Things get noisy sometimes, it's hard to block out the world, and ignore the sirens and shouts, the blaring music and everything else that contributes to the ruckus. I've found that those are the easy things to block out-it's the racket going on in my head that gets in the way more often than the roar of the world.
Now, when I hear the cacophony getting geared up I have to make a conscious decision to silence the distractions, forget about the Littman stethoscope, pull the cotton out of my ears and put it in my mouth for a minute and listen.
Listening is a much overlooked skill. Most people are terrible listeners. Most EMT's are terrible listeners. We know what is wrong with people better than they do, after all, and we have all these fancy gadgets to prove us right. Who cares what the patients say, what do they know?
They know everything. Everything we need to know about their condition can be learned by simply listening. Almost everything, anyway.
Give it a try sometime, you will be amazed at what you hear.
Funny. Every doctor or nurse my husband has ever had has, sooner or later, said to him “You understand your illness and your body better than I do. You have a very good grasp on the situation.” Or words to that effect. You seem to have a “very good grasp” on the value of the listening thing.
I would expect no less my friend.
Keep up the good work, be well and stay safe. Love, Pat.
Talking is definitely overrated. And definitely not just at a rescue scene.