IFT BLS EMT

[squirrel15]

Ive had nurses give me crap about looking through PT treatment records while waiting on some doctor to check them out one last time. I normally just ignore them for the most part. Ive gone to charge nurses to get a PT history and status cause some nurse thought she didnt have to tell me anything. Normally going to the charge nurse changes the nurses tone pretty fast. Ive refused to transport PTs until a nurse has given me the low down on a PT. That normally ends up being funny when they complain to my supervisor and I explain it to them. If you do your job right your supervisor should have no problem backing you up.

That sounds like an attitude issue on your end, I've never had a nurse be unwilling to give me a quick history on discharges. Are you trying to get a life story for a discharge patient? And how is the charge nurse going to tell you anything about a patient they haven't seen, read you the pts chart?

 

[johnrsemt]

If you work somewhere that 60% of 911 patients pay for their transports (either by insurance or private pay) you are in great shape. I doubt if the national average is higher than 35-40%. I know in Indy where I used to work (till 2008) the private service I worked for had about 25% of 911 runs paid for, and the fire departments in the area probably had about the same.
Suburbs are higher percentage than urban; and rural is higher still, but rural doesn't have the BS runs that the cities do.

 

[Kevswens]

I work for a private ambulance company that mostly does IFTs. I have never came across a nurse that refused to give report or allow me to look through the patient's information. However, if nurses are in a bad mood for whatever reason, I always carry company pens with me to handout to nurses. Nurses love pens and it usually cheers them up.

 

[ZombieEMT]

I have personally learned more doing IFT than I ever learned in a 911 setting. IFT gives you the opportunity to practice assessment and learn. You can talk to your patients. Learn the diseases. Learn medications. Build people skills. Sometimes if doing CCT transports, patients are more severe than in 911. IFT, is however, what you make of it. Some people just look at paperwork and fill boxes because they are suppose to. Some people do not take advantage of it.

There will always be resistance with facilities, whether hospitals, offices or SNFs. When it comes down to it, sometimes, all we are is transport. I know doing BLS IFT, some patients only go by BLS because they cant go in a wheelchair. The patient is bed confined, and therefore needs stretcher. Many of the facilities are not actually looking for any level of care, just transport. Most of the patient's do not need any additional care. They go by stretcher on technicality. We do the same for psych transfers to psych facilities, minor inter hosp transfers.

Basically, you have to suck it up. Thats what IFT is like. As long as you know that you are doing what you are suppose to, then you are golden.

 

[Kevinf]

There are opportunities to step outside the normal role as an EMT. I've had the privilege to be an active participant in minor surgical and various outpatient procedures after building a rapport with some of the doctors, facilities, and hospitals we frequent. It's very cool to be a part of something we normally aren't privy to while staffing an ambulance. There are quite a few doctors around that are eager to teach those that are eager to learn. One of my favorites was scrubbing in to assist with an IR fluoroscopy PICC placement. Watching the catheter feed through the chest vasculature to the heart in real-time was a treat.

 

[jlw]

Learn what you can doing IFT, it'll help you in the long run, just don't get stagnate.

 

[TheReallyCoolGuy]

That's disappointing to hear that. I work for a private IFT and I always chat with the nurses lol. Charisma helps. Some may just be having a bad day or some are just flat out rude. Don't take it to heart.

 

[titmouse]

Dont let that mentality get to you. If the nurses are being richards, ask for the nursing supervisor. f they ask why do you need that info, tell that you want to know your patietns history for your report.

 

[Gurby]

Dont let that mentality get to you. If the nurses are being richards, ask for the nursing supervisor. f they ask why do you need that info, tell that you want to know your patietns history for your report.

Eh, I don't know if that's a great idea. If there is a consistent issue, I feel like it's a better idea to let your own supervisor know about it and let them handle it.

 

[titmouse]

Eh, I don't know if that's a great idea. If there is a consistent issue, I feel like it's a better idea to let your own supervisor know about it and let them handle it.

That is a good move as well specially when it comes to PCS forms LOL

 

[ParamedicStudent]

Learn what you can. I worked IFT for three years and still am, and I can honesty say that I probably am a better EMT from being in months of medic school than three years of IFT. I'm also the type that'll learn from books and classroom time rather than being in the field
But I did however learn how to take better vitals, talk to patients/family/nurses/staff, how not to be as awkward as I was before, how to use/operate a gurney, how to work in a moving vehicle. etc.

 

[AfxEMT]

Hey everyone OP here.
So I've been working more & more ALS now so it's not as mundane as just BLS IFT, I sometimes get to see some pretty cool medical calls & what not but recently I had a conversation with my partner who's been a paramedic since 86' (combat medic, lpn, flight medic, firefighter paramedic, etc) & I had asked if what we do is EMS & he said "no I don't think so, when was the last time you worked a car crash?"
If what we do isn't EMS then I'm not an EMT?
My Paramedics aren't Paramedics??
I understand where his coming from & I somewhat agree with him but I would like to hear you guys' thoughts. Thanks.

 

[titmouse]

No, you are still an EMT and they are still Medics. You just work in an IFT company. Look into a company that run 911 calls

 

[NomadicMedic]

This is why we need to break EMS off to a separate service classification, MTS. Medical Transport Service. Different training should be offered for a totally different set of problems.

 

[titmouse]

This is why we need to break EMS off to a separate service classification, MTS. Medical Transport Service. Different training should be offered for a totally different set of problems.

Didnt NREMT start an IFT EMT program in 2014?

 

[Gurby]

IFT BLS trucks at my company have ended up on serious calls from time to time. Go to pick up a patient for dialysis and find them unresponsive, only nearby truck for a seizure or cardiac arrest, etc. I think you still need to be on the ball even if 95% of the time you're basically defrauding medicare just taking stable patients from point A to point B. Maybe most IFT EMT's will never find themselves in that situation, but IMO you should still be mentally prepared for it so you don't fall on your face if you do.

 

[AfxEMT]

"95% ofthe time you're basically defrauding medicarejusttaking stable patients from point A to pointB."

This. Morally & ethically I have a hard time accepting this but this job pays my rent & groceries.
Sometimes I see it this way..
Burger King employee does BK stuff.
Target employee does Target stuff.
IFT =/= EMS(EMT/Paramedic)

I wanna become a Paramedic one day & get that cool patch but I don't think it'll be worth it unless I go to a place where fire & EMS is separate, or go become a firefighter or become a nurse.

 

[TransportJockey]

@AfxEMT there's plenty of places where you have private services doing real EMS. Plus plenty of places where there's a third service EMS agency running a city or county.