Handover Carnival - October 2010

Ladies and gentlemen, it's still happening. The Handover Carnival is still taking place, where a different blogger each month takes the reins and chooses a subject to be covered by EMS bloggers world-wide. This month, well, actually, we're about a month in arrears due to our Aussie friend over at Flobach Republic's world going a little nuts (it's OK, Flobach, we forgive you!) the subject was Wearing is Caring.

What do EMS providers world wide wear when they go to work? What do they carry with them? And why?

I'm surprised each and every month to find at least one more blog that I'd never heard of before, each telling their story of EMS from a different perspective.

And just as a bonus, an old post of mine made it onto the list too...

So go, click on the link above, and enjoy an easy Sunday's reading!

Respect is Due

The latest Handover Carnival has been expertly compiled and published by CK over at Life Under the Lights.

As Chris wrote on his site - "Respect can mean many things in EMS. Whether it’s the utmost respect for the sanctity of human life that must be inherent in all medicine, respect for our coworkers, respect for ourselves, respect for our profession, or respect for and from other health care providers and the general public. Almost all of our problems could be said to at least partially stem from a fundamental lack of respect".

So, without any further delay - head over to Life Under the Lights for the latest Handover Carnival - entitled Respect.

The Handover - Passion Edition

This month's edition of the Handover Carnival, entitled "Passion", has been published over at Notes from Mosquito Hill. The posts make for incredible reading, so as soon as you have a few minutes to spare, make sure you head over to Mack505's place, and take the time to see what it is that drives so many of us to do the job we do.

Happy Birthday Handover!

The latest Handover has been posted over at Gomerville. This is the first anniversary of the Handover Carnival, which has led me to many fantastic blogs all with a different outlook on the world of EMS. The idea of this month's edition was to profile someone who has had an influence on our careers, whether negative, but more importantly, positive.

There is a mix of teachers, partners, family members, even patients who all feature on the list. Go have a read.

There is much to learn from them all.

Holiday Handover

Due to an incapacitated MrsInsomniac, and an overworked and ever more underslept Insomniac, I have been extremely lax in promoting the latest Handover Carnival. It has been expertly and brilliantly hosted over at Ambulance Driver's site, and I thank him for including one of my posts along with so many other terrific pieces. In the spirit of AD's musings, I wish you all a happy, healthy and peaceful holiday season.

There's plenty of reading to keep you busy...

Close Calls Handover

The Close Calls Handover has been posted over at Happy Medic's HQ. As always, the Handover makes for some good reading. There's even an honourable (and I'm duly honoured) mention in dispatches for your local Insomniac.

Go.

Read.

Be inspired.

And, as always,

Stay Safe.

Handover Carnival 9

Well folks, here it is, the latest monthly Handover Carnival. The theme for this month is all about the small people we deal with, so without further ado, allow me to introduce:

Kids - Seen and not Hurt

I'm going to start this month's with a post from the Grumpy Dispatcher, who suggests a list of kit that is not part of our emergency stocks, but will probably help even more with our treatment. Remember that you're not only treating a condition. You're treating a person. Read it here.

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Read it? Good. Our next post is from Mack505 and tells how calls dealing with kids have the potential of turning a sleepy medic into a sleepless one.

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Epijunky, drawing on her experiences as both a mom (or mum in these shores...) and a medic, reminds us that we are all human, with human feelings and emotions, and that it's OK to let them get to us sometimes.

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Over at Rescuing Providence, you can read about the way kids capture the hearts and minds of even the toughest EMS and Fire crews, and that even the Bullies on the block are reduced to baby babble.

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Back in the UK and up in the Welsh mountains, Hypoxic Witterings gives us two views of the same emergency. One from the rescue team, and one from a bystander who watched helplessly as the drama unfolded.

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BasicsDoc, who I've personally had the honour of working alongside, has sent in a post about a call that's both haunting and heartbreaking, showing how families often cling to the smallest details in their despair.

