“Someone
else will lend a helping hand,” a physician told me once, when asked to help
with an emergency in public. As a PALS
instructor for more than a decade, I have always responded when possible. In the last decade, there have been three
in-flight emergencies, two elderly individuals who passed out in church, and a
host of other less serious maladies. A
week ago, I discovered the BEST reason I can think of to respond to medical
emergencies yet.
“Did you
save that man, mommy?” my 4 year old daughter asked while looking at the dented
vintage red VW bug in front of her school.
“No, I was there to help him if he needed me”, I answered. I had been stopped on a two lane road with my
left turn signal blinking to turn into the driveway of her preschool. I was five minutes early, which is as unusual
as the events that unfolded next. Two
cars behind me a driver was attempting to pass the line of cars and tried to
stop, realizing it was unsafe. He
skidded leftward into oncoming traffic as a group of motorcycles passed going
the opposite way. The sound of
shattering glass followed as the motorcycle and automobile collided.
The
school windows were open due to the warm weather so the children heard the loud
crash. Traffic going the opposite
direction came to a complete stop, blocking the driveway to the school. I was unable to turn in to the parking lot,
so I turned off the engine, got out, and yelled for someone to call 9-1-1. A firefighter was in the car behind me and we
reached the injured motorcyclist about the same time.
He
assessed the victims’ neurologic status and I checked ABC’s and unzipped his
jacket for better exposure. He was
coherently speaking with us and looked stable on initial assessment, so we agreed
to keep him immobilized until the paramedics arrived and could properly
stabilize his C-spine. I will not bore
you with the details of emergency care as that is not the main point of this
story.
The
teachers let the children know none of their parents were injured and would be
coming to get them soon. In all the
chaos, parents were able to pull into the driveway (someone moved my vehicle to
a safer location), pick up their children, and leave. My middle children, ages 4 and 6, knew I was
waiting with the injured motorcyclist for help to arrive. Unbeknownst to me, my daughter kept asking to
go outside and survey the scene. Medicine might just be in her future.
All four
of my children have spent a great deal of time in my office over the years; they
visit me before school and ‘work’ there on early release days putting together
charts or doing clerical tasks. They
have entertained siblings of patients, held the hands of children receiving
immunizations, and reviewed X-rays with patient permission. They know what physicians do.
“Mom, I
know you care about people and try to help them when they are hurt,” said my 6
year old the next morning at breakfast while we discussed the previous day’s events.
Based on this experience, I have come to the conclusion physicians have a duty
to respond to emergencies if they can.
When an
accident occurs literally next to me and I do not to respond, what am I
teaching other people about physicians?
More importantly, what message am I sending to my own children?
Our children
are always watching us. A dozen children
at school that day are patients of mine.
Three mothers in line picking up their children walked to the scene and
were visibly relieved to see me standing there.
“Oh good, you are here.” The teachers, motorcyclist, and his friends were
grateful as well.
As
physicians, we have more training than any other healthcare worker in medicine. We should respect our vast knowledge base and
utilize it to ease the suffering of others if we are able. Our profession is an honorable one. Comforting others is a calling, not a job to
which we clock in and out of every day. That
fact is what truly sets physicians apart. When the time comes, I hope you help
without hesitation when called upon to be a Good Samaritan. Personally, it reminds me of the reasons I
became a physician in the first place, prompts me to be thankful just for being
alive, and hopefully helps my children develop more compassion and empathy for
others in the world.
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