Today our Paramedic class had the honor and pleasure of listening to Annette speak about what to expect on out clinical rotations at the Burn Unit at the University of Utah hospital. I am always so excited when we get to here about a specific injury or patient we may encounter in the health field from someone who works with it everyday and not only that but is passionate about what they do. While she was going through her slide show I found myself grimacing at some of the graphic pictures she had included. I then stepped back and thought to myself, how would I feel if that was a picture of myself or of someone I loved. Our natural and first instinct is to shy away from uncomfortable sights. Annette brought up an often forgotten point. These are people too and they have feelings greater than any of us may experience. Having worked with burn patients for many years, the best thing we as a normally not very warm and welcoming society can do when we encounter someone who has experienced this unfortunate situation is to acknowledge them and ask them about their experience. Saying something like "I noticed the scar on your arm, it looks like it's from a burn. How are you healing? or what happened if you don't mind me asking?" She said the worst thing we as a society can do is pretend like we're not looking and don't care. In elementary school aged kids she said that when a kid returns to school, his/her friends will rally around the patient and act as protectors of them. In middle school and high school, people are ruthless and those who at one time we considered our closest friends may not be as accepting. When do we as people make this shift and why?
Annette also shared with us the awe inspiring experience of seeing these people who come in because a needle broke off in their arm from self administering heroine to admitting themselves to detox, and changing their thinking from what am I going to do now that I can't shoot up myself to who is going to take care of my ill mother. She said "Peoples' perspective on life changes after being burned, those who live choose to live and those who don't want to survive usually don't."
Another little tidbit she left us with was the saying "Don't tell me what to do if you can't tell me why." I am going to try my best to use this every chance I get. Not so much on the not taking orders but when I give orders or ask others to do something differently, I better have a good reason why I asked them to change what they're doing, or it's most likely not a very logical request. I'm not a huge fan of taking orders or of criticism. I struggled with this a lot with coaches in high school. I found I was much more receptive to their instruction if they had data to back up their request, and took the time to explain it to me. This can also be applied to patient care, when performing a procedure on a patient, they're (in theory, definitely not always) going to be much more calm and receptive to care if they know what to expect and why you're going to do it to them.
As Kyle brought up at the end of class these calls are low frequency/high acuity for the Fire Department. Meaning we won't get called on them much but when we do, a lot is required of us and our interventions may just be the difference between life and death.
Class today has reminded me to appreciate the little things in life.
I was reading on a facebook page of a friend of a friend about their child who's time is set to expire really soon due to heart failure and how they as a family are coping with this potentially devastating time in their lives and there are a few lines from it that put my feelings in to words more effectively than I seem to be able to. Here are two lines that really stuck out to me:
"I believe it is in recognizing the many blessings we already have that we find happiness. That isn't to say life isn't painful for us and that we wish things were otherwise - but our trials, when placed in the context of our blessings, seem to give us a much more balanced and joyful perspective."
"... it is the battles that rage inside our minds and hearts that are in greatest need of others service."
Life is short and we have never too much time for gladdening the hearts of those who are traveling the dark journey with us. Oh be swift to love, make haste to be kind.— Henri-Frederic Amiel
Remember to let those you love and appreciate know just how much you love and appreciate them and to do it as often as you can. You never know if that may be your last chance to do so.
Until next time,
Katie
