medicgirl05

When I did my basic clinicals we rotated through respiratory therapy, OB, ER, and EMS. We gave nebeulizers and I learned alot form the respiratory rotation! In OB we observed childbirth. ER we did vitals and patient assessments. EMS we did vitals and mostly just observed. Doing paramedic clinicals was much more intense. I went through the lab where we needed 25 blood draws. I went through ER where we needed 25 IV starts and 25 patient assessments. I went through OR where we needed 5 intubations. I went to the health department and needed 15 med administrations. I did EMS clinicals needing 25 patient contacts broken into different categories; OB; trauma, pedi... I did 4 hours in a dispatch center to learn how their job is sometimes difficult. The best way to have a good clinical experience is to make yourself available. If you walk in and offer to take vitals or even change sheets nurses are much more likely to take you under their wing and show you things. If you walk in and lean on a door frame thats where you will probably spend your rotation. For the most part they could care less if you are there but if you make an attempt they will be much more accepting.

The vacum splint is a great way to immobilize in certain conditions. I use it alot in the nursing home for fall victims. It makes them much more comfortable than riding the 30 minute transport time on a backboard. It is great because you can mold it to them. It also is a great way of stabilizing hips without using too much pressure. Some patients request them. Only downside is they take a little longer to apply than a traditional backboard.

I would be happy to answer some questions. However due to the grammatical errors and your newness to the forum I'm not sure if this is legit. Post you questions and I will gladly attmept to answer them.

I'm curious if this is something others have noticed or if it is maybe just in my area? I work for a 911 service in a rural area, 30 minute minimum transport time, and my protocols are pretty lenient. I am able to use my judgement on calls and if I have a question my medical director is available 24/7. Ive been working here 5 years and have developed respect with ER staff in the area. However, I recently started working part-time with a transfer service and the same people that I laugh and joke with wearing my 911 uniform wil barely acknowledge me in my transfer uniform. I at first convinved myself that they didn't recognize me but that is simply not the case. I've heard just as many bad things about transfer medics as I've herad about 911 medics so I don't understand why the uniform matters. Any insight is greatly appreciated!

First of all, I just want to say thanks for sharing. At the service where I work it is frowned upon to have feelings about a call, so it is encouraging that not all people feel this way. Second, I know hard it is to deal with family during and after a call. I think the hardest part of my job is telling family members that despite all our efforts there loved one has died. It is so uncomfrotable knowing how to handle the situation as every person takes the news differently. Some get angry, some sad, some blame you, and some thank you. Third, suicide or attempted suicide, is one of those things that nobody ever taught me in school how to deal with. I never know the right thing to say and am always sad when I get back to the office. I dont know why some calls affect us more than others. Ive seen some horrible things in the past 5 years and to think about the ones that have bothered me almost seems ridiculous! Thanks again for sharing!

I agree with you fiznat. There are some calls that are seriously ridiculous. I dont treat the patient any differently than any other patient but after the call I reserve the right to grumble about it. Especially at 3 or 4 in the AM when we have a shoulder pain for two weeks and they want to go by ambulance to get seen quicker in the ER. Its incredibly frustrating but theres nothing I can do about the way the system works so I load them in the ambulance. Ive also had patients want to go by ambulance so they dont have to pay for the gas to get to the ER. Its part of the job but it is frustrating too.

Kudos Mateo! I am also a 23 year old medic. Im from TX and I have similar issues with growing up in EMS. I became a basic at 18 and fought tooth and nail to get hired. Not many insurances will cover an 18 y/o to drive an ambulance. Since then Ive had people look down on me for not having the same amount of experience as they do. Im still the rookie where I work and Ive been here 5 years. All that aside, I LOVE my job. Yes there are times when I get down at 3AM for a person that sprained their wrist a week ago and wants to be transported to the ER by EMS because they will be seen quicker. Ive also met some life-changing people. Old people with stories of REAL hardship. Young people who make me realize how I DONT want to live my life. Ive learned lessons by watching other peoples mistakes. Ive also been able to share in other people happiness. Ive been the one to look in the eyes of a woman who lost her husband of 60 years in his sleep and told her that despite our best efforts he died. I think all these things signifigantly impact the life of a young person. Maybe for the better, maybe not. However knowing what I know now, I can tell you that, despite the difficulty, and what may to others be considered low pay, I wouldnt change a thing. I do what I do for my patients, when thats not enough then I'll move on. Just a young medics opinion...

I work for a rural service that runs either Paramedic/EMT or dual Paramedic depending on the staffing available. They both have pros and cons. We are at least 30 minutes from an ER so we seldom sit and play at the scene regardless if I am working with a paramedic or a basic. If the patient is not critical we can turn the patient down to the EMT. The problem with this is that EMT's don't get a whole lot of experience. However, thats what must be done to provide optimal patient care. If we have an extreme call-A code, or serious trauma, or multiple patients in the unit we can have a fireman drive us in. That provides the basic with a little experience.