Kaiser ER (not Soze)

As part of my EMT class we are required to do one "ride along" with a local EMS provider (and we are encouraged to do two). There are many options to select from and I chose the Emergency Department at a local Kaiser Hospital as my first one. Since the ER doesn't actually go anywhere I wouldn't call it a "ride along"; more of an observation.

I was there on a Wednesday night, from 3:00 p.m. until 1:00 a.m., and even though the charge nurse would probably shoot me, I'd have to say it was a pretty quiet shift. Most of the people who came through had complaints of chest pain.

I wasn't assigned to any particular room, so I stayed in the triage area the entire time. I got to see patients as they came into the ER but not much follow-up once they were assigned to a room. I did learn to take vitals, do EKGs and start people on chest monitors. The nurses were disappointed that I wasn't able to start IVs. I said I would be willing to learn but they they probably wouldn't be happy with the results. :)

The most exciting thing I saw was a hand laceration. I figured I shouldn't post it in case there are sensitive eyes! When the patient's finger moved you could see the tendons in the hand move too - it was awesome!

What I did learn is that there are varying levels of EMS providers out there. There were paramedics bringing in patients (and not critical patients as this was not a trauma center) without having any vitals on the patient. That was just plain laziness. There were some who had almost an entire life history of the patient. That's how you can tell who is good and who could care less. Sad to see it was pretty balanced on both sides.

My next ride along is with the San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD) in two weeks. I'm looking forward to that one!