Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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EMS: An Adventure Every Minute by CAROLINE GOINS Sirens blare, red lights spin, information streams from the radio and tension is high. When tension is high and the stakes are higher, Cumberland County Emergency Medical Services are there to take the call. Think your job is high pressure? Thirty minutes into the 12-hour shift, para- medics Crystal Todd and Erin Daly have already made one trip to the hospital and are wheeling their second patient into labor and delivery so she can finish pushing and meet her first born in the hospital instead of the back of the ambulance. Calm and confident, the paramedics comfort the patient while their breakfast. But paramedics are used to an unpredictable and grueling schedule. The Cumberland County Emergency Management Services of Cape Fear Valley average about 10 calls per 12-hour shift. There are almost 200 employees sup- porting 14 trucks scattered throughout the county during the high-risk hours and nine during the hours that have proven to be less busy. Not only are Cumberland County EMS members national gathering necessary information on the computer, gathering stats, while getting her exactly where she needs to be. All that excitement happened before the paramedics even got opportunity to use their brains in a creative way while treating someone and affecting their outcome. "I like being on the road better, instead of confined to the four walls of the hos- They agree that the adrenaline rush is a part of it, but the bigger part is the pital," Daly said. "You have a lot more independence — you have to think more often on your own because you don't have a doctor with you on the road making those judgment calls and giving you the orders." The job requires fast-paced, creative problem solving. "You have to be confident in your skills; knowing what you are looking at and what you are doing for patient care," Daly said. The paramedics compare what they do to putting the infor- mation available together like puzzles pieces. EMS gathers the pieces and finds the missing pieces to help the patient. "EMS saved me on my way to nursing school. I was in nurs- Not only are Cumberland County EMS members national award winners, they have proven their effectiveness in the field as well. award winners, they have proven their effectiveness in the field as well. When the tornados tore through Fayetteville and surrounding areas last fall, members of the EMS were there providing medical attention and hope for those affected by the devastation. According to Daly, everyone pulled together during the chaos. People kept ing school and I had gotten out. I was working upstairs in the hospital when I took basic and I loved it, something in my brain just snapped," said Todd. "With EMS, this is our patient, this is what we do, what we see, how we fix it." There is a certain passion and instinctual skill set obviously working far beyond their shift. One paramedic lost his house in the tornado, but he didn't stop. He just kept working. Todd explained it's the camaraderie and the wonderful team that makes the demanding job easier. "In this job you can easily get stressed and burn out, but the people we get to work with are awesome. Having the support of a family to joke around with and de-stress helps." Todd said, adding, "A day without laughter is a wasted day." The friendships are only a small part of why these paramedics enjoy their job. by STEPHANIE CRIDER through the day, Todd and Daly had already helped five patients, ranging from assisting the police with a suicidal individual to responding to a patient experienc- ing chest pains. The paramedics quickly set up an EKG in the patients living room to determine if he was having a heart attack. "You put the pieces of the puzzle together and then you have this aha moment needed to be a paramedic because each call is completely dif- ferent requiring different approaches and needs. Just halfway nitely hard days but the good days far out weigh the bad." Daly said. "It's about positive patient outcomes because of what you were able to do." Methodist Nursing Program Underway knows a few things about the profession and what is expected of nurses. When she was offered the opportunity to put together Methodist University's nursing program — from scratch — she jumped at the chance. Ask her if it is all a tad overwhelming and she doesn't mention With more than 35 years as a critical care nurse, Mary Hall they're tired. They stop to chat with another nurse before leaving. The building is wired with 360 cameras that are monitored all the time. "We can see this and use the technology between the man- Say a nursing student is about to change shifts. It is 2 a.m. and so big," said Hall. "But the chance to build a program like this and to design and work in a facility of this nature — that's exciting!" It is no wonder Hall is excited. A tour of the partially completed facility reveals a the stress or the work involved. Instead her face lights up as she talks about the many wonderful things she is looking forward to once the new building opens and how humbled — and thrilled — she is to have an opportunity like this. "I try hard not to think about how huge this is, because it is just The new nursing building is scheduled for completion next month. an infant) in addition to a number of medium fidelity mannequins. Not only will students learn to take blood and change colostomy bags, they can deliver babies, monitor medication doses and perform minor procedures on the mannequins which are programmed to respond appropriately to the care they are given. Instructors can program relapses, allergic reactions and other common, but unanticipated reactions to treatment. Drawing on her experience, Hall presented a few examples of how the technology program is designed to give them the skills they need to succeed and provide good care when they graduate," said Hall. "There is a big difference in reading about something and actually putting it into practice. We want to send our graduates out with a higher level of hands-on experience." 16 UCW APRIL 4-10, 2012 could be used to better train the nursing students. "I've seen many new nurses in my time, I know what is expected of them and this well thought-out plan for hands on simulation-based training, to accompany all the book work that nursing students face, efficient high-tech equipment, an Americans With Disability Act-compliant and earth friendly establishment designed to benefit the more than 30 nursing students who will make up the first graduating class when the doors open in September. The program has invested in six high-fidelity mannequins (two adults, a child and nequins and the computers so that we can simulate having one of their patients fall out of bed," said Hall. "It will show them what it is like to have to function under stress while you are exhausted." While the nursing program is mainly concerned with producing when your patient says, 'Oh, that's better'," Daly said. "It helps that I enjoy coming to work every day. There are defi- CAROLINE GOINS, Managing Editor, COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomin- gweekly.com. population, heroes who have already served once but are looking to continue mak- ing a difference. "The Wounded Warrior Program transitions soldiers and one of the programs they are offered is pre-nursing," said Hall. "The circular driveway and the way the building is designed make this a safe and accessible facility for everyone." The N.C. Board of Nursing says the state is facing of shortage of more than will be manned and run by health-administration students. The mannequins' capabil- ities of exhibiting a variety of symptoms provide potential for a joint training exercise between the fitness training students and nursing students (picture an athlete injured during a game). Other scenarios include disaster relief (think last year's tornadoes) and will include Methodist University's Physician Assistant's Program students. The ADA-compliant building strengthens the program's appeal to another local nurses, there are plenty of opportunities to get creative and include other departments for some mutually beneficial training. The facil- ity will be run like a hospital, complete with a reception area, which 8,000 nurses right now and predicts a shortage of 32,000 nurses by the year 2020. Numbers like that make it clear that programs like this will make a difference — a difference in the state's economy, education system and most importantly in the lives that will be saved because we have a source of well educated, well trained professionals. Find out more about this and other programs at Methodist University at www.methodist.edu. STEPHANIE CRIDER, Associate Editor. COMMENTS? Editor@ upandcomingweekly.com WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM