Rapid Response Team

Well first day on the road today as a fully qualified trainee Technician ??? Don't ask.

I was 3rd manning, which means they do not let me loose without adult supervision. I go out with an experienced crew to watch and learn.

This crew I was with today, were brilliant. I got to attend a job (which means be the clinical lead for the patient). Nothing too exciting or taxing, which was fine by me as had to deal with the patient report form, which was hard enough, without actually trying to deal with patient.

I also got a good drive under blue lights to a head injury case, always a highlight to a day. (That is the drive, not the poor soul with the cracked noggin')

The job that made me proud to be in the service today, was to an elderly gent who had fallen and could not get back up. Nothing major you say.

The thing that made this one stand out was the way he was living, paralysed by polio in the 50's this gent lived in a small bungalow, on his own. The place was a bit of a tip to say the least and he seemed to be a toothpaste hoarder?? Not sure why, enough tubes to restock Boots nationally.

His home was warm, but had no lighting and he was convinced that this was due to the power shortages talk about and they were rationing him. Asked how long he had been without lights, he said 3 months!! Right through the winter, god knows what we would have found if his heater had not worked.

After getting him back in his chair and checking him over, he refused hospital treatment and did not need it, had a scout around the place. My crew mate found the fuse box and we discovered that the circuit breakers had been tripped, all except the heater.

With our medical electrician hats on we pushed buttons, pulled light cords and after 15mins worked out the water heater, which we could not find anyway, was causing everything else to trip out, hence no lights. Not forgetting this has been this way for 3 months!!

So we left him in his chair, with lights and properly dressed. The Paramedic I was with then called the Rapid Response Team (who are a team of district nurses)linked to Social Services.

Now I have been told Social Services can be bloody useless with a response time measured in weeks, these guys agreed to come out that day and put a care plan in place for this patient.

I was reassured by the Paramedic, that they are red hot and will pester the death out of social services to get things done quickly.

Whoever, you are guys, great work. Sorry I could not hang around to meet you all.

Intraosseous (IO) infusion

Never came across this during training, but have covered it today for a local county update course.

IO infusion, is where a needle is screwed into the bone, to deliver drugs or fluids into the marrow.

This is done in cases where IV (intra venous) access cannot be made.

In our case, it is used on peads (children). Particularly infants as an effective way of delivering fluids, in life threatening cases.

I have to say, nothing really has freaked me on this course, but this procedure has come close.

Quite grateful that it is a Paramedic skill, so will not be required to actually do it for sometime, however, may be at a job where it is used and may need to assist. Not looking forward to that at all!!

I have been reassured by the tutors that if it gets that far, then this is the only option. Small conciliation.

At least with adults, they have some understanding, you would hope, that you are trying to help them. Kids just think the huge green man is there to inflict pain. Do not like to be thought of in that way, even by a small person.

First shift out on the road tomorrow, will be what is called 3rd manning, where I catch a lift with another crew and pester them all evening for top tips. So here's looking forward to being able to actually do something on the road.

Vehicle Familiarisation

Arrived at a station in Hampshire today for vehicle familiarisation training today.

This is somewhat how the conversation went.

"What is that?"

Reply: "It's a new shiny Ambulance"

"Excellent, well done. You are now familiar with it"

Reply: "Cool, well worth the two hour drive!"

"Do you want to drive it?"

Reply: "Yes please" (again with the big smiley face)

"Only after you can tell me where everything goes and how it all works"

Reply: "Pants" - maybe this day will not be so easy.

"Here is the vehicle training manual"

Get handed rather large bound folder, which should have come with Health & Safety warning

Reply: "I have real issues about deforestation"

"It's recycled paper and you still have to learn it all"

Reply: "Pants, where is the nearest McDonald's?"

Got given directions and dispatched for emergency brain food

Did get to drive in the afternoon, so a good day in the end. Plus these things have some serious toys on them. It's like driving a mobile hospital.

Dear Madam

Dear Madam,

I feel a letter to you explaining my actions of this Thursday would be of some benefit to both of us.

It will hopefully explain to you why I felt that as an Ambulance driver (and I use this term loosely, as still under training) I had right of way at the roundabout.

This will also hopefully serve as a portal for my frustrations, as if I were to meet you face to face, I may have difficulty in forming my words between the expletives!!

I am fully aware that the Highway Code states a driver should give way to traffic from the right and as you were actually on the roundabout, you may have felt justified in the look of complete disgust that you gave me, as I politely pushed my vehicle onto the roundabout, to take right of way.

Might I point out that there are additional sections in the Highway Code explaining that I actually was not rude, or in the wrong and in fact I am a very mild mannered Ambulance man driving an enormous bloody great yellow truck with flashing lights on the roof, side panels, rear, and center grill along with flashing headlights, oh and did I mention the rather loud deafening siren that we had going?

All this may have given you a clue that I was not prepared to patiently wait while you navigated the junction, whilst combing your hair.

In the spirit of reconciliation, I hope this letter has gone some way to explain why, in future when you see an Ambulance, you may think back to our little awkward moment and next time GIVE WAY TO ME!!!

Kind Regards

Nee Naw

I love this job!!

Monday was the start of the blue light training! (not worked out yet how to post a big smiley face yet!!)

We had a whole morning of theory, generally discussing how the general public do all sorts of random and stupid things when they see a vehicle with blue lights flashing.

With very itchy feet, we finally left the training centre, with the instructor at the wheel for a demo drive. He took us right through the middle of Oxford, with sirens blaring and all the lights flashing and spotting the three types of morons we come across.

1. The Blind Overtake - this is where the vehicle in front has not seen you but the one in front of him has. The very observant member of the public in front, kindly moves out of the way and the moron (sorry no other way to describe them) behind decides as they seem to have slowed for no apparent reason (not noticing the large van with lights and sirens on behind him) to take the chance for an overtake!!

We saw a classic example of this on the A34, with long lines of traffic in both lanes, we position the vehicle straddling the two carriageways and run down the middle. All the vehicles on both sides move out of the way and there he is in the left lane, in the BMW! Everyone moving out of the way, onto the hard shoulder, onto the grass verge and this guy decides to overtake in the gap we create. What on earth do you think everyone is moving for?

2. The Sudden Braker - This person is randomly cruising the country lanes, listening to Classic FM on full volume. It takes them ages to see us, as they seem to think the mirrors are used only to admire themselves! but when they do, they do the one thing you do not expect to happen at 60mph..........they stamp on the brakes!! This is where being on the other side of the road is a major advantage.

3. Blind Summit Tag Team - This one beggars belief, a car approaching you, coming to a blind summit of a bridge, another vehicle in front, approaching the same blind summit. This is where the walkie talkies come out and they start co-ordinating their actions!! Where do they end up stopping. You guessed it, right next to each other on the crest of the humped bridge???????? Do they expect us to create this magical 3rd lane from nowhere with no visibility?

Meeting these people actually make the blue light training, fun, exciting and a huge privilege.

Will update how the rest of the week goes.

Memory Failure

Someone just pointed out that I did not update with the results from my retake.

Just to let you know I passed. Phew!!

No pressure, the last 12 weeks hinged on one exam on bloody road signs.

Thanks go to a special mate who helped me revise. No names as promised but you know who you are. Made road signs very memorable.

Up's and Down's (and not just driving the hills!)

Have not been able to post for a few days, so apologies about that. Here's a quick summary of the last few days.

Wednesday - Country roads drive. Had my worst days driving since I was 8 and had one of those pedal cars!! Instructor asked me to do some commentary as I drove.

Now I have always bowed to the greater ability women have for multi tasking, but thought this never really held me back in any way. Today I really needed to be wearing a short skirt and have breasts. Seriously struggled with the talking and driving thing, which is never normally an issue!

Driving technique went to pot, along with my commentary.

Ended up randomly meandering around country roads, drooling and talking complete rubbish. A sort of standard day out for me before the driving course but we are supposed to know better now.

The rest of the drives that day got better, but just could not co-ordinate everything together.

Thursday - day started with a bit of a panic, not much sleep the night before, opened side door of the van to find my 3 comrades sitting in a line smiling - could only mean one thing...........I had the first drive. Thanks guys!!

Instructor lept in and opened with one of those truly motivational phrases that people develop with years of practice "Your first drives recently have been shit, let's see if we can do better."

A slight knot in the stomach, made worse by the lack of breakfast and being overtired, we set off.

Thank god for small mercies, the drives went well that day. Phew!

Friday - had a stroke of good luck and bad luck today. Got to the van, again to find 3 people sitting in the back grinning like a row of hyenas waiting for the lion to finish with the poor sod who will end up in the front!

The instructor, who does not have the best morning attitude got in and we were off. Headed for some motorway work, but having done that the day before on the way back from the coast, I got the country road route up to the motorway. That's fine, can do country roads, can drive with good progression (fast), can keep my vision up (use all of the road to ensure you see further than the average Jo), can be safe, can overtake on bends...........as long as I don't have to talk about it whilst doing it.

You can guess the next phrase which trickled of the tongue of the instructor "well then, talk to me about what you are doing and what you see" Aaaaarghhh!!!!!

Actually went really well, drive was great, position was good, progress was up, vision was on, commentary was precise and relevant. A very happy and relieved little Ambulance person got out of that seat 30 Min's later.

The good luck I was mentioning, was because when the next driver got in, the instructor commented on how this was the last day of this part of the course and we had to pass all elements today!!!!

Sooooo glad I did not know that (actually, one of the few times I praised my crap memory for forgetting) when I sat in the seat!!!!

Rest of the day was filled with highs and lows but in the end we all passed!!

A&E driving on blue lights next week - how much am I looking forward to next week........LOTS!

A single and a cool double

Fab day out today to a local vineyard (did not even know we had those in the UK)

Great day with good sustained gear changes (this is where you change gear without taking your foot off the gas pedal, helps maintain momentum of the vehicle). This is a seriously hard skill to get right and I spend most of the time kangerooing my poor passengers around. Today however, finally got his sorted.

The other key skill, which is completely different to the way we 'normally' drive is overtaking. Not always so easy to practice these when driving an under powered transit van.

Got a cracking single overtake and really cool double in, with a good space between the two cars we took. Did this whilst the other group were in the pursuit vehicle.

Country roads today

The 1% makes all the difference

Well finished the exams!!

Smoked Highway Code with 97% but unfortunately my tiny intelect could not cope with the exact wording on the road signs.......89% FAIL!!

Pants. Pants. Pants and Pants!

Re takes on Thursday during skid pan training (well actually not while spinning 360's on a wet track I hope)

Night drives were great, did the run alongside Stonehenge at 80mph in the dark!! Then off for a well deserved kebab. Important to get the priorities correct.

Still raining here, so our course has well prepared me for transferring my skills to the Amazon Jungle. Think the first dry day I have I will end up in the ditch!!

Tractors Aaarrhh

Have been sitting here revising the highway code.

We have 'THE FINAL' exam of the Tech Training. Yippee. It will cover the Highway Code, Road Signs & Ambulance Driving Manual.

Road signs is not too bad, although got 'No exploding cars' and 'No horse drawn carriages' on the last paper??? When has anyone seen those??

The Highway Code element is mainly about common sense, so as long as I do not have the old 'Rep' head on (Sales people are notoriuos for having no common sense when driving; coffee, phone, donut and filofax in hands and can still steer!!) should be OK with that one.

Revising and learning the Ambulance driving manual, particually our exemptions are going to be a little tricky, have 3 hours left to do it.

As emergency services, we have certain exemptions from the Highway Code rules. I am going to be boring and list them, simply as an aide memoire for me to learn the damn things. We are exempt from;

• Stopping on clearways
• Parking within the zig zag lines of a pedestrian crossing
• Parking in areas controlled by double white / double yellow lines
• Leaving the engine running whilst parked
• Parking on offside of the road at night
• Parking on a footway, verge or central reservation
• Exceeding statatory speed limits
• Treating a red traffic light as a Give Way
• Using audible warnings at night
• Observing Keep Left/Right bollards
• Motorway Regulations
• Entering a bus lane/street
• Entering a pedestrian precinct.

There are several things we are not exempt from, the most memorable being that we have to observe the rule about not crossing a double or solid white line in the middle of the road. Even when stuck behind a tractor doing 10mph!

So if you are in an Ambulance and they seem to be travelling really slowly, and you live in the country, that is why!

Will try and post while I am away this week.

Setting the scene

To give you some perspective on where I am with my training, I thought that a short pressie of where I am in the grand scheme of things would be in order.

Have finished the 8 weeks of clinical training and passed the multitude (actually only 3) of exams that we have to do. So in theory a trained 'trainee' medical technician.

The Tech training program consists of 3 modules D, E & F. This is the Ambulance service, so no need to start looking for logical explanations as to why the modules are in this order. Still not sure whether I should know Modules A, B & C or even if they exist.

Mod D is all about respiratory system, coming from a background as a scuba instructor (huge street cred, absolutely no money in that game - hence this job is a considerable pay hike!!) this did not pose too much of a problem.

Mod E is all about the Skeletal system, this proved a little more tricky, as the extent of my knowledge consisted of knowing I have a skeleton, and whilst still standing upright, knowing it still worked. This module took a little more work.

Mod F is pretty much everything else they have left to cover. When you think about what could go wrong with you and what may make you call an Ambulance, this covered quite a large area, some examples would be;

• Maternity - not a small subject but we covered it in 3 hours! Really not looking forward to my first mobile birth. Various episodes of ER have prepared me better for that experience.
• Digestive system - again this area not only encompasses a fairly large proportion of your body but is also one of the systems I use on a regular basis. I was quite keen to get to know it in a lot more detail.
• Major Incidents - where there may be multiple casualties
• Child Illnesses
• Epilepsy
• plus a host of others, too numerous to mention.

This means Mod F can be a real bitch as you have the shortest time frame before the exam and the largest range of subjects to learn. This is why this one was my lowest scored result, passed though, Phew!!

Now onto the driving course!!

If you call an Ambulance and you are really ill, then we have to get to you in 8 minutes from the time the call is answered.

Obviously this may involve turning the lights on in the big blue box on the roof. This tends to make the general public panic and do all sorts of strange things. In addition to this Ambulances weight around 4.5 tons so 0 - 60 time is not great, so once the thing is moving the idea is to keep it moving to make 'Progress' - this is the main focus of the driving course.

1 week of normal learning to drive properly in unmarked vehicles, then a final week on blue lights in an actual Ambulance.

Introductions

I planned this after reading the very cool book from Tom Reynolds, Blood, Sweat & Tea, about his experiences in the London Ambulance Service.

Just joining South Central Ambulance Service (Oxon, Bucks, Hamps & Berks) I decided to try and emulate the fabulous Mr Reynolds for my own selfish reasons (hey - don't have to be noble to be in the Ambulance Service).

To date my training has been rather fun, hard work but above all absolutely fascinating. My memory on the other hand is as crap as it has always been!!

So, hence the blog idea (40 and still hip & trendy!!)

Keep a record of my experiences, from the time I go out on the road as a complete novice Trainee Medical Technician (and no I do not fix the Ambulance) in the hope that one day I can look back and see how things progress or not!.

It also means my mates can keep track of the day to day antics of someone in green, without a clue, running around in a large van on blue lights!

Hope you like it guys.