Megan Horsfall submitted 2017-05-24
Emergency medical care in my prospective as a student is very important. Knowing what to do, how to act and staying calm can mean you losing a patient or keeping them alive. It takes a special person to be able to handle that kind of work under pressure, not everyone is cut out for emergency medical care. You must know how to work fast and efficient, and keep a clear mind. Basic Life Support measures are essential to all medical professions in my opinion because people look at you as a medical provider to know how to act under pressure of saving someone’s life. As a mother and a mother to be, it is very important to me to know basic life saving measure. I could be somewhere with no one around and if I didn’t know what to do in a choking incident or an anaphylaxis episode, I may lose a child. Even if you are not medically certified I believe that everyone should at least have an idea of how CPR is performed in case the incident comes along where they are needed to be a good Samaritan.
Being a Nursing Assistant right now I have had the responsibility to perform life saving measures on a resident. I was scared out of my mind, never performing the Heimlich on a real-life person. Someone says “oh my is so and so choking.” My response was to her turning blue, “um yes”. I continued to approach this person and started to perform the Heimlich maneuver. It was hard to tell if my fist was in the right place, and very difficult to do this on someone who was sitting down. After a short while I had my superior come and relieve me. We finally got the person to start getting oxygen flow back. It was a success! When I got a minute to myself after the fact I broke down and cried after processing what just happened, yes, it is ok to take a minute to get yourself together. Things happen so fast you don’t have time to think of a plan you just need to act before it’s too late. Just remember you have had training and you know what to do. It was the scariest and most rewarding thing I have ever done.
I plan on to further my knowledge in the medical field. There is something about that feeling under pressure that makes you take a breath and say I can do this, that makes me push forward in what I am passionate about. If you feel like you are going to freeze under pressure just remember to stay calm and take a quick breath. Talk yourself up and remember that you can do whatever you set your mind to. Take the time to understand what you are going to be learning, so that you can be the best care provider that you can be. I have learned a lot being a nursing assistant and I cannot wait to expand my knowledge.
I have known ever since high school that I should be in the medical field. We took Anatomy and Physiology in high school and that is one class that just spoke to me. I had no problems pay attention and that was a class that I just took to. After that class and realizing how sucked into learning about the body and how it works, I knew that I would proceed into to a medical profession. I have every intention to learn as much as I can so that if I can be a good Samaritan anywhere one is needed for a medical emergency where I am present, I plan to do so. This is one field that I know I will not fail in.
You may not know which direction to go in one you dip your foot in to the medical field but you’re never going to know unless you see and explore all the opportunities the medical field offers. Pray, Ask, and Receive. You are your biggest supporter so believe in yourself and others around you. A positive atmosphere will take you far! All your hard work will pay off in the long run, stay focused but have fun while doing it. You will never know what you are capable of until you out yourself out there. Don’t let other discourage you. Use words of discouragement as motivation. You should not only motivated but self-motivated to show compassion in the field that you proceed in.