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Hi, I had written a long blog entry back in June but it's not here!! Must've done something wrong.. Was really surprised when I logged on Friday and it wasn't here. Got to start over..
I'm at home in a day off wanting to catch up on my blog for my nan in England. Trying to keep in touch with people back in the UK is pretty tricky with the time difference and I often message people on fb. Still haven't Skyped some friends and family though and time has just blown by, quicker than ever before. I've been here for over 5 months!!
So... At the moment, my fiancé Marc is back in England, he went back on the 25th of July. Because he couldn't find a job here that he liked. We tried to find him a similar job to being a Heakth Care Assistant in A&E, but his commute was 1.5 hours to the nearest A&E, or ED as you call it here, and he did not like that road, the Para Paras. We tried the local army camp who promised him a job but never got round to it. Just before he left he did get a job offer at the local pulp mill but he'd already booked his flight. So he's enjoying summer in England, not working as he hasn't got a job there either. Long holiday! And I've been in Ohakune working extra shifts, already saved up for his flight back. I'm hoping he does get a job there and save up some money before coming back, but I do miss him!
The Para Paras are Twisty, windy, with camber tipping you towards cliffs with no barriers, no barriers for most of it, lots if slips- so mud, soil, trees and the odd giant boulder that's nearly as big as my ambulance, appearing in the road. You look up and don't see anything, wondering where the heck that came from. That's the road I go down to take a patient to the nearest hospital. And 1.5 hours is speeding a car down there, it's 2 hours by ambulance with one stop to quickly check on my patient.
So I love working here, I'm Station Manager now. (They advertised, the guy didn't come over cus he was scared if single crewing, FairPlay. I found out when I got here!! They readvertised, nobody they liked, they asked me a lot and I caved). It's an awesome, challenging place to work as a Paramedic. 100% single crewed, working alone on an ambulance. Often no phone signal or radio signal. Not very busy, but can be steady. And when you get a job it can be a 4-6 hour turnaround! You get to know your patients very well. Long long drives to hospital. In May, there was horrendous flooding in Wanganui (where local hospital is), and most of the para paras was wrecked, could barely see that there was a road there. It's still being g fixed, was closed fir months and then it was 3hrs and 15 mins to hospital. Try that for a long drive single crewed, and then immediately back again with no break. And.. Sometimes I caught a job on the way back, had to take them to hospital, then drove back again lol! It's been fab, as my usual self I've just gotten straight into it. That Induction I had- it was working with a crew in wanganui, didn't learn a thing but taught myself all the clinical guidelines here and sat an exam to be Paramedic ILS status here. Since then I've realised some paras from England have been here fir months and still haven't done that exam. It's very thorough. There are less drugs here and some skills they don't do here but it's been ok. I've had to really know my stuff working alone and making decisions, all has gone well so far and I'm very happy and proud of myself. Its open COMMS here so everything I say and do is shared with half the North Island of NZ. I took a patient to Palmerston North once so far, got jumped on by staff down there calling me Heli Girl. I've had a lot of very sick patients and I know every helicopter that can come to my area. Some awesome machines! Although usually I get one of them, with a paramedic that I have dubbed Mr Grumpy. He's not great with patients and I've never seen him help my patients yet, but you have to laugh. He's just so grumpy. im the only paramedic for my town, the three other staff aren't paras and it's been great to share knowledge and I've had time to study and work. And sleep on nightshifts! Thankful for that, feel so much healthier and safer working on nights.
I have been the paramedic that was called to some really nice local people who have sadly passed away. I'm grateful for the extra studying I do, because I've predicted deterioration and called heli just in time for a few very sick patients. Cushings triad snuck up again.. (Cerebral aneurysm)..That guy was walking around fine, I just knew he was going to go downhill. Still don't know. Is it the sixth sense people go on about in paramedicine? Or experience.. I was a great s*** magnet in England, helps.
I thought nothing of driving up the local Mountain Road, in blizzard whiteout weather and snow and ice, to see a patient, get a heli and then everyone goes home and I out the chains on and drive back down. Some good hairpin bends, uber high cliff drop offs and no barriers there. Ambulance handles itself very well. I'm still the only one here who has used the chains so fat. But we did have a driving course for snow and ice last week (opposite dude if the mountain, guy crashed an ambulance badly). Was great fun! I was called speedy Gonzales ( we were asked to drive as fast as we dared and skid etc and handle it. I am a very sensible driver). Interestingly enough, that's what my driver instructor called me on my C1 course driving lorries, but that was the first day, I drive slower and better after that.
So.. Any other news.. New staff member coming to replace Hannah but I'll still see Hannah as she's relief and lives just in wairouru (next town along to the east, towards civilisation- the bigger towns) so easy to see her. New girl is Pip, will be three girls, Me and Glenda and pip, and Jeff.
I have a cat, called Tux, jet black with yellow eyes. A guy from tamaranui, who works fir St. John,was moving house and needed to rehome him. He is the most friendly cat I've ever known. He follows me every time I go up and down the stairs, sits outside the shower room and toilet room, only goes outside for 5 mins or I'm outside e.g. Stacking a delivery of 4 cubic metres of wood (300 logs in one cubic metre). I have lodgers as Marc's not here, two guys who are working here for winter season. They're awesome. They mostly keep to themselves in their rooms.
Ohakune has been buzzing since winter sets in, lots if people from all over come up the mountain road to go and ski (Turoa ski field).
I've done Motorcross events in huge areas of commercial logging woodland, whizzing around on a Polaris and treating injured bikers. Calling heli again... Been so good, great experience working as a Para here. Everyone else can be panicking and you get stuck in, then everyone's happy again! I did do a hellish drive from here to Taupo for a weekends event, it was a complete whiteout, worse driving ever. Road got closed just after I went through, accident. No wonder, i didn't know if I was on the road or not half the time, stuck to those central cats eyes as much as I could, my car has ESP and ABS and they worked flipping hard! Can't believe how well my car handles ice and snow, have no chains for my car. Only saw 2 snowploughs and 2 other trucks for a 3 HR drive. Nutter. Anyone else wouldve turned back. I had driven round Ohakune when all the roads were shut and we were snowed in for weeks. That was interesting. heli please?! I was in call then, as I was for the floods.
Anyway.. I'm doing really well, very busy and trying not to always works extra shifts and to enjoy my days off. I've irganused seeing a station manager an hour away in a town, as I've had no training yet and I've just got on with it... But she could teach me some things I'm sure. I've been in area committee meeting so that's a new experience! Still feel so valued here it's weird, I'm the only paramedic in the village lol and I've met the local fire service and area committee members...
I keep the house immaculate, sort out the log fire everyday, done some gardening- springs on the way already... I bought a mountain bike, total bargain. Still no idea how I got it in and out the backseat of my Mitsubishi Lancer 2L car. Did I mention the car?! Marc picked it! I have a big racer car with a whale tail... Silver beauty. In all fairness, it can handle very well. Could get you into trouble too though.
I think that's it... I'm off for a coffee at one of the lovely cafes in town.. Although maybe not the one where the waiter smiles at me non stop and makes heart shapes in my soy hot chocolate! Nice, but I like to be left alone and study or do my diary before work. That's my favourite cafe as it's the most quiet!
Keeping in contact with Marc daily, while trying to catch up with friends and family! My friend from my paramedic degree has quit being a paramedic in England too, I'm so so happy for her, it's not worth getting ill and stressed over there. she'll now be working at an urgent care centre. Xx
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