Hear Am I Lord, Send Me!!

Since I left the Philippines 9 months ago, my heart's cry has been to go back and serve the villagers in the mountains, share the Hope that is within me, and disciple those that find my Jesus. Deep within my heart, I thought God wanted me to go back in 2012.

Summer 2011

It was not until March though, that I felt the Spirit's lead to contact my friends in the Philippines about going back. Meanwhile, I did what I felt Him asking me to do--pursue EMT. Through much prayer, waiting, and releasing everything to God over and over again, He has continued to open the doors for me to go back.

But as for me, my prayer is unto Thee, O LORD, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of Thy mercy hear me, in the truth of Thy salvation. Hear me, O LORD; for Thy lovingkindness is good: turn unto me according to the multitude of Thy tender mercies.

~ Psalms 69:13 & 16 ~

Last week, while I was at my Skills Camp, I received the last of my confirmatory letters verifying the need and joyful acceptance of my going back to help.  This morning, after more prayer and consideration, my parents gave me their full blessing to purchase the plane tickets and start finalizing all the details.

Dao Valente, I will leave around September 15th, 2012, and return around March 15th, 2013. I will fly to Davao City, and volunteer for around 6 weeks at Mercy Maternity Clinic (the same place I volunteered last year) to refresh my Midwifery Skills, before heading out to Butuan's Bukid (where I did most of my outreaches) for the remaining 4.5 months, to help my Filipino Surgeon friend-Bong and his team in the villages.

In all, I need to raise around $4000, $1900 of which, I have already covered. I believe, through working and saving this summer, I should have no problem raising the rest.

While there in the mountains (and at the Clinic), I will be helping and performing Routine Prenatals, delivering babies, giving health teachings and basic health care/checkups, evangelizing, discipling, helping to lead Bible Studies, and encouraging the edification of the believers already there in Christ.

Please pray for me:

That in all my preparations, I would keep an open hand to God's guiding;

That as my work consumes me (since it usually does..I love it SO much!), that I would have a tender heart towards my little siblings and my parents who 'supposedly' are going to miss me ;p;

That I would not get weary in well-doing, but that in everything I do, that I would be doing it in Christ, not of works, lest any man should boast;

That in everything I do, it would give God the glory, and would be a blessing to others.

The following verses describe my journey the last 9 months to a T...the asking, the waiting, the resting in His timing, the doing as He asked, the trusting, the meditating in His Word, the asking again, the hunger & ache to go back, the trusting in His timing and again abiding in His resting place, asking what His will for me is, resting, waiting, meditating, and then suddenly, an ANSWER!! -- "write a letter", obedience, waiting, resting, waiting, meditating, waiting, an ANSWER!! -- "Yes, come to the Bukid! We need you!", prayer, prayer, prayer, An ANSWER!! -- "write a letter", obedience, waiting, an ANSWER!! -- "Yes, come to Mercy! We need you!", prayer, prayer, prayer... and then the blessing of my parents. Praise God!!!

Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in Thy faithfulness answer me, and in Thy righteousness. I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Thy works; I muse on the work of Thy hands. I stretch forth my hands unto Thee: my soul thirsteth after Thee, as a thirsty land. Selah.

Hear me speedily, O LORD: my spirit faileth: hide not Thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit. Cause me to hear Thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in Thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto Thee.

Teach me to do Thy will; for Thou art my God: Thy Spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness. Quicken me, O LORD, for Thy Name's sake: for Thy righteousness' sake bring my soul out of trouble.

~ Psalms 143:1, 5-8, 10-11 ~

And this is only the beginning....

Grad Group/First Cria!!

Rachel had her graduation group pictures this morning, while I worked at a friend's house. I think they had too much fun. :)

Nathan, Daniel, Isaac, Colter, Cody, Katie, & Rachel

Then, as we were at one of my dearest friend's birthday party, Rebekah called me, and told me our first cria of the year was born!!! A gorgeous little 18.15 lb. girl with gorgeous fleece!! Isn't she just beautiful, and sweet as sugar too!?!?

Only Hours Old

We named her Selah Lucille (after my friend who's birthday she was born on, & after a elderly friend who went to glory the same day).  We are so excited to see when our next crias are to come!! We have quite a few due right now...

Skills Camp - Day 6

Friday. National Skills Test day.
Got up & ready at 0500, had my devotions, took a long early morning walk with my roommate by the lake, and practiced some last minute scenarios, had breakfast, and then realized my driver's license (needed for the National Test) was in my vehicle down the road..so I ran and got it. Then, one of my other mates realized they had left their steth & sphygmomanometer in their car, so I volunteered to run get their's for them. FYI, I'm a morning person...I love mornings (sometimes) and the fresh air. ;p

Maybe I didn't intend to fall completely in love with EMS, but I did!

