What Do You Carry On Your Person?

[JTpaintball70]

Depends. When I worked on an ambulance it was:

Shears, pens, penlight, pocket knife, wallet, gloves, phone (and at the time an iTouch with Epocrates). In my pack was a field guide, laptop, books, Zune, water, snacks, and a few other things.

When I worked at the hospital:

Shears, pens, penlight, Phone. In my pack was a Kindle, laptop, water, field guide (it just kinda lives in my bag), text books, knife, spare magazine for my pistol (which lived in the truck while I was in the hospital).

[PamelaAnn]

Ditto on this one - except I always use my own stethoscope (I have an affinity to other people's earwax) I have always kept my shears in my belt behind my back, but I think the boot thing will be tried out tonight. The only addition is a pocket knife I carry for occasional use...don't need it too often, but it has a sharp point that you don't get with the trauma shears and once in a while I've been glad to have had it. Anything else I need can be found in the rig and the rescue bags.

My first year, I had all kinds of gadgets.

For about the past 10 years I have survived just fine with the following:

1. I always carry shears with me. I carry them shoved in my boot or in my belt behind my back.

2. I always...ALWAYS carry 2 pairs of gloves on me.

3. I bring my stethoscope to work but it stays in the rig, I don't wear it. I have one in the bag if I ever forget mine.

4. I have a maglite that I keep in the rig. Doubles for my penlight at night or a self defense weapon.

5. BREATHMINTS!!

6. Photocopy of my certs (leave the originals at home) driver's license and a check card.

Anything else is junk! If you are with a paid provider, all the things you need should be in your bags.

[Bieber]

On my person:

Left breast pocket

-critical care pocket guide (not a critical care paramedic, but it has a lot of good information in it)

-patient info pad (we usually put it in the tablet on scene, but I have it as a backup)

-pen

Right breast pocket

-personal reference I made and laminated with protocols and drug references and standing orders

-pharmacopoeia

-pocket calculator

Pants

-wallet and cards

-cell phone

-car keys

-scope mouthspray

Belt

-gerber tool

-holster with mini maglite and trauma shears (don't like carrying them in my pants) and a mini sharpie

-radio clip and radio

-D ring for ambulance keys

-extra set of gloves tucked underneath my belt

Also, a cheap Wally World watch and my stethoscope (on scene, I leave it in the truck between calls), and my very vital sunglasses.

In my work bag (which is just a nice laptop bag, got tired of my company issued duffel bag)

-protocol book

-two more field guides

-x4 extra pens and a sharpie plus my penlight in case my maglite fails

-notepad

-ibuprofen

-extra trauma shears and x2 hemostats (though I haven't yet ever found a use for them)

-extra earbuds for my stethoscope

-black beanie for those cold days

-a paramedic book (that's actually an abbreviated version of the one I used for class)

[Private Paramedic]

All I carry on myself:

Gloves in pocket

Trauma shears in side trouser pocket (very rare though)

If the situation requires it, I might put on my tactical pouch that has drugs, syringes, etc in it, otherwise most of the gear sits on the truck. The more you carry the more bogged down you get.

[Timmy]

My work supplied all the nursing staff with a bat belt (pick pocket). In it I carry:

- Alcohol swabs.

- Calculator

- IV Bung Caps

- Arterial forceps

- Scissors

- Gloves

- Watch

- Pupil Torch

- Pens

- Micropore Tape

- Assorted prompting cards including admistration of blood products, IV infusion rates, complex medications calculations, ECG card, rhythm analysis, pathology normal values, respond blue prompts and phone number extensions.

When I’m doing my event standby I sometimes carry a radio, my phone and a pair of gloves…

[emt1231]

I carry:

cell phone

wallet

keys

black pen

leatherman juice s2

extra gloves in back pocket

portable radio

and my g shock watch

[Hush]

New EMT-B, been with a private company for the last 7 months or so. Mostly tx's, but we have contracts with facilities that often call us when they should call 911. Lots of nighttime calls for falls, fevers, NVD, and psychs. In the beginning I got labeled "flashlight guy" for having a small surefire on me, but the same medics that gave me the name are the ones who always ask..."hey, let me borrorow your light for a sec." Picked up and took off gear as needed for the first few weeks or so, untill I got down a managable amount with out seeming too whackerish. Some of the unconventional items I carry I chose because of a problem I encountered and I dont want to be without something I need twice. Ill list whats in my pockets with a little explanition of why, or why that particular item.

Shirt:

Notepad-for taking call info. In the back, I list door codes for various hospitals and facilities.

Pen- Zebra F-701. Stainless Steel, $7, clicky pen. Nice heft, can soak with sanitizer if it gets gross, costs enough I dont lose it, but not so much if I do Ill miss it too much.

Belt: Glove Pouch (holds 2 prs, always having to give a pair to my partner)

Surefire Aviator. Good for dark rooms, injury inspection. Has a bright white light, and a low output red light, good for using in the cab at night so as not to blind the driver.

Pants: Folding knife (Spyderco or SOG)

Right cargo pocket: Littmann Classic II, penlight, sharpie (The stainless steel one for no other reason than its awesome) Shears.

Firefighter Shove Knife. Think mini Slim-Jim, $5 on Ebay. On the occasions when we do get emergency calls and are stuck outside waiting for some lazy Haitian CNA to waddle down the hallway and let us in, its nice to be able to pop most doors we encounter. Its also nice to be able to open the supply closet at the base where they keep the pens, that I hand out to nurses to curry favor.

Left Cargo: Small bottle hand sanitizer, these are often found in the patient gift baskets at hospitals. Extra gloves. Door Wedge. I get a lot of crap for this, but it has come in handy many times. Use it to prop open locked doors when we have to go in and out of a facility, when are short hands to hold a door open for a stretcher, and to wedge under the gas nozzle when pumping gas in the cold. Homemade, wedge with a hook on it.

Back Pocket: Leather gloves for outdoor work, cold, and combative patients. O2 Wrench.

Add to that the usual cell phone, wallet, etc, and Im still not to weighed down. The stuff I didnt need I jettisoned, this is the stuff Ive stuck with and get use out of almost daily.

[fakingpatience]

On the occasions when we do get emergency calls and are stuck outside waiting for some lazy Haitian CNA to waddle down the hallway and let us in, its nice to be able to pop most doors we encounter.

-1 for your racist comment which has no place in this forum. (Really, do you feel your post benefited from giving the CNA a race?)

[Bieber]

-1 for your racist comment which has no place in this forum. (Really, do you feel your post benefited from giving the CNA a race?)

That's -2.

[island emt]

Would of been three : but I already dinged somebody even more obnoxious