Monday 12 July 2010

What to do?!

I had to pop to the shops today in my revision break.

I was wandering past the place where madsadgirl and I often go for a cup of tea when I noticed something. Someone had collapsed on the floor and was surrounded by people trying to help.

I slowed down and thought "hmmm... maybe I should go and help..."

I walked over to the entrance next to where the lady was collapsed and was told by a security guard to go away as the situation was under control. There seemed to be a fair few people helping so I left.

Now I feel incredibly guilty.

Should I have pushed a little bit more? Insisted I was a medical student so I could help. I certainly know my basic life support and emergency management very well after this week's revision.

Do I realistically know more than your average first aider? Had anyone there even done a first aid course?

I'm 100% positive that if this happened in a year's time and I was officially a doctor I would have barged in to help regardless of what the shopping centre's security staff thought. Maybe I should have a little more confidence in my abilities now?

All in all I hope that the lady had just fainted with the heat and is now back on form, sipping a cup of tea and nursing her bruises from falling down.

Lily xXx

2 comments:

The Young Mummy said...

Id say yes you should have suggested helping, even if someone there was a 1st Aider its always good to have a 2nd pair of hands! Especially if the worest happen and you end up doing CPR.

Anonymous said...

It would have been good to have suggested you where a medical student... I should think someone with the amount of knowledge and experience you have would have been as asset to any situation even if there had been someone on the scene.

I found myself in a situation the other week which scared me about my lack of knowledge but also about the future I am plummeting myself in and what I am about to start learning. I was just going into the outdoor swimming pool at the gym after the aqua aerobics session had finished when some elderly lady had collapsed and she was surrounded by her friends (mostly elderly and panicking) plus two first aiders from the gym and a younger lady. I was swimming up and down the pool but all the time concerned for the lady aware they had called the paramedics but all that went through my mind was that six months down the line I’d be a student nurse and be in a situation where I would perhaps be able to step in and offer help. I’m quite a confident person anyway, but I felt so lost and helpless. I later learned that a man present was a GP they had pulled out of the gym! Ironically no sooner had the paramedics pulled away did my old GP get in the pool for a swim, (good timing or what!) although embarrassing for me!