More PC rubbish....

[Peter Ward]

There was a sad story in today's SMH...a toddler lost his/her life after being kicked by a horse. Very tragic.

Now I'd be wanting to know why the toddler was anywhere near the back end of a horse...but we get this drivel....

Six paramedics treated him for about 30 minutes, including giving him CPR, a Victoria Ambulance spokesman said.
"Unfortunately, despite their efforts he died at the scene," he said.

The paramedics have been offered counselling.

Is mentioning that "conselling was offered" taught in Journalism schools as a must include item?


This pops up everywhere. Who cares? Why is it even relevant?


So counsel me...:shrug:

[stephenb]

You raise a very good question, Peter, but I do not wish to debate the use of this phrase from a journalistic point of view, but offer an reasonable explanation from another angle.

The line you are referring to "The paramedics have been offered counselling." is "code" from Ambulance Victoria spokesperson, not created from the jounalist. It is implying that an infant of 18 months suffered massive body and/or head trauma. So much that this has obvoiusly affect the attending crews, a sight I would not wish upon anyone, ever.

Finally, none of us were there today. None of us know the exact circumstances that surrounded this incident, so I do not believe it is correct to pass judgement on anyone, especially the parents, given there is now they have lost a child.

[Peter Ward]

I am not passing judgement on the sequence of events. To re-iterate. Tragic.

The "code" I find meaningless and bizzare (massive body trauma was mentioned elsewhere in the article...so why even mention counselling )

[AstralTraveller]

To be clear, you take the need for counseling as a given so don't see why it is mentioned??

[DavidTrap]

As a junior doctor, I was told that if you are no longer affected by the death of a child, it's time to get out of medicine. Fortunately, I've only had to deal with a couple of dead kids (and that was before I had kids of my own), but you certainly don't feel great for a few days...

David T

[Tandum]

They normally add that when the scene was gory. We had some idiot up here last week run from police, when they stopped him there where body parts inside the car, he had hit pedestrians.

All attendees needed counselling...

[Lee]

I agree Peter.... I had to do some defence-mandated "couselling" after attending an aircraft incident once - waste of everyone's time.

I think it is more to do with the whole workcover insurance palaver - as a way for the ambulance to show they are doing everything to help their distressed workers.....

[BerrieK]

Peter, perhaps you are right in questioning the relevance to the reading public of the inclusion of the offered counselling in the article.

However, it sends a message to the community that the ambulance service tries to do the right thing for it's members. To remind people that their job is not always easy or pleasant.

Have you ever seen a very young child mutilated and been involved in care in any way? Have them die despite your best efforts and somehow question was there more that you could have done? Even though you know there was nothing that could be done but have a procedure to follow? It is an extremely difficult thing to cope with, to sit right in your head. By mentioning the offered counselling in the article, perhaps the magnitude of the horror of the incident is demonstrated to those reading.

As Lee mentions, some conselling is a waste of time for some people. But not for everyone.


Kerrie