MEDIC!!!

It seems you don’t need something until you have it. For example before mobile phones we were fine but now we all need then or a new smoothie machine you never needed on but now you’ve got it everyday your having smoothies for breakfast, or a lv 2 first aid certificate. After the course had left my wish for sleep was not granted instead I had 2 and a half days of intense first aid training lined up. On the 16^th pretty much straight after the course leaving we also left for town, stopping to fix the car with a shoe lace and dropping some rubbish of fat the dump. As none of the staff had a current first aid certificate we had been rushed onto a weekend course which appear to be at a wine hose, no complaints there. But sadly we didn’t have a chance to taste. However in the evening after the ½ day of first aid and to celebrate and relax from the first 2 successful camps all the staff went out for a wee snifter at a couple of pubs having a lot of banter along the way. The following two days however were much more serious with a lot of learning, on the 18^th we completed our training sitting both a practical and theory test before been taken on a tour of the local paramedic/ any other problem you may have service to meet the guys and know how it all works, just incase. The following day they returned and it was back into the swing of 630. As the school bus drew into camp there was this strange feeling that something was going to go wrong, but all the 12^th graders got off and nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary and they all behaved rather well so that feeling subsided. However when the groups got back from the orienteering exersize one young landy wanted ice for her ankle. Not a problem just a swollen ankle sure we can sort that, and I did. However when I returned with the ice there was another who appeared to be in a bit more pain, so I did as id been taught and with no reason to suspect a break applied ice then bandaged for support. Done, no more problems from this lot then. Wrong the following morning the foot and swelled massively and the pain increased so absolutely baffled we passed the problem onto someone more qualified and got on with the day. I was leading a group out on summit with Sanele but less than 1km in one member had to pull out with fatigue, but after that it was plain sailing all the way to the summit. To my displeasure it was reviled to me that one of the groups was suffering severally with shin splints and after less than 100 meters down couldn’t walk on her own. So we radio in just to update camp on our situation but thanks to doggy radios couldn’t get camp so had settle for second best, but this would be fine. However some members of the group disagreed so went running off for help. This wasn’t too helpful as it left me with a group in disarray spread out all over the mountain. But not much I could do about that, so I carried on with what I had, putting a support bandage on the leg and help the patient down the hill. Half way down the hill we reached another group waiting for me where I discovered we had a badly sprained ankle, so now I was half way down a mountain with 2 people unable/struggling to walk, hear I decided to radio in for a vehicle pick up for the wounded which as a group we would help them get to. An that exactly what we did slowly but surly working our way down the mountain carrying the guys in places to make it to the pick up, simple really. That enough first aid for one day surly. Well it wasn’t and don’t call me Sheryl. Back at base someone though they would faint on us, well there was already enough staff there so I was keen to stay out of this one. But it seems someone had other plans and soon I found myself at the center of the situation in charge once again. But like all the other incidents of the day it was nothing too serious and the patient eventually stabilized and my work was done. The following day was rather straight forward, summit cut shot by a thunderstorm and the same fate for rock climbing. So I just had night duty making sure they all went to bed and stayed there. The following day due to the rain we transported the kid in the back of a truck to there coach and waved goodbye with a sigh of relief.