Life, Drills, and More

Besides my recording my life and adventures in the Philippines, I'm not sure I have blogged so fully or consistently until we went to Europe...thus, I hope you can excuse the last few weeks of silence as not only did I need the reprieve, but life has been so full I simply have not had much opportunity for any internet time!

Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of photos on hand to show the happenings of the last few weeks, but following my last post, I spent the weekend nannying 'my precious little family' of 4 amazing kids for the weekend, ages 8 - 22 months...that included loading them up and taking them to a music rehearsal with me, playing at the Kroc, and living life with them while trying to direct Esther (back home) via phone how to deliver Katydid's malpresenting goat kid!! It was amazing and crazy, but all's well that ends well!

This week also, I had the opportunity to babysit some other friends of mine (6 kids this time - 13 - 1.5) for a day. The thing I love about babysitting/nannying Christian families is that each time I glean new ideas, learn new things, and get to practice my patience, creativity, and love. The question keeps coming to my head, "Do I have the skills, character, and especially selflessness it takes to be a mom?" And I think my answer is, "Yes, by God's grace I shall!"

I've also been busy with my part-time job at my dad's financial firm, Bible Study, spending time with friends (many of whom I have been sorely neglecting in the last few months), spending time with my Jesus, working on the ranch, correcting and sewing a ewe up with a prolapsed uterus, and many other various activities...

One of which, I want to specifically highlight today.... Yesterday, I had the opportunity to volunteer as a 'victim' for the Coeur d'Alene Disaster Drill, which was a 2-day drill done with Kootenai Health practicing how the Medical system would work if say, there was a blizzard and roofs started caving in causing multiple injuries... How would triage work? How would Incident Command be set up, and would it work smoothly with the City Departments, citizens, hospitals, and Emergency Personnel?

Everyone agreed it went much smoother than last year's drill, though a few kinks are still being worked out.

Corn Syrup and Red Food dye makes excellent blood (however, it doesn't dry fast!) :)

It all started when Selah asked me to volunteer with her (as her Nurse grandma had asked her to help)... I *of course* said yes!! :) Medical anything--especially with the ER is AWESOME! This is my life! Arriving at 6:15am, we signed in and got all 'moulaged' for our parts. I was asked to act as a 'hysterical' 32 week pregnant, 20 y/o female, who hearing the ceiling cracking started running from the building, but fell on the ice and had a occipital laceration, broken wrist, hip and lower leg bruising and injuries, and was in possible premature labor. :)

Saran wrap makes an excellent wrap for holding your "baby" in and keeping shape

Grandma S., Selah, and I (baking soda makes great sheet rock dust)

 Grandma S. had a C-Spine injury causing paralysis from her waist down and minor contusions, and Selah had a fractured pelvis among other things.

I think the baby is wanting to come.... :)

Charcoal makes nice bruising, along with liquid foundation and red spray paint as needed.

I guess they picked the right person, as I had a whole bunch of people come up asking when I was due, if it was a boy or girl, and if it was my first... Some thought it was awesome that they were able to find a pregnant woman to fill a role! Goodness....it was so funny!

After we finished the drill and debrief, Selah and I met up with Luke (my dear cousin, and Selah's hubby ;D), and went out for coffee....well, actually, we walked...as we were... Oh the looks were priceless!!! I still looked all pregnant too...crazy, I know! You should have seen the faces when we walked into the coffee shop! It was priceless....and we acted completely oblivious. Of course we told those who asked. :)

One of these days, maybe this will be my reality... :)

I shall blog more as time allows...
Looking Forward, we are leaving for Texas to see the Grand Canyon and ultimately for a homeschool conference next week, where I will be teaching young women-ages 12-15 for the week. After that, one of my big priorities is working to downsize our alpaca herd and organizing my life, so if you don't hear from me much, just know that I'm busy working, serving, or something like that. :)

"As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.

In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good."

~ Ecclesiastes 11:5-6 ~

"And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; that ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing."

~ 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 ~

A Slice of Thumb

Once we got back to the church, we said our goodbyes to the Mercy girls and went home to relax as a 'family' before attending the evening service (I have officially adopted/been adopted by the Serisolas, as Sylvette's twin...which though was a joke between her and I last year, was realized this year, and I have 'taken her place' in a sense now that she is married..) :)

For a few days, I had told the Serisolas I would make a Guava Crisp for them, and finally got my chance tonight... Since guava have little seeds, it takes a while to cut them up, especially if you're cutting it with your newly diamond-sharpened Buck knife...

