What's next?

We've been wanting to learn guitar for a while now.  So, Girlfriend found us a Guitar class that worked for us.  Today was the last class, and it just .... ended.  I'm used to getting to know classmates and spending time learning and growing.  We got to that point tonight and then there's no next.  This is Beginning Guitar 2 and nothing next?  The teacher mentioned that there were "a bunch of other classes out there" and that he offered private lessons, but shouldn't there be a curriculum out there?

What the fuck do we do next?

Fucker.

You’re driving home?

From the when-the-hell-did-I-get-old department.

We had a teenage patient at the patrol building the other day.  This post isn’t about him, it’s about his friends.  I asked how they would get home and they said they would drive.  Drive?! Are you fucking kidding me?  They looked like they were barely old enough to tie their own shoes, let alone drive.  I looked across the bed at a fellow patroller and she just gave me the knowing look.  You know that look – the one that a real adult gives you that means, “Grasshopper, now you know what we’ve been talking about all these years.  Welcome to old.”

On the plus side, the patient’s friends asked for permission before posting pictures of him on Facebook.  My generation is scared of information getting around on these social networking sites.  These kids have it right.

Watching Gray’s Anatomy considered … useful?

I knew that watching Gray’s anatomy would come in handy one day.  One episode of the show has a patient go into surgery due to some traumatic injury.  The surgeons keep mentioning a triad and that the patient won’t survive unless they keep the patient out of danger of this triad.  From what I can deduce, this is the trauma triad of death.

Besides having an incredibly scary name, the triad essentially says that there is a relationship between the coagulopathy of blood, metabolic acidosis, and hypothermia.  Being cold halts the coagulation cascade (meaning that blood won’t clot), which causes lactic acidosis.  The acidosis reduces heart function and thus the body gets even cooler. This triad of actions causes a downward spiral in the patient and thus leads to poor patient outcomes.

It’s incredibly important to keep your trauma patients warm.  Ski patrollers exist in a world where just about every patient is hypothermic.  Keeping the patients cool will only hinder blood coagulation and may lead to this trauma triad of death.  Now, should you be thinking about this triad when faced with a simple knee injury?  I don’t think so … but you should still keep your patients warm!

Happy Thaksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm thankful for the ability to spend time with those that I love.   I'm out on the east coast spending Thanksgiving with my family.  It's really amazing to me just how simple they can make life.  Are you happy? "no" Well, why the hell not? I guess it's easy to be happy around those that make it this simple.

What's in your patrol pack?

As a member of search and rescue and a local ski patrol I spend a lot of time thinking about what's in my pack.  Here's what I generally carry in my patrol pack.  My patrol pack is geared towards medical and customer service things - this is what I do most of the time when I'm patrolling.

Items in bold I use constantly.

• PPE / Safety
• Non-latex exam gloves (easily accessible, in myparka)
• Mask
• CPR pocket mask
• Antiseptic towelettes (septisol)
• Eye protection (ski goggles or wrap around sunglasses will do the trick)
• Whistle
• Sunglasses, sunscreen, compass, tools (for personal use)
• 50ft nylon (Avalanche) cord
• Waterproof matches (several in waterproof contianer)
• Bleeding control
• 4x4 bandages
• Sterile compresses
• Roller gauze
• Band aids
• Trauma dressing
• Splinting
• Sam splint / wire splint / cardboard splint for arm and shoulder injuries
• Cravat x 4
• Roller x 6
• Tongue depressor / popsicle stick (finger splint)
• Donut (stabilizing impaled objects; you can make one out of roller gauze)
• Assessment tools
• Penlight
• Stethoscope & BP cuff (optional)
• Patient & patroller comfort / customer service
• Area trail maps
• Extra 99c hats
• Emergency tarp / sit pad
• Chemical heat packs
• Misc
• Scissors
• Honey / instant glucose packets x 2
• Safety pins
• Tape
• Chewable baby-coated asprin
• Ziplock baggies x 3
• Tweezers
• Cravat puller
• Paperwork (2 copies of each form in ziplock baggies)

First weekend of training: done

Candidate training is brutal.  We ask candidates to come up every weekend for almost two months, after spending two evenings a week, plus, studying medical stuff in their Outdoor Emergency Care class.

This past weekend was the first of those eight weekends and our candidates made a great showing.  They learned the rules of the building, how to use patrol radios, where everything is in the first aid room, and that putting splints on in the snow is a slippery business.

The candidates worked hard this weekend.  So, keep it up, guys, and I'll see you at the end.

First day of training

Tomorrow marks the first day of training for our candidates.  I'm super excited and also nervous at the proposition of training them in everything it means to be a patroller.  Everyone seems to remember their candidate adviser.  Will these candidates remember me positively or negatively?

To help them along with the *ahem* right attitude, I've been going through and doing my best to get things ready for them: equipment lists, equipment sources, streamlining training days, and so on.  I need to figure out a way to get metrics for the future.  I guess that surveys are in order?