By Ginger A. Wirth
The Herald (Rock Hill, S.C.)
Copyright 2007 McClatchy Newspapers Inc.
All Rights Reserved
LANCASTER, S.C. — I sat trying to think of the best way to recognize and honor some of the most courageous and dedicated people that I know, and amazingly enough I was at a loss. What would be the best way to say thank you to a group of people who do their job without ever asking for rewards or formal recognition? How do you say thank you to a firefighter who pulls your loved one out of a tangled wreckage? How do you thank the paramedic who started CPR and saved your grandparent from a heart attack? How do you properly acknowledge the professionalism and compassion that I have the honor to observe while working with the Emergency Medical Service personnel of Lancaster County? I came to the conclusion that I could best recognize these individuals by sharing some of the things that I have learned.
I have been an emergency department nurse for more than 15 years and have had the opportunity to work all over the U.S. In the past three years that I have been living in Lancaster County, I have had the opportunity to work with and meet almost everyone in the EMS system in one capacity or another. This may be as the nurse who is receiving the patient in the Emergency Department (ED) at Springs Memorial Hospital, or in my role as the clinical director of emergency services. In any capacity, I have learned that these individuals are gifts to our community and our profession of emergency medicine.
All that they do in the field is often taken for granted. I know that in the ED, I receive patients who have been “well packaged,” meaning everything appropriate has been done prior to their getting to the hospital. Little does one know all that has gone on behind the scenes before the patient is delivered to the ED. This is where the truly amazing work happens.
For example, I was driving home when I stopped to get gas. I heard a loud noise and saw that a car had crashed into a tree. Three people were in the vehicle, and two were having medical complaints. Although I was an experienced ED nurse, I was amazed at how limited I was without having the seemingly endless resources of the ED at my immediate disposal. When the fire department and paramedics arrived, they took control of the scene immediately, each concentrating on his or her area of expertise. The fire department was focused on the smoke that was coming from the engine, and making sure that everyone was safe. The paramedics expediently tended to the victims. In a matter of minutes, two patients had been carefully extracted from the wreckage, fully assessed, with all appropriate treatments initiated, and they were en-route to the hospital. The vehicle was secured and towed away. This all occurred like clockwork.
This experience reinforced my appreciation of all the work they do and the manner in which they complete those tasks. These are all done well before we ever see a patient in the ED. These professionals have the patients fully assessed. The vital signs are taken and treatments initiated, such as IVs, oxygen, cardiac monitoring, dressings, splints and, in worse cases, lifesaving measures such as CPR. All of this is done in the back of a moving, noisy ambulance. Most of the time, only one medic is in the back with the patient simultaneously performing all these duties - while on the phone with the ED staff. If anyone ever needed eight hands, it would be them! Nonetheless, the patients arrive with the most appropriate and compassionate care.
In honor of EMS Week, I would like to salute the courageous men and women who have chosen to serve this community. Because of their compassion and tireless dedication we all can safely conclude that they will be there whenever and wherever any of us may need their services.
They are all angels - not ones with visible wings, but angels who ride in vehicles with flashing lights and sirens. I thank each and every one of them.
Ginger A. Wirth, RN, SANE, isclinical director of Emergency Services at Springs Memorial Hospital in Lancaster.