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@gbuparamedic
Patients may have waited anxiously for hours, so they’re highly observant of our first responses in words, facial expression and body language. 🕵️♀️ How often do we pay attention to the good, bad and ugly picture our first impressions portray when arriving on scene? 👀 📝 Blog link in bio to read now. #firstresponders #paramedic #ems #emtlife #paramedicstudent https://www.instagram.com/p/CJfdiv6hYuJ/?igshid=wi5v8butxip7
Are Prehospital Acts Of Kindness Losing Their Magic?
Paramedics are well known for compassion towards patients and most of us have gone out of our way to go above and beyond at some point. Everyone loves a story about the acts of kindness we get to provide in such a privileged position. Patients and their families talk about small gestures for decades, remembering how it made them feel at the time. First responders fondly recall those moments of adding value and feeling appreciated, too.
From cleaning an elderly patient’s bathroom so they don’t come home to a gastrointestinal mess, to ensuring the palliative patient’s final journey involves a detour that takes in one last sunset. Or getting an injured groom to the altar (albeit by stretcher) en route to the emergency department, to dropping a lonely pet somewhere safe after their human is hospitalised.
We do these things because we’re naturally inclined, because we enjoy the feeling it gives us and because we care. It may also simply be in everyone’s best interests in helping to get the job done. Just as reassuring words roll off the tongue, acts of assistance come to mind and make all the difference on scene.
The motivation behind it may purely be practical, like the lady who slipped and fractured both wrists while colouring her hair. My colleague and I rinsed out the dye and towel dried her locks, once analgesia and splints were organised. We all laughed together about the specialised salon service, but in reality, the only other option would have been a severely burnt scalp if we’d just let it be.
Perhaps it’s something sad that plucks at the heartstrings and makes it impossible to leave behind, like the damage caused by a collapsed husband in a beautifully tended garden. There was no way anyone on scene would have slept that night if we hadn’t cleared away broken pots, propped up squashed flowers and raked the soil flat before leaving. Any thought of his widow being confronted by the debris after losing her life partner was much easier to wipe from the mind after wiping it from reality.
More often than not, it’s merely a case of obvious need. Dropped groceries beginning to melt in the hot sun? Into the fridge before transport. A dog left home alone? Fill up the water and food bowls as we leave. Elderly patient back into bed, uninjured after a fall? A cup of cocoa while the paperwork is completed, so they settle safe and sound into slumber.
We feel the warm glow, they feel cared for, the paramedic profession remains valued as a whole and ambulance service bills are paid without protest.
Everyone wins.
But what happens when it becomes a commercialised craving for kudos?
Reality TV shows play a big part in educating the general public about prehospital care. Overall understanding of paramedic practice has improved enormously. An increasing number of patients now know that clinical competence comes included with the package, rather than balk at a cost comparison between ambulances and Ubers as a method of transport. Stoic stalwarts are becoming more likely to call when they suffer a STEMI, rather than putting it off until it’s too late. Bystanders are growing to relish the thought of CPR and saving a life now that the concept is less foreign and frightening. Kids are keener than ever to interact inside an ambulance that’s familiar to those they see in their lounge room daily.
Along with increased insight, however, comes expectation.
Patients rarely used to anticipate or even imagine private acts of kindness on top of professional clinical care. Suddenly switching up the scene to focus on helpful additions was (and still is, when unexpected) a handy trick in every paramedic’s toolkit.
That gravely ill patient, reluctant to be transported, may be more easily convinced when a chore that cannot wait is completed for them. A stressed and strung out mental health crisis may be alleviated purely by practical assistance, without need for clinical or pharmacological intervention. Those cups of tea and sandwiches that settle a diabetic hypo, or stave off starvation in young children with injured parents, can make or break a day.
But those memorable moments that first responders have been sharing with patients since the dawn of prehospital time are at risk of losing their magic.
So heavily publicised, all surprise is slipping away.
So widely promoted, evidence exists that expectations abound.
Questions now come up on scene about the kindest things we’ve ever done. Jokes and banter about when laundry will be folded, or how long until dinner become more commonplace. Smartphone footage of thoughtful gestures is uploaded to social media by patients and loved ones, like those “captured in the wild” scenes used to be in the early days of nature documentaries. Bystanders look for it, wait for it and hope for it, that moment of delight when the kindness card trumps the common clinical.
Ambulance services build public relations based on the goodwill of their frontline clinicians. A small number of paramedics photograph or film their acts of kindness, sharing them far and wide for the whole world to see. Online groups with casts of thousands exist to collaborate, confer and congratulate both givers and receivers on gestures that bring smiles during times of crisis.
The more attention we seek through reality shows, organisational PR driven social media platforms and self-promotion of good deeds done, the more attention we gain for doing so. Now that it’s becoming something to hope for or even expect, like an encore at the end of a magician’s stage show, we’re going to disappoint a whole lot of people by failing to meet their expectations.
Educate them to expect professionalism.
Encourage them to anticipate a high standard of patient care.
Enlighten them in understanding what clinical excellence looks like on scene.
But elevating their focus to automatically assume acts of kindness, generosity and compassion from healthcare providers through every long shift, with minimal or no breaks, in all weathers, trying circumstances, continually changing environments, in and out of moving vehicles, without security and creature comforts while under the pressure of KPIs, documentation demands, organisational protocols, regulatory guidelines and media scrutiny is unrealistic and unreasonable.
Not every patient expects, needs or deserves grand acts of kindness over and above compassionate, competent and professional prehospital care. But the more we publicise these acts, the more they become an expected part of the service and the less value they bring. Where does this leave us when we need or want to turn any patient’s terrible day into a slightly less painful memory?
Feel free to share your thoughts below or on social media, I’d love to hear from you, Tammie.
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Which tips and tricks do you wish you’d known about on your very first shift in the ambulance? 🚑 #paramedicschool #emtschool #studentparamedic #paramedicstudent #paramedic (at Perth, Western Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGmhLrbhVbs/?igshid=1d11fpxe7rqaq
Mitch-Murphy and Bubbles are the cutest readers of the book ever! 😍 Unless you have a reader photo to top this one? 📷 These guys and the lovely DeeDee do a great job of making medics smile all over the globe, thanks @brick_ems for your hard work. 🚑 #paramedic #emt #brickems #paramediclife #emtlife (at Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGi0m0ohDJk/?igshid=tre2b4wm2ieg
Mitch-Murphy and Bubbles are the cutest readers of the book ever! 😍 Unless you have a reader photo to top this one? 📷 These guys and the lovely DeeDee do a great job of making medics smile all over the globe, thanks @brick_ems for your hard work. 🚑 #paramedic #emt #brickems #paramediclife #emtlife (at Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGi0m0ohDJk/?igshid=tre2b4wm2ieg
Looks like Mitch-Murphy are the cutest readers of the book ever! 😍 Unless you have a reader photo to top this one? 📷 These guys and the lovely DeeDee do a great job of making medics smile all over the globe, thanks @brick_ems for your hard work. 🚑 #paramedic #emt #brickems #paramediclife #emtlife (at Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGi0Q6Kh408/?igshid=1hu0uktk5vqow
With the Australian CPD year coming to an end, a little reading for reflective practice goes a long way. 🚑 It’s great to hear from other healthcare providers, especially with a full chapter dedicated to bridging the gap between paramedics, nurses and doctors. 👩🏽⚕️ Thanks Helen for purchasing, reading and posting. 🤩 Book link in bio 📚 #paramedic #emt #medicalbooks #paramedicstudent #ambulance (at Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGYSBqHBY2V/?igshid=10j4ey6apudei
With the Australian CPD year coming to a close, a little reading for reflective practice goes a long way. 🚑 It’s great to hear from other healthcare providers, especially with a full chapter dedicated to bridging the gap between paramedics, nurses and doctors. 👩🏽⚕️ Thanks Helen for purchasing, reading and posting a review. 🤩 Book link in bio 📚 #paramedic #emt #medicalbooks #paramedicstudent #ambulance (at Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGYR1-1hVK5/?igshid=1u3zm9p61p14c
