New job, ECGs and BMs

A little while ago I mentioned that I had some exciting news which I could not yet discuss on the interweb. Well, the time has come for me to elaborate...

I have a new job, and I am currently in the throws of induction training. My new title is Health Care Assistant in a hospital setting on a surgical ward.
I'm quite excited about the next couple of days of training when we shall be trained to monitor and record all obs (observations). i.e. blood pressure, pulse, temperature, resps, Sp02%, BMs and ECGs! I have already been taught how to do BP, pulse, temp, resps and Sp02% at other times. It's the ECGs i'm interested in. My first shift on the ward is in a weeks time! :)

Aside from employment news, I have now had two meetings with the community first responders team, and I am looking at booking on to the next traning sessions early next year. So no real news to report about CFRs now until my training begins.

I am still reading all the same books I wrote about on the last blog and in addition I am now reading Life of Pi- Yann Martel. I have also lined up a re-read of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe in time for the wintery time of year.

Since joining St John Ambulance I find I have become much more aware of other first aiders and first aid situations. One example of this is my visit to Tesco the other day. A child manganged to pull a pram down on top of his head, and then, as expected, proceeded to cry. One of the Tesco staff from that department went off to use the tanoy system to ask for a first aider "code 9". (Whatever that means!) 5 minutes later, no sign of the first aider, so another call was put out over the tanoy. 5 mintues after that, still no sign of said first aider. So they used the tanoy system for a third time and named a specific first aider and asked them to respond to the incident. After a further 5 mins he finally turned up. Now I don't know about you, but if was responding to a child head injury, I would have responded a lot quicker than that- even if the child was fine, with no lasting injury, that is not known until the first aider has arrived on scene.

In St John news, there is a possibilty that I may be doing Lewes Bonfires this year, which I've heard is a fun, challenging, and long (usually until about 3am) duty. And of course I shall continue on with the footie games at the Amex.


No other insights to talk of, so, until the next time...