Bolts

Much like some of the others, I watched my father and godfather pass away from cancer. Watching how the nurses treated them, nothing was too small to do. But being in the military, mainly male dominated units, it took a meeting with a male nurse to help me make up my mind. Looking back it seemed a silly thing to think, but he showed me by example that you can care and show compassion for people, but still be a "man", forgive me I was young :imbar . But he had been every where with the Red Cross, doing some amazing things, but it was his ability as a nurse and his ability to teach complexed things simply the made me to aspire to his lofty hieghts. Plus I just love the job, it rocks! Bolts

Mate, not sure if it's too late to reply, but here's my two cents worth. What Grace has posted is on the money, odds on you will meet people in the defence community who will recommend it, where others will tell you horror stories. But currently being in the defence for the last 18 yrs what I will say is defence life has MANY demands that you won't find in civillian employment, a LOT will be demanded of you, not asked. On the flip side, It also gives a lot back in other ways, travel, varied experiance, and opportunites you won't get else where. The friendship/mateship is a massive thing in the forces too. Just get all the information you can, evaluate it for yourself. And if you do get in REMAIN proactive in maintaining your clinical skills, a BIGGY. :)

Guy's you all are soooo cool, this thread is the best. Too often we seem to focus on the bad/dramatic things in life, it is a breath of fresh air to hear about the good thing in life that are so simple yet mean so much to the people involved. My story was when I was on a 4 day placment during my training. I was working on a ward, two rooms, 8 patients, and 1 RN to supervise me. Being a bit of a clown I would go in the rooms early in the morning, cracking jokes, organising the patients showers, making beds, ect. I would talk to all the patients except one. The ward was gastrointestinal, so seven of the patients had had proceedures relating to that, the last patient, Geoff was physically handicapped. Not knowing any better I thought it extended to being mentally handicapped, that sort of scared me I really didn't know what to say or do, and the RN really did most of the work where Geoff was concerned. That worked for me, till on the last day I was asked to feed Geoff, ok I thought So off I went. I grabbed his tray said G'day and introduced myself, as you do, and was almost floored when he said G'day back. He must have noticed that I was a bit shocked, so he was stirring me up (giving me a bit of lip/cheek). I thought well he started it so I gave him some back. Over the next 10 minutes we are both laughing like lunatic's, what ever was wrong with him physically certainly didn't affect his sense of humour. We were laughing that hard and loud the NUM left the front desk to see what was going on. I was really suprised, I spent the rest of the day with Geoff met his carer. He taught me the most important lesson about nursing, empathy. My only regret was that I didn't meet him on the first day, I left that afternoon, placment over. Bolts Like I sad at the start, the simple thing that mean so much to those involved.

I have passed out at work, whilst not quite as trumatic as some of the posts, I found it slightly amusing. I was on a course teaching basic nursing techniques/principles, and I ended up in the OT assisting a Dr in a lumbar puncture, a thearter nurse was watching/evaluating me.The Dr was about half way throught the proceedure when, wham, I went down like a sack of spuds. I came to with the thearter nurse over me seeing if I was ok, and apart from abruised ego and a massive lump on my head I was fine. There was no warning, but I think its cause I was a bit squemish, watching that needle go in and the Dr manipulating it didn't make for good viewing. But when the rest of the course found out, as they do, I found it hard to live down. I failed the evaluation and had to do it again, passed the 2nd time around, and I am proud to say that with a bit more exposure I rarely get sqemish now. But definatly not a high point in my career.

thanks for the replies, just one more question, does it matter about the degree/depth of burn. or is it only for superficial burns only. thanks again, bolts

Yes it works well, we still use it here too (obviously) it's just her description of a tuning fork that made me laugh.

I had a mate who was checking for a possible # of a patients finger, she was using a tuning fork. she wrote the notes as " Checked for # using the vibrating stick, finger NAD" Bolts

Hi all, well I have a burning question (no pun intended). I am curious about a trend where I am working at the moment and wondering if any one can clarify this trend. People/collegues where I work are using hypofix dressing on burns, from blisters to superfical burns?? I have heard of this practice but only in burns units and I am not sure of the why's and wherefore's of doing this. There would have to be guidelines to doing this?? Any help would be appreciated, Bolts

Gwenith, I figuring you might know and being a bit time poor at the moment I will have to wait to go though the links you provided at a later date. But just a quick one, have you heard of using hypofix on burns? Is there a reference for this? I am just trying to find the underpinning rational for doing this, any help would be greatly appreciated. Bolts

Kelly, After 18 years in the Army I have had it drumed into my head that a "team is a loose collection of people with differing ideas who strive for a common goal" When I first heard this I always smirked. However I now know better, the idea's that the other guys suggested are really good ideas and surprisingly the simplest one's are the one's that work the best. Have a look around where you work, think of somthing you all have in commomn, trust me it will be there you just have to look, and try to get people interested and/or involved. I will only take a couple to join in and the rest will become interested, but you are in the best position to figure this out cause you work there. Hope this helped?? Bolts

Thanks for reading and the replies made me laugh a bit, must remember to drop the aussi slang now and again, sorry for the confusion folks. And steph it a brilliant saying, rather pointed I think but feel free to use it any time. gotta go but thanks again. Bolts

Thanks for reading and the replies made me laugh a bit, must remember to dropp the aussi slang now and again, sorry for the confusion folks. And steph it a brilliant saying, rather pointed I think but feel free to use it any time. gotaa go but thanks again. Bolts

