Bleeding from WHERE ?!

One of two calls on Monday was for a woman in distress. Our patient was experiencing a gynaecological bleed so severe that it rendered her temporarily unconscious. Because the call to 911 was made from a cell phone, our corporate ERT was not dispatched until an employee flagged down Security, and after the Fire Department was already on scene.

Rick, Jeff and Rakesh headed there anyway, to assist with traffic control, while I stayed behind to finish some important work. They told me the story afterward.

The Incident Commander for this call was a relatively new Security employee, barely of legal drinking age. In the debrief after the patient was taken to the hospital, he attempted to describe the patient's issue.

"Well, she had a... uh... she was bleeding. Uh... bleeding...." (gesturing towards mid-section) "From her.. uh.... woman area."

Yeah. From her woman area, alright.

Rakesh, a fellow EMT and eternal realist, looked at the uncomfortable, red-faced Security officer, and said,

"Dude, it's called a vagina. She had a vaginal bleed. Ok ?"

I so wish I were there to see the look on the officer's face.