Be POWERFUL

Be POWERFUL (and don’t say a word 🤫) owned the scene and yet, nothing was said. At least on my part. Let me explain… as a paramedic, EMT, nurse or regular human being in ANY situation in life where there’s an altercation many times the battle can be won by not saying a word.

The reality is, many, many, MANY times we come across this scene. Imagine: tones go out, “engine 8, medic 8; standby for an assault at Anger st; regarding a 21 year old male who was punched in the face, possibly lost consciousness; ETOH involved.” Great… it’s a Friday night and this guy decided to get the party started. You show up, finding a 21 year old male, leaning against the wall. His pride, hurt and ashamed, visible from a mile away. You get close, nod at the officer, and point. “Is this him?” You get a nod back, “Yup.” Introductions are made, welcomed by an immediate denial of need for your care. “Leave me alone! You don’t even care bro! I’m dying and nobody’s doing anything about it!” Wait a minute… perplexed, you try to reason. Then you get cussed at, told to shut up and leave. Over and over. In the middle of the commotion, the patient looks at you and decides to make the attacks personal. Attacking your persona, your demeanor, your hat, your hair, your glasses, etc. Then they attack your knowledge. Oh, no. “You’re an idiot! You don’t even know what you’re doing.” Now, it’s personal. But, is it really? This is where you show your true power and control of the scene. What do you say? Your intelligence is being questioned…. The reality is, this is where experience kicks in.

But you’re not like everyone else. You’re reading this newsletter and learned the skill of control... Control over who? The patient? In a practical sense, yes. But hold your horses, my dear friend, for the cold, hard truth might just be playing a sneaky game of hide-and-seek with your first impressions. Rather, by refraining from going toe-to-toe with a drunk. Too many times, we see that “hot head” come over and start berating the patient. Yelling back at the patient, “Well if you don’t want anything, then we’ll just leave you here!” or “YOU NEED TO CALM DOWN, RIGHT NOW!” How about when the “dad” voice comes out? Plain silliness, really. Reality is, in the words of Dale Carnegie, “the best way to win an argument, is to avoid it.” No one “wins” these arguments. Even if your patient is sane of mind, you still don’t win the argument! Now, you’ve put yourself in a position where you’re arguing with a drunk/intoxicated/altered person. You really think you’re going to win this argument? The valuable skill of self-control take practice. Don’t worry if you get caught up in an argument. You can always shorten it. Yes, you. In several different ways. Just try one. Might it be by removing yourself from the situation? Calming your demeanor? Or, by simply apologizing? Yes, sincerely apologizing for getting off on the wrong foot and attempting to move the conversation forward.

Outcome: you took control of the situation. You can now guide the patient in his best interest, to a safe location. To your office (your ambulance, silly). To the hospital. To their room. Even if that room has a comfortable bed with soft restraints, waiting to be filled by 2 wrists and 2 unsuspecting ankles. You accomplished your goal. Safety. Your safety, your crew’s safety, your patient’s safety. I want you to come home to your family. Let’s practice being POWERFUL and OWNING the scene.