In all my years of working in the kitchen or with knives, I have never "cut" myself (not including a knick or scratch here or there)...nevertheless, the thought did run across my mind "Wouldn't that just be ludicrous if I just happened to cut myself this time...right before I am headed back for a full week of preparing to go to Butuan??" So, I was especially careful, and things were going well...

Guava Plant

We were all relaxing and talking around the table while I sliced the guava, and I had almost finished the 3rd one, when I guess I got distracted/the knife slipped on a seed? And I nicked my thumb..not too bad..it just bled a little bit..not a big deal. 

I finished the rest without any problems...but decided to slice one of them just a bit thinner.... And then it happened..... I wasn't distracted..the knife slipped I guess? I'm not sure..anyway,....I gashed my thumb (at the base) open, about 3/4" long and maybe 3-4mm deep. Unfortunately, there just happens to be 2 juicy veins and nerves right there...

One instant, everything was fine, the next, blood was all over the table and the floor... I instantly applied pressure, and laughing ran to the kitchen sink (which quickly turned red...). Then, within 2 minutes, it almost looked like nothing had happened...

You see, 3 of the Serisola boys are Marine Engineers, and part of their training is Emergency Response--at least the training of an EMR, with special attention to water emergencies. Earlier in the week, we had had fun discussing and acting out Emergency response techniques..so when this happened, they were right on top of it...

I was laughing the whole time, first of all, because the whole thing seemed absolutely Murphy's Law to me, Secondly, I am almost never the one who is on the 'receiving' end of medical help, Third, they knew exactly what to do, and it was all calm-like!!

Within 30 seconds, one of them had produced Molunggay (Moringa) leaves and cloth magically appeared from somewhere (cloth isn't readily available here at the house), and my thumb was wrapped tightly with pressure applied...

We also eat these in fish soup..namit! (delicious)

We then had dinner, and got ready for church.. (nothing like trying to shower, dress, and redo your long hair with one hand..).. For the first 15 minutes, I could still feel the blood coming, and found it needful to actually 'elevate' it above my heart, at which it would stop pulsing as bad...as it was, the cloth was pretty bloody..

Jim and Sylvette spent the night at our house, and Sylvette unwrapped and looked it over before bed. She recommended me having Ate´Suse look at it when I got to Mercy tomorrow, and discern if it would need stitches...because it was pretty deep, and was still bleeding.

Since I am actually writing this a month later (12/20/12), I will give you an quick update on the progress it made... This might not interest you all, but having never personally experienced this, it really fascinates me...

Ate´Suse looked it over, we cleaned it out well, applied antibiotic ointment, and tightly rewrapped it, with instructions to unwrap and clean it out in 3 days. We decided it wouldn't need stitches, as my body was already showing evidence of healing.. I had to keep it elevated for 4 days though, otherwise it would start bleeding again..sackit!!

A month later, I have a cool scar (with scar tissue!), as a remembrance of that wonderful night (as it really was...with SO many good memories....), and a bunch of raw nerve endings, which remind me every time I bump my thumb or apply much pressure....like putting my clothes on in the morning... Worth it? Haha...yep!! I learned so much, and as I say, I wouldn't trade any of it for what I learn and the experience/relatability I get through it. Praise God!!!

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.

~ Romans 8:28 ~

The Air I Breathe

The past 2 days, I have had good, slow, busy shifts.... (I know, that sounds contradictory). The first day, I charted 2 births at the same time, both babies were born 2 minutes within each other..... Talk about crazy!!! Both of which, I could have been the handling midwife, but I was quite happy to chart.

The second day was almost completely dead--all afternoon--nothing zilch, until the last 2 hours...then too, I could have delivered a baby, but things worked best for 2 of the other students to deliver.

Wednesday morning, I experienced a very interesting situation... It all started with eating whole oats (like Oatmeal, except it was not cooked) for breakfast, which seemed to have swelled in my stomach, compressing my diaphragm which caused severe shortness of breath and inspiratory and expiratory stridor, and was revealed by having sharp, severe upper abdominal cramping. I'm told dehydration and lack of sleep probably didn't help things, but oh well...

