I always try to be as professional as possible when I’m on duty, but sometimes my tongue just slips a little…
My partner and I were having a very busy day. We were getting calls after calls. It seemed that the 35°C heat had taken a lot of people off guard. People were dropping like flies in the afternoon from heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
Our radios crackled to life about a motorcycle accident as we were about to take a break. I looked at my partner and knew that we would be dispatched to the call because we were the only bike unit working that day and the west roadway was pretty far. Sure enough, within two seconds:
Dispatch: 20 Bravo 2
Me: “20 Bravo 2”
Dispatch: 20 Bravo 2, please respond to the West Static roadway for a burn. Security is already on site.
Me: “10-4. We are 10-8.”
So much for a break. We pedaled through the crowds and parked vehicles, trying to get there quickly but not so fast as to get our adrenaline and heart rate too high. As we neared I saw a man sitting on the pavement, his friend was beside him icing his leg.
He didn’t appear in too bad of a shape as I introduced myself to him. He had a good portion of his leg burned, the skin had melted off and there was dirt in it. After I cleaned his burn I got the burn gel pack out and told him it’ll help cool his wound. All the burn gels I’ve ever used or given to patients were soothing.
I was wrong.
The moment I placed the burn gel onto his injury, my partner noticed him flinch and grimace, seconds later he said he was feeling nauseous and unwell so we had to lay him down. The sudden pain probably made him hypotensive. He was probably thinking: Yeah right its soothing! That frickin hurt!
I thought burn gels were supposed to sooth and cool the burn? Anybody know otherwise?
Anyhow I continued with the assessment and I wanted to make sure he wasn’t hurt anywhere else. This is called a head-to-toe examination and you start from the head and work your way to the toes, then finish with the arms. When I got to the chest…
Me: “Is it okay if I lift up your shirt and check out your chest?”
Patient: “Of course!”
I wanted to smack myself.
Me: Noooo!! I meant to say check as in examine your chest! *Sigh* and he just sounded way too happy with that yes…
So much for being professional. I wonder if he thought I was trying to make up for inflicting unexpected pain on him by hitting on him.
My Paramedic Blog 