EMT Well Being

1
EMT Well Being

• Who takes care of us?

2
The Well-Being of the EMT-1

• Personal health, safety, and well-being are vital
  to an EMS operation
• Hazards are common
• Mental and physical stresses are part of the job.

3
Rescuer well being

• Death dying
• Critical Incident Stress
• CISM
• Scene Safety and Personal Protection

4
Death and Dying

• Few people have witnessed death
• Death is something you will have to face
• Think about it ahead of time
• remember hearing is the last sense to go

5
The Grieving Process

• 1. Denial
• 2. Anger
• 3. Bargaining
• 4. Depression
• 5. Acceptance

6
What Can an EMT-1 Do?

• Provide support
• Make helpful statements
• Be sincere
• Understand that grief is a process

7
Dealing With Family Members

• Be calm
• Use a gentle tone of voice
• Respect the familys wishes
• Do not create false hope

8
Signs of Stress

• Sleep problems nightmares, insomnia,
  hypersomnia
• Headaches
• Changes in appetite
• Fatigue
• Irritability
• Anxiety
• Mood swings
• Isolation
• Substance abuse
• Normal responses to abnormal stress

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Stress Management

• Positive and negative ways to handle it
• Stress is unavoidable
• Understand the effects
• Find balance in life

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Strategies to Manage Stress (1 of 2)

• Eliminate stressors
• Change partners
• Stop complaining
• Expand your social support system

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Strategies to Manage Stress (2 of 2)

• Minimize the physical response by
• Taking a deep breath
• Stretching
• Exercise
• Proper nutrition

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Signs and Symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder

• Depression
• Startle reactions
• Flashback phenomena
• Amnesia of event

13
Critical Incident Stress

• Multi-casualty Incidents (MCI)
• Infant and child trauma
• Patients that remind us of loved ones
• Death or injury of a coworker
• Extreme circumstances
• Amputations
• abuse

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Critical Incident Stress Management

• Confronts responses to critical incidents
• Process designed to help EMS personnel defuse
  responses to critical incidents
• Composed of trained peers and mental health
  professionals

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CISM Components

• Pre-incident stress education
• On-scene peer support
• Disaster support services
• Defusings

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CISM Components

• CISD
• Follow-up services
• Spouse and Family support
• Community Outreach
• talk, talk, talk, talk (to people that understand)

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Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD)

• Held within 24 to 72 hours
• All information is confidential
• CISD leaders offer suggestions for overcoming the
  stress
• It Works - Cerritos versus San Diego

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Stop

• Questions?