Real Issues or Misuse

On Monday of this past week I got to ride the ambulance as part of my clinical rotations.Before I got there I was extremely nervous and excited to experience the ambu life for a whole shift. Working on the ambulance you never know what kind of situations you are going to encounter. It can be from something very minor to something extreme you can never know what kind of day it is going to be. With it being Presidents Day I was a little surprised on how many calls we did receive that day. But I suppose with many people being off and the schools off in observance of the holiday things are going to be a little chaotic.

I was able to sit in the back while the two paramedics were in the front. We got the first call and it was suppose to be an emergent response. They told me to hold on. as the sirens turned on and the speed increased and we dodged cars going in and out of traffic was pretty cool and a major adrenaline rush all the nerves go out the window because things are about to get real. Also I realized some people need to move out of the way! There were a few cars that missed the memo that when an ambulance is coming through with the lights and sirens on they need to move out of the way please!

After the first few calls went by and we transported the patients to area hospitals the EMT asks me what have you noticed about today? I stayed quiet because I was not to sure what he meant by that. Then he reiterates to me, what do you think about the calls we have received today? do you think they are all emergency or do you think people overly use 911. Then I began to realize what he meant. a lot of the call we responded to through out the day were not really 911 emergent calls. From what I was told about 85% of the calls they respond to are not really 911 emergent. Sometimes you get there and are like seriously we came here for this. But as a public service you are to respond to all calls asking for help. But then you stop and realize, What if someone who really need help is unable to receive help in a timely manner because we are responding to a lot of bogus calls sometimes. It puts things into perspective. We did respond to a few really critical calls that we were able to help the people involved in a timely manner and get them to area hospitals. But sometimes after you leave a call you kinda just have to shake your head.

But all in all it was an amazing experience that I was able to see things from a different point of view and experience a shift as an EMT. I have the utmost respect for them and all the patience they have with all the patients no matter what the situation and also the long shifts they work i'm not gonna lie at hour 10 of the shift I was already beat. Most days they work more than there 12 hours shifts and still have to do all the reports for the day after the actual shift is over. I saw good team work between all the departments from Fire, Police, and Medical response even when we do get called to those head scratching calls. But it was fun day for sure, and I had many stories to tell my classmates the following day. 

St. Valentine

Since this blog is supposed to be about history, why not talk about the history of this very day we celebrate the love in the air every February 14th. The days when we were little and in elementary school and had to pick out the coolest valentines we could find to share with our classmates, and decorate our valentines box to collect all of our cards, enjoying all the snack and fun with our valentine party. That's when Valentine ’s Day was the best, then you get older and it can either be a day you love or hate depending on your current relationship status. I personally believe that you shouldn't just shower your loved ones JUST on one specific day but do it every day.

Who is this St. Valentine?

The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice he went behind Claudius' back continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death. Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured. Legend has it an imprisoned Valentine befriended a prison guard’s daughter and left her a note signed, “From your Valentine.”

Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther Howland began selling the first mass produced valentines in America. Howland, known as the “Mother of the Valentine,” made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as scrap.

With that being said I hope you all had a wonderful valentine’s day and it isn't just for the people with significant others it’s a day to celebrate the people around you, who love and make you happy. Also don't just do it one day a year, show them you appreciate them every day. <3 <3

So much to do so little time.....

Winter break came and went just like that, with that being said graduation is right around the corner and this semester is in overdrive. There is so much to do and so little time. Registered respiratory therapist will soon be my title and I am so excited. So much hard work and dedication and soon it will all pay off. These weeks are just so busy sometimes I find my self freaking out and waking up in the middle of the night wondering where I am suppose to be or what day it is and whats the next thing due with my busy schedule of juggling school, clinical s at the hospital, a full time job and still try to manage to eat and sleep in-between.

The first week back to school we attended NMSRC annual state conference in Ruidoso, NM which was a blast and set the tone for the rest of the semester. While we were there we received our laid out schedule of where each student needed to be during the semester 15 full pages of schedules for different specialty rotations as well as our hospital schedule. The program in itself in a full time job. My first two sets of clinical rotations are my specialty rotations. Being able to see and work in the different areas of our career field. The first stop on my list was going to the Hyberbaric chambers in El Paso, Did I forget to mention that most of our clinical experience are out of town so I spend a lot of time in the car on the road. The hyperbaric chambers is a type of oxygen therapy that consists of a chamber which patients go into which are set at different atmospheric pressures while receiving 100% oxygen. They are typically used for wound care to help heal wounds faster usually in diabetic patents as well as many other things. the second day on my schedule was my teaching rotation where I had to teach the first year students in the program a specific topic, it was crazy because that was me just starting out now here I am about to go off into the real world in this career. Finally the last day of the first week back I got to do my ER rotation at the trauma hospital in El Paso Friday night which was exciting.

This past week has been a busy one as well I went to Alamogordo Monday and Wednesday for an intubation rotation. Which was awesome because we got to go this year, the class before us was not able to go. I got to attend several surgeries and help the anesthesiologist intubate and manage the airway while the patient was having surgery. Let me say its harder to doing on a real person vs a dummy doll. But I did it. I was also able to observe some pretty cool surgeries and be up close to see it all. I saw a rotator cuff surgery, a gallbladder removal, and a few foot surgeries and many more. I was a little nervous if I was going to be able to stomach it but once your there and up close you see how cool and amazing the body is from the inside and the way surgeons work that you don't have time to freak out. Thursday I went to the sleep lab and observed how they perform sleep studies which was pretty cool but I'm sure its hard to sleep somewhere else in a room hooked up to a million wires, One patient decided to leave because she couldn't fall asleep. In the midst of all that a busy week at work and school I passed my NRP which is neonatal resuscitation, Next week we have to test out for my PALS certification which is pediatric advanced life support. So much to do and so little time. I can only imagine what the next few weeks have in store. We have to get out licence in so many things before graduations and prepare to take our boards to get registered. But like I said so much to do so little time......

But all the stress and struggle will all be worth it :)