After an encounter with a nurse at a hospital that Walt Trachim is more than a bit familiar with, I’ve decided I want to embark on a new career.
Triage Paramedic.
Where I sit at a desk playing with my computer when the EMS crew comes in with a patient. I get no closer than 20 feet to the patient, ask repetitious questions, ignore the answers, ask the EMS crew to take vital signs on the patient, don’t talk to, look at (other than a distant gaze), or heaven forbid TOUCH the patient.
Then I decide where the patient goes next. All the while ignoring that the crew had called on the radio alerting us that this was an acute patient who needed to be seen immediately.
I finally launch my bovine ass out of my chair to apply the wrist band and point vaguely to the treatment area and mumble a room assignment.
Then I waddle back to my chair and resume reading Glamour magazine while complaining how busy it is.
Sounds like far more hard work than the some of the triage nurses round here… Why get up?!
Lovely place, and you've captured the essence of triage so well…The last time I had a "trigger patient" on my stretcher the triage nurse gave me the third degree for not giving them more information in the C-med entry note I called in. Not for nothing, but I was a little bit busy keeping that patient from crashing in the back of my ambulance… Kinda funny how that is, isn't it? At least the attending doc listened. And that's a rarity in itself.
I didn't know you were in Maryland!!!Isn't that every triage nurse?
Wow, what a response! ;)After I wrote this and before it went on line, I had yet another lovely interaction. She actually DID have to get up because the BLS guys couldn't get a tympanic temperature on our chest pain patient. I flat out refuse to get vital signs for them. The last time one of the nurses at that facility asked me, I did my best Tim Conway imitation and she was so annoyed that she got up and did them herself. I'm an evil person, but I see I'm in good company. Oh, and they don't listen to radio reports either, but then complain if you don't give them enough information to ignore. Walt, there are two good attendings at the hospital, both share the same first name.
I know exactly who you are referring to, TOT. And yes – they do listen. To their credit, they're both decent physicians. Coming from me, that is saying a lot because most of the MD-wannabes I am forced to deal with at that hospital suffer from extreme rectal-cranial inversion. But don't get me started because I'll lose my mind about the code team, and we've already been there…
Don't start me on their code team, medical or trauma. I've been bringing patients there for a lonnngggg time, and it's pretty much the same as it's always been. Except for when those two guys are working.
"…Where I sit at a desk playing with my computer when the EMS crew comes in with a patient. I get no closer than 20 feet to the patient, ask repetitious questions, ignore the answers…"LOL! It's really good work if you can get it.-LT
I guess I am spoiled. Nothing is close to that bad where I am. Who would be rude enough not to ask for an encore of a Tim Conway imitation? Some demented relative of Mrs. Wiggins?
Sounds like my kind of job for a little while- I think I'd get bored before too long- at this point I can't stand doing my ER clinicals- the pace and bashing that comes with it drives me insane! I may change my mind in the years to come but right now put me on a truck!
One of the things I found I didn't like during my ER rotations in paramedic school was the length of patient contact. Must be a manifestation of my ADD that I don't have the attention span to spend 3-4 hours taking care of the same patient. Which must be why I like EMS so much. 30 minutes and I'm pretty much done. Fortunately, that doesn't carry over to my marriage! 🙂
I'd pay cash money to watch you read Glamor Magazine ….
Unfortunately I’ve seen far too many medics act as “triage medics” in our two-tiered system. Many even brag about it… I ask why these people became medics to begin with,