HN it sorta was acting like a big kid, it hurt, we knew it hurt but the way he was acting in my opinion was a bit over the top. Sorta like a mommys boy?? hope that helped. Bolts

HN, A sook is someone who thinks they are hurt a lot more than they are, winger is another term. A sexist view would be "he acted like a big girls blouse" Hope that helped? Bolts

Hi guy's, Had a long day I sort of need to vent and get some opinions at the same time. I fairly new to working in the emergency spectrum of things and I know about pain thresh holds but something really ticked me off today! I have recently been working observer shifts with paramedic's and working in a resonably busy ED. Today I started my shift with the paramedic's and the first call was to a 65 year old femal who had suffered a fall. when we got to her she was calm, orientated, and had no visable signs of shock. She stated that she had fallen over and given her right knee a bit of a "bump" and she had also hurt her right wrist and elbow in the fall. She stated that her pain was about a 2 at rest and went up to a 4 on movment. She had no significant history and we gave her 3 mls of methoxyflurane whilst we transported her. The whole time she was quite calm and rarley used the wistle. Found out later that day that she had # her head of her radius and # her patella (it was in 3 pieces) The next job was a 27 year old who had an obvious # to his 2nd proximal phlange, it happens when you stick it in a pitt bulls mouth. His history was IV drug use, tattoos, ear rings (4 of them) but he didn't like needles?? By the time we got to him he already had 75 mg of pethadine on board, and by the time we got him to the hospital he had another 15 mg of morphine on board in 2.5 mg doses and yet still complained of pain. Am I being a bit harsh here or is this bloke a bit of a sook? And is this an every day thing for you guy's? Cheers Bolts

My thoughts go out to the people of England, and London. It seem to be another sad day for inocent people everywhere, New York, Bali, Madrid, and now London. Bless the Emergency workers, Nurses, and Doctors who were on the news footage pouring out of the near by hospitals still in scrubs to do what they could, British determination. I will light a candle tonight in prayer.

Mate I fully agree, and from my experiance they are a rare breed. But as I said there are good officers out there, but acadamys shape them, they don't make them. As my father use to say(23 years vet) "it's good to be everything with rank, but a shame to be nothing without it"

Just a small point, after seving in the military for 18 years or more the one thing that I have learned is true Leaders are born, not made. Your addage of Acadamy=Officer=Leader is in my experiance is wrong, Some officers can go through their training and can fake being a good leader, but when the crunch come the real colours come out. Some of the best and brightest leaders I have ever met came from the ranks, and in my opinion that negates being an officer, or going to some acadamy to "learn" to be a leader. After all that I must say I have had the pleasure of serving under some great officers, and I gladly followed them anywhere they led. The thing about officers is when they are good, they are great but when they are bad, they are useless.

after scrolling through the last 12 pages it makes me wonder what all the fuss is about, don't get me wrong it's an interesting topic, but I can see the good and bad in both tom/ scientology and drugs/pyschiatry. And in the mordern and (hopefully) enlightened world I pity anyone who would do any thing just cause tom or some other celeb said to do it. Do these people exsit and what a sad place they live in. At the end of the day we are all responsable for our own happiness/actions/lives. All tom has confirmed is just how little he knows and how truly tunnel visioned he is for an "enlightened" person. Don't be angry at him, feel sorry for him. What a sad indervidual.

Thanks, I knew I would kick myself. Cheers guy's

you guy's are probably going to laugh, and I am probably going to kick myself but I have one Q left to answer and I'm haveing a brain fart. Does anyone know "What type of # is suspected if the casualty presents with "bilateral periorbital eechymosis"? and what other signs and symptoms might be present"? Thanks, Bolts

Hey Guy's, reading the thread, Very interesting. I have been a Patrol/Combat Medic since 1996, I upgraded to a Basic Medical Assistant in 2003 and I am soon to go onto my Advanced Medical Assistants course. Firstly a Combat First Aider is a role in the Army to bridge the gap between the Medical Assistants. They can proform some invasive proceedures,canulation and running fluids, but not many. They are ussually the first person on scene if a Medic is not available. Medics are the real first responder that can provide two thing on the "battle field" Inital tx and dx before evacuation to a facility where difinitive care can be given(insert DR and Nurses) At the end of the day a lot of hairs get split about medic's v nurses ect but when it comes down to it we all have our own job descriptions and titles and very little crosses over. And as for using agency staff, I am working at a Military Health Facility now and just like most of the others they do use agency staffing for some jobs. Cheers:rolleyes:

Hi All, Just registed but I have been reading this post for a while now. I didn't treat this one but I did see the end result. Take 3 drunken sailors, one car, one wheeled office chair, and a length of rope. Add speed and stupidity and you come to two conclusions, the wheels on the office chair will melt and come off at speed. the other is the road surface will strip skin.

Just thought I would post and say thanks, I have been in the Army for a while now and reading the last couple of post make me feel good about what I do. And just a few quick ones, ANZAC day whilst not the same as Veterans day still has the same meaning. And ANZAC day started at Gallipoli, but now it covers, at least for us all the conflicts, all the wars. All the mates lost past and present, in peace and war. And also more importantly for the families those people have left behind. It is a day to remember all the Aussi's and Kiwis, the mateship, and to remember just how good we as nations can get when the chips are down. Thank you for remembering.