Idaho EMS gave all of us an Orientation (the instructors, patients, and helpers had theirs separately) after calling in the roll. Very formal. There were about 22 of us testing. We finally got started a little before 0930.

For us EMT-Basics, we had 7 skills (2 performed back to back) we had to perform, without missing any critical criteria (BSI, Scene Safe, O2, Immediate Transfer, unsafe care, too much time, etc. etc.). We went in rounds, and I was called in the second round to do Supine Spinal Immobilization (max. 10 minutes).

Now remember, this is the one that I had practiced last night (my adrenaline was still up from it, & I couldn't stop it, which was really frustrating, because crisis is NEVER the time to be uptight!!), and it took around 15 minutes because I was laughing so hard.. I don't get stressed...but I confess, I  was nervous!! Okay...super nervous. (Which, is completely unprofessional in my opinion..so I was trying to cover it up.)

Anyway, after collecting myself, I went to 'the room', and just so happened to know 3 out of the 4 people there!! (My 2 assistants & my patient). One of them gave me a look & a nod of assurance that said "Hey, you can do this! You'll do fine!", which totally calmed me down, and helped me get completely focused.

I made good time--under 8 minutes, and my proctor gave me a thumbs up... I covered all the criteria..the only thing I messed up on, was that in checking CMS, I asked the patient to push their feet against my 'feet' instead of my hands.. =) I said it 4 times!! Thankfully I caught myself after I said 2 of them...it gave a good laugh.

Next, was the Trauma Assessment (max. 10 minutes).  I completed it in 6. The scenario was of a girl who had fallen from a porch and had landed on the steps below with all noticeable injuries on her right side. I found paradoxical movement of her chest, bleeding from her ear & ecchymosis around that and on her temple (possible skull fracture), bloody vomitus, and an open hand fracture.
I made a couple of mistakes, which I caught in my 2nd assessment (gave her NRB instead of BVM, and didn't suction her right away)...and so I wasn't sure if I'd pass it...even though it didn't seem to be 'critical criteria'.

My next one was BCSM (Bleeding Control/Shock Management) I completed it in under 4 minutes...and kind of went overboard,  ;p...all I needed to do was stop the bleeding and control shock, but I decided to cover everything from vitals to a mini assessment, and my ABC's. The poor kid said he got into a fight "selling drugs, but it didn't go too well".. I guess not! :)

My 4th was CPR/AED. I took 4-5 minutes. My 'assistant' wasn't quite with it (didn't really communicate back to me), the way my practice buddies were...and so there were a few transitions I didn't feel were smooth enough or good enough...even though I was trying to communicate what needed to happen.. There were also a few minor points I forgot to say. Oh well. So, I walked away not sure about this one either.

My 5th/6th station was O2 (Both NRB-Non Rebreather & BVM-Bag Valve Mask). The way they set it up, we did both back to back, in a semi-one situation, which was mentally interesting, trying to make sure that I didn't miss any of the points during transition...I did miss one. But felt good on it.

BVM

My 7th and last station was the Medical Assessment. It took me about 7 minutes (out of 10). I felt pretty confident. The scenario was an older gal complaining of chest pain..a full out heart attack actually. I gave her the prescribed medication I could (Nitro & Aspirin), O2, and did an immediate transport.

Still, I figured I would have to retake at least one over again..not for any particular reason...but  I could hardly fathom that I'd get it on the first try!! Finally, my papers came in, my name was called, and I found out the results: I PASSED MY NATIONAL SKILLS TEST THE FIRST TRY!!!
Wow, that was a shock!!

So, now all I have to do is pass my Adaptive Written Test (extremely similar format to that which RNs have to take), and I'll be Nationally Certified!

Cause me to hear Thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in Thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto Thee. Teach me to do Thy will; for Thou art my God: Thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.

~ Psalms 143:8 & 10 ~

Skills Camp - Day 5

Thursday.  Jamie & Luke left in the morning....sad moment... Love that little guy!! We were buddies...I helped him with his breakfast, and he would run up to me whenever he saw me. During one of our classes, he came up to me and begged me to 'Come and Play!!' Oh, how I wanted to!! I want a whole house full of little boys...may God help me to train them up to be God-Fearing, hardworking men!!!

Luke wore this child-size C-Collar for about 10 minutes..just wandering around :)

After listening to Luke's heart rate, I let him use my stethoscope to listen to mine. After about 3 minutes of this, his mommy came into the room, and I told him to go listen to his mommy's baby (Jaime is due in mid- October)
So precious!!!

