Shout out to first responders

[Simonesays, BSN, RN]

This is a post to acknowledge first responders and the amazing job they do under extremely stressful circumstances. I had an incident recently where I was dropping my boyfriend off at the airport. It was a horrible night- dark, rainy, and hard to see. On the way home I was one of the first people on the scene of an accident. The car was flipped upside down dangling from the median of a busy road. I pulled over to see if there was anything I could do to help. A few bystanders were already on their cell phones to 911. I checked on everyone who was standing outside of the car- all apparently ok with only one minor injury. I peeked inside the car and luckily no one inside. All I did was park my car a bit in front of the accident and turn on the flashers, try to prevent a family member from repeatedly trying to enter the car to get belongings, provide some emotional support, and wait with the family until the first responders arrived.

I work as an RN in a busy acute care setting and am fairly accustomed to stressful situations, but it's different when you're the first on the scene outside of a hospital environment. Just trying to get some control amidst such adrenaline and chaos was definitely eye-opening. I don't get to work closely with EMTs so just wanted to say thank-you for the incredible work you do!

Share your stories here about medical emergencies you encountered in your communities. And feel free to discuss recommendations about what to do in these events!

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Thanks

I'm a pre-hospital RN with my local rescue squad. Best advice for bystanders: scene safety!

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Amen to that! We recently had a tragedy when a gentleman stepped back into the roadway in an effort to wave vehicles away from his disabled truck after a minor crash. He was struck and killed by a semi that could not avoid him.

[~PedsRN~, BSN, RN]

I agree, first responders are amazing! I am in awe of them every day. Especially when I get a kid to the hospital that has an 16 gauge IV that I know was put in on the scene. Seriously though, I have been the first responder one time, in a situation very similar to the OP - except mine was motorcycle vs. car. All I did was stabilize stabilize this guys C-Spine and talk to him until the paramedics could arrive. (He was drunk as a skunk, probably saved him). There is something very AAAAAHHHH about being in the field and not in my cozy hospital surrounded by doctors.

[Simonesays, BSN, RN]

@HouTx- so sad! When I worked on an ortho-trauma floor there was an elderly gentleman who tried to do pretty much the same thing. He survived being hit by a car going at a high speed but his recovery was long and painful. And with all of his head injuries, his baseline was not the same as pre-hospitalization.

[amoLucia]

Some years ago, came upon the scene of a multi-vehicle accident. Lots of others had also stopped and things seemed to be being handled well while EMS was still yet to arrive.

My major intervention was an assessment of an elderly gentleman who self-medicated with 'a yellow pill with the hole in it because he was so upset'. The guy had a head injury.

And I was able to keep a walkie-talkie from leaving the scene and getting checked out 'just in case'. I believed her to be OK but I warned her about needing police reports for her auto insurance and possible late injury work absence validation, and 'leaving the scene ...' etc etc. Anything so she wouldn't leave.

The one serious injury was a young guy, front seat passenger, had a bloody scalp lac. Was being kept where he was seated, unmoved, with some scalp pressure drsg being held by volunteer to keep his head/neck stable.

Don't think I made the "I'm an RN" disclosure to anyone until I talked to EMS what I had checked out. It was the valium 5mgm guy that made me most concerned.