Need advice

[EMTCOWGIRL]

Yesterday was my second ride out on the job...was really nervous but trying to control it. I was riding with a paramedic and an EMT. The EMT was really cool, the paramedic less so. We got a PT who had overdosed on Benedryl. When we got her in the vambulance we were driving (their box was being repaired) she started asking me for things out of the ALS bag. She spoke softly and I had to keep asking her to repeat herself and I could tell it was irritating her. I didn't know half of the things she wanted and then she asked me to spike the IV bag and flush the IV. Her EMT has been doing this for 12 years and this was my SECOND day. By that time I was just flustered cuz I couldn't do anything she asked. Then the lady said she had to vomit and I tried to find the emesis bag in time in the cramped space on a rough bouncy road but didn't get it to her before she threw up all over the paramedic. From that moment she was just pissed. For the rest of the night I couldn't seem to do anything right. She gave me a lousy review and insisted on faxing it to corporate herself. I don't feel like a got a fair shake but dont want to make waves with the people I will be working with. The EMT tried to make me feel better, told me not to get discouraged. Should I say something to corporate or keep my mouth shut? Also, any advice on staying calm so you can think straight on stressful calls would be much appreciated.

[DwayneEMTP]

First off, your paramedic was a bitch.

This is your second day..how many calls did you run? How much down time did you spend actually checking the truck and learning where things are? Even if you spent a bunch I'll bet it didn't help much as it's hard, at least for me, to keep track of things until I've used them, or things like them.

This is the deal Brother. You need a little bit of time to get used to things, but you are on an ambulance now. You no longer have the right to become flustered and ineffective regardless of the situation. No...Matter.....what. You no longer have that right? Ok? If you can accept that, and believe it, then you will be a long way towards becoming calmer.

Second, if you feel nervous, slow down. If/when you get behind, slow down. You can not think well, move well, perform well when you are wound up. You will make additional mistakes and simply get in your own way.

When you do get to that place, badgering you and treating you poorly, hurting your spirit, does nothing but fuck up the whole system. That medic should be moved immediately from a preceptor spot.

I don't know you of course. Maybe you're an asshole. Maybe you think you know everything. Maybe you just didn't pay attention and that got everything screwed up. I don't care really...treating people poorly simply runs the whole system down and makes it weaker.

Next time out...slow everything down. If she calls for a BVM, I know you want to make it magically appear, but that's rookie bullshit. Find the bag or cabinet that it is in. Open the door carefully so you don't have to grab at it and jerk it several times, take out the BVM without dragging everything else in the cabinet out with it..as you might need that next. Assemble it and hand it to her. Slowly!

If she gives you deep sighs or talks under her breath, ignore it. Because you don't want feedback? No, because there is no useful information in posturing and being dramatic. If you focus on it it will make you less secure, you will begin to hurry, and you will make stupid mistakes. You are going to make a million mistakes, that's just the nature of the beast. Slow down though, and you will stop making the stupid, easily avoidable ones.

I, as well as most medics I know, want to see that you are 'aware.' That you know where your body is in regards to the pt and crew. Where your feet and hands are. If I ask you for a chest seal, I don't need it that very instant, but I'm going to need it soon, so I want to be confident that when I'm not looking at you that you will be calmly trying to solve my problem instead of floundering around like a fish out of water. See? If I have to help you? No problem, but you are wasting my time if I have to try and calm you down so that you can follow instructions.

I can't tell you whether to call corporate or not, as I have no idea of the political climate where you work or the processes that may be in place. But my knee jerk reaction is that if you're not sure whether or not you should call, then don't call until you are.

Being new sucks. We all have lived through it many times, but for your medic to purposely make it suck more should be considered unacceptable by the company you work for. You should know the ALS bag well. Break it down generally in your head. Airway, breathing, circulation, meds, fluids, bandages, and always, always, always carry tape. Then at least you will gave a general zone to begin searching in when you need something.

Keep your chin up. Get busy on the City and start posting. You'll be amazed at the confidence that you can gain when you're thoughts and ideas are critiqued by your peers. It truly does translate to the real world.

Dwayne

[PCP]

Ha,Ha, sounds like the paramedic deserved to be puked on!

Yes being new sucks and that is coming from a fairly new paramedic myself as I have not been working in the EMS system long about 3 years and I still get nervous on calls. you are going to have good days and bad days when working in EMS. In my opinion I would not say anything to who ever is going to read the report unless if they ask you your side of the story but thats just me.

I have worked with other paramedics who are soft spoken and have had to ask them to repeat what they just asked for. Yes they get upset sometimes but I let it slide off my back as maybe they are just having a bad day or things at home are not going well and I continue on with my day and attempt to have fun with my partner even if they are grumpy and burned out!

Hopefully next time you have a better experience. Before your next shift make sure you take extra time going through the car and ask as many questions as possible about the gear you are going to be using and know where it is kept. Especially the equipment that you use on each call.

Good luck!

[EMTCOWGIRL]

Thanks guys! Am I an asshole? I won't deny I have the potential. =) But not at my job with a preceptor. I totally came in humble and ready to learn. This aint my first rodeo. I know when your the FNG you gotta do your time and give respect and that's what I did. Fortunately, the situation worked itself out. The next day I had a different preceptor and she asked me how things went the day before. When I hesitated she said she had a reason for asking and to be honest, so I was. Apparently they've had several complaints already. So she emailed corporate for me to disregard the review. I realized after working with this new preceptor that I was flustered because that previous preceptor was. This time I got to work with a total professional who stayed calm and explained things to me. It was awesome and it boosted my confidence....I really needed that. Thanks for your advice...I know now that I will inventory the bags and trucks when I start...slow down and have fun. By the way Ninja...My family lives in Colorado Springs...thats where I'm from....small world.

