Last night's class

Thursdays around here means me getting ready for first responder class.  I usually take a bit to make sure all my homework is done and things around here are set for me to be gone for a four hour class.  I leave just before dinner and don't get home until well after the children go to bed.  (Class is 6:00 to 10:00 at night.)

Yesterday, I had an outreach meeting at 2:00 to discuss how to raise the education level around here about what domestic violence is.  It's one thing to say "Know the warning signs" but if you don't tell them what the warning signs are, they won't know what to look for.  (This is also a community where the basic mind-set is that it's ok to hit your wife, just not to the point of hospitalization.)

Anyway, that meeting was yesterday afternoon and given the time frame, it didn't make sense to go home after the meeting just to turn around and head back.  So, I did laundry and went over my stuff at that time.

At class last night, we did hands on everything.  We practiced putting in a nasal cannula, bag to mask resuscitation, suctioning, proper use of O2 dosing with nasal, bag, assisted breathing, mask, etc.  Then we did patient assessment and exam including vitals.  We were able to take turns doing the interview, taking vitals, and being the patient.  Doc called out what we had and we had to determine if it was safe.  My "patient" was a drunk with abdominal pains who was threatening anyone who would go near him.  "I am NOT going in there."  He then reported that the police have been dispatched and the patient was calm.  So I go in.

I do my interview and I have to say that he played a very good "insane drunk" role very well.

Then I got my revenge.  Mine was easy to play.  Female patient with abdominal pains.  I'll pretend I'm pregnant and in labor.
"Have you had pain like this before?"
"Last time I gave birth.  Is my baby going to be ok?"
"We're doing everything we can."  (Proper answer.)
Why won't you give me a straight answer.  What's wrong with my baby?  There's something wrong with my baby and you won't tell me.  Is my baby ok?  OW!  "
"Your baby is fine."  (WRONG!)

Everyone was cracking up over the performance.  To be fair, there was a good laugh going on with me over my drunken abdominal pain who miraculously also developed other pain that wasn't there before his "fight with the cops" and me having to go from subtly asking about drug use to directly asking.
"Don't worry about the police officer over there.  This is our discussion.  I need to know this so I can let the hospital know and they can properly take care of you.  Ok?"
"Oh, I ain't worried about no cop.  I can handle him!"

While we were all laughing through this, we also realize that these interactions are what we will be running into in real life and at that point, we won't be laughing.

Many of the people in the class have already been doing first responder stuff without the training and have been able to share their experience in the class.  "I had this one case where ___ and I did ____ and ____ was the result."  While I know I could technically go on calls since I am on the fire department and am a fire fighter, I have chosen to wait until I have the full training (a few more weeks) before I start responding.

My battery is starting to die, so I am cutting this short.