Busy Busy since last Blog



Heather with 80 kg mannikin

 It's been difficult to get to a computer but here I am now in Christchurch... missing the others Jacqui, Jenny and Tania.  Tania and I will meet up for a few days after our shifts
We caught up with Lee Dale, Andy Thomas and his wife Emma at the conference.   At the dinner we went as  Snowwhite  and Lee in a full Wicked Witch  outfit with hook nose and chin (making eating ad drinking difficult.. till he pulled them off), Emma as the Prince and the 4 of us as the dwarfs. 

The conference was very busy - Friday  4 workshop sessions on
using the mannikins for simulation training scenarios , Epilepsy, ECGS and how to put on a 12 lead and interpreting rhythms, initial assessment of the critical patient.

Saturday and Sunday had 19sessions, including....
SERT  equivalent to our SOT team
  AP, ICP, CPP  the Alphabet Soup of Head Trauma
Care of Acute Cardiac Patient, Thrombolysis
Chest Trauma Chellenges
Actue management of Burn injuries
Pre-hospital cricical care - 4 cases with interactive responses from audience
Osygen Toxicity - Are we harming our patients with our favourite drug?  Something we were quite interested in hearing about as St John NZ protocols call for giving O2 mainly when O2 stats  in the low 90% or below,
Managing Pain,

Most of the people at the conference were Ambulance Officers, Paramedics or  Primary Care 1 and 2 and presenters were Advanced Paramedics and many doctors from different parts of the country.  Some were great presenters and others were a little slow in their presentatiion style... so I think we all nodded off at some stage but last day sat up the back near the exit where there was more air flow!

We were well looked after by the Northland management  (and Asami our driver from Auckland) and met lots of volunteers from around the country.



Jenny is supposed to be winched from a boat into a chopper some time this afternoon... hope she survives the training drill!  She's got 3 days in Whangarei then on to Thames in the Coromandel Peninsula.
Jacqui has gone to Hamilton area, Tania to Dunedin andme to Christchurch.






The only  entrance to the back of a Mercedes Ambo



Jacqu  in Whangarei trying to con Sam into taking her for a ride in the helicopter.... getting the helmet on is as far as she got. 

I can't turn the photos around - I might have to do this before I import them, so stretch your necks.

I've had a quick tour of some of the eqrthuake damaged buildings - in and around the city.  The  headquarters building is condemned but they were planning a new one soon anyway!  There was an after shock again  last week.  My photos may be blurry!    The accommodation was  very nice and the motel at Whangarei  was comfortable  and a short walk from  St John centre (not that we were in our rooms for long)

Jenny will post on her blog some photos from the Dinner as my camera was flat.



Karl our tourist driver around Auckland