[Siffaliss]

Gotta say I pretty much agree with everything Dwayne said. When you're new somewhere, spend your free time ensuring you know where shit is in the truck. Study. Explore the truck some more. Ask questions. Repeat. And yes, slow down. If you get flustered and your heart rate gets up there too much, you'll end up with tunnel vision and can't focus on the entire picture. You'll learn that well as you go along.

The only stupid questions are the ones you DON'T ask.

Very few things are unacceptable in this industry. You'll need to quickly develop a very thick skin to deal with the BS from patients, co-workers, shift work etc. Pick your battles very carefully (especially when brand new), and always think things over thoroughly before to take them to a higher authority.

Edited August 8, 2011 by Siffaliss

[DFIB]

Inter personal relationships are always difficult. I have found that "waiting and watching" is a technique that works for me. It could be that the person giving you grief is simply having a bad day and is pretty cool the rest of the time. It could be he/she had a fight with their spouse/partner before leaving home, they could have financial problems, cyclical hormonal spikes or they simply might not like you. Who knows why people act the way they act on the first day.

I someone has a lot of bad days, everyone else notices as well and you gain esteem among coworkers by being cool. If it is just an isolated incident you gain esteem by being cool. Most people with bad attitudes are well known by their co-workers and don't necessarily need the new guy to confirm. Most people with unprofessional behavior fall under their own weight.

Another technique to diffuse a situation similar to yours is to ask for a post-call discussion with the crew. If your in charge or proctor has a chance to voice "what we did well" "and what we can improve" it often diffuses the lousy written reviews. Be ready to accept criticism with an positive attitude. In these sessions the offending person will probably have to eat crap, but often talking it out helps.

Finally we can only control our selves. We cannot control others or their attitudes. They only have the power over us that we allow them to have. Take the good and use I, ignore the useless and negative. So study hard, learn the equipment and the protocol, take a step back and enjoy EMS. It is worth the effort.

[ShockDoctor]

I can't stress how important remaining calm is. The paramedic you were riding with had no business becoming "flustered". She can make suggestions and give criticism in a calm and constructive manner, but if you can tell that she's "flustered", she's not doing her job right.

Dwayne gave you some excellent advice: don't rush. Whenever I'm riding with a tag-along, or new EMT, whenever I ask for something they'll usually fumble around, yank it out, then shove it right in front of my eyes while their hand shakes uncontrollably. Have a sense of urgency, but don't let it mess you up. If you find yourself loosing it, try to slow it down.

You'll ride with many different types of people in your career. Some people have short tempers and are very emotional under stress. These people have no business riding with students or rookies. When you're new, your emotional state is highly dependent upon those around you. When your superiors are freaking out, you'll freak out too. It's their responsibility to stay in control.

As for everything else: don't worry. It just takes a few days to master your ambulance. You'll soon know where everything is, how to get to it quickly and safely, and local tastes and procedures.

Welcome to EMS.

[Lone Star]

Personally, I would have filed a complaint against the preceptor, even if it was just with your instructor. There is NO reason that the precepting medic should have treated you like that....absolutely NONE!

I had a preceptor of similar caliber recently, and since this ain't my 'first rodeo' either, I'm not going to let some chucklehead burned out medic treat me like his personal 'go-fer', and treat me like I'm just some idiot who doesn't know his way around in EMS.

Granted, you may only have 'student status', but you're there to LEARN, not be treated like shit because of the fact that you only have 'student status'. It sounds like the medic preceptor in question needs to be either removed from the preceptor program, or be given some SERIOUS retraining in professional and interpersonal relations, as well as improving their communication skills.

EMS may known for 'eating it's young', but for a preceptor to intentionally give a student grief for no other reason than "Just because" only serves as one more reason why EMS is treated like the ugly step-child that it is always crying about being treated like.

[DwayneEMTP]

...I won't deny I have the potential. =)

Good. Being an asshole is bad for everyone, but having the backbone to have the potential but the professionalism to choose against it...Awesome.

...By the way Ninja...My family lives in Colorado Springs...thats where I'm from....small world.

Ahhh...so you killed someone in Colorado and the judge sentenced you to Texas? Seems harsh...but times are changing. Hopefully you've learned your lesson.

Should you get parolled and end up back in the Springs, do me a favor and give me a shout? I'll buy you a cup of coffee if you like. The City is a small world...I've met many here and have remained lifelong friends with all that I've met...we shouldn't pass up that opportunity if it's available. And there are quite a few of us from within about a 200 mile radius of the Springs.

For the record..I've been married nearly 25 years, not a perv, I'm harmless..completely different than having coffee with, say, LS.

Good on your for participating. Thanks for sharing your stories. If you stick around I think you'll find that we have many, many, really strong, smart, professional lady providers here...they're inspiring.

Dwayne

[EMTCOWGIRL]

Thanks everybody. I'm really glad I found the City. I have had a great couple of days since my bitchy preceptor. I've decided to let it roll off. I love this job and I've worked hard to get here. Not just studying and passing Nat. Reg. Acadian has one of the hardest PT tests in the field including a dead weight lift of 175 pounds. I have wanted this career for a long time and would have lifted the box truck if they'd have asked me to. It's amazing how one person can jack you up when you don't have confidence yet but I have fully recovered and look forward to learning more every day. I bagged my first stemi yesterday and we got him back. I don't need to tell you guys how awesome that felt. I'm passionate about this. Every time I get on the truck I can't believe this is really my job.

Dwayne - I look forward to building a lot of friendships with fellow EMS and next time I visit my family I will definitely let your know. Texas isn't so bad...it's better than say, Siberia. I'm even starting to catch myself saying y'all already, lol.