EMS Voices: Bob Sullivan

EMS Voices is a casual look at some of the men and women who serve on our industry's front lines.

   Ask most EMS providers about memorable calls, and you'll hear tales of inverted intubations or bloody body parts.

   Bob Sullivan talks about fixing mistakes.

   "I was working a cardiac arrest about five years ago," the New Castle County (DE) paramedic recalls. "That was right around the time ACLS changed from stacked shocks to single shocks for v-fib. There was some confusion about energy levels; it depended on the type of defibrillator (monophasic or biphasic) and manufacturers' recommendations.

   "Our patient stayed in v-fib no matter what we did--drugs, shocks, intubation. I defibrillated him 12 times, all at 200 joules. He eventually got a pulse back and was admitted, but I'm not sure what happened after that.

   "A few weeks later I was counseled about using the wrong energy setting--200 instead of 360 on a monophasic machine. That bothered me a lot. I had trouble sleeping. I wasn't even sure I wanted to be a medic anymore. I remember thinking I'm not as good as I thought I was, and maybe it's time for a change."

   Bob did change--his attitude, not his career. Instead of minimizing his mistake, he publicizes it. "Every year I tell my students the whole story," says the Buffalo native, who is an instructor at Delaware Tech. "I want them to understand that errors happen, and ask themselves how to do it better next time."

   Sullivan, who became a paramedic after volunteering for two years, thinks "fragile egos" often get in the way of learning. "We need to take responsibility for our actions, instead of blaming someone else or getting defensive."

   Twelve years into his career, the Canisius College graduate sees new challenges facing EMS personnel. "Now that we're paying more attention to research, we're kind of in a scary place," he says. "We need to understand the medicine better, and not just rely on doctors to tell us what to do."

   Speaking of understanding the medicine, did Sullivan ever hear the outcome of that controversial cardiac arrest? "No, but four years later, when we were labeling all of our monitors, we discovered the one I'd used on that call was biphasic. It turns out my mistake wasn't the energy level; it was not knowing the equipment."

   Sounds like another good lesson learned.

Mike Rubin, BS, NREMT-P, is a paramedic in Nashville, TN, and a member of EMS World Magazine's editorial advisory board. Contact him at mgr22@prodigy.net.