Dealing with Stress with Natasha Adams from HARU

In this conversation, we will examine the challenges of exposure
to high-stress situations, the principle of ‘psychological
stunning’ and how to deal with the concepts of ‘amygdala
highjack’. We will reflect with Tash on a seminal case that she
experienced and her reflections on it. We will also reflect on
how to harness and control these psychological and physiological
stressors in practice to get the best out of yourself in a
situation such as this. We will also look at the cognitive
switches that Tash uses to de-escalate from the stress of the
shift and finally how she approaches self-care within her
practice. 


Natasha Adams is a Senior Critical Care Paramedic (CCP) with the
Queensland Ambulance Service, working on the Woodridge CCP POD
and with the High Acuity Response Unit (HARU).  Her clinical
interests include progressive out-of-hospital care clinical
education, and leadership development. Natasha is currently
working on a project with graduate paramedic induction programs
but will soon progress into a full review of Queensland Ambulance
Services' clinical education and operational areas. In the
conversation, we examine:


The case & reflections on the case 

Why and how a ‘state of startle & overwhelm’
occurs. 

The senses that shut down – hearing, vision, spatial
awareness, concept of time    

Mental imagery and rehearsal   

Metacognition on the scene (thinking about thinking and
mental awareness on the scene) 

The trajectory of the HPT when the rails are coming off 

Cognitive triggers (end of shift cognitive switching – going
home mindset) 

The hot debrief – contextualising the scene and emotions –
permission to exhale 

Nuances of NTS – permission to fail/miss information (self
and crew) 

Reflection on care and Self-care 






My thanks to Tash for an engaging and insightful interview.