It came on so suddenly, and thankfully a few of my housemates were able to coach me through the 1/2 hour ordeal. You know how doctors are often the worst patients?? Well, I suppose I can be counted in, most singularly through the fault of over-analyzation....and being an EMT doesn't help. It's that time when you really need to throw out your intellect and be a minion to your coach...

I immediately went into 'the mode', and started categorizing everything according to EMS, and tried to see what would help and what would not, and wishing desperately that we had a CPAP on hand (an uncomfortable apparatus that pretty much forces air in and out of your lungs, which usually proves effective). The whole time, I thought the whole situation seemed ridiculous, but as breathing got harder, and I started tiring out, I was not too comforted that we live no where near the clinic, or could call 9-1-1 just like that. ;)

CPAP Device (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure)

Thankfully, my coaches were amazing, and one of the gals walking through actually thought we were doing a Labor Role Play (talk about funny!!) Here I was on the birth ball ('moaning'?), with 3 gals around me, one coaching my breathing, another rubbing my back, and another checking my lung sounds, etc. I think we got an A+ on that one!!

Anyway, after half an hour of fighting, I finally lost my breakfast (who knows where it went!), and my breathing returned to normal almost immediately!! Praise God!!

Have you ever not been able to breathe before? I can know fully identify with my brother Daniel, and what he was going through with his last asthma attack, where, no matter how much you tried, you could hardly draw a breath, if that!

I really thank God for the experience, because it opened my eyes to so many things...
Rachel is coming tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it!! :)

Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

~ Psalms 150:6 ~

EMT: All Certified

As many of you know, this Spring, I completed my EMT Course and Skills Training, and passed my National Skills Test, leaving one test left to complete - the Adaptive Written Test, before I was completely 'Nationally Certified'. I finally took the test last night, after putting it on the back burner for 4 months, and found out this morning that I passed it, praise God!!

Earlier this summer, I had the opportunity to spend around 75 hrs as a ridealong at our local Fire Department, working on the ambulance, as well as the fire engine for a total of around 34 calls. You see a lot of things in the Emergency field, and I discovered I have a passion for it.

One of my main Shifts and I

As disciples of Christ, we all have been commissioned to 'Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things Jesus commanded us.' (Matt. 28:19-20a) This commission can and should be carried out where ever we are, whether that is at home, at work, at the grocery store, at play, etc.
Christ told us that 'WE are the light of the world, and a city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.' (Matt. 5:14) He commanded us to 'Let our lights so shine before men, that they may see our good works, and glorify our Father which is in Heaven.' (Matt. 5:16)

All of this applies in the field of EMS as well. Except, in this sense, we typically only have about 1/2 hour with each patient: to encourage them and make an impact for Christ--mostly through care, prayer, compassion, and example. We also can make an impact with our co-workers (or the 'brotherhood' as it is termed at the FD)... EMS is a stressful, adrenaline-packed job, and though there is a definite sense of satisfaction with a job well done, it's not always easy or fun.

Ever seen the a battery resting on the ground before?? That's what happens when a Jetta hits a Dumptruck...

There is a huge mission field there in EMS, and the biggest way to have an impact is to lead through example--letting your walk talk mostly, instead of the talk talk (though there are times for that as well).

As a girl going into a mostly guys world, you have to be careful that you are shamefaced and discreet, because you are dealing with other women's husbands, fiances, etc. in high-stress situations. It was really neat, because in the short time I was there, I saw God use me to make a small impact in the areas I served, and it so encouraged me to continue trying to make those little differences in other areas of my life as well.

I am so grateful for all those who serve our Country in all aspects. It is a rough, tough job...you see a lot, and you have to handle a lot..and when you get off the job--12, 24, 48, or longer hour shifts, you have to go home and readjust to 'normal' life, trying to forget the sometimes devastating things you've dealt with...sometimes to people who understand and help, sometimes to people who don't.

It is imperative that we on the homefront encourage those working in those Front Line fields--both those defending our Country from without and within, and seek to understand how we can help.

