Don't use a skill saw while sitting in a wheel chair.

So its been awhile since I posted a blog. I will try to bring all my readers up to speed. I completed, at end end of March, and the first couple weeks of April, I completed my 5 shifts/week at New Day Ranch. Tonight, I started my 4 evenings on, and 3 evenings off. I am using up some of my PTO time at NDR.

My EMT classes are going pretty well. I struggled a bit at end of the Medical Unit, but I managed to bounce back. As of right now we have just 5 classes left. Today I completed my required 10hrs of ER observation @ St. Vincent's ER. I actually stayed a total of 12hrs and ~30 minutes. It was a blast. I went in at 7am, met up with a Paramedic Student. Hung out with him for while, then followed around some ER Techs (EMTs), and a few nurses thru out the shift. When I started the shift, The Billings Clinic was on a "full-bed divert," which means that the Clinic was not accepting any patients. So St. V's got all the ambulance calls. Lucky me, I am glad I wasn't assigned to BC's ER. It wasn't until about 3pm, that BC started accepting ambulatory patients. Through most of the day, the ER was busy!

We had quite a few people come in with chest pain as their CC as far as medical patients. There was also about 5 people came in on a spine-board. We seemed to have quite a few elderly patients. One elderly in particular, said he was sitting in his wheel chair and using a skill saw to remove some extra fencing off his property. Well the saw slipped, and about sawed through some of his calf muscle on the medial anterior side of his R lower leg. The muscle was sutured, I didn't get to see this part, but I did see the doc put 29 staples up this guy's shin to close the wound. The doc had me help him put sterile cloth and some gauze pads over the staples, then put on a 4" double length ACE wrap (which one RN didn't know that 4" ACE wraps came in double length). The doc and I kinda laughed about it. The guy was able to walk out on his own power, lucky him he didn't strike his tibia (shin bone). That was probably one of my favorite things today.

Then as I was getting ready to leave at 7pm, AMR (American Medical Response) brought in a motorcycle rider that t-boned into a car that pulled out in front of him. So I had to stay for all the initial assessment stuff. They brought him in on a spine-board and I helped transfer him from the AMR cot to the ER bed, then the RN drew blood, and one of the doc's came in and completed the assessment. We were able to take him off the spine-board. It looked like the guy dislocated his R shoulder, maybe both thumbs, possibly a left hip. He appeared to have a small laceration on his R shin, but was not bleeding. I didn't stay long enough for X-rays to return, I was tired.

I wish I had pictures of the skill saw injury, but due to confidentiality, I decided not to. After I get my EMT certification and license, I really hope I can get a job at St. V's. I had a lot of fun.