair and moustache.

I felt I earnt my whole nights pay just on this job and did the other ten for free.

Those of you in the job will know I'm writing about this because it has had a profound affect on me.


Thanks for listening.

Taz feeling ordinary.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

Sprung, in a nie way.

The Trouble an' Strife is back tomorrow night so I went to the local shops to get a few basics.

The hair is out of the plait and a mass of boofy curls.
The Moustache is hanging down off the lip, not waxed out to the handlebar style.
I'm in a bright yellow Hawaiian shirt and jeans.

As I walk up the ramp from the car park, there in front is an elderly, short grandmother supporting herself on, as much as pushing, a trolley.

She runs out of wind about two metres from the top so I slip my arm around her shoulder and one hand on the trolley (nice one too with wheels that ran true!) with my best Ambo voice 'How are you Grandma, let me get you to the top' while others stop and ? watch me.

She thanks me as I leave her on a seat to catch that breath and several of the watchers also make comment.

One dude walks along with me and asks,
'Your like with the Ambos?'
Yep.
'You saved my Dad!'
Now the awkward question 'Did we.How is he?'
'Oh good mate, real good your guys are great'

'Not as good as you dude, most people don't recognise me out of uniform'
'I wasn't sure until I saw you eyes. I remembered your eyes and the way you looked at my Dad as you saved him.'


As you have already guessed I have no frigging idea who this guy is or when I saw his father.
But how cosmic is that he was there at that moment and that he remembered me that well.

Humbling again how much our passion for our profession can touch others.



Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

The end of the Roster.

At my station we spend eight weeks with each other. In that time you get pretty close to your partner, their family, loved ones and history.

Well this Saturday is the start of the new roster and me with a new Padawan (Jedi for learner!)

The last night together with my last Padawan was in no small terms a disaster!
FOUR LOUSY JOBS ALL NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Commissioner of jobs should be disgusted!

Well I wish we had a Commissioner of Jobs so I could complain!

I don't sleep because I don't wake up well and I was bored and tired and grumpy and now I'm going to try to get some sleep.

Good Night.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

What would you do?

So your called to Urinary Retention.

Retirement age Gent, basket ball and a half size abdo, firm, pain scale 3/10.
Has had scans showing a common restriction in the bladder, needs draining.
Polydipsia, - I guess intake is down due to retention.
Dysuria, - Well it's blocked, not hard to nut out!

BP - 220/90, a tad higher than I'd like
HR - 72
Temp (tymp) - 37.2
BGL, cause we measure that stuff too - no frigging idea, Hi is all any of our machine say.

ASNSW protocol say fluids but the poor fella's tonsils are floating now and his plumbing doesn't need any more fluid.

He has a big bore in the arm just in case things turn ugly and lets get him to hospital.



They drained of 1600 mls!!!!!!!!!!!!! that is
54 fluid ounces,
3.3 pints,
1.69 quarts or
0.43 gallons of urine.


Oh and his BGL was 45.9


No history of Diabetes in this generation but his mum was insulin dependant and dad was diet controlled so for Christ sake you would have thought somebody was keeping an eye on it?

Only two more shifts with the current Padawan (sounds better than Probie, I mean Jedi Knight is a listed religion with the Australian Bureau of Statistics) and slip straight into a brand new one. Could be a testing time for him getting me straight out of school.
Cram as much work as you can into every shift night or day!
Drink buckets of coffee!
Have really shiny boots (Army time coming back there)!
And a spotlessly clean ambulance!
Study on your own time, we're here to save lives and have an insane amount of fun!!!!!!!



It really is fun in my reality!!!!



Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

She's gone an' I'm bored!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Silly isn't it. Tracy would be sitting on her computer designing anyway in the other room.
It's just that she's not here. I guess now days I don't do aloneness very well.

*****************************************************

So like I posted I got an overtime shift and management took me off road and into a classroom for half a day.
Two ambulance type (and only just at that) jobs for the rest of the day.
Not a very satisfying day.
Not by Taz standards.

******************************************************

There are a few broken light/power fixtures in the house I think I'll get new ones and replace them as well as do the lawns. If I don't mow the flea carrier will disappear with the rapid spring growth.

With the Cheese an' Kisses up at the Outlaws in Banana Bender country the dish licker is spending a lot more time out doors. She doesn't like it, tough.



Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

How good is this!

Pulled a late call for overtime,,, someone didn't show up for work.

Then Ops call up and me and my partner are off to 'Respectful Workplace' training.

I said you do know I'm on overtime "Yep' ok we'll be there.

So I got paid really well to sit in a classroom.

Sweet.

Tracy is off tomorrow to see her Mum for eight days so I'll be batching it.

That'll be interesting.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

The week that was.

One lovely old lady that we met as we took her to hospital for what turned out to be the last time.
Her family were able to get there and be with her and it was all very quick and non invasive as every system just shut down.

A very long life lived, a very quick death in comfort, with loved ones.

********** ********** **********

A tragic and violent end for another person with depression.
These things do happen, it is part of our job that we are in attendance and sometime have to bear witness to their last act in life.

********** ********** **********

Several nice (well done in difficult conditions) application of skills and clinical knowledge and much of the ordinary work that makes up the daily grind of Ambulance.


Highlight - We found a stolen car! my first one. Trainee had stated after a job that they felt like hot chips (I felt them???? felt nothing like hot chips![yes I am a silly sod sometimes]{as funny as a hat full of armpits}). So we nicked up to an all night Kebab shop in the Cross to get some.

On the way back to station via some back roads, we come across this new BMW 4WD stopped in the middle of the road. No one in it, what looks to be a spare key in the ignition and the doors locked (I thought this looked very suspect and put gloves on before I touched the doors).

Our friendly local Constabulary were called and we were standing beside them as they called the registered owner at 5.30am to tell them the car (they didn't yet know was stolen or the house burgled) had been found safe and seemingly undamaged.

I bet that a couple of hungry ambos won't get the credit for finding it, who cares anyway.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

No little Taz's right now anyway!

We lucked out on the IVF program.

Tracy is making some trips to see her Mum and the our son Chris before Xmas because as usual I'll be working.

We'll have a break from the IVF during this time and start again in the new year I guess.

So the world is safe for a little while.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz