We don't just treat the patient

I was half asleep on the sofa watching some random program, I was not paying attention to, when I was brought back to conciousness by the radio bleeping loudly. 'Emergency' is all the small screen read.

My crew mates (still 3rd manning today) rushed to the vehicle to accept the job, we have 30secs to do this. The computer screen in the vehicle would give a brief description of what the job was. I jumped into the front passenger seat, as the attendant and looked at the screen

19MTH OLD FITTING - (Oh Shit! - in my head, not on the screen)

Laura, the Paramedic I was working with jumped in the back of the vehicle and Carl, the other Paramedic, fired up the engine.

The station doors were open, that would save a few seconds, as we exited the station, I hit the '999' button on the dash, which puts all the lights and siren on, Carl hits the horn to start the sirens and we are off with 4.2miles left to run to scene.

As we run the red lights at the roundabout and take the exit with the wheels somehow holding ground still, I have to try and complete the paperwork. I check the address, check the sat nav is working, write the times on my glove for reference later and copy the address onto the job sheet.

I look around at Laura who is frantically scribbling weights, breathing rate, pulse rates and drug doses on her glove as an adie memoir. Very good idea, I do the same. It crosses my mind that two days with these guys is no where near enough to learn all I need to handle my first real job.

The SatNav directs us off the main road, into the housing estate. The car in front, slams to a halt, we slam to a halt as we cannot see around the corner. Laura leans through from the rear and hits the bullhorn and I see the guy in front actually jump but it does the trick and he moves to one side.

Carl turns to me and asks what I am thinking about this job,

"Infantile Fibrile Convulsions" is my guess

We turn left into the road we need, looking for No21, No7 on the left, it's going to be on the left, we see it and pull up. I hit the 'At Scene' button and the time comes up - 7 mins from the call being answered in control, not bad.

I have my left glove on already, full of notes and times scribbled on the back of my hand, I jump out the vehicle and open the side door, almost making Laura fall out as she is also opening it from the inside. We grab the response bag and oxygen and head for the house.

I am due to attend this one and now my mind goes blank, the training in school seems too long ago and too rushed. I have done so much since then and cannot recall what I would do with a fitting baby.

I knock on the door and ring the doorbell at the same time, the noise that comes from behind the door when it opens makes me breathe a big sigh of relief. Crying, lots of it, a very unhappy baby, but one with good lungs that are working fine. Phew!!

Baby is lying on the floor, with a puddle of vomit to one side and not happy, I kneel down carefully (already knelt down in one house without looking, regretted that one) I put my hand on her head and she is roasting.

'Hello little one'

Both eyes spring open and look at me, take in the huge man leaning over her dressed in green and off she goes again at an octave higher. I don't care, she heard me and responded to my voice, opened her eyes and was co-ordinated, that will do fine. I look at the chest and see both sides rising and falling as she breathes, good, no vomit aspirated by the look of it, I could try and listen for crackles and wheezes but with her in this mood all I would get would be stereo cying through the stethoscope.

I ask Laura for the Oxygen mask to give the baby, she already has it ready and hissing away.

I look up at the mother to get some history and see what has happened and I am faced with this young woman, in abject terror. Her eyes appear wider than the glasses she is wearing and she seems to dancing on the spot.

'What's her name?' I ask

I get a mumbled 'Milly' in response.

Then it all leaves me, my mind goes blank and I do not know what to say next, the baby seems fine, the mother looks like she is holding on by thread and I do not know what to say.

Without a pause Laura takes over the questioning, and I see two well experienced Paramedics do their job calmly and without fuss.

I have so much to learn.

They treated the patient, and spent as much time talking to and calming the Mum, which helped the patient calm down.

I popped into their room on our next trip to A&E to find Milly still screaming the place down still and Mum in tears of relief.

Mum looked up at me with very red and swollen eyes and mouthed 'Thank You' as I shut the door, smiling to myself.

A good day at work.