What gear to own, I'm new.

[Just Plain Ruff]

I heard Galls is having their semi-annual sale. Get their gear while it's hot.

[CPhT]

I know this isn't really what you're asking, but perhaps it will give you an idea of what to look for. My service stocks our ambulances on a nightly basis, even thought we still do pre-shift checks. I work full time for a local private service at the BLS level.

On my person (during shift):

shears (German shears, cost me $12 from Amazon and I have cut turnout gear with them already)

roll of 2" tape on a carabiner

2 ballpoint pens

1 disposable penlight

1 Stethoscope (littman master cardiology 3, DO NOT BUY THIS ONE!!! Mine was a gift, and the only reason I carry it is so I know where it is 24/7, rather than making it's way to someone else's pockets)

1 pager (work provided)

1 cell phone (I provided, work uses)

4 pairs of gloves

1 pocket notepad

In my pack, usually on the truck in the cabinet:

Glucometer (for some reason, our service doesn't provide these to BLS trucks yet, so most of us bought our own)

protocol book

field guide

chewing gum

Mio drink mixes

Thermos full of coffee

Jack Links snack packs

Cell phone charger

Extra pens

Extra penlights

Extra notepads

Rescue knife (seatbelt cutter, oxygen wrench, window breaker)

Extra shears

Extra Gloves

So, you can see what I've provided is mostly the stuff that I like to have on hand at any given moment. Most of it, the service provides in one form or another, but it's just easier to have my own. Plus, who really likes using "public" stethoscopes? Eww...

[mikeymedic1984]

I would wait a few weeks and get a feel for the job. What you will need will vary with the area you work in, call volume, and other variables. Most rookies spend way too much, and buy way more than they need, so give it some time, and you don't want to be "that rookie" that has everything on his belt including a KED. PPE is always good and usually necessary, so you cant go wrong with that, but everything else can wait (watch the veterans on calls).

[DFIB]

I would wait a few weeks and get a feel for the job. What you will need will vary with the area you work in, call volume, and other variables. Most rookies spend way too much, and buy way more than they need, so give it some time, and you don't want to be "that rookie" that has everything on his belt including a KED. PPE is always good and usually necessary, so you cant go wrong with that, but everything else can wait (watch the veterans on calls).

I have never seen anyone with a Kendrick's Extrication Device on their belt but would love to see the picture if you have one.

[Kiwiology]

Pardon my Kiwi-ness but I see threads like this frequently

Shouldn't it be up to your employer to provide the necessary tools of work to do your job?

Ambo's here are not expected to purchase anything because they are employed by the Ambulance Service so its a requirement of the Service to provide their staff with what they need to do the role they have been employed for.

Now in saying that some do buy a better quality stethoscope than the hunk of junk that comes in the resus pack but it's not a requirement

[DFIB]

Pardon my Kiwi-ness but I see threads like this frequently

Shouldn't it be up to your employer to provide the necessary tools of work to do your job?

Ambo's here are not expected to purchase anything because they are employed by the Ambulance Service so its a requirement of the Service to provide their staff with what they need to do the role they have been employed for.

Now in saying that some do buy a better quality stethoscope than the hunk of junk that comes in the resus pack but it's not a requirement

You are correct little grasshopper.

[dstevens58]

Personally, the only thing I carry is a small bag containing a bp cuff, stethoscope, a CPR mask, a pair of gloves and a pen. Enough for me to get a basic set of vitals before someone/anyone comes in the ambulance from what ever area I'm in.

[ERDoc]

To the OP, you will learn that the amount of equipment someone carries is inversely proportional to the amount of experience they have. To answer your question, it all depends on what you are trying to do with it. At minimum, get yourself a decent stethoscope and BP cuff. ALWAYS carry 2-3 sets of gloves on you. You will probably not need a CPR shield, EVER. If you are looking to stock a jumpbag for your car, just stock it with the basics that you might need until an ambulance arrives such as bandages/dressings, OPAs, tape (assuming you are allowed to use these things).

[Just Plain Ruff]

When I started as a brand new emt, 20years ago i did indeed fall into the whacker category.

got my medic and fell into whacker again because I went pretty much directly from emt to medic.

AFter a year or so ago, had a mentor medic tell me I looked like a douche bag for all the equipment I had on. That was paraphrasing it a bit.

After parting with most of the equipment I purchased (lots of money went down the drain). Here is how I got rid of it. I gave it away to new students, I perpetuated the whacker myth and gave hemostats, shears, pen lights, sam splints, bandaging supplies and all the supplies out of my whacker bag to up and coming whackers and new emt's. they were grateful. Then I realized that I was perpetuating the myth of Whackerdom and I didn't want to be a part of that. So once I exhausted my supply I started a whole new mission.

That mission was this. I decided to give knowledge away. I bought a box of field guides. For those medic students and emt students who couldn't afford those guides I would give em my slightly used guide and I'd take a new one out of the box I had. Sure, the one they got was used but it came from the heart and isn't that the best kind of gift? They were all thankful. You can always tell a cash strapped student, the kind that comes to the clinical and skips lunch, or better yet, brings their own peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

I went through about a box of emt and medic field guides a year.

Another thing I was able to do was this, I worked at a hospital and we had the major text book companies come through at least once a year. They usually had a stash of books that they were looking to get rid of. I was able to usually get most of their books each time that they came through. Medic books, emt books, cardiology texts, nursing texts. Hundreds of dollars of books that were no longer in print because the new versions were out and they were just giving them away. I usually came away with at least 10 - 30 books at a time and this was from a single publisher. We usually had 4-6 publisher sales guys come in each year. I would hand out books to students if I determined that they were having problems in specific areas and I had a book for that.

I still have a number of those books in my library.

Edited April 24, 2012 by Captain Kickass

[Asysin2leads]

If I narrowed it down to the absolute essentials, I would say:

2 good pens. Get a good gel pen that doesn't skip or run.

Trauma shears. Get a back up pair, they often go to the same place that your socks in the dryer go to. My definition for a call that ended well is based very much on whether I lost my trauma shears or not.

Stethoscope. Do not go with the two tube "I just got out of EMT class" model. Get a Littman. I suggest the kind with a sealed back because the kind that has two bells can get muck in it. Write your name on it in big letters somewhere so when someone tries to hork yours you can spot it.

That's all you really need to carry on your person. Everything else can be gotten out of a bag or off the truck.