Body Worlds 3,
originally uploaded by crzegrl15.

At the California Science Center. B.J. Be proud. It is all about the
cardiovascular system!

Only Los Angeles,
originally uploaded by crzegrl15.

Yes dear reader, that is a giant pair of binoculars. And I thought the
giant clothespin in Philly was wierd.

Venice beach with the wierdos,
originally uploaded by crzegrl15.

Yes, I am blogging while walking.

Yes, I fit right in!

Breakfast at my Fav spot,
originally uploaded by crzegrl15.

Birthday breakfast at Martha’s on Hermosa Beach. Mimosas, and stuffed
french toast. Yes, I am functioning on birthday rules!

Birthday love for a gear whore,
originally uploaded by crzegrl15.

I admit it. I am a gear whore. I love bags, backpacks, helmets,
pouches, knives, flashlights, compasses, tactical vests, thingy-
mabobs, and whatcha-ma-giggers.

When Kip was last home from Iraq, I was literally DROOLING over his
Oakley backpack. The tie down points, the clips, the pockets!

So, imagine my birthday glee when I opened the shiny wrapped box (we
also know about my issues with ADOBSO) and found my very own Oakley
Kitchen Sink.

The photo? Yeah, I brought the two smaller bags with me to Los
Angeles. Like I said, gear whore!

Patrick, you always know what I like! Oh, need to say THANK YOU to Kim
and Doug who pulled strings with their Oakley peeps to get this
impossible to find bag!

Eeeeep! Sorry, gotta go put stuff in my bag!

“Oh man! Hey Emily, come look at this!”

I was at the foot of the stretcher, pulling our trauma patient towards the roof top doors leading to the elevator.

We had been sent to transfer a trauma patient who had the unfortunate luck to be in her convertible enjoying the day when a truck hit her.

She was at the sending hospital for just enough time to be assessed, have trauma (Advanced Trauma Life Support) films taken and blood hung. For those of you unfamiliar with ATLS, it is standard to have a lateral c-spine, chest and pelvis x-ray done as quickly as possible in search of the injuries that can kill you quickly. According to the ATLS course manual (p. 7) “X-rays should be used judiciously and should not delay patient resuscitation.”

In this case, we were able to roll into the room, glance at the films and immediately understand that this patient needed a trauma surgeon, and quickly.

Some how, in some way, she was maintaining her oxygen levels even with a hemothorax, multiple rib fractures, and a possible flail chest. Her blood pressure, initially, was in the scary low category and even the novice, looking at her, would see that she had a closed head injury. Her disconjugate gaze was disconcerting, even to me.

As I thanked the EMS gods that we got her to the trauma center quickly, and made the right decision to “load and go” instead of “staying to play,” I ran over her vitals and coupled them with what we had done for her. High flow O2, pain medication after her blood pressure stabilized, packed red blood cells, IV fluid, c-spine immobilization, reassurance.

I couldn’t think of anything else.

I heard Steve’s voice, and hesitated, realizing what an amazing night it was and how much I loved to be on the roof of the hospital. Strange the things that float through my mind during a transport.

My head turned and I saw my flight physician’s hand holding a dressing over the top of the patient’s head.

I know my face reacted, but I stifled my voice. The last thing I wanted to do was let the patient hear.

Her skull was almost pearlescent. I caught a glimpse of its milky white before he replaced the dressing which had come loose. The area was bigger than my hand.

Meeting the medics,
originally uploaded by crzegrl15.

What a gorgeous day for flying!! We are waiting for the ambulance to
meet us at the local airport close to the sending hospital. Sometimes
they will send the patient in order to cut down on transport time when
the sending hospital doesn’t have a helipad.

I walked into flight communications realizing the room was quiet. The physical presence of the crew was missing, and over Terri’s shoulder, the mission’s flight path was mapped across the computer screen.

I blurted out the obvious, “So they are out then?”

She humored me. “Yup, should be landing back here any minute.”

