The Nature of a Paramedics Work - Case Study Example

Rеsiliеnсе Моdеl Саsе Study Name Date Professor Rеsiliеnсе Моdеl Саsе Study Introduction The nature of a paramedic’s work is fast-paced and requires prompt decision-making during emergency situations. Indeed, the nature of the job often expose paramedics to pain and suffering almost on a daily basis as they are called to handle road accidents, home-based accidents, assaults, and suicides. Clompus and Albarran (2016) have shown that paramedics face extreme job-related stresses. Thus, it can be argued that daily life stresses intertwine with the stresses in this profession[Lov12]. The effects of stress on paramedics can be paramount, ranging from psychological problems such as depression and post-traumatic stress symptoms to physical injuries and musculoskeletal illnesses[Scu11]. The level of stress that paramedics face may impact on the health outcomes of the patients they deal with. Thus, for paramedics to work effectively on a daily basis, they need to have coping mechanisms to traumatic experiences. Researchers have found that people generally adapt to stressful conditions, but how they do so vary from individual to individual. What remains clear is that successful coping strategies are critical in overcoming traumatic experiences. Thus, professional preparation to help paramedics deal with stress is critical for their wellbeing. Resilience has been found to help paramedics in coping with the psychological impacts of profession-related distressing experiences[Lov12]. Gayton & Lovell (2012) defines resilience as the hypothesised dynamic process to neutralise the adverse effects of exposure to risk. To be able to manage stress effectively, it is important to understand the components of experience during a traumatic event. According to the Cognitive and Behavioural Model of Stress, there are five components, namely thoughts, emotions, behaviours, and physical reactions that work together in handling stress. The case study below examines the life of a paramedic in a stressful situation and the application of these components in dealing with the stressful situation. Description of the Event IN 2009, when I was an EMT student, I was in ambulance branch when we received call from dispatch about a victim in a construction site. There were no details given regarding the incident except that a middle-aged male construction worker had fell from top floor. When we arrived at scene, we were ushered in by a frightened fireman who informed us that the victim fell from the highest floor and was already dead. He then led us to the victim’s body. The man was identified as a middle-aged man of 36 years. The fireman said that the worker was helping move a steel deck placed on a slab when he slipped from a 1-beam and fell from the highest floor. He might have been assessing the distance to the ground when he fell. The man had plunged almost 300 feet to his death, spluttering his body parts all over the place in the process. His co-workers watched the final seconds of his fall as he landed on the concrete slab below them. Apparently, the safety jack of the top floor had been faulty. Regardless of the reports that the man had already died, the paramedic checked for a pulse and confirmed none. Being in an out-of-hospital setting, the paramedic confirmed the time of death. My partner proceeded with the usual procedure as I stood there in horror. It was the first time I had seen a dead person, and to make it worse, the death was so horrific. He had multi trauma, his legs amputated and his bowels were all out. A very bad smell engulfed the area, and I wasn’t sure whether it was the smell of death or the bowels. The paramedic just finished verification of death then we finished our job. Reactions Thoughts Right from the time the dispatch call came, many thoughts started running through my mind. Like with every other job, I was anxious. I was still a student with little experience in EMT and I kept wondering what awaited us. I was trained to always expect anything, but in reality, it is never that easy and there were certain things such as death that I was certainly not prepared for. When we arrived at the scene and I saw the death man, I just thought it was a crush too much. I had never seen anything like it in my life. Every part of his body was apart. I watched in horror thinking about how the man had been alive and full of hope just a few moments back, and he was now crushed into nothingness. The site of the man lying lifeless on the pavement filled me with paranoia. Even several days later, I still could not shake off the thoughts. I thought death was just creeping around and I could die unexpectedly at any time. These thoughts haunted me so much that I started questioning my choice of career. At some point, I just wanted to drop the paramedics course and choose another course. As Nejad and Volny (2008) explain, people’s response to any situation depends on the thoughts individuals have about the situation. This explains why people cope differently. The thought that as a paramedic, I could not save the construction worker. Emotions The US Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (2014) define emotions as a subjective feeing that is influenced by our thoughts, physiology and bahaviours and equally affects these elements. Emotions can be either negative or positive. Nejad and Volny (2008) write that emotions are the are the reflections that cause the most pain. This is particularly true for a paramedic like myself. After the incident, I was filled with a lot of stress and anxiety. Nejad and Volny (2008) identify these feelings as indicators of emotional distress. My persisten axiety was accompanied by a feeling of sadness. I was sad that there was nothing we could do to save the worker. I was unhappy that he had died so young and perhaps left a young family. My partner was very helpful in helping me get through these difficult times. He was more experienced in the field and had encautered many such episodes. He told