"26 year old female, moaning about a pen"
OK, bear with me! This is a rant, not a big one, not a long one, but one I want to get off my chest! One thing you'll notice if you are ever on an ambulance is how much paperwork we are doing. Throughout a 12 hour shift we could do maybe 10 jobs. That is 10 patient report forms. If it is a difficult job there may be continuation sheets. Depending on the job there may also be capacity forms, vulnerable adult forms, vulnerable child forms, recognition of life extinct forms and parental agreement to investigation forms. If your vehicle breaks down there is a vehicle defect book to be completed and if you crash there is an accident report form to wade through. If you are assaulted or injured, or if someone gets injured in your presence, there is the accident report form, and if you receive abuse there are forms to flag addresses. Every shift there is a vehicle summary form for all the mileage you have done. You have to sign in and out, sign out and in drugs, you have to do a vehicle cleanliness audit and keep a log of all the skills you use during your shift. Are you getting my gist?! There is a LOT of writing to do and therefore we get through pens at an alarming rate!
I'm not just talking about the amount of ink we use either. Pens get lost, pens get nicked and pens get covered in bodily fluids! The result each time is the same, you need a new pen. There is no point in having a nice pen as it won't last and the cheap biros don't work! OK, they do work most of the time, but sometimes, if we are not taking a patient to hospital we have to write on the back of our PRF and get the patient to sign. As it is carbon copy paper, the back has an oily film over it which most cheap biros don't work on. I can't believe I am talking about the ins and outs of what pens to use, but I have started so I will finish. The Paper Mate biro works a treat but it costs more than the cheapo ones! That said, you need to be able to write on both sides.
My issue with all of this is that I have to buy my pens myself. We all do. There are no pens provided whatsoever. And why not?! I know it doesn't cost much but over the years it adds up! Why should we have to pay for it when we have to write so much for our job?! We are told we have to fill out all the extra forms, so surely pens should be provided?! It is no different from employing a typist and telling them they have to provide their own computer! We are not alone; most NHS staff have to write loads and loads of paperwork and most have to provide their own pens! It is just something that annoys me every now and again. I'm annoyed today because last night I lost my pen. My crew mate had no pen and I had no spares! I had to go and buy another with the £2 I had on me. That meant I had to go without a Costa! Why the hell should I have to pay?! I don't want to write everything! I can treat a patient and take them to hospital without the need to write. I write because I have to, because it's part of my job! If you want me to write, GIVE ME A BLOODY PEN!
Rant over!