I'm a paramedic AMA

[Blobbyweeble]

I've been a paramedic for 10 years working for an NHS trust in England. Happy to answer anything whilst observing patient confidentiality.

Thank you for your reply . I really appreciate your opinion. I ask because I've experienced both situations and felt embarrassed both times. First time my baby old choked on something, (as my elder daughter and I had spent her nap time clearing out tiny toys, to ensure she didn't choke on tiny pieces of toys!) still not sure what, and couldn't breathe. After not being able to dislodge it, I called 999 whilst still slapping her on the back. By the time the ambulance arrived, she had just swallowed it, and was almost back to normal, albeit slightly shocked and breathless. I've wondered ever since, if I did the right thing, as I was embarrassed at having wasted the paramedics time, but at the time of calling, my baby was turning purple and couldn't get a breath in.

The other situation , I ripped tendons in my ankle, falling over a kids bike at a toddler group. I then passed out with the pain. 2 mum's who where there, and also happened to be nurses, thought I'd broken my ankle and called 999. I woke up to 2 paramedics checking me over. I was pretty embarrassed , as despite being in a lot of pain, I didn't think it warranted an ambulance. Probably a check in A&E, but not an ambulance. However, I was unconscious when the ambulance was called, so didn't get to make the decision. Paramedics said I'd only ripped tendons not broken it. Couldn't walk on it for several weeks, but was back to normal after about 6-8 weeks.

In that situation would you have been annoyed to have been called out?

@falconrising I wouldn’t have been in the slightest bit annoyed by either job so don’t worry.
@negunslean I absolutely love my job, it’s never dull and, these days, has huge possibilities. I would highly recommend it. Good luck to your ds.

Thank you for all your and your colleagues hard work in very hard situations

What is the top speed the ambulances go with the siren and blue lights on a motorway in an emergency situation?

Do you find the suspension really bumpy in the back? When you are trying to put a line in etc?

On BBC Ambulance they seem to go from one job to another (realise it is TV)

how do they restock their supplies?
Do they do it each time after taking patient to A&E?
Or are there buildings around the area that store the things you need to restock if the hospital is too far away in rural locations and you aren't going there anyway?

How is the best way to teach children our address?
Is it postcode and number of house?

You guys did an amazing job getting to a family member who had a massive heart attack one morning, you guys were there within a couple of minutes and got him straight to hospital where he had a stent fitted and is now fine. The speed was amazing (helped by being very early on Saturday morning)

@SubtitlesOn The max speed is determined by local protocols. Ours is 50% above the speed limit so 105 on a motorway although I wouldn’t normally do that speed especially with a patient in the back. I try and get my lines in while the rest of my team are organising extraction, it’s bloody difficult rocking around in the back. I rarely finish a blue light run to hospital without an interesting selection of bruises to my thighs.
Postcode and number is enough but the most important thing is to make sure your number is very visible from the road on a dark, wet night. Drive along and try and spot it.
Glad we got to your relative quickly, MI’s are one of the most satisfying jobs as the stent has such a dramatic effect.

Can I just say you do a marvellous job and thank you. My dad is a retired technician and I know the strain it can put on families. Thank you

Do you combine shift patterns with a family? Is that really difficult?
I’d love to be a paramedic but worry about the effect on family life

No questions, again just grateful for the amazing service you provide. My experience of paramedics is nothing but great.

@Oly5 mine kids were all teens when I started so easier but my colleagues who have youngsters seem to cope really well. Parental leave, emergency carers leave and easy flexible working all help.

How do you cope having to collect dead bodies from suicide ? I am training for adult nursing and have worked in theatres for years and have only had experience with death in those circumstances but I would love to do my paramedics and this is what scares me ? I don't know if I'd be able to cope having to cut down a body or move a body that's been dead for days /weeks . Sorry if this is too morbid I am just genuinely curious

How important is physical strength to your job, since you have to move people of all shapes and sizes? I've always been tempted to retrain (I'm already a trained nurse and have also done call handler work for 111) but worried I don't have the strength to lift larger people.

You do an awesome job. Thank you.

Mine is a really stupid question ...how do you know if someone has internal bleeding? Does it present like a period? How do you know it's not a period in that case?! There is a reason I ask this, but don't want to share too much info!

Also, do you and your colleagues have a very dark sense of humour? I work in a very stressful people environment and we tend to get through with humour.

How often do you get called to deliver babies?
I was told our community midwife team was short staffed, so if I didn’t want to transfer to hospital, I would have to call an ambulance and have paramedics take care of things - which I would have been fine with.
Is that a regular occurrence?

Thank you so much for the amazing work you do.
I'm a first aider and have helped people quite often, by partner was Combat Medic trained in the army....we try to encourage as many people as we can to get some form of training, would more people getting even basic first aid training be a good idea? And how best do you think we can encourage this ?
Paediatric first aid is something that should be encouraged but doesn't seem to be,

If you could encourage the public to learn one thing what would it be?

@Geordiegirl1988 We don’t collect dead bodies or cut them down, the undertakers collect and the police cut down. The only time we transport the dead is if we call an arrest in a public place or in the back of the ambulance.
@Madratlady I’m really weak there is a lifting assessment but it’s very basic.
@Chimchar Internal bleeding would be suspected if the patient was showing signs of clinical shock so low blood pressure pale sweaty with high heart rate. No visible blood loss normally unless it’s a gynae bleed. And yes, very dark sense of humour as a coping mechanism.
@MyBreadIsEggy Thank god its not a regular occurrence, we all hate doing it due to limited training and the possibility of something going wrong. I would have severe words with any midwife who suggested we take care of it. We’d do our best but it’s not something any paramedic is experienced in. I’d rather do a serious rtc or a cardiac arrest any day.

@Blobbyweeble thanks for that.
That makes sense...I thought that maybe the blood would have to go somewhere! Good job I'm not a paramedic eh?!

@Chimchar If it’s in the abdomen it will become distended, if in the stomach then they may vomit blood.

@MissCherryCakeyBun Basic first aid for everyone would be great, plus a large dollop of common sense.

@Miss Cherry - just by the way, but in Germany doing a 1day first-aid course is a compulsory part of passing your driving license, and all cars have to carry a basic kit. Unfortunately nobody has yet managed to legislate the common sense bit, but I do wonder if the course makes a difference to the numbers of callouts and the outcomes.

Blobby- I'm just generally grateful to the paramedics who several times got my mum off the floor after bad falls and also took her to hospital (stretchering her down some narrow stairs) when she went into organ failure. She was always very reluctant to call 999 though ('ooh, I don't want to waste their time' while in organ failure - I was abroad so couldn't call for her), even in extreme situations, and I always wondered if that was a result of all the complaints about people calling 999 too readily - the danger is that some of the people who really do need help are put off from asking for it (while the people who phone up about a broken nail and the like will continue calling nonetheless). Can you think of any way to balance out this problem?

Loving the basic first aid and driving test thing that's a brilliant idea

Two questions please, is it appropriate to call for an ambulance to a child having a febril convulsion?
Do you think people that require your help due to drink or drugs should be billed?

@Catcrazy008 I would never complain about going out to a child having a febrile convulsion, sometimes parents who are used to them don’t bother so long as the convulsion only lasts a couple of minutes. If it’s not the first they’ve had they may not need to go to hospital. Charging is a minefield that I’m not qualified to comment on.
@Mentounasc I think older people have always been reluctant to call so I don’t think it would make any difference. The younger people are the more likely they are to call.

Do you get a lot of mental health related jobs, more complex than the anxiety mentioned above? Is it frustrating to have to deal with them?

I remember very kindly a paramedic who took me to hospital when I was having some kind of a crisis. I don't really recall the events myself, as I was dissociating, but I do have a vague memory of her talking very patiently and kindly to me, while I huddled somewhere holding my teddy (I'm 38!), and just seemed to ooze peace at me. I'm told she came to check up on me later while I waited with DH in a little side room in A&E. I wish I'd had my head on right to be able to thank her.

How serious an emergency is a baby or toddler choking? As in its obviously a serious emergency for as long as the foreign object blocks the airway. But if people do the recommended first aid, is it generally likely or unlikely to work?

Also, do you find it difficult at all to cope with the responsibility. Like hoping you won't make a mistake that might have serious consequences for someone, and always having to cover yourself against accusations with diligent paperwork etc?

@ZispinAndMushroomTea Yes we get a lot of mental health jobs which are difficult as we get very little training. I do feel very sorry for them and treat them all with compassion but I would be lying if I said it wasn’t frustrating especially if they’re frequent callers. There is very little we can do to help especially if the patient won’t/can’t engage with the services available.
@Sunshiness First aid is likely to work, it’s what we do first and it’s always worked for me. That’s why it’s so important to do a basic first aid course, it really can and does save lives.