Saw a car accident; I wish I was already a nurse!

BellsRNBSN · Jul 19, 2010

I know what you mean! I would have felt the same way in that situation. I don't even start nursing school until next month, but I'm already itching to help out and start saving lives!

I had my BLS training in May, and the number 1 thing my instructor (who was a firefighter) stressed was the importance of trying to do something - even if you're not sure if you're doing it right. Of course, it's better to be CPR certified if you are going to try to perform CPR on someone, but he said that often times in these situations, people either pass by because they think someone else will help, or they're too scared to do anything for fear of doing it wrong, and the person who is hurt ends up dying. Obviously, you heard the ambulance, so you knew help was on the way, but yeah, if I was passing by and had NOT heard an ambulance, I definitely would have stopped to see if I could help. Even with a group of 10 people standing around, there's no guarantee that any of them were doing anything to help the person who was hurt.

But kudos to you for wanting to help! And never underestimate yourself - we may not be nurses yet, but we do have at least some medical knowledge, and when someone is in such a dire situation, some help from anyone is better than none!

gumby1411 · Jul 19, 2010

Are you CPR certified? I guess if you're not certified, then there's not much you can do besides calling 9-1-1. (Never assume that someone else called - it's better to have 10 people call than zero).

My mom is a retired RN and keeps a pair of gloves in her car. She actually needed them one day after we witnessed a car hit a pole and flip over. She grabbed the gloves and jumped out of our car to help the kid that flipped his car. He ended up being fine, just shook up. It was pretty cool seeing my mom jump into action like that, though.

JBGC4 · Jul 19, 2010

I would have stopped myself. If you're CPR certified, you have something to offer. It's amazing how many people are not certified, or do not keep up on certification. Just remember as a SN, you have more to offer than the person who has no medical experience.

Crazy! Hope that young man was okay.

That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Jul 19, 2010

This is why im glad I got my EMT before my RN. I cant say how many times I have used the trauma kit I keep in my jeep from accidents I have seen. We live in the country and sometimes primary care is a ways out so its nice to be able to help in a jam.

kbm318 · Jul 19, 2010

wait if you are a nurse aid shouldn't you already know cpr ..... ?

gumby1411 · Jul 19, 2010

wait if you are a nurse aid shouldn't you already know cpr ..... ?

I don't think the OP said they were a nurse aid...

kbm318 · Jul 19, 2010

I don't think the OP said they were a nurse aid...

Part of me wanted to pull over and help, but honestly, the only thing I know how to do is take vitals. I mean, I haven't done any nursing clinicals. The only clinical I have had were nurse aide clinicals. So what was I going to do? Yell at the people to give him some space and take his pulse and respirations? As soon as that thought came into my mind, I heard the ambulance coming. Had I not heard them coming, I probably would have done the above. lol.
Nurse or not, I know the mistake #1 they made was pulling him out of that car. Hopefully they didn't damage his back.
I do think I am going to sign up for my BLS class next quarter and maybe do a first aid class as well. You never know. I may need those skills sometime before I become a nurse!

well i figure when people take nurse aid clinicals they are wanting to become a nurse aid or is already....

AOX4RN, MSN, RN, NP · Jul 19, 2010

...I was going probably 5 mph on the highway strolling by this accident and all I could think about was "I wish I were a nurse so I could help!"

You don't need to be a nurse to be a good citizen.

I saw the young man laying in the grass, face up, eyes closed. About 10 people around him. I didn't see any blood or anything, and assumed he hadn't died by the way the people were acting around him. I mean, I'd assume people would either be freaking out or attempting CPR.

You don't have to be bleeding to die. And you'd be surprised at what people are doing while hanging around an accident. I was once stopped in traffic that looked as if it were caused by a single driver who hit the freeway median. Her car was "here" and her body was wwwwwwwwwaaaaaaaay over there. Well dressed, no shoes on but you could see where they landed as her body kept flying through the air. She was face up, moving her body, her head as if in agony and the people who stopped were all hanging out by their cars talking their phones and to each other. She was wwwwwwwwwaaaaaaaay over there all by herself. I yelled out of my window for someone to go just BE with her and the looked back at me like I was nuts. I was too far to the right to cause a further jam by cutting across. I learned a few minutes later by way of a traffic report she died. Can you imagine dying in the middle of a Southern California freeway while people stood nearby making phone calls?? It's one of my great citizen regrets that I didn't stop just to hold her hand.

Part of me wanted to pull over and help, but honestly, the only thing I know how to do is take vitals. I mean, I haven't done any nursing clinicals. The only clinical I have had were nurse aide clinicals. So what was I going to do? Yell at the people to give him some space and take his pulse and respirations? As soon as that thought came into my mind, I heard the ambulance coming. Had I not heard them coming, I probably would have done the above. lol.

I saw another traffic accident last Fall that I almost ended up a part of when the cars and parts came flying my way as I sat at an intersection. One car was pushed my way (t-boned in an intersection) and I saw the whites of the girl's eyes as she came toward me, bounced off the center divider and started rolling back. I jumped out and ran to her with two other men and got to her to secure her car and turn it off. She was screaming-- had broken her femur as it was displaced [but not a compound thankfully :barf02:

]. So I sat with her and talked with her, asked her where she was going, if there was anyone to call and I called her mom for her (late teen/early 20s). I'm a midwife so I know a little bit of general stuff (no need for HR or Resp-- she's screaming, crying, and talking so I know she is beating and breathing) and told her that when the paramedics got there, they'd give her something for the pain and get her out and fixed up. Talked about her boyfriend, my kids, anything to distract her from the fact her leg was crumpled under her. I even calmed her down by coaching her on her breathing midwife-style and as luck would have it, the fire engineer who showed up with the paramedics was my BFFs husband and then I knew she'd be okay. Her mom kept in touch with me to let me know her surgery was good (a couple of rods inserted to stabilize the femur).

Anyway, don't feel like you have to be a nurse to stop and when you do, don't do anything you're unsure of or haven't before. Just be human.

healthstar, BSN, RN · Jul 20, 2010

I would have stopped myself. If you're CPR certified, you have something to offer. It's amazing how many people are not certified, or do not keep up on certification. Just remember as a SN, you have more to offer than the person who has no medical experience.
Crazy! Hope that young man was okay.

Most students who are in nursing school HAVE TO get CPR certificate. I have 2 different ones and I would be so scared to go and help someone who got into a car accident. I don't know their condition. What if the guy fractured ribs or broke some bones....sometimes if you move a person you can make their condition worse by dislocating those ribs and causing some internal bleeding. I would only stop if I had some years of experience.

puravidaLV · Jul 20, 2010

umm can I just be that guy...you know the one that burst bubbles...

Even if I saw a car accident I wouldn't do a thing, matter fact I would blend in the crowd and go oohhh and ahhhhh.....and not get sued. At least that is how it goes in my state. Sorry I'm not walking outside to be a walking lawsuit for someone with a good citizen law or not. I might be CPR certified, but I'm not an EMT, and I don't need the _______ of the person injured coming up with Mr. "late night commercial" lawyer serving me papers.

...you save their life...oh...but they were ______ religion.

p.s. thank you california for making me this way.

starmickey03, MSN, RN · Jul 20, 2010

umm can I just be that guy...you know the one that burst bubbles...
Even if I saw a car accident I wouldn't do a thing, matter fact I would blend in the crowd and go oohhh and ahhhhh.....and not get sued. At least that is how it goes in my state. Sorry I'm not walking outside to be a walking lawsuit for someone with a good citizen law or not. I might be CPR certified, but I'm not an EMT, and I don't need the _______ of the person injured coming up with Mr. "late night commercial" lawyer serving me papers.
...you save their life...oh...but they were ______ religion.
p.s. thank you california for making me this way.

Its not just California, its Michigan as well. I had my CPR/BLS class last month and the instructor constantly reminded us that even though we may think we're being a "good samaritan", the person you are helping may not view it as such...and thats where all the suing comes in. He said when you actually become an RN you REALLY need to be careful because the injured party could sue you for malpractice if you helped them and something went wrong or they could sue if they find out youre an RN and didnt step in to help...I guess it's a catch-22...