Dear Paramedics - Thankyou

[snoopy29]

Just got up after the night shift from hell and it's made me think about our friends and colleagues in green and what a difference they make, so........

Dear Paramedics thankyou,

Thankyou for making the difference. Nellie a pt in her 90's was having an MI but she refused to come to hospital because there was no-one to look after her cat. Her cat was all she had left in the world. It was at two in the morning so paramedics were not able to rouse Nellie's neighbour who could help with the cat. Nellie flatly refused to go so the paramedics agreed that at the end of their shift they would go back to Nellie's neighbour and sort the cat. So Nellie came in and got the treatment she needed. True to their word despite finishing late the boys in green rang me before the end of my shift to say mission accomplished

Arthur came in suffering from C-Diff. Fluid diarrhoea was running away from him and despite the crews valiant attempts by the time he got to us he was covered. The crew could easily have dumped and run but no they stayed for another half an hour helping the nurses clean Arthur up and restore his dignity. Tried to thank them only to be dismissed with a "we're all part of a team" :)

At some points during the night we were at capacity so other than emergencies I had to hold ambulances and not let them off load. I hate this, there is nothing worse than patients in the corridor. I apologise to the patients but also the crew. Their response "No problem, we have got one to look after, you on the other hand have considerably more". No grumbling, no tutting.

I forget how much back up we have in the clinical setting of the hospital and it amazes me the things the paramedics do on the move. I am quite sure I could not site an IV, perform CPR or intubate in the back of a racing ambulance.

You also realise how vulnerable they are going out to some of the worse areas and regularly receiving verbal abuse and worse.

They interventions make so much difference.When you get a patient that has had analgesia, fluids, nebulisers etc our work is so much easier and of course it is far better for the patient.

So thankyou, for the work you do and also the way you do it. I am amazed that whatever is thrown at them (sometimes literaly!!!) they remain cheerful, professional and a pleasure to work in partnership with.

with thanks

your tired but grateful ED nurse

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

I too have seen this with a few of the crews I meet and got to know when I worked on a medical admission unit back in West Yorkshire. They was great even when we had to call them out to transfer patients in the middle of the night due to the bed crisis we was having (just to point out that this particular hospital had wards on either side of a busy road and no way of getting patients across except by using an ambulance (believe me we had complained many times but the hospital was very old and spread out)

[streptococcus]

As an 18 year paramedic and new RN; I thank you for your appreciation.

[mustlovepoodles, RN]

I'm a school nurse and let me tell you, I love our local EMS. :redpinkhe Anything that can happen in your home can, and does, happen at school. Chest pain, anaphylaxis, asthma attacks, seizures, serious fractures and head injuries, I"ve seen them all. In a school I have no backup at all. THere is no oxygen, IVs, or emergency drugs. Just me and my bandaids. It doesn't happen often but when I need them, I need them NOW. And they always come running to save the day. My paramedics are total professionals and they treat me as an equal, not "just" a school nurse. I always thank them for coming so quickly and sometimes I even drop off goodies at the fire station for them.

[kristenohiorn]

Thank you, thank you, thank you, one million times... I could not do what you do. I feel safe inside the ED, not having to run in to an unfamilar home to rescue someone, and I am surrounded by experienced nurses to support me. Out there you have your small team and what you can find on the back of your bus. Thanks.

Kristen:nurse:

[imintrouble, BSN, RN]

In our small rural hospitall the paramedics are who we call to the floor when we can't get an IV stick on a pt. It may take awhile for them to get to the floor, but they almost always show up. They lead our codes on night shift. We are a better hospital because they are present in our ER.

[mickey_RN]

As a nursing student and parent of 8 years, thank you to the paramedics that came to my house when my daughter aspirated on her vomit at 1 week. You knew I was scared out of my mind even though I was using a bulb syringe to suck phlegm out of her mouth. You took over, but you still let me ride with you to the hospital, and I saw your professionalism, dedication and kindness. You are one of the reasons that I know no matter what the downside of nursing is, this is what I was meant to do. You save lives, and in my case, when I saw how competent you were, you saved a peice of my sanity.

Thank You

[amathis]

Coming from a Paramedic, "thank you" means everything. It feels good to be appreciated.

[vamedic4, EMT-P]

Thank you all for your appreciation, it means more than you know. :)

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

Me too, if you are an EMT consider yourself smooched with a big sloppy one.

By the time patients come to us they are packaged and at least some of their symptoms are relieved, makes our job easier every day.

[SaraO'Hara]

I drop cookies by our fire station once in a while - they're just so damn good and professional when we need 'em.