Did I help or hurt him???? :(

Nurses Safety

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I am a c.n.a/ starting nursing student and I got my first taste of some critical care tonight. Long story short a young boy got shot on my block and I ran to the scene to help him(couldn't help it, I was the only one). Gunshot wound to the head and everyone was panicked. I turned him to his side to help him breathe,but someone told me not to do it, so I don't know if that was right. I asked some of his friends for some shirts and applied pressure to his head to stop the bleeding. It helped alot and for 15 min i held on to that boy, talking to him telling him to hold on while taking his pulse.I'm just shaking and freaked out right now. I was just hoping to hear that I followed the right procedures and what else could I have done maybe to make it better? I also tried to raise his head up off the ground hoping the blood would flow a bit downwards..... I don't know if I did the right thing. This boys blood was all over my hands and I have no cuts but also wondering what's my risk for exposure . :( I hope I did the right thing..his pulse was fading when he went into the ambulance. I hope he makes it.

Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.

I think that you did great under the circumstances and it was generous of you to do it. I hope you can contact the health department so that they can possibly do the testing to make sure he didn't have any infectious blood borne pathogens for you to worry about.

Good job.

To madsmom1.... it was very traumatizing. I think the worst part wasn't seeing him or all the mess but the utter despair and hopelessness and shock of his friends when he got shot. They were hysterical and in their minds that was it.... their friend was dead in that moment, just like that. Like they never thought he might have a chance and they just left him there. Without a person to hold his hand or just say something to him. It was heartbreaking. To walk in the street and still see his blood stained on the ground is heartbreaking. Whenever I see a puddle it almost brings me to tears. I guess at work when someone dies its just so different than being there in the moment this boys life was almost taken and having to see his familiar face and those I know and to go through the aftermath with these people and look out my window and see his blood. Last night it rained and I watched his blood get wet again and start going down the street. I am traumatized and thank you so much for recognizing that. :(

Specializes in Trauma/Tele/Surgery/SICU.
and for 15 min i held on to that boy, talking to him telling him to hold on

You did good my friend! Applying pressure and offering comfort to that boy was the most important thing you could have done at that time.

We can all second guess your actions, turn him or don't, pressure or not, chance of c-spine injury, skull fracture etc. but we were not there and did not see the kid. An argument could be made for and against every action you took. You are not a trained first responder or an RN trained to assess. Even those of us who are trained do not always get it right.

I see a lot of people commenting on the fact that you did not wait for the scene to be secured and cleared. I wonder where you live? I know that in the area I used to work in a 15 minute response time had nothing to do with securing a scene and everything to do with the fact that the emergency response system is in shambles with broken units, personnel stretched too thin, and units routed from areas too far away to make prompt response possible. Add to that improper use by citizens and you have a recipe for disaster. Many people die waiting for help. In a situation like that the only thing you can do is use your best judgement. Some will call you a fool, others will commend your bravery. Only you can make the choice as to how much risk you are willing to assume.

You will be shaken for awhile. It is not easy to witness something like that. It will change you. Sometimes in unhealthy ways. I am often thankful I did not enter nursing while my children were young. I am afraid I would have isolated them in a bubble if I would have and I don't even do ER or first response!

Since you plan to become an ER RN I would encourage you to start cultivating a rock solid support network now. Make sure that network includes other emergency response personnel whether they be docs, RNs, EMT's, cops, etc. because they are the only ones who will ever truly understand what you deal with.

Specializes in Wilderness Medicine, ICU, Adult Ed..

Thank you for being responsible. I wish there were more people like you. As for the few who have lectured you about what you should or should not have done; ignore them! They were not there. They did not have to make any decissions under stress. They did not have to assess the risk you were taking by acting. It is real easy for them to waggle their finger at you from the comfort and safety of their computer keyboards and tell you what they would have done. It is real easy to be an expert and condem others when you do not have to take any responsibility. You did have to be responsible, and you did your best. Be proud! I would be honored to work with someone of your character.

Despite those that nay-say, think they would get shot, not help, look first, wait for the police, I congrad. you for thinking of your safety . HOWEVER some of us RUN into the fire and not away from it. It is not something we think, we just do. AND TO THOSE OF US THAT DO, WE ARE ANGELS, and IF the occasion comes that we turn into actual angel,,,,,well we did what we know best and that is to help when others turn away. We can't change that part of us, and we don't think we are anytype of hero or angel, we just DO. IF that is bad, then so be it.

I saw a robbery take place once yrs ago and a child was present. I could no more stop myself from protecting that child than stop breathing. IF it cost me my life. SO BE IT, but I would have died a thousand deaths if I had not protected and that child was shot.

Thank you for being responsible. I wish there were more people like you. As for the few who have lectured you about what you should or should not have done; ignore them!

She asked: "I was just hoping to hear that I followed the right procedures and what else could I have done maybe to make it better?"

I guess we should all just pat her on the back and not offer any feedback?

Despite those that nay-say, think they would get shot, not help, look first, wait for the police, I congrad. you for thinking of your safety . HOWEVER some of us RUN into the fire and not away from it. It is not something we think, we just do. AND TO THOSE OF US THAT DO, WE ARE ANGELS, and IF the occasion comes that we turn into actual angel,,,,,well we did what we know best and that is to help when others turn away.

So, police officers and firefighters don't consider safety on the job? They just act without considering their own safety? I did not know that.

Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical.

My husband is a police officer and a FF---you can bet your sweet bippy that many would could consider those in his profession as angels and no way in heck are they running in without making sure of scene safety. Anyone who would rush in and look later is a fool. Not an angel.

Specializes in Forensic Psych.
. AND TO THOSE OF US THAT DO, WE ARE ANGELS,

we don't think we are anytype of hero or angel, we just DO. IF that is bad, then so be it.

.

Mhmmm.

I was NOT speaking of any profession, *and I would def. think any police officer would assess shooting scene/crime area first, firemen fires first, nurses body/fluid exposure first, we try to minimize those area's of expertise might be in. BUT certain individuals in crisis would just REACT. Call us fools if you like if something is needed, the reaction is just there. AND COULD COST OUR LIVES, but...

Those that used their body to shield others in Colorado lost their life. They saved someone also. I don't consider them fools.

Specializes in Hem/Onc/BMT.
We can't change that part of us, and we don't think we are anytype of hero or angel, we just DO.

But you DO think you're an angel:

AND TO THOSE OF US THAT DO, WE ARE ANGELS

Okay, sorry conroenurse, I'm just nit-picking you. ;)

I do want to say, there is a difference between protecting someone who's about to be harmed, and rescuing someone who's already been harmed. If you risk danger to yourself protecting a child or girlfriend without a thought, you're one of those who the public like to hail as heroes and my hats off to you. When you're trying to rescue, however, I think the responsible thing to do is to act smart, not blindly. People end up drowning themselves after jumping into the water to help a victim. If you aren't properly trained in water rescue, better to stay put. If there's a gunshot victim on the ground and bullets are still flying, better to stay put. In rescue scenarios, I believe in acting responsibly and not adding to the body count which would burden the responders even further.

I think you did a great job. Think you might benefit from some counseling though - it sounds like a tremendous thing to go through. I just hope that if I'm ever in a similar situation I'd be able to offer the same assistance. It's easy at work with colleagues, doctors and a resource packed with everything we need in an emergency - it's different when a kid gets shot in the street and everyone has an opinion on what should be done.Good on you - be proud that you helped in what must have been an awful thing.

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