This Stethoscope… Was bought in 2001, when I was a paramedic student;
Has listened to thousands of lung sounds;
Has made sure the nebulized epinephrine was working on a pediatric patient;
Has listened to heartbeats after bringing people back to life;
Has been around my neck while I crawled into crushed cars;
Has pronounced many deaths;
Has listened to the cries of a newborn baby;
Has dangled around my neck while doing CPR;
Has been at a double murder, and auscultated the chest of the murderer;
Has helped to perform blood pressures on patients having a heart attack;
Has heard nothing sometimes, causing me to perform chest needles;
Has been wiped clean of blood after treating a patient with shotgun and stab wounds;
Has been around my neck while I told families that their loved one had died;
Has been dropped in a ditch where patients in a rolled over car waited for extrication;
Has been present for many air ambulance calls on the highway;
Has shown students how to trust that they hear no air entry;
Has been present in thousands of stranger’s homes;
Has been hidden under protective equipment at hazardous material calls;
Has been with me while driving lights and sirens more time than I could ever count,
Has been there when I held many patient’s hands;
Has been with me when I cried after after pediatric calls;
Has been present when I treated patients with strokes, diabetes, and amputated body parts;
Has been hidden in a box for a while now;
Has represented so much loss for me for a long time;
Has inspired me to tell this story;
Now hangs on my wall in front of Bill 163;
Doesn’t make me cry anymore;
This stethoscope will be a memory holder for the rest of my life and I will not hide it anymore.
Paramedic Nat 