Shaken up

I have been in this field for a long time. I have had many incidences of minor to major injuries that I can't even count.

A few of them are memorable; such as the child who fell off the top of the slide once and wouldn't get up for about 5 minutes. That was scary.

Or the child who fell outside on the concrete, hitting the back of her head, then passing out. That was worrisome.

There was also the child who was trying to flip like a powerranger and ended up cracking the back of his head. That was memorable because of the amount of blood; but also because he got up laughing and never cried once! And because when licensing came out to check up on it he was doing almost the same thing.

One time I had a toddler flip over the front of a trike landing on her chin, causing a need for stitched. That was my first serious injury, probably why it sticks in my head.

I've also had the typical scrapes, bumps, bruises. However, today I had the incident that shook me up the most! I do have to say, I was proud of one of my teachers. She kept a cool head and reacted quickly. A little girl today got her finger caught in a door. Happens all the time right? Not like this. She got it caught on the inside part of the door (near the hinge). The door closed right on it. In the end, it cut all the way to the bone most of the way around. It was the worst looking injury I have ever seen. I'm a pro at acting like I'm calm and going crazy inside. It's part of being a leader. I know that if I stay calm everyone around will stay calm. I was able to instruct people in getting ice, calling guardians, and doing what needed to get done; all while holding her hand in mine, keeping the pressure on.

I tell you though, all that kept going through my mind was: "Is there anything more I need to do? Am I keeping enough pressure on? What else do they tell you in first aid classes?" When her guardian (grandma) came in less than 10 minutes later, in tears, I was able to stay calm and get her calmed down too, enough to get her to the hospital. Yes, she had to go to the hospital. In all I have experienced, I have never been so shooken up in my life! I am proud that no one really knew it during the episode; that makes me feel good. In the end, I still have to know that I can keep it pulled together enough to get everyone through a crisis.

What was the scariest thing that ever happened to you?