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I've also had a couple of entries from blogs that I had not heard of or come across before. This is partly the reason for the Carnival, so I was pleased that it was serving its purpose. The first came from Dispatches From the Street. It shows the internal conflict we often have with a very sick child asking very pertinent questions. Do you lie or do you tell the whole truth?

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The next blog I've been introduced to is one called Just My Blog. Here I read about children getting hurt due to the laziness or otherwise of the so-called responsible adults. Sometimes we're no better than the kids.

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Lumo tells a story on a similar theme that's not really theirs, and gives an insight into what happens in an A&E department when they don't have the "luxury" of being forewarned of the horrors about to be unleashed, and how it doesn't always have to be personal experience that leaves a lasting impression.

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Almost last but most certainly not least, I'd like to give the floor to Mark over at 999Medic, the originator of the Handover Carnival. This is all his fault.

Mark's view is one of mixed memories, from how children leave us all traumatised, to the small people who steal our hearts. From the calls we hope never to attend, to kids who are nothing but sheer inspiration for all the adults around them. We all have much to learn.

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The next Handover Carnival is to be held over at The Happy Medic, who whilst planning for his edition, sent in his entry for this one. Sounds like his fire skills as well as EMS ones were going to be required, or maybe not...

The theme for the next Carnival is "Close Call", stories of a time when you or your patient cheated death, which left you with a reinforced idea of how life is precious, just in time for Thanksgiving. Entries by the 23rd of November, to be published on the 27th.

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Thus closes this month's Handover Carnival. It has left me with much to think about, a great deal to be inspired by, and a huge amount to be thankful for. I hope you feel the same.

Roll Up, Roll Up!

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This is your final call for all submissions for this month's Handover Carnival, entitled:

Kids - Seen and Not Hurt.

Anything related to dealing with those little monsters who instantly take over our emotions, even if we've never met them before.

Don't forget there's still the open section for any other EMS related posts that you may feel appropriate to share with the readers.

All submissions to benyatzbaz999@gmail.com by Monday morning (UK morning...) (26th October), for publication on the 30th.

In the meantime - have a safe weekend, and one piece of advice - Don't put your finger in a baby's mouth...

Ladies and Gentlemen

Ladies and Gentlemen of Blogsphere...

A short reminder that I'm hosting the Handover Carnival at the end of this month, on the theme "Children - Seen and Not Hurt". I have already received several fantastic entries and look forward to many more. Feel free to make me work for a living (if you can call this blogging a living), and send in entries for the open section too, on anything EMS related. The closing date for entries is October 26th, so time is starting to run short...

Please send your entries to benyatzbaz999@gmail.com .

For now, have a peaceful (or festive, if you prefer!) weekend, and most importantly,

Stay Safe.

Handover again

The latest Handover Carnival has arrived over at Life Under the Lights. It's a collection of hilarious stories entitled Funniest. Call. Ever. Have a read and a good laugh.

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When you're done, get your thinking caps on, as next month's Handover is being held by yours truly. The theme is "Kids - Seen but Not Hurt". Any calls, from funny to sad, sombre to heroic, anything child related. Kids are in my eyes the most precious possession we have both as individuals and as a society, and it's our job to protect them. So tell me how you go about it. Don't forget that there is now also an open entry section, for anything EMS related. I'd particularly like to hear from non-EMS personnel who may read this blog with regards any experiences they may have had with Emergency medicine.

Email your entries to benyatzbaz999@gmail.com . I look forward to them all with baited breath.

EDIT: Forgot to write the closing date: Monday, 26th October.

To be published on Friday 30th.

Handover

This month's Handover Carnival has been published over at Medic999's site. I'm once again honoured to be included in a list of other blogs worthy of reading. This month's topic was "The First Emergency". All the other ones are definitely worth reading and give a wide range of different views on the same basic idea. Go have a read.

Thanks again to Mark for starting the Handover idea and hosting it this month. Next month's will be hosted over at Life Under the Lights, and has the heading of Funniest. Call. Ever. I'll have to see what I can come up with...