Of course, then he had to listen to HER heartbeat... :)

All day long, we worked on honing our Medical & Trauma Skills. It was then, that Sinclair and I took our first Trauma Assessment (since we were a team)...the scenario was a motorcycle accident, with multiple injuries including a flail chest.

Pretty cool moulages don't ya think??

A closer look at the arm

And the leg

The day went great. I passed my Trauma Assessment on the first try, though it was still really choppy...so we kept practicing all day, with our instructors and then also in little mini-groups. I listened/watched on a lot of Assessments as well, and learned a lot that way too.

One of our instructors-Shane...doing an ET... No..it's not THAT hard!! ;p

In the afternoon, we each had an exit interview with the Directors & received our Certificates of Completion after passing all the skills...woohoo!!

BACK: Scott Reasor, Kyle, Mark, Ken Bookamer, Devon, Shane Andersen, ?? (patient), Chaz, Kyle (patient)
MIDDLE: Andrew, Ryan, Efren, Ashlee (patient), Heath, Cheryl Boss (patient), Sinclair, Ryan Asher, Tom Hiltenbrand, Adam Knight, Luke
FRONT: Sarah, Kirsten, Arantzazu, Cass, Jenn, Me, Russ, Dwayne

We literally worked/studied/practiced scenarios all day, and into the night...with hardly any breaks...just trying to get those Assessments memorized....they're pretty long!! Since today was the last day, everything started getting packed up, and I was able to help a little with that...

Scott helped us all set up our NREMT accounts for getting our National Certification...Macs rule!! :)

After dinner, somehow, the guys started a water balloon fight-towards Sarah & I (our cabin dorms are separated by about 15 feet). Of course, being EMS students, guess what they used as balloons? Exam gloves of course!! ;p

I startle really easily...and somehow, I got soaked...which pumped my adrenaline. Then, since I was already headed to talk to Scott (our always good-natured/humored Director), they asked me to tell him they 'needed' him at the dorms...
I couldn't stop laughing all the way down....my adrenaline was so up, and all the students studying in the main room knew something was up outside... I was able to control myself (to just a big smile), while talking to Scott, and then gave him the message...

Always a smile..even in the most stressful of times...

Of course, being Scott, and a longtime firefighter (who knows how to play pranks), he KNEW something was up, and asked me so... But he came up anyway, and but outwitted the guys by climbing up by the back of the cabins (5-floors) and getting on the top portico, defeating any hopes to soak him. That was pretty hilarious.

A few of us went through and practiced all the main skills on each other for tomorrow's big National Skills Test. The last one we did was the Supine Immobilization. On Wednesday, we had to carry strap the person in, and then work as a team to carry them around the building, up and down stairs, etc. And, since I was one of the smallest, I had gotten to be the guinea pig for a bunch of stuff (which I loved).

It's amazing how calm people can be...this truck is backing up, past the Ambulance, with almost 0" clearance....we are all watching (calmly) from inside.   :-O

So I jokingly asked if they were going to do it again tonight...no. As part of the procedure, to make sure that you strapped the 'patient' tight enough, they tip the whole board over, to see if the patient falls. Well, knowing I'd enjoy it, instead of just tipping it over, they tipped it every way imaginable, including upside down and feet/head first. Already pumped, I was laughing so hard, my vision got blurry!!! :P
Then, it was my turn to do Immobilize my patient, and I was still laughing so hard, it took me about 15 minutes to complete!! (The carpet wasn't helpful either, with the velcro straps).

A few guys came by to study for the test tomorrow, and watched us do the Immobilizations (I guess it was entertaining, since we were cracking jokes every other second). After I finished, I looked up and see 6'5" Mr. Exterminator himself in all of his gear!! :-) That was pretty funny....

All in all, it was a good, busy, packed full day....some people would call it stressful, though I didn't see it as that... It sure was a lot to get straight though, and make sure you're not missing any of the long list of Critical Criteria (instant fail)...I think we got to bed around 11pm. Totally worth it.

Skills Camp - Day 4

Wednesday. I was at the cafeteria eating, when a dear friend of mine-Alyssa called me, and said she was here at Camp MiVoden to see me!!! I was shocked! She had said that she wanted to come out, but I guess I'm internally pessimistic sometimes, and doubted it would actually happen..especially since I'm an hour from Coeur d'Alene, and she's a Night Shift Nurse....  We were able to spend 45 blissful minutes together, which was so much fun, before my first Session started. Thanks Lyssie for coming to see me!! That was SO special!!! :)

A friend gave me this quote...I like it a lot:

"The capacity to care is the thing that gives life its deepest meaning and significance."

