Before I got into this field, I always thought of firefighters, paramedics and doctors as magical superheroes that can fix anything. As long as you make it to their doorstep you'll be fine. This is not not always the case. the amount of people who are unsaveable would shock you. Even in the very best of care.
That's not a slight on firefighters, paramedics or doctors in the least bit, I'm just saying from statistics perspective there are way too many things out there that will kill you no matter what. They really are superheroes in the sense that they do extraordinary things every day and they always bring their A game. They do things you just wouldn't think possible because of how much they push themselves.
I've also seen what is described in the top article of this blog. When you see someone pass and you see just how much was done to save them. Even a 90+ year old person who at best would have a good year or two left, and I've seen doctors pull out all the stops and work just as hard as they would anyone else. The only difference is the patient is even more fragile at this stage. Life is life and they get it.
I've seen people work and struggle when it was very clear things are over. CPR that goes on long after the patient is past the point of no return. I've never seen anyone "throw in the towel" too early and I've seen people push and fight when everyone in the room knows what the outcome will be.
In short, everyone should read things like this and get a glimpse of this perspective. I don't know what you can take from it, but it sure will make you appreciate first responders and ER personnel more. At best it will make you appreciate life more.
I have been fortunate enough to be invited into the OR to observe a few surgeries. The first time, I was shocked at how casual the situation was to the people involved. The atmosphere is more like a workshop than you see on TV dramas involving surgeons (music playing, people chatting about what their kids and weekends, etc. like told in the article).
But after thinking about it some more, this is the atmosphere that's needed. Everyone is calm and collected, and not going to make a mistake from being stressed out. Being stressed out at work every day simply isn't sustainable. Some of these surgeries are tough jobs too, involving standing for hours in awkward positions (which can lead to long-term injuries). These men and women are true professionals - even on routine work they sacrifice their own comfort and well-being for the welfare of their patients.
Agree that it is good to make the perspectives of the original article more widely seen to appreciate what they do!
In Fire Academy they say "We want to train you so you there are so many things you'll do automatically and not even think about. That way you don't panic and also you can use the available thought power for the exceptions in the situation, not the basics"
Also they want you prepared. "You never see a garbage man pull into a neighborhood and say OH SH*T LOOK AT ALL THESE CANS!! HOW AM I GOING TO DO THIS? because they're prepared for it and have a plan".
The first time, I was shocked at how casual the situation was to the people involved. The atmosphere is more like a workshop than you see on TV dramas involving surgeons (music playing, people chatting about what their kids and weekends, etc. like told in the article).
http://www.radiolab.org/story/262588-bitter-end/
http://www.zocalopublicsquare.org/2011/11/30/how-doctors-die...
In the Puget Sound area, and around Rochester MN, your survival rate for 'witnessed, shockable arrest' can approach the high 40s.
In some areas of the country that number is 2-3%
Shara Yurkiewicz is a fourth-year student at Harvard
Medical School. She was an AAAS Mass Media Fellow, and
her work has been published in the Los Angeles Times,
Discover, and The Best Science Writing Online 2012. She
is interested in medical ethics and has served as guest
editor for the American Medical Association's ethics
journal Virtual Mentor. She conducted ethics research
at Harvard, Yale, and the Hastings Center and received
a B.S. in biology from Yale.
That seems like a fairly blanket statement? Care to explain?
My dad had some health problems, and a few close calls in his last years. In the end he fell asleep in his favorite spot in his chair watching television and didn't come back. While it was one of the most heartbreaking things in our lives, but I'm glad his final departure was peaceful and painless.
Would you prefer a log file of events?
Get real.