Comments on: Trust… It’s everything

By: EMS Blog Rounds Edition 33

EMS Blog Rounds Edition 33 — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 14:01:18 +0000

[...] Kaiser put a different spin on the trust theme because ultimately it’s everything. There should however not be any confusion in thinking that because money is currency like trust [...]

By: Medic999

Medic999 — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 13:00:53 +0000

Right, sorry it took so long to pop over and comment.

I completely understand what you are saying. There are some of my colleagues that I honestly wouldnt let into my house (although maybe thats a personal thing with these people), but there are some that I would be so happy to see if something bad were happening to one of my loved ones.

One of the most respected paramedics that I know, called 999 recently when his mother had fallen and injured her back.

I turned up, and once I realised who it was, suddenly felt a little under pressure to make sure that I did everything 'perfect'. I can honestly say that I didnt do anything different from normal, but what impressed me most was that he gave me some history and then said he would be downstairs if we needed him.

In effect, this told me that, "Im happy for you to do whatever you think is best for my mum"

What an amazing complement that was.

By: Medic999

Medic999 — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 09:00:53 +0000

By: Capt. Tom

Capt. Tom — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:25:43 +0000

Nice post Chris. I've thought about this often over the years, mostly the other way round. I see patient care on scene and think "Boy, I hope this guy/gal never shows up at my parents house when we REALLY need help." For the most part, I don't have that thought very often, Thankfully. However, we all need to work to keep our care uniform and at the top of what we can do. Getting lazy with the patient that seems 'fine' can yield some troublesome results when you get hit with the hidden injury or illness and have to explain your actions.
We are a volunteer Fire/EMS agency that runs with assigned duty crews, backed up by a commercial ALS service. Consequently, we often respond from home when we are not on duty. Maybe it's because we are close, maybe because it sounds like the assigned crew could us an extra pair of hands, or someone more experienced, or perhaps to provide scene management to a non-routine incident so the crew can focus on patient care. Whatever the reason, I have had several occaisions where I ran a call as 'an extra' only to be told later by either a crew member, a family member, or another Officer 'Boy was I glad to see you come through that door!'. Like wise, I have said the same thing to many of the Medics I work with regularly. I guess we are just lucky that way.
By the way, in a rural area like ours it is quite common to hear a dispatch and know who the patient is. In some cases I can fill out the top half of the PCR without asking any questions, I know their name, address, age, medical history, medications ( I check for changes), previous diagnosis, and Physician. It can be a blessing, and it can also be very hard, to know your patients that well.
I enjoy your posts very much and your participation in the Chronicles. Thanks for bringing a different voice to the table and speaking for those of us from non-metropolatin areas. I plan on adding my voice to the choir soon, but I need to make a hole in my schedule to do some writing. I'll send it off to the boys when I get it done.
Be Well, Be Safe,
Capt. Tom