me that I should learn to accept that in our line of work, we are prone to experincing death and traumatic events. Indeed, acknowledging and accepting that distressing experiences are part of life is the first process of coping with traumatic events[Nej08]. From the support I received, I reaslised that people have different responses to bad experinces, and I was not wrong to feel bad, whil others seemd okay. My partner also helped me learn that I should not suppress these emotions because they would only worsen. even though some people, do not show negative emotions, it does not mean that they are not affected. Behaviours Peole bahave differently in order to cope with stressful expericnes [Nej08]. People engage in different behaviours to manage the aftereffects of trauma. Some individuals anagge in bahaviours such as self-medicating, avoidant, compulsive, impulsive, and self-injurious behaviours[Cen14]. For me, I felt I needed to be alone most of the time. I isolated myself from normal crowds in the office of at home. I felt comfortable being alone. Sometimes, I felt like crying and I did not want people to see my saddness. I felt that being isolated would help me cope better. I also developed insomnia almost immediately. I could not fall asleep and when I did, I woke up very early. This worsened things as I spent most of the time isolated and with so many thoughts running on my mind. This affected me greately as it impacted on my cincentration at work too. Having a strong pro-social behaviour is an indicator of strong resilience as such individuals are able to exhibit positive self-image and optimism even under stressful situations[Nej08]. As a paramedic, the experince I had gone through had tested my resilience and I came out less resilient than I though I was. However, with the organisational assistance I received, things improved with time. This peocess helped me realise and aknoeldge the importance of social support in dealing with trauma. Physical Reactions In most people, post-traumatic stress disorder manifiests through cognifive and behavioural symptoms. However, sometimes, physical impacts may be felt[Cen14]. Nejad and Volny (2008) cite muscle tension, headaches, stomach discomfort, feeling hot and sweaty, nausea, indigestion, shortness of breath, heart pounding, and shakin as the major physical symptims. After leaving the accident scene, I was too shaken to even continue with work that day. I vomited a lot throughout the return journey. Every time the image of the man lying on the conceret ran in my head, I would feel nausciated. I felt so exhausted during that day and I just wanted to rest. However, no amount of rest seemed adequate. For several days, I could not eat. I kept seeing the man’s spluttered bowels every time I sat down to eat and I just lost appetite. This went on over time and I even lost weight as my health deteriorated. However, I still had to go to work and just being around people helped a lot. I realised that the impact of the trauma was worse when I was alone. The event made me realise that the physical impacts of trauma can be delibitating if one does not get adequate support. It is particularly helpful when you have someone who has gone through a simialr experience before. Social Support To understand how individuals become resilient to trauma, it is important to examine how the social context impacts on the individuals’s internal experiences. The availability of social coping stretegies for paramedics can help the become more resilient. Human relations, as was the case in my situation, are crucial in coping with trauma. Humans are not just rational beings, but components of a larger society with emotions and feelings. Therefore, the way individuals relate with others is not purely based on rational thoughts, but can also involve emotions and feelings. In y scenarios, the insturution I worked for aknolwedge these facts and provided the ncessary social support. The training paramedics go through do not only equip them with the processes of coping with emergencies, but also on how to cope with difficult work situations and to help their colleagues cope as well. In my case, my resilience was reoinforced by those I worked with. My partner was very helpful in helping me understand my feeelings, emotions, thoiughts and reactions to the traumatic event. Having been a student, I was partnered with an expericned paramdic who understood that I was inexprnced not only in EMS, but also in the stresses the come with the job. As is the case with once is faced with a traumatic job expericne, my parter reported the case to office psychologist who also offered psychosocial support. I was encauraged to stay in groups and avoid isolating myself. The psychoogist also ensured that I received any help I could to help me cope. Colleagues also kept me engaged in positive thought. With time, my situation improved as I learned to focus on helping others rather than dwelling on the past that I could not change. Conclusion After the traumatic event that I experienced, I clearly understand how the Cognitive and Behavioural Model of Stress applies to the life of a paramedic. I understand how thoughts, emotions, behaviours, and physical response all come into play when dealing with trauma. Paramedics are required to show resilience every time because their line of duty always involves situations that may be traumatising in different ways. Resilience is important because it helps individuals manage the different elements of thoughts, emotions, behaviours, and physical response that they undergo after an exposure to a traumatic event [Clo16]. Resilience helps paramedics stay positive and focus on ways to better themselves. As I gain more experience in the field, I have been able to become more resilient. References Lov12: , (Gayton & Lovell, 2012), Scu11: , (Scully, 2011), Nej08: , (Nejad & Volny, 2008), Nej08: , (Nejad & Volny, 2008), Cen14: , (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (US), 2014), Clo16: , (Clompus & Albarran, 2016), Read More