I could never be me without you all.
FlightEMS.com
Semper Diligens, Semper Salus
Archives: February 2008
Thank You
Patrick—for always encouraging my crazy ideas. Mom—for picking me up, over and over. B.J.—for keeping me sane by being insane. The Club—for reminding me why I do what I do. SFC Rodriguez—for not just wearing both EFMB and Aircrew Member badges, but lighting the torch in a young impressionable PFC. Ben, Sarah & Kate—for giving me reasons to move home. My Aero Med Family—for supporting this even though I am ‘the new girl.’
Introduction
Introduction
One day in 1998, I called my mom, as I still do, the morning after my first bad flight as a Medic in the U.S. Army. The training accident made the Associated Press ticker and the front page of at least two papers as far away as Florida and Michigan.
He was 19 years old, engaged and a father. I was left alone with him as another flight medic and the flight physician prepped to transfer him to the ER at a level one trauma center in San Bernardino County. His heart, beating strongly about 85 times a minute, sped up to the mid 100s and almost instantly slow down to nothing. The monitor squiggles stopped.
At the time I didn’t realize that was the classic response for a heart no longer controlled by the brainstem. His brain herniated. The young soldier died right in front of me and there was nothing I could do.
I will never forget that afternoon as long as I live.
Lansing State Journal, 20 June 1998
“Emily, you need to never do anything else with your life,” was my mother’s response. At 24 years old, I understood to my soul that she was right.
Orlando Sentinel, 20 June 1998
Seven years passed between my last mission as a flight medic and my first mission as a flight nurse. Never once during those intervening years did I lose track of what mom said to me that morning. Never once did I forget that soldier, my first patient.
Over the past four years, sharing my life through this blog has been a natural extension of who I am. Being able to now write about my life as a flight nurse has brought everything full circle.
Thanks to the many of you whom have taken the time to ask me about becoming a flight nurse. Your questions have motivated me to attempt another long term goal, writing a book. For now, it will be saved here as part of my blog: a multi-media version of both who I am and what being a flight nurse is all about.
“Becoming a Flight Nurse” is Live!
After much work, I am happy to announce that “Becoming a Flight Nurse” is up! Many of you have written to me asking great questions about what it takes to become a flight nurse. Surprisingly there just isn’t much written on the subject.
What is “Becoming a Flight Nurse?”
It is part blog, part website, part book. It is a work in progress. A collection, if you will, of stories, photos, videos and more information about being a flight nurse than you can shake an ET Tube at.
Patrick, thanks for not laughing at me when I told you I was going to write a book someday.
B.J., it has begun.
So, without further adieu:
vBlog no. 3 Take Two
Decided to upload the next vLog via YouTube. Geesh what a pain! Thanks again Mark—my multi-media slave 
.
.
New vBlog (no. 3) and technical difficulties
Today is the day for technical difficulties. The Dr. Anonymous show was awesome except for the horrible echo.
I also got the next video blog up at Utterz, but won’t embed here.
Phone static issues on Patrick’s cell phone as well.
I am beginning to think I have a horrible electromagnetic field around me.
So, I am going with the old standby:
The link to the new vBlog is here! Hope you enjoy. I am going to bed.
My Vicodin Stash -or- Why I could never be Heath Ledger
My Vicodin Stash -or- Why I could never be Heath Ledger
As many people who have ever had a medical procedure done, or sustained some sort of injury, I have an emergency Vicodin stash.
You know the one.
That “dispense 30″ that still has 25 left and expired over a year ago. The little bottle you can’t bear to throw away, “just in case.” The one that collects dust in the medicine cabinet for that day when you hurt so badly you cannot stand it.
Well, today was one of those days. I will spare you the details, but my bum foot flared up with a vengeance. I spent the majority of the day limping around, seriously considering strapping on my walking cast, or emergency amputation with a Buck knife. I finally relented and popped one of those saved, less than potent, pain pills.
As the mini narcotic high began easing the pain in my foot and hip (from limping around) I began to wonder how in the heck Heath Ledger could have even thought taking all of those meds together was okay. The MSM stated that there should be better patient medication education.
SERIOUSLY! One freekin’ Vicodin and I am toast!
He had reportedly taken oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam and doxylamine. Too many -dones and -pams.
Yes, what happened was a tragedy, but if this guy was just some schmuck off the street, we would all be shaking our heads and talking about how stupid he was. We wouldn’t be telling health care providers to teach better, we would be trying to figure out who the hell prescribed them all to him and how many pharmacies it took to fill them.
So, as the nausea from my one little emergency pill ruins any happiness from the opioid high I may have enjoyed, I just have one, much more important question.
Where is my emergency stash of Zofran?
Happy Valentine’s day from the AACN
I am one of those people who just LOVES getting mail. Packages are even better, especially when they are a surprise. While sorting through the plethora of nursing junk mail and bills (I think I am on EVERY mailing list that nursing organizations could possibly sell), that wonderful little “pick-up your package” note came fluttering down.
After a quick phone call to Patrick, I realized it wasn’t a v-day box from him. Next was a text to another friend to see if it was from him. No dice.
My curiosity was killing me. Meow baby!
All my hopes for a nice Valentine from a secret admirer came crashing to a burning pile of wreckage when the nice lady at the post office handed me a priority mail envelope that I had to sign for.
It was addressed to Emily J. McGee, RN, MN, CCRN, CEN, CFRN, APRN-BC, NREMT-P.
That was my first clue that this wasn’t going to be good.
Dear Emily,
This letter is to inform you that your November 1st, 2007 certification renewal application has been randomly selected for audit by the AACN Certification Corporation.
Happy freakin’ Valentine’s Day . . . they could have at least enclosed some chocolate!
Scene Flight in the Snow
The “A” in the middle of the shut down freeway
It was a good day up north for a flight. Brad (the pilot) took most of these photos while we were collecting the patient. This is proof that the sun DOES shine in Michigan in the winter.
Flickr set here.
Link Love—Flight Nurse Blog Feed Back
Would like to send a huge thank you to NurseSean and Kathy Quan, RN for recent mentions about my site and my soon-to-be Flight Nurse Project.
Thanks to both of you and here are links to their sites!
Am I missing you on my blogroll? Send me an email or leave me a comment and I will add you!
Invitation to Change of Shift the CRZEGRL Way
This is a formal invitation to my Change of Shift crze adventure! Why an adventure you say? Because I do nothing the dull way!!!!!!!
I would like to formally thank Kim at Emergiblog for allowing me to host the next Change of Shift on 21 Feb 08! KimRN—Great job on this week’s CoS.
Theme? Why yes! Send me the Craziest patient, staff, family encounters you have ever had! Can’t think of anything? Send me your best post of the last two weeks anyways. I live life on the edge and my hosting of Change of Shift will not be an exception.
Please send submissions to me by 12 noon EST on 20 Feb:
emily at crzegrl dot net
Don’t forget to put “Change of Shift”
in the subject line so I don’t miss it!
Until then, I thought I would give you some of the best themes from past Change of Shifts!
*DisappearingJohn RN– “All Access, Behind the Scenes Tour” of our local Blog Community Hospital
*Life in the NHS–“Key Nursing Skills”
*Nurse Ratched’s Place–“It’s Valentine’s Day at Change of Shift”
*CodeBlog: Tales of a Nurse–“St. Patrick’s Day”
*Nurse Ratched’s Place–“TV Land and the nurses who inhabit the television airwaves”
*Nurse Ratched’s Place–“Anniversary Edition of Change of Shift”
*Nursing Link (Beth)—First non-blog site host
*Musings of a Highly Trained Monkey—“What Color Crayola Crayon Are You?”
*Nurse Ratched’s Place–“Roundup Time”
*How I Spent My Nursing Education–“Back in Nursing School”
*madness: tales of an emergency room nurse–“to bob barker…thanks for the memories”
*Nurse Ratched’s Place–“Let’s Play Nurse”
page 2 of 3
Blog Accolades
- Saugatuck to Holland by Bicycle for Beer May 13, 2012
- Triathlon: Tri del Sol March 7, 2012
Not logged in