EMT Class Week 16 - More Trauma

So this week we took on musculoskeletal, head, neck, and spine trauma.  Another week of OUCH!

Minimal lectures this week, though, and got to spend more time splinting and bandaging.  Spent most of this week in a safety class, so I wasn't able to attend any of the cool lectures going on in the local ALS refresher.  I still couldn't pick our medical director out of a line-up if I had to.

So with so much training going on and even a few runs (cardiac rule-outs, broken bones), there hasn't been much time for ambulance work.  Taylor finally got to go on her first ambulance run!  I got to help out and drive, and it was cool seeing her work.  I'm generally a giant pain in the rear, barking orders, etc., and she actually will call me on it :)

Another of my classmates got to take his first run last night, and he was so excited talking about it I thought he would burst.  Pretty dang cool.

We all need a minimum of 5 patient contacts and 10 hours experience before we pass the class and can go on to the national register exams.  Been a pretty dry winter as far as calls go, so I suppose I won't be helping out much until everyone else gets their hours in.  I plan on spending a few shifts in the 'local' emergency departments (1 hour and 1.5 hours away) so I should get my hours without issue.  I just hate to see our ambulance drive away without me in it!  The many, many hours I've spent working on that rig, alone and with help, have been a bonding experience.  It takes a lot to keep our ambulances in service and I've learned to take care of ours pretty well.

That said, I guess it's time to own up.  I bruised Effie.  A 15-inch or so bright orange scratch across one of the back doors.  When we first noticed the paint transfer, we all wondered what the heck could have caused it.  Surely "I" couldn't have done that to poor Effie!  Alas, contemplation provided the answer.  Backing into a driveway, basketball hoop hung too close to the road, SCREEETCH = big orange scratch.
Mr. Medic nearly ripped his arms off trying to remove it with a big eraser-type wheel attached to a drill, but there was still a faint orange line in the white paint.  It was my badge of shame.
Ended up picking the brain of a master car painter (my uncle) who directed me to the correct buffing compounds.  A mere 3 hours of elbow grease has caused the scratch to fade even more.  I'm spending another session on it this weekend before a final coat of wax.  Should be OK by then.

On to next week - optional class on Monday (I will be making up for the day I missed a couple weeks back).  Van said we could work on trauma & medical assessment so I'm ready to drill that into my thick head.  Should get into the clinic for my TB test if I can.  Then Abdominal and multi-system trauma.  Test the week after!

This is going way too fast!  I'm not ready!  EEEEEK!