You are a paramedic assigned to a nontransporting ALS unit for a rural fire department. You are the only paramedic on duty in the county. You are dispatched and first on the scene of a crash along a two-lane road. A van carrying a family was turning in the family's driveway when it was struck from behind by a tractor-trailer. There were nine people in the van and two in the tractor. A neighbor,
who is also a nurse in the local ER, lives next door and is on scene doing CPR on one of the children. What would be a prudent action for you to take and why?
A) Use the START system and tag the patients. Do not commit to CPR and request appropriate resources.
B) Quickly do a scene size-up and begin triage using START. Try to use the nurse by simply explaining that you need her to assist you with those patients who can benefit from her knowledge and training and that you will be unable to sustain CPR on one patient.
C) Tell the nurse to stop CPR immediately and assist you with the rest of the victims.
D) Do a scene size-up. Quickly triage the rest of the victims, then assist the nurse with CPR. Intubate the child and give her a BVM, then continue with START. If no other patients need ALS, go back and perform further interventions.
B
You might also like to view...
Laboratory modifier that indicates repeat clinical diagnostic laboratory test
A) -90 B) -91 C) -92 D) -99
When there is a shortage of health care workers:
A. demand increases because there are more applicants than jobs. B. demand decreases because there are fewer applicants than jobs. C. salaries and benefits increase because it is harder to recruit applicants. D. hire-on bonuses decrease because it is easier to get a job. E. None of the above