I dropped my bags, half hearing the conversation she was having with Travis. For a good part of a 24 hour shift we have two people in our communications center, one to dispatch and manage flights, the other to handle ambulance communications for the entire county. Our communicators are the voice and brain of what we do. A good flight communicator releases the flight crew to do what we do best—care for the patient. They pick up the baton of a conductor and manage 30+ phone calls of coordination, sometimes battling other times begging and still other times demanding until they get what the patient needs. They need to know how to do what, when.

Some of the communicators may not realize it, but they can set the tone of a flight. Many have been doing it for so damn long they make it look as simple as breathing. In reality, the newbies have enormous expectations to live up to.

I walked over to the desk and leaned over to get a look as the aircraft approaches high. Without thinking, I interrupt the conversation flow between the two communicators.

“God, watching that thing land never gets old, even on a bad day it just makes me happy. How can I ever complain about my job?”

Terri turns, mid-sentence. Her strong, professional exterior breeched for a moment.

“It always reminds me that I get to go home and kiss my kids. Who ever we just transported doesn’t get to do that.”

The three of us silently watched the aircraft settle softly and gracefully. Back safe from another patient transport.

“Down safe, 1857,” Terri states over the radio, once again all business.

The crew was home, all was well. She resumed her conversation with Travis, almost at the very word she stopped on, consistent with the talents of those in EMS.

So many lives interrupted, in so many ways.

So I spent 3 hours yesterday composing emails to all of you whom I have neglected for way too long.

As I didn’t have internet access while writing said emails, they sat in the outbox ready to go in one mass send.

Now they won’t go.

I’ve updated Entourage.

I’ve sent something successfully from my iPhone with the same account.

It isn’t my server, which the error message is blaming.

F&^#%ng MicroSoft.

*sigh*

Adrenaline, chaos, stress, excitement, emotion—-

There are endless adjectives associated with the world of flight medicine.

“I’ve always wanted to be a flight nurse, but . . .”

This has been repeated to me endless times. Flight nursing is a profession many want, but few are willing to pursue. The job requirements alone are enough to weed out the “wannabe” riff-raff. I personally believe many of the rest, who would actually be amazing at this very specialized segment of nursing, give up the dream because they simply can’t visualize the path. I was one of the lucky few who were gifted with both opportunity and incredible mentors. The path was lit brightly.

What you will find in my words, hopefully, is a guide. An in, into one of the most rewarding, but simultaneously one of the most physically, intellectually and emotionally demanding profession in existence. Not only are the lives of our patients at stake, but those of the medical crew are as well.

My DUSTOFF MEDEVAC unit had a motto:

“So Others May Live”

It was a shortened form of the unit’s original Viet Nam motto:

“We Die, So Others May Live”

Last year this reality came close to home when a Survival Flight organ procurement team gave their lives on a flight to collect lungs for a man who needed them. Pulling life from death.

One of the team was and acquaintance of my best friend Ben who was working at the Ann Arbor VA. The aviation community is small. Very small.

A few days after the accident, without a word, Ben greeted me with an all enveloping bear hug. I knew he saw my mortality a bit more clearly, as did I.

——–

This is not an all inclusive guide. It is also not a finished product. It isn’t meant to be. It is more of a living, evolving work, meant to encourage, inspire and put a recognizable face on flight nursing. Yes, it is a profession of the elite. No, it is not a club of pre-madonnas. We need the best, we want the best, we expect the best.

Our patients’ lives depend on it.

My life depends on it.

This is also not a work of all encompassing views. These views are mine, and mine alone. Although I am supported by my employer, Aero Med, in my blogging venture, all mistakes are my responsibility and I will conscientiously strive to represent Aero Med, my co-workers and my patient encounters in a professional manner. HIPAA is always at the fore front of my mind. Be certain that the stories are changed accordingly. No good story is ever worth breaching a person’s privacy.

I welcome and encourage questions. I rely on my coworkers and readers to keep my writing content accurate and appropriate. One of the beauties of blogging is an unlimited number of editors and proofreaders, making a much better product.

For those of you who hope to earn a place in the flight nurse’s seat, I hope this will be of use. For those of you simply curious about what goes on when we fly over your house and rattle your windows——welcome.

Be sure, however, that your life will never be the same.