Today, we worked on the following skills:
Overview on EPI Pens/MDI & all other meds we EMTs are allowed to give.

Meet Eddie. XD (The Ped's size name is Eddie Jr.)
This is a Nasopharyngyeal Airway...This picture just strikes me funny for some reason...

Doing it double!!! (Heath, Mark, & Sinclair) Too funny!

Reviewed CPR/AED skills

After we practiced the CPR/AED, we acted out a scenario as a group. One thing that I really like about this class, is that they strive to have each one of us know what it is like to be the patient--by putting us in their devices, being carried all around, etc. etc. The scenarios we acted out were incredibly helpful, not only for learning the skills, but for preparing ourselves for what might happen in real life.

First of all, 4 people were volunteered to be the 'EMTs', and were sent out so we could discuss the scene details.

Tom informing our 'EMTs' (Chaz, Dwayne, Heath & Sarah) abt the scenario.

The goal of this, was for us all to get a feel of what an accident scene could look like, and how important it is to find the patient immediately, get a grips on what happened, and keep focused, even when the crowd is going crazy--making sure that you yourself are not in an unsafe scene at the same time.

The Scenario:
Every summer, here in N. Idaho, we have a Classic Car Show called the 'Car d'Lane'. The patient was an older gentleman (a dummy), who was participating in the show with his 2 sons, in hopes to be able to sell their Classic. However, when the dad went to get something from the trunk, he collapsed in Cardiac Arrest.

EMS arrives on the scene 2 find both sons in hysterics, the one actually starts sobbing on an EMT's shoulder, asking "What took you so long? Will you be able to save him? Ohhh...., etc." (2 awesome actors!!)

Dwayne found the patient, and both sons are going crazy (see the one blubbering on him?) ;p

Meanwhile, the busy crowd finally notices what is going on, and starts swarming around making a ruckus and being extremely disruptive...maybe even dangerous!! An AED is brought (by me), and defibrillation is started. A 'doctor' pushes her way into the front, and tries to manipulatively take control, giving all sorts of bad advice, while some of the throng start being almost violent towards the Control Officers.

Crazy crowd (Dr. Arantzazu "Arancha" wants to step in)

Dr. Arantzazu overseeing CPR attempts & giving inaccurate advice

Then Law Enforcement shows up and helps keep the crowd back (to the back of the room), and are able to remove the sons from the immediate scene & calm them down enough to try to find out any pertinent history.

An upward approach

Meanwhile, we nosey bystanders (just for kicks) decide to watch through the windows of the building....so they closed the curtains. ;p

We then went over Obstetrics/Birth, and what a normal birth would look like, versus any complications we might come across. I'm always amazed to find how different people handle the thought of birth differently. We had a visual aid (rubber) up there, and I think every one handled it well, at least outwardly. Still it strikes me funny, because to me, it is just a natural, beautiful, normal process of life.

OB Class

In the EMS field, actually delivering a baby during transport is not very common, but it does happen. There were many things that I could have expounded upon, or added to--especially about Breech or VBAC births (I had the chance to, but didn't), but the thing is, most EMTs will never have the opportunity to, and for a lot of them, all they can really handle are the basic details/techniques...not all the garbage I'd throw at them. Besides, I came to learn, not to teach. :)

See?! They think it's normal....in fact, they're so bored, they're reading the paper!! ;p

It was neat though, because the instructor and I got along really well, and he questioned me afterwards, and asked why I didn't say anything...and I told him like I said above, that I came to learn, not teach...and then we had a really good discussion on how we would 'really' deliver a baby (he has delivered one before in EMS), etc. It was neat and refreshing, because we had very similar views.

We then worked on Patient Assessments: Medical & Trauma

After rehearsing them as a group, we started doing moulaged scenarios by twos. I teamed up with the other Sarah (who is about my age & my height) for the medical, and with Sinclair for the Trauma.

Our Medical scenarios took place in a boat on the very choppy lake, with 2 of our instructors acting as the proctor/bystander & patient. Our scenarios dealt with Cardiac and Diabetes/hypoglycemic shock patients.

Its really neat, because all of our instructors want us to succeed. They all have fun humor as well, and are genuinely care that you do well, and want to help you. Thus, these scenarios are not only fun, but you learn a ton in a good setting. With us girls, they decided to throw different complications at us, to see how we would respond...which made it a lot of fun. :)

Troy--one of our awesome Instructors

 That afternoon, Jaime & Luke-Adam's wife and 2.5 y/o son came to spend the night....boy was that a blast!!! We became buddies...

