Bringing The Stretcher Essay

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The importance of bringing the stretcher into every call: Making mistakes for better learning. Making mistakes will help you grow, if reflected upon correctly. Health care is about continuing education for better care of patients, and it is common knowledge in Emergency Medical Services, or “EMS” that sometimes the best way to learn is the hard way. Experienced paramedics have adopted the ability to laugh, gawk, and even marvel at mistakes made, and lessons learned while on the job. It is a part of the job that grounds us, and reminds us that we are human and that these mistakes are ok, and in fact normal. It is a courageous thing to admit ones faults, and to share with others so that they too may learn. I believe the word ‘mistake’ carries with it too negative a connotation, and because I do not necessarily see mistakes as negative, I choose not to use it when sharing my experiences with others. Choosing not to bring the stretcher into a call changed my practice, and the way I view learning by experience. You will not catch me on a call without safety glasses, from the time I had blood spat in my eye. My most significant learning experience however, came within my first year as a paramedic. This learning …show more content…

This particular call was to the third floor of an assisted living facility for an elderly male that needed help off the floor. Once we arrived to the facility, I started unloading the stretcher to which my partner looked at me like the rookie I was and shook his head. “Shouldn’t we bring it just in case?” I asked, timid, and eager to impress. “No.” he replied. “I do this call ten times a week”. He was cool, and confident, and despite my unease I loaded the stretcher back into the ambulance and we made for the third floor with nothing but a clipboard, our paperwork, and our naïve little gloved

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