A patient with Alzheimer’s and an unsteady gait falls and has a small bruise on her nose. The doctor wants her evaluated even though there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong. A 21 year old woman at a minimum wage assembly plant feels dizzy and has a headache – a common complaint at this plant. The nurse calls 911. A mother says her infant is having trouble breathing, and has been for the last two weeks. It has a runny nose. I just say, “What hospital do you want to go to?” I put them on the stretcher and take them. I try to do it with a smile, and without conveying the slightest “You called an ambulance 911 for this!” irritation. I came to work this morning, slept for two hours until the tones woke me up. Later, I cooked some coconut chicken, and got to eat half of it at the table, and the other half as we drove lights and sirens to a chest pain – our one real call of the day. In between calls I also got to catch up on my email, work on my novel and play some poker on my computer simulator. I have it pretty easy. No lash marks on my back. The least I can do is smile and be nice.