Luke had no problem with the Pediatric Backboard...even when they carried him around, tipped it foot first, etc. He even let us take his brachial pulse!!

That night, a bunch of us studied together, doing more scenarios, etc. That was a blast!!

Efren, Ryan, Cass, & Kirsten

Now THIS is the way to study!! Using a cardboard splint as a cushion and good old Dummy as a footstool :)

Skills Camp - Day 3

Tuesday. Primary Elections Day...which meant I had to get up extra early, drive an hour to my Voting Station, vote, and drive the hour back to Camp. Sessions start at 0815, and unfortunately, now that the State has taken voting over, Voting doesn't open until 0800 (it used to open at 0700). Thankfully, being 45 minutes late wasn't a problem! :)

We learned and passed the following Skills:
Long Bone Immobilization
Joint Immobilization
KED (Seated Spinal Immobilization)
FYI, In case I ever get in an accident and need Spinal Precautions taken, I have to use a Pediatric size C-Collar. :)

I found the KED actually pretty comfortable!

Instructor Ken watching as Devon & Cass fasten the KED to Kirsten.

Lifting & Carrying Patients using the Stair Chair, Backboard, Gurney, etc.
Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures to show you, but we learned so much (thanks to our amazing instructor-Tom), and it was awesome. It was definitely interesting learning how to counteract height differences .... for us 'vertically challenged' ;p.
The Stair Chair was especially a lot of fun....being the passenger.
Tom (one of my favorite instructors) acted as our patient when we practiced using the gurney. This was not the new hi-tech powered gurneys...no it was an old-fashioned one with levers..much more 'fun' to use. :) It was hilarious though, because he had a ton of 'whims' as the patient...being lowered and highered, and wanting his back support at a certain position, etc.... Lots of laughter.

We also had a small intensive on Vital Signs (which I already knew)...it was neat though, because you always learn new things from new perspectives.

Most of the students probably considered themselves religious to some extent, but 2 of the people I found the most  fellowship was Sarah & Russ (who is actually a pastor in Oregon). It was precious to be able to fellowship in the Lord, even during class!

After dinner, we had our official CPR Class, which covered all the qualifications to be re/certified (since mine expired 2 years ago).

Instructor Tom teaching CPR (awesome instructor!!)

Teamwork!! with Sinclair

Then, some of us went wake boarding (not me) and tubing (yes!) on the lake. The dusky weather was perfect, and the water was considerably warm! I love tubing....something about it.....

Camp Mivoden

Skills Camp-Day 2

Monday. Breakfast was at 0730. By Lunch, I was able to pass the Skills tests for:

Basic Bleeding/Shock care

Vital Sign Taking (not actually a skills sheet)

Checking and assembling O2 tank, and administering it via non-rebreather mask to patient

Shane teaching Bleeding/Shock & Vital Signs

Troy teaching O2 & Non-Rebreather Mask Techniques

That afternoon, I passed the Skills tests for:

BVM (Bag-Valve Mask) Ventilation of an apneic patient

Spinal Immobilization (using a backboard)

Robert teaching BVM/Oro/Naso Airways & Spinal Immobilization Techniques

Practicing the BVM

My buddies for the day: Heath (from ID), Ryan & Devon.

While we Basics learned our skills, the "I"s learned about IVs & Advanced Airways Techniques.

The one really neat thing about this class, is that they strive to help us know what it is like to be the patient, and really try to set us up for success. Part of that, was driving around on bumpy, windy roads, taking turns being the patient on the the gurney, and taking B/Ps on each other... I thought it was actually quite comfortable...though others didn't.... :)

Wow my hair is lightening!

Preparing to do Spinal Stabilization

 Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of me on the Backboard, but because of my "small stature", I was  a perfect candidate for being the guinea pig....It was awesome and so much fun...one thing we found out though....I have to use a Pediatric C-Spine Stabilization Collar, not an Adult size. ;p Remember that if I'm ever in an emergency!! :)

That night, we got off early, after dinner, and a big game of Volley Ball was played. Since my soft tissues don't appreciate that type of sport, I went down to the dock and did some wading, etc. I really wanted to go swimming, but it's no fun to swim by yourself, and everyone else wasn't sure about the water (it was actually quite warm!!)

Eventually, I went inside the main room, and got volunteered to be poked by one of the I-students-Ashley (not part of the May Class). She gave me the best IV job I've ever had done, even in the hospital!! Glad she's from around here! I voted for the full 250 ml of Sodium Chloride to be given, since I know I can always use a little more hydration! ;p

Excellent Job Ash!