Sliding Down The Slopes: The End of a Long Road

Great news today as I passed the last of my tests for the Senior program for the National Ski Patrol. This program has tied up 6 of my weekends this winter with training and testing activities. Since October I've spent one night a week studying and practicing emergency medical scenarios with three other individuals from Cannonsburg. We knew going into the program it would be demanding and take a lot of our time but I don't think any of us knew just what we were getting into.

The Senior Emergency Management test looks not only at an individuals basic first aid skills but also tests their leadership and scene management skills as well. This morning we had the S.E.M. test and despite the crappy rainy weather, three of the four of us from Cannonsburg passed. For two of us it was the end of a long road of training and nervouse nights.

I'm now officially a Senior member of the National Ski Patrol. Despite the challenges this test put me through and the amount of time I spent worrying about passing the stupid ting, I have learned so much more in regards to my first aid skills. I am a much more confident patroller now that I've completed this program and I think it really has prepaired me for the unexpected. When I joined the ski patrol last year I did so because of my love for skiing, but over the course of the last two years I've learned the patrol is so much more.

I've met some great new friends through ski patrol, people I would do anything for and I know they would do anything for me. It is a family of people who love winter, love to ski, and love to help others out. 95% of our time is spent enjoying each others company and enjoying our time on the snow but when people get injured and need help it's important we are trained both mentally and physically to be ready for the other 5% of the time we are not having fun. Until finishing the Senior program I didn't think I was a strong patroller and I dreaded the times I was called to accident scenes. I used to be scared and doubted my ability to treat patients if other patrollers were around watching over my shoulder. This all changed last weekend when I was called to a real life Senior level scenario.

I was called to the tube run at the bottom of our hill for a "serious" injury. We were notified by the main office that the people who reported the accident said it was seriouse and suggested we call an ambulance. I had no idea what I would find when I skiied over to the patient. Once I saw where the patient was laying I thought for sure this was going to be a call that I would never forget. The call all ski patrollers and first responders dread. The child was deep in the woods and crying like crazy. As I arrived on scene and completed my initial assessment of the patient I was releived to find no major bleeding or life threatening injuries. But her injuries were severe enough to require we place her on a back board and get her to a hospital for further evaluation. My training kicked in and as soon as my other helpers arrived we had the patient on a backboard and loaded into the back of an ambulance in under 15 minutes. We even reacted when her dad collapsed from stress and over exertion. Two patients in one sceniro, just like all of our training for the test. It's amazing what happens when everything falls in place and your training kicks in.

The accident last weekend really gave me a confidence booster for today's test. I made a few mistakes in my first practice scenario but got my head back into the game and finished the test strong. After a two hour evaluation period, the results were announced and my friend and I passed the test were handed our new patches and our new senior badges. What a great feeling after completing a long, and at times stressful, training process.