What are your best tips and tricks to deal with dog safety on scene? 🐶 Blog post link in bio 📌 #paramedicschool #paramedicspattingdogs #emtlife #paramediclife #emslife https://www.instagram.com/p/CFyFcQKBlZM/?igshid=n1ess6kowvph
How do you feel about reflective practice? 🧐 The benefits to paramedics and EMTs are huge, if we find ways to love rather than loathe it. 📖 Read the full article at @ausemergencyservicesmag (free to subscribe). 🚑 An accompanying webinar on making CPD & reflective practice an everyday habit also available via @acparamedicine’s online courses page (free for members). ✍🏽 #paramedic #paramedicschool #emtschool #studentparamedic #emtstudent (at Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CFfzfNMB8Ml/?igshid=1qg7g3oyuw83s
Re-posted from @studentparamedicsaustralasia 📌 *********************************************************** Exciting news! You have the opportunity to WIN at the upcoming student to graduate webinar 🚑 Tammie Bullard, author of @gbuparamedic, has been kind enough to give away TWO prize packs to webinar attendees. The prize pack includes: - Paperback copy of The Good, The Bad & The Ugly Paramedic book - Stickers - Button Badge - Magnet - Bookmark Visit our Australasian College of Paramedicine events page for details and to sign up for the webinar. *********************************************************** These guys are putting on so many great events for paramedics and students this year, get all your transitioning questions answered and maybe win a prize pack while you’re there! 👏 Book link in bio if you just can’t wait until then for a print or eBook copy of your own! 📚 #studentparamedic #paramedicstudent #paramedicschool #paramedics #paramediclife (at Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CE6pJnHBbuu/?igshid=2w8wczwayidu
Tidying my dumpster of an office today, I thought about @brick_ems and how much effort these guys put into the world of first responders. 🚑 Thanks for the gifts, chatter and support over the past year or so…you never fail to make thousands of us smile! 🤩 Your latest patch looks great on my chair! 💚 #emtlife #paramediclife #paramedicschool #emslife #mediclife https://www.instagram.com/p/CEtYPXFhThc/?igshid=11vdkmhhpeee8
One of the best things about Zoom is the ability to keep The Good, The Bad & The Ugly Paramedic student book clubs alive! 📚 These are some of my favourite speaking events, chatting with paramedics of the future. 🚑 Hosted by @edithcowanuniversity and sponsored by @writingwa, thank you. 👏 If you’d like to organise something similar for your uni or organisation online or in-person, let me know. 👍 #paramedicine #studentparamedic #paramedicstudent #emtstudent #paramedicschool (at Perth, Western Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEJhK5EhnJY/?igshid=1qvc7h2cb3yll
Thanks for buying a copy and posting your review at the @paramedic_shop online Abbey. 📚 I really appreciate your time and absolutely loved hearing that you found it useful. 🚑 #paramedic #studentparamedic #paramedicstudent #paramedicschool #EMT (at Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CD5mLMTBP5k/?igshid=1441dpdrn2e1q
Whether it’s a throwback from a childhood fascination with stickers as rewards at school, or the fact that smiley faces make me happy, I just love it when new batches arrive in the mail. 🚑😍🚑😍🚑 #paramediclife #ems #emt #studentparamedic #paramedicschool https://www.instagram.com/p/CDfe4uMhPo5/?igshid=p0hfhm2ku89t
If we remember past preceptors for their good, their bad and their ugly, now's the time to decide just how you hope to be remembered and take steps to precept successfully with intent. Blog link in bio 🚑 #paramedic #studentparamedic #paramedicschool #emt #ems (at Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CDa9jZ1hAGG/?igshid=1q1rnwiot5hac
Whether precepting out of choice, or in a compulsory position, it’s a privilege to help shape the future of paramedicine. So how does your paramedic practice measure up as a role model? 🟢 I do everything I can to demonstrate good habits so they start off at a high standard. 🟠 It’s just too hard when we’re busy and I’m tired, especially on a night shift. 🔴 My preceptors were awful and I turned out okay, I never give it any thought. #paramedic #paramedicstudent #emtstudent #ems #ambulance (at Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CDJCZ4uB_Eg/?igshid=1ekhj23kjhujx