What Do You Carry On Your Person?

[Michael]

Canada, probably Alberta.

[AnthonyM83]

I'm the one who originally asked the question when I just started as an EMT in October.

As an update, after taking people's ideas here and learning from my shifts:

1) 2 pairs gloves (various reasons)

2) Small shears (in boot, out of sight)

3) L4 Lumamax mini pocketlight (freaking bright, small out of sight)

4) Pocket Knife (helpful...also work in bad areas)

5) 2 Pens & a Pad (duh)

6) Req'd company pager (receive call info)

7) Station/Rig Keys attached to Kubaton (prevent losing keys and #4)

8 ) Camera Phone (Safety reasons & to contact family of altered pts for hx or poison control etc)

9) $5 & Checkcard

10) Manager's Business Cards & a Drug reference card

Backpack that stays in Rig:

-Digital Camera

-EMT Book

-Thomas Guide Mapbook

-Reference Binder I created with special maps of mobile home parks with gate codes, list of farther out receiving hospitals and resources (EDAP, Trauma, etc) w/ crosstreets

-Heavy Work Gloves / Clip Board / Mints / Change / Water / Emergency Snacks / Sharpie

[Timmy]

Might as well update mine as well…

Chewy, gloves, iPod, phone, pen, wallet. Most of the time this is spread over the dash of the truck and I normally don’t have anything on my person lol…

If were doing a standby at one of those freaky, discussing rave trippy festivals I normally carry alcohol wipes, hygiene to them really isn’t a concern.

[firemedic37]

I carry the following:

1) Stethoscope

2) 2 pr. gloves

3) Pin Light

4) Trauma Shears

5) Pager

6) Radio (If Needed)

7) Pen and Small Note Pad (Vitals, etc.)

8) Cell Phone (Has all the numbers that I could ever need in it.)

9) Certification Cards

10) And Always Have a Watch that works.

11) CPR Mask (You never know.)

When I took my basic class I was always told to keep a watch, stethoscope, gloves, and trauma shears on me at all times while working. When I was doing clinicals at the hospital they did not have any trauma shears except at the nurses station, and they only had two pair there. And always the watch so you can take quick and accurate vitals.

[j_tamisiea]

been a medic for five years, used to carry a bunch of crap,

no somedays its only my phone and a pen. (EMT partner is loaded down) he carries

digital radio with shoulder kic, (attached to the middle of his shirt) not a lapel or the button center

just in the middle of his chest! he also crries digital pager, and alpha pager, his cell phone, and various other itmes of

uniterest to me.

We work in a small community, and the whole state went digital, (system sucks) half the time our information is garbled, or dispatch cant hear us or doesn't respond.

So I just worry about pt. care,

(before I worked here I did critical care interfacility transfers, so who needed to put anything in a pocket)

like the 3channel alaris minimed would fit (lol)

[kristo]

Well, let's see. I used to do volunteer SAR, back then I carried a lot of useless junk.

Now, well, as in right now; lab coats don't have that many pockets, so, the upper, left one, a clip-on photo ID (required) and a pen. Lower, right pocket, a small leather case with a scalpel and forceps. Lower, left pocket, a couple of pairs latex gloves.

Of course, right now, my only "human" contact (except to teachers and other students) is to the cadavers we dissect in anatomy and the blood samples we do lab rat stuff on in cell biology or genetics...

-Kristo

[jdffemt]

What I carry:

1) A tourniquet

2) My Big Shears, never leave home without them.

3) 2 pairs of gloves

4) Window punch

5) O2 wrench

6) pen

7) LED penlight

8) A Tubex Injector

9) Pocket guide

10) A watch

11) Stethoscope

12) Cell phone

13) Gerber multi tool

14) Sunglasses

Along with my wallet.that has my Cert. in it. I don't really need anything else.

[renegade334]

Hmm, may as well put in my two cents...

- Shears pouch with shears (duh), penlight, pen. (I used to have a mini maglight here as well but my shears pouch ripped so now it's in my kit.)

- 1 or 2 pairs of gloves in pocket

- Mobile phone

- Sometimes Pocket Pc

- Portable radio w/ mic

- 2nd pen (I have horrible luck with pens)

- Band aids (my most used item)

- Notepad

I think thats it, everything else is in the kit

----------

Might as well update mine as well…

Chewy, gloves, iPod, phone, pen, wallet. Most of the time this is spread over the dash of the truck and I normally don’t have anything on my person lol…

You have your iPod when your on duty? That looks a bit dodgy doesn't it?

Unless you do what I do and use it over the vehicle's stereo when mobile to/from duty.

(The mercs are horrible with everything but the stereo isn't too bad)

[Timmy]

Well when you’re doing the 5 day Australian Ladies Lawn bowls championships or the International Rotary Conference you need something to keep you sane…

My div doesn’t have a Merc nor does the truck have an FM radio :shock:

[JonathanGennick]

...

2) Small shears (in boot, out of sight)

...

5) 2 Pens & a Pad (duh)

...

I almost couldn't survive the day without my pad and pen. I can measure pulse, respirations, blood pressure, and by then I've forgotten the pulse! Ok. Maybe I'm not quite that bad, but on some days it feels like it. Out of what little I carry on my person, I use the notepad the most.

Anthony, I'm curious about the shears in your boot. Do you have some sort of holster for them? Or do you just stuff them in next to your sock?