Sunday, Busy Sunday
November 6th, 2005 by rsm
Fresh back from the field and another FTX. The best showers are the ones in which you actually see the water changing color at your feet. It’s grime, pure grime, and it’s good to know you are getting clean.
Safety Tip #12: Keep your Medics well-rested, fed, and most of all entertained.
Medics should sleep often. You want them to be the most alert people on your team because you never know when they are going to have to work on you for hours at a time. They should be well fed because you want them to have the fuel to keep going.
Finally, if they are not entertained, like a home-bound puppy with a new shoe, they will find things to do. After hiking to visit all of the companies encamped in the field – twice, they have been known to make their own “teaching opportunities” back at the TOC. A medical team often has a nurse, that means an officer, that means Have a seat, specialist. Usually teaching involves a naked arm, some tubing, fluids, and something pointy.
But now I look around the cabin and see the results of a couple of weeks of travel and business. As my grandmother would say, “Look at all this clutter!” Little piles of pocket treasures on the counter near the door, a sweatshirt here, a stack of bill receipts to file there. Today is one day I could finally use a rest, but no, the obsessive side of me won’t rest until my environment is straightened up. Once all the piles are cleared, trash hauled out, I’ll be back on the couch, feet up, mug of hot chocolate in one hand, book in the other. I’m back in the field next weekend so I might as well enjoy these moments. It’s a good life.
Fresh back from the field and another FTX. The best showers are the ones in which you actually see the water changing color at your feet. It’s grime, pure grime, and it’s good to know you are getting clean.
Safety Tip #12: Keep your Medics well-rested, fed, and most of all entertained.
Medics should sleep often. You want them to be the most alert people on your team because you never know when they are going to have to work on you for hours at a time. They should be well fed because you want them to have the fuel to keep going.
Finally, if they are not entertained, like a home-bound puppy with a new shoe, they will find things to do. After hiking to visit all of the companies encamped in the field – twice, they have been known to make their own “teaching opportunities” back at the TOC. A medical team often has a nurse, that means an officer, that means Have a seat, specialist. Usually teaching involves a naked arm, some tubing, fluids, and something pointy.
But now I look around the cabin and see the results of a couple of weeks of travel and business. As my grandmother would say, “Look at all this clutter!” Little piles of pocket treasures on the counter near the door, a sweatshirt here, a stack of bill receipts to file there. Today is one day I could finally use a rest, but no, the obsessive side of me won’t rest until my environment is straightened up. Once all the piles are cleared, trash hauled out, I’ll be back on the couch, feet up, mug of hot chocolate in one hand, book in the other. I’m back in the field next weekend so I might as well enjoy these moments. It’s a good life.