At camp, the word Emergency is dangerous on the radio, so we don't use it. If it is a medical emergency you are to simply ask for, "The Medic" and all I will ask is where you are. The part the becomes amusing is what people constitute as an emergency. I've been called as "The Medic" for splinters, headaches, and a "boo-boo."
This Thursday, staff night off, I got called as "The Medic" to the waterfall. Children met me as I ran up the hill, "there's blood everywhere! It's broken! You can see bone!" People were screaming and running and waving hands. When I got there another staff member had already gotten there first. He was gloved, holding pressure on gauze on a leg of a child being held by three scout masters and this child was screaming. The staff member moved his hand and I saw a small square of gauze below the one he was using and it had a 1 inch circle of blood on it. I had to count to 10 before I look under it to see the small skinned section. I guessed maybe 5 stitches, (the kid actually got 8). I smiled at the kid and said, "No worries, quick trip to the ER and you'll be home in two hours."
Then the screaming really started.
At least the scout leaders told me later they were sorry such a fuss was made over something relatively minor and they hoped they hadn't ruined too much of my evening.
Another child came into my office screaming in pain on Monday. He wanted to go home. He was in the worst pain of his life and wanted me to send him home. He had had surgery two months earlier and I needed to get his mother on the phone right now, it was an emergency. His mother was 10 hours away in Florida. But she needed to come get him right now. No, he had no pain prescription, he didn't want any pills. He wanted his mother. We called mom. She said she would come. But then the next morning he was fine. However as a precaution we wanted him to go back to using his crutches and stop doing swimming. Child didn't like this. So...
His mom called me at 4:30 AM on Thursday morning to tell me that her child could walk without crutches and do any activities he wanted to. She called this early she said because it was an emergency.
OK.
So, I find myself wondering, how do we determine emergencies?
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3 comments:
ok, I find this infinitely funnier and more interesting than I would have 2 weeks ago!
There was an evening game, where the campers had to find the counselors who were hiding (guided by other counselors).
I did not participate because my 16 year old felt it would be unsafe for me.
So, I'm sitting in the dining hall talking with the others who did not go ..and suddenly 4 kids came in screaming MELISSA CUT HER FOOT ON GLASS IN THE FIELD!!!
Ok ..so, Melissa is a dear friend of mine (19 year old counselor, who I've been prayer partnering with for the last 6 months, from my church). I take off ..not bothering to ask ..what field, where ... it's dark ... and well ...
It took me 10 minutes to find her.
She's sitting, visiting ... and I'm in a panic, imaginging her rocking back and forth, bleeding out ..and she's sitting there ..annoyed because the game fell apart and kids were running every where unsupervised.
The piece of glass ... a tiny splinter she'd gotten out. She'd just sat down because she was annoyed the game fell apart and other counselors weren't keeping their kids together like they were supposed to.
ACK!
MEDIC! I'm dizzy, my stomach hurts, my head hurts ...eat? what do you mean eat? I'm supposed to eat ....
Hey, just wondering how you're doing and how camp is going ... long time no post. :D
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