For the sake of asking...

[billy]

Simply asking...you're dispatched to a tractor trailer rig overturned onto a car with victims trapped. What vehicles would respond from your agency if it happened today?

[sueshepherdnurse]

Good point and necessary to always think of contingencies and how to respond. Thanks for the great reminder to all of us to think about how to deal with difficult emergencies.

[sueshepherdnurse]

(2016-01-05 12:13 PM)sueshepherdnurse Wrote:  Good point and necessary to always think of contingencies and how to respond. Thanks for the great reminder to all of us to think about how to deal with difficult emergencies.

You are correct in saying that it is always good to think ahead of emergency planning before emergency happens. I know for a fact that hospitals do it all of the time. They have what they call "emergency drills" in that they practice and practice emergency situations and then when the real emergency comes up, they are ready to handle it. Thank you. Purplespider, CNA

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(2015-08-27 01:30 PM)billy Wrote:  Simply asking...you're dispatched to a tractor trailer rig overturned onto a car with victims trapped. What vehicles would respond from your agency if it happened today?

The vehicles that would be used are the police, fire engines, and the ambulance. These are the first responders that come onto the scene and start helping the victims. Sometimes, a case worker or social worker needs to come to the scene as well so that they can help with the report, but they usually come much later into the scene. Purplespider

[sueshepherdnurse]

(2016-06-15 01:59 PM)sueshepherdnurse Wrote:  

(2016-01-05 12:13 PM)sueshepherdnurse Wrote:  Good point and necessary to always think of contingencies and how to respond. Thanks for the great reminder to all of us to think about how to deal with difficult emergencies.

You are correct in saying that it is always good to think ahead of emergency planning before emergency happens. I know for a fact that hospitals do it all of the time. They have what they call "emergency drills" in that they practice and practice emergency situations and then when the real emergency comes up, they are ready to handle it. Thank you. Purplespider, CNA

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(2015-08-27 01:30 PM)billy Wrote:  Simply asking...you're dispatched to a tractor trailer rig overturned onto a car with victims trapped. What vehicles would respond from your agency if it happened today?

The vehicles that would be used are the police, fire engines, and the ambulance. These are the first responders that come onto the scene and start helping the victims. Sometimes, a case worker or social worker needs to come to the scene as well so that they can help with the report, but they usually come much later into the scene. Purplespider

It is always a good idea to plan ahead for emergencies before they happen. My school that I was a school nurse at always had fire drills so that students and staff knew where to go when a real fire happened. I also was instructed to work on the emergency prepare kit for the school and my job was to be sure that we had things stocked inside of it so that if an emergency came, we would have things and also keep the students safe.

[sueshepherdnurse]

I would do triage nursing and that would mean treat the most critical patients first and then move on to treat the other patients. Then when all of the patients have been treated, then I would assess them all to make sure that their treatment was successful. This is a good link to read about nursing in a situation that can be used in a trauma unit of a hospital or out in the field:

http://www.pacificmedicalacls.com/acls-o...nurse.html

[sueshepherdnurse]

I think that it is always a good idea to have a plan of action when emergencies arise. When I did one job as a school nurse, I had to always check our emergency kit so that it had necessary items in it in case of an emergency. I think that it is a good idea to have a kit available in case of an emergency because
you never know when they will come and it is always better to be prepared at all times. It is also a good idea to do drills in order to be ready in case an emergency does occur. Thank you for allowing us to think about these things.

[sueshepherdnurse]

Triage nursing is the way to go in this one. First, I would assess the scene in order to make sure that it is safe. Then, I would assess the victims from the most severe trauma to the least trauma. I would also get help from the EMS while I was doing the nursing duty or get someone else to get help. Then, the EMS would take all of the victims to the hospital when everything was cleared and the victims where cleared to travel.

[sueshepherdnurse]

I would take care of the most injured people first and then go from there. After I had taken care of all of the people, I would then check on the people that I have taken care of in order to make sure that they all are safe. I would call the EMS or have someone call the EMS in order to get additional help and more medical involvement.

[sueshepherdnurse]

Triage nursing is the best way to handle this situation for many reasons. You have to handle the more serious injuries first and then the least ones next. I am so thankful that you have this forum posting because it does reflect on how you would handle an emergency. Hospitals practice their emergency drills and it is important because when the real emergency comes, they are ready and prepared to handle it by using triage.

[sueshepherdnurse]

I can remember going on vacation one time and there was a tractor trailer truck 18-wheeler that overturned onto the highway and traffic was not moving at all. It was very scary. I could remember there were fire trucks and ambulances. I saw that they did do triage nursing which was very helpful. I believe that no one was hurt or very minor injuries which is good.