Journal of Emergency Medical Services

FROM THE EDITOR

try to steer them in the right direction.

If that approach fails, it’s incumbent on you to bring their resistive attitude to your superiors. The life of a patient can be impacted, or lost, in the future.

FOLLOW DIRECTIONS

My partner Bernie was trained to respond to my voice and, more importantly, my eye and hand movements. I could walk him with one finger on his leash. He watched me and gauged my foot speed and direction, and turned when I did.

I could point to a down position and he would immediately stop what he was doing and lay down so a small child could pet him. I could wave my hand and he would go to a safe location in a patient’s room, stay away from hazards such as an escalator or open manhole cover, or retrieve an object I pointed to in a certain way.

These are essential traits for partners and
associates to have.

When you find an oxygen tank left empty from a previous call and ask another crew member, “Please go get another O2 tank,”— and give a firm, distinctive look to that crew member—you shouldn’t have to answer why or explain the problem in front of a family member.

More importantly, when you’re at a domestic violence or assault call and you see a weapon on the table or a sense a potentially dangerous situation, you should immediately establish eye contact with your co-workers and alert your partner.

MENTOR THE MENTORS

If you lead by example and mentor your partner,
you’ll find that they assimilate knowledge and
begin to act as you do. I learned from every one
of my partners when I worked on a part-time
basis with a small, elite group of paramedics
in the very busy city of Allentown (Pa.) EMS
system. Because there were so few of us and we
ran non-stop on calls every shift, I knew their
every mood, skill and expectation. I also learned
their unique skills and techniques, approaches
to patients and, their unique senses of humor.

I absorbed their best traits and was mentored by each of them. This approach is contagious, and can result in others learning from you down the road.

CONCLUSION

My beloved Bernie is gone from this earth, but his legacy and spirit live on because I raised my 2-year-old Bernese mountain dog Charlie alongside him. As a therapy dog in training, Charlie assimilated and picked up most of Bernie’s solid traits. He learned from him by example.