Chapter 2- Workforce Safety and Wellness
As a healthcare provider you must first keep your health and safety as first priority. You can't help others if you don't take care of yourself first.
It is your job to always be aware and observant for hazardous scenes an situations.
Not only your physical health but you mental health matters too. You need to be in the right state of mind in or.der to handle stressful scenes, patients, and hectic situations
This being known as the general health of a health care provider, YOU! It's good to get in the routine of living a healthy lifestyle due to your career choice. You are the face of healthcare, and that is to be valued.
Healthy stress management is a must in the healthcare field. There are going to be many stressful situations. After a period of time if you let the stress of the job build up it drains you as a person. Then you are unable to perform your duties as a healthcare provider. To avoid that it's best to develop healthy ways to destress. Like exercising, taking walks, fishing, yoga, spending time with love ones,etc.
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Having a healthy diet is crucial in maintaining fuel to keep you going. protein, fat, and carbohydrates are the 3 things that the body needs for fuel.
The fastest form of energy to be consumed by the body is glucose. Which comes from the liver.
For the body to receive calcium, it is stored in the bones.
Things like fatty foods, fast food, sugars, junk food, alcohol, soda, and high concentrates of sodium should be avoided when trying to be healthy.
Results from a diet of sugars and junk food causes things like diabetes, obesity, lack of energy, and even heart disease.
It's also very important to keep the body hydrated. It helps the body to function and digest.
A good sign of someone who is hydrated would be a indication of frequent urination. Lack of urination signifies dehydration within the body.
Also if your urine is strong in odor, are darkly colored those are signs that you may not be intaking enough water in your body.
Natural foods such as fruits, vegestables, ,meats (protein) are the best way to feed the body. So that it may function properly and provide energy daily. Nutrition is key.
Vitamins are essential in helping what lacks in the body. For example you don't like oranges or orange juice. You can get your vitamin C through a vitamin instead. Like when a pregnant woman takes prennatals. She is taking those to put back in what her body is giving to the fetus.
Sleep is very important. That is the brains rest time to rejuvenate itself from the day. Sleep deprivation can be detrimental especially working as a EMT. Working schedules can change quite frequently. An you may only get a few hours sleep at a time in between shifts, so it's best to try an keep a healthy sleep schedule when possible.
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Drug use, Tobacco use, and alcohol abuse are more used then ever. Yet, as a face of the healthcare system, you should represent a clean life from all those. Most of your patients you treat in the field are consumed by these issues. So it is very important to be a role model to those patients rather then be a part of those things.
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When enforcing a safe working environment it is good to routinely wash your hands, sanitize, clean equipment, clean your ambulance. Wear PPE and change it after every patient. Properly expose the PPE, needles, and any containers used. All of these things help to keep a safe and clean working environment.
If ever exposed to something harmful you or your partner must try to relieve the other so that you can get treatment sooner rather than later.
The risk is high as a EMT to catch many sicknesses and diseases. Diseases like chicken pox, hepatitis, whooping cough, measles. It's important that your immunizations are up to date always.
When transporting a patient with a disease, or contagious sickness of some sort, you must take every safety precaution to prevent transfer of the sickness. As well as to keep you, your partner, and the patient safe.
Hazardous situations that may take place to threaten scene safety can be anything from down power lines, to a car accident on a high traffic highway, to a structural house fire.
To be prepared for any such unsafe scene there are protocals, and precaustions to follow to ensure the safety of you, your partner, and the scene. As well as the patient/patients.
Become familiar with protective equipment & your surroundings.
Some cases call for turnout gear which is used in fires. Its purpose is to provide you protection from the fire itself. Has many layers to it.
Helmets, GLOVES, boots, goggles, body armor, ear plugs, skin protecting thermals, are all essential in protective equipment used in the field.
Signs that some patients may oresent with upon arriving to a scene can range from severe anxiety, panic, sadness, high strung, combative, or even overly friendly. You as a EMT have to be mentally prepared to deal with any and every kind of emotion their is. You are going to see it all from patients out in the field. Your communication needs to be at its best because you are working with people who need to hear from you. Sometimes that can help smooth the process of a situation or calm a scene, you just never know.
As a EMT you must be careful what you say at all times. Certain comments or harsh truths of a patients status or condition should be avoided. Don't give false hope, but rather try comforting them in other ways such as saying "you are doing everything possible to help them" or "I won't leave your side". That can mean everything to them, an it also helps you perform smoother on the patients.
Some patients may absolutely refuse care. You should advise them in some situations the importance that they be seen at a hospital and also take note if they are in the right state of mine to decline your treatment as well.
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Emotional support can be the biggest dose needed at times, not just for the patients but for their families as well.
There are stages to the grieving process people endure an go through. At first they try to deny the harsh reality of accepting the death. They may even become combative and blame guilt on you. They start to sink into themselves and a state of depression. Saying they give up or they don't want to live anymore. Finally they come to terms and accept what has taken place or what will take place.
As an EMT you can offer emotional support,
At times you may receive a high stress call. It may even psych you out at first, which is normal. How you choose to recognize this response will allow you to focus in on how to go forward with a focused mindset for the scene that lies ahead of you.
Rules, guidelines, are to be enforced for a safe work environment. (OSHA) Occupational Safety an Health Administration is what makes sure of that.
Health care workers are to always wear PPE and protective equipment especially with a patient who has Hepatitis B. There are pathogens in the blood from certain diseases that can be transferred through human contact
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On the job as an EMT you need to follow the list of your safety coming first, making sure the scene is safe following that, and lastly providing adequate patient care.