Real World Experience

Last Thursday I received an email requesting that the summer internship class help the EMSSA (Emergency Medical Service Student Association) as they were lacking volunteers for the weekend. So, I offered to help out - and nudged a classmate into coming with me.

So, Sunday I spent 12 + hours running the First Aid Station at the local soccer tournament. My area was four fields of games, with new games starting every hour. Let me tell you, that is a LOT of soccer, teams, kids, parents and flying balls.

And I was the only medical type person there. Granted, this is what I've spent my last year and a bit training for, but the first time I was called out to check on one of the players, my heart rate sky-rocketed, my palms got all sweaty and I was probably paler than she was. The idea that -I- was supposed to know if the kid needed a real doctor (she didn't...I hope) was like a drop kick to the stomach.

Luckily there were no major injuries, though I did advise (strongly) a couple parents/coaches to take the players in for a proper evaluation (possible concussion, twisted knee with impressive bruising, twisted ankle that could not bear weight and an awesome, fist sized bruise/lump to a player's elbow).

All in all, it was an invaluable experience. I would do it again. Though, I'm thinking that my internship (starting in two weeks!!) is going to help me a lot more, because I'll be able to watch my preceptor evaluate the injuries/medical issues -and- I'll get feed back when I do the same evaluations, instead of making my eval's and hoping I did it right. But I had fun, I learned a lot, and I like to think I helped the soccer kids...and the two crowd people.