Stethoscopes are personal. I know this through personal experience, and so do you. My stethoscope of choice was a gift from my wife, and I was truly heartbroken when it was stolen.
It wasn’t “put in a bag by accident” or “misplaced.” It was stolen, and the thief knows it. I only got my beloved auscultation aid back because I threatened, and was prepared to go through with, a myriad of attacks on the thief.
It’s almost sad to be so emotionally attached to an inanimate object. But at least you, the reader, understand.
So, when I arrived to work several weeks ago, and found a stethoscope that didn’t belong in the ambulance during the morning check off, I promptly turned it in to our intrepid supervisory staff. They tend to be pretty good about reuniting people with lost items.
If you will indulge me for a moment, please: Why do we leave so much stuff on ambulances? I’ve found computers, books, cell phones, e-readers, pants (I didn’t ask), safety vests, fingernail clippers, gum, stethoscopes, blankets, money, sunglasses, reading glasses, prescription glasses, drinking glasses, phone chargers, GPS units, and several partridges in pear trees in ambulances during my career. If it’s not mine, or my partner’s, or it doesn’t belong on my truck, it gets turned in before leaving the station.
What on earth are we doing with all that stuff, and do we really not notice when we leave something? Oh, and thanks for the piece of gum.
Back on track now. This was a fancy stethoscope. One of those Littmans that those fancy doctors wear. Not the doctors who run around the hospital wearing scrubs. No, I’m talking about those fancy-pants doctors who wear starched shirts, ties, shined shoes and fancy pants. They usually have a handful of letters embroidered after their name on their impeccably white coat. And cuff links. Because they are too good for buttons.
This thing easily cost someone $200. And it was nice and used. It showed some signs of obvious wear. Unfortunately, there was no name tag on said stethoscope, and there wasn’t any engraving anywhere I could see.
I knew full well it didn’t belong to either one of the off-going crew members. I won’t elaborate on how I knew such a thing; it’s not that important.
Regardless, I handed it to my supervisor, hoping that it would one day be reunited with the neck it belonged behind.
Fast-forward to this afternoon, while standing in a patient’s room awaiting a nurse, doctor, janitor, or basically anyone to sign my paperwork accepting my patient who had broken his toe after kicking a wall, when some big, burly, muscular looking dude comes in the room looking a little less than happy.
To save you much time, allow me to summarize the resulting conversation as such:
He was big and scary, and easily could have made me a trauma patient in short order. He wanted to know the exact circumstances of the stethoscope finding. He wanted to know the names of everyone who worked on my truck in the past few weeks. I was intimidated. This stethoscope was his, and was stolen off of his regular truck more than 3 years ago. (Did I mention he was scary big?) Then he thanked me for turning it in. Then he shook my hand, as I tried to put a manly face on, acting like his handshake wasn’t fracturing several phalanges.
I’m glad the stethoscope and paramedic were reunited. But it never should have happened like this.
Stethoscopes shouldn’t “walk off” of ambulances. We shouldn’t have to worry about our belongings being left on a truck.
I’m fully aware that 99 percent of EMSers don’t steal stuff. Those that do steal stuff deserve a swift kick in the ass.
Don’t be a stethoscope thief. And if you know one, call them out. To everyone.
I tend to find there’s an odd, 1984-esque doublethink involved. When you find something like a phone charger or sunglasses — or, with a little bit (okay, a lot) of a stretch, even a stethoscope — some part of you thinks, “oh, hey, clearly somebody didn’t want this anymore — but I want it a lot! thanks for the donation, anonymous donor!” It’s like some imaginary Take-a-Penny-Leave-a-Penny program. Ain’t right, but that’s where justifications come from. Killers, sinners, smokers, tokers, butlers, barbers, bakers, and candle-stick makers, nobody thinks they’re a bad person, so they all got reasons in their head why they do what they do.
People are strange.
Ugh, CCC. I *am* one of the intrepid supervisors in a fairly-big-EMS agency. I get this all the time. It’s to a point where we no longer make a lot of attempt unless it’s a really nice stethoscope or some sort of expensive electronic thing. Otherwise, the rest of the medic’s stuff that gets left in a truck quickly finds it’s way to the “bin of sadness”.
From a curiosity standpoint, I just looked in there…there are:
- 3 Boots (one pair, and a single…yet all of our medics are bipedal…hmmm)
- 3 gloves (one pair leather and one single knit)
- 1 iPod/iPad/iPhone charger
- 1 Blackberry (or other Micro USB) charger
- 3 pair of protective glasses (including a pair of Uvex with it’s own case)
- 1 uniform shirt (XL)
- 1 Uniform blauer windbreaker (smells like cigarette smoke)
- 2 pair reading glasses
- 1 pair “old man” sunglasses the eye doctor gives you after Lasik or other eye surgery
- 1 reflective vest (ours are in our rigs…so this probably came from a student, as it’s unmarked)
- 1 book-clip LED reading light
- 2 headband/ear warmers
- 1 smallish EMS holster
- 1 MP3 line-in cable
- 1 Carhardt belt
I’ve seen employees have new issue-equipment taken from them over the years…and they don’t get a uniform allowance originally, so it puts them (and us) in a bind. That folks take people’s stuff is really bad. It’s also annoying that so few people actually seem to care about their own stuff…then again, that helps explain why…
It’s not uncommon for me to have a crew come in and present a patient’s purse, wallet, ID, phone, etc. that they found at the start of their shift; or pieces of equipment that should be in the truck that are missing (and reported by a family member at a later date). If people can’t be bothered to respect their own belongings and the belongings of coworkers, how can they be expected to take care of the department’s equipment or the belongings of the patient?
I know it’s a minority that are in this realm…but it’s a very visible minority.
Speaking for myself, if what I left on the truck isn’t there when I come back, I pretty much assume that it’s been taken- especially at my previous agency. Do you just store this stuff, or is there any notification to your staff that you may have their belongings?
When I find something, I will tag it with my name, unit number, and date and time I found it, then I physically hand it to a supervisor, who will attempt to figure out where it belongs.
I have found that tagging things this way (“Found on XXX by CCC on 6/5/12 @ 0600) it can help the real owner determine who the said item absconded with.
Folks often seem to ask the supervisor if anything has turned up, so they’re a decent middleman; otherwise I may leave it in the base in an envelope or something (FOUND IN 29 5/5/12) somewhere visible. People don’t seem to walk off with it if it’s clear that it’s “in care” rather than just left around.
I, too, just had my much loved Littman’s returned to me, this week! I came home and found it on my front porch in a nice package with a note. One of our ski patrol duty docs walked off with it, thinking it was his (I’m not sure how, considering it has a very feminie pink frilly scrunchie on it, as well as my name). It ended up under his front seat of his car, and he found it as he was cleaning his car out, getting ready to sell it. It had been missing for over 3 years. Enclosed was $200.00 to buy a new one or get this one repaired etc. I cried tears of joy when I got it back.
I’ve already left water bottles and hi-vis gear on ambulances. I simply forget them – especially if it has been a slow day. I think I leave them in there in the forlorn hope of getting and interesting job.
In other news, you shouldn’t really have birds in your ambulance – they shit all over the stretcher. It’s a bit gross.