[Ansteorra-chirurgeon] Notes from the Ansteorran Kingdom Chirurgeon

[Richard Threlkeld]

Greetings!

This is my first group message since assuming the role of Kingdom Chirurgeon. It should have been sooner. I am quite happy to get a healthy group of Chirurgeons that are so willing to donate their time to help their friends and neighbors.

Authorization Cards

According to the new (as yet unpublished) Chirurgeon's Handbook, you must have an authorization card to call yourself a Chirurgeon or act as one at an event (remember, any published activity is an event including fighter practice). If you are the CIC (Chirurgeon in Charge) you should show the autocrat or other person in charge your up-to-date certs, proof of majority (usually your driver's license), and this authorization card. If they know you, they probably won't ask, but you should show them anyway. BTW, if you are the only person who is acting as a Chirurgeon at the event, you are the CIC by default.

If you are not the CIC, then you should show the same information to the CIC before you begin working. This authorization will cover you in any kingdom of the SCA. It is good until the expiration date shown on the card. This is the warrant expiration date for your status as an officer of the Kingdom of Ansteorra. Since it is up to 3 years in the future, you must still show your certs with it - they may have expired.

The cards are the size of a credit card and are laminated card stock. I could not stand the back being empty, so I copied the American Heart Association Adult CPR rules onto the back. I will be mailing them to you this week. If you don't get yours in a week or so, please contact me because I either don't have your paperwork at all or I don't have a mailing address for you in my database.

Apprentices

I have also created Apprentice cards. They are not authorized or warranted, but we have had a lot of trouble with paperwork not getting to me (or Allyson). People think they are Apprentices, but unless the Kingdom Chirurgeon has paperwork, they are not. From now on, when I get the paperwork for an Apprentice, I will create a card for them on orange paper, laminate it, and mail it to them. This closes the loop and they will know whether I have their paperwork or not. If someone tells you they are an Apprentice and would like you to evaluate them, ask for their certs, proof of majority, and their Apprentice card. If they don't have one of these, tell them to come back when they do. I am mailing cards to everyone in my Apprentice list for whom I have a mailing address.

That brings up another issue. The old Apprentice application did not have contact information on it. That makes it hard for me to contact them or mail them their card. Please use the new Apprentice application forms that are on the Ansteorran Chirurgeon web site or the SCA Chirurgeon web site. It has all the required information.

Confidentiality Policy

We have always had a duty to protect our patient's privacy, but that is now in our rules. The new handbook says we may not share information about an individual's injuries or illnesses with anyone except those in the Chirurgeon system to whom you report. Violation of this is grounds for immediately losing your warrant! I had a problem with not reporting information to the Marshals, but Friar Galen has clarified the issue so it works for me. You may not pass on the name of the patient, but you may pass on the injury. So "Joe Bob got a concussion because his helm had virtually no padding" is not acceptable. "You had one fighter get a concussion because his helm was not properly padded" is acceptable. This is enough for them to better inspect helms and solve the problem without giving out Joe Bob's name.

Who may take Apprentices

Allyson's policy of limiting taking of Apprentices to the Regionals and Masters has come under fire because the guild status of "Master" is an honorific bestowed by other Master Chirurgeons because of significant service to the guild and the society. It does not imply the Master is better at first aid, management, or anything else. It should command some respect, but the Handbook specifically states that Masters are not allowed to do anything a Journeyman cannot do. Friar Galen and I have agreed that I will create a list of "experienced Chirurgeons" who will be allowed to shepard Apprentices through the process and handle their paperwork. These may be Masters or Journeymen, but they will be chosen because they are good mentors and good with the paperwork. All the Regionals are on that list. Of course, Apprentice evaluations will still be done by any warranted Chirurgeon with the paperwork going to your Regional and then to the Kingdom.

Recruiting

We need to recruit more Chirurgeons especially in the Southern, Coastal, and Western regions. In fact, we have NO Chirurgeons in the Western Region - not even a Regional! Regional Chirurgeons should be going to events, promoting the Chirurgeonate, setting up first aid and CPR courses, and taking on Apprentices. The rest of you can do all of this also. Go to local and regional events and be visible. Put up a Chirurgeon banner near the field. Be active. Don't just sit under a tent and wait for something to happen. Help with Waterbearing. You get to see problems before they are in enough trouble to call you. Watch for fighters or spectators who don't look right or who go off by themselves. Talk to people and listen carefully. Be aware that the waterbearers report to the Chirurgeonate. Make sure the Waterbearer station is sanitary and the waterbearers know what to do. I will be posting guidelines for that later.

Kingdom Waterbearer

We need a new Kingdom Waterbearer. This is a Deputy Kingdom Chirurgeon, but the office holder does not need to be a Chirurgeon or have certs (it would not hurt). The job is to develop the standard practices we wish to use for Waterbearing in Ansteorra, develop a short class to teach it, and recruit members into the Waterbearer's Guild of Ansteorra. Guild members get to wear a cool royal blue sash with a Waterbearer's badge on it. It is expected that guild members will be called upon to set up and run Waterbearer's point at events in their area as Waterbearer in Charge (WIC). Most of the Waterbearer's at the event will not be members of the guild. The WIC should provide them minimal training including basic rules of the list (age restrictions on entering a field, requirement for non-contact fighters authorizations, etc). If you are interested or want to recommend someone, please contact me.

Input

If you have comments or suggestions on where you would like the Chirurgeonate to go or how we should handle certain situations or how to work at Gulf War ... please contact me.

In Service,
Caelin on Andrede
Kingdom Chirurgeon, Ansteorra
chirurgeon at ansteorra.org