Become the greatest Code Blue Leader of all times !
Everyone remembers the first Code Blue they had to lead. It is a surreal experience where everyone is freaking out and everything is overwhelming. It is the place where psychology meets technology. Mastering the art of leading a Code Blue team is an art. It lasts few minutes but those minutes define you as a physician.
Have you seen some Code Blue leaders completely ignored and others seamlessly able to carry out the ACLS ( Advanced Cardiac Life Support ) protocol. Leading the Code Blue is not just about knowledge but also about psychology. Yes! Psychology. Your ability to convince in the first few seconds that you can actually lead a code blue.
As you enter the room of a patient in cardiac arrest, it is a mayhem going on. Even though initial BLS is being performed, trust me , everybody in that room is freaking out. Everyone wants to be able to find that person, who they feel knows it all, and can tell them exactly what to do. After all, calling the shots in a code blue is a great responsibility. Every order given, every action taken, will be peer reviewed. And to make it worse, someone’s life depends on your orders.
Follow these steps to take full control of a code blue:
1) Technical Knowledge: Read up all the ACLS and BLS protocol. Remember the flow charts by heart. Knowing these tables will give you confidence. And your confidence will show.
2) Slow arrival: You can run upto the door of the patient’s room, but take a deep breath and enter the room at a slower pace. Everybody ese in the room is surely pacing or feeling like pacing anyways.
3) Be calm: Do not show anxiety, anxiiousness, or franticness in your face or actions. Even though you are working at a fast pace, a calm look will assure others in the room that you are not flustered by the situation. This builds trust and communicates confidence and ability.
4) Speak loudly: Anything that you say to anyone in the room, make it loud and make it clear. If you want someone to take a blood pressure, point to the person who you think should do it.
5) Speak Confidently: Do not let your voice quiver. Do not let it sound inconfident. Any such mistake will make everyone doubt your orders.
6) Follow the protocol: Many a times someone will suggest you something off the protocol. Do not implement it unless it is the protocol. After all, being the leader, your reputation is on the line.