As you might see, I'm passionate about this subject, and could go on for hours...so I'll end here. ;)

Also, as a quick addendum, Joe Galizio, a Volunteer Firefighter/EMT in NY is writing a kids book called 'Don't be Afraid' to help raise awareness that EMS Personnel are there to help in stressful situations. His hope is to educate Pre-K - Elementary-aged children that it's okay to be nervous, but not to hide from emergency workers, and hopefully help children understand the process during an emergency, which will make it a little less stressful for them.
His goal is to raise $7500.00 to assist with artwork and to cover the costs for the first print run of 2000 books. If you have an extra dollar or two, this would be a great cause to donate it to.. It would be really neat to see this book published... Read more here.

Incident Command

I started this post in early May, but forgot finish it until now...oh well!! Better late than never, right? :)

During my EMT Course, two of my required certificates, were about Incident Command Systems-both on National and Local levels, and how teamwork, good communication, and preparation are imperative for successful operations.

While studying, I had a mini revelation, which I thought I'd share.
3 crucial parts of the Command system are:
Chain of Command - referring to the orderly line of authority within the ranks of the incident management organization.
Unity of Command - Which means that all individuals have a designated supervisor to whom they report to at the scene of the incident.
Unified Command - In incidents involving multiple jurisdictions, a single jurisdiction with mulitagency involvement, or multiple jurisdictions with multiagency involvement, Unified Command allows agencies with different legal, geographic, and functional authorities and responsibilities to work together effectively without affecting individual agency authority, responsibility, or accountability.

Now think about this for a minute...
Chain of Command...doesn't that sound an awful lot like how family systems are set up?
Unity of Command...Who is our 'designated supervisor'?? Who else but Jesus Christ?!?
Unified Command.... Sounds a bit like marriage to me! We need Unity in our marriage--a oneness, a coming together of 2 separate people, with 2 separate pasts and growing ups, who meld all of that into one.

Wow!!! I don't know about you, but this was inspirational to me!! I find it so amazing how often God ties 'everyday things' into His ordained way of living...
Looking a little deeper into Unified Command, we find:
When an incident occurs within a single jurisdiction and there is no jurisdictional or functional agency overlap, a single Incident Commander is designated with overall incident management responsibility by the appropriate jurisdictional authority.
The designated Incident commander develops the incident objectives that direct all subsequent incident action planning. The Incident Commander approves the Incident Action Plan and the resources to be ordered or released.

As an incident expands in complexity, Unified Command may be established. In a Unified Command, individuals designated by their jurisdictional or organizational authorities (or by departments within a single jurisdiction) work together to:
- Determine objectives, strategies, plans, resource allocations, and priorities.
- Execute integrated incident operations and maximize the use of assigned resources.

Advantages of Using Unified Command
In multijurisdictional or multiagency incident management, Unified Command offers the following advantages:
- A single set of objectives is developed for the entire incident.
- A collective "team" approach is used to develop strategies to achieve incident objectives.
- Information flow and coordination are improved between all jurisdictions and agencies involved in the incident.
- All agencies with responsibility for the incident have an understanding of joint priorities and restrictions.
- No agency's legal authorities are compromised or neglected.
- The combined efforts of all agencies are optimized as they perform their respective assignments under a single Incident Action Plan.

Now, doesn't that sound just like marriage, and even has roleplaying tied into it!! The Incident Commander is the Husband, as the head of his home. He's given the ultimate responsibility for his home, by his authority (God), to lead his wife and family wisely, to state the family's objectives, to approve plans, and to authorize/approve when resources (money, time, etc) are to be used.
As women, we are called to be our husbands' helpmeets (Unified Command??), to help encourage him in Godliness, and as it is appropriate, to be their most trusted advisors, besides God in helping to create the objectives for our families. We are also often the ones to help carry out the plans our husbands create.

One of my mom's favorite thoughts is: The husband decides what he wants done that day (lays down the command), but the wife is the one who carries it out, and decides when and how and by who it is to be done in that day (lays out the laws). Therefore, a child really should not go to his father (or visa-versa) and get permission/command something to be done, without checking in with the mother first, because she is the one who has to make sure all the million and one things are done each day, in their proper order. :)

For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this and he doeth it.

When Jesus heard it, He marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

~ Matthew 8:9-10 ~

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 :)