SOLO Southeast's January EMT class is only in it's second week and already they have made an accurate diagnosis and potentially saved a life!
Yesterday afternoon, a fellow student was feeling a bit under the weather in class, but thought it was just a bit of indigestion, so he didn't pay it any mind. The previous day, Dr. Jaben had presented a lecture on abdominal trauma and the class learned how to assess for abdominal distress. So, when the student began to feel very unwell and began vomiting after dinner last night, classmates perfomed a patient assessment for abdominal distress, suspecting possible food poisoning. After discoving radiating pain and the classic sign of rebound tenderness, the students made a diagnosis of possible appendicitis and chose to bring thier classmate to the Emergency Room.
At the ER, tests confirmed that it was indeed appendicitis and the patient was immediately taken into surgery! The EMT students' accurate diagnosis and quick action most likely prevented the appendix from rupturing, which would have resulted in a much more serious condition and a longer recovery period. At this time, the patient is resting comfortably and is expected to be able to return to class at the end of the week!
Kudos to SOLO Southeast's EMT class for taking such good care of thier classmate!