Ambulance clinicals

[KillTank]

As I get closer to finishing up school and getting ready to take my national we get to jump on a ambulance and do 10 emergency runs.. its gunna be my first time so yea, any of you have any advise?

 

[BossyCow]

Keep your eyes open. Be ready to offer assistance... "Can I spike the IV bag? Would you like me to get a pressure? Can I hand you something?" If the excrement collides with the ventilation in a thrash, follow the old advice for seizure first aid... Remove obstacles and do not become an obstacle. Ask lots of questions but not when the crew has that tight look on their faces in the middle of a nasty call.

Good luck and have fun.

 

[cde61969]

Jump in with both feet and don't be afraid to be aggressive. The more you show that you want to be there, the more the crew will be agreeable to letting you do things. Just remember to stay within your scope of practice...medics sometimes have a bad habit of allowing students to do too much that isn't within their training. Ask questions, show interest and above all...have a great time! B)

 

[SC Bird]

Be "aggressive" in everything you do. And I don't mean get in the patient's face.... When you first get there, make sure you let your preceptor know that you are there to learn as much as he is willing to throw at you.

There is no replacement for experience. Everything I did on my internships this past semester just "drove it home" for me and everything I had studied in lecture.

Get as many BP's as you can, LISTEN TO EVERY PATIENT'S LUNG SOUNDS, and interact with every patient possible, get your SAMPLE history, and hold their hand if they are scared.

Also be sure to ask a lot of questions to the EMTs and medics ya work with....if you didn't understand what they did or why they did it....ask!!

Most importantly, enjoy it....if you're like me your adrenaline will flow for every call and it will be a great learning experience.

Let us know how it goes...

-Matt

 

[KillTank]

well im pretty excited to beggin. there is nothing I love more than helping people and I do my best in stressful situations. I will remember to stay in my scope of practice and not to do anything i do not feel comfertable doing. I will remember to keep myself safe and look out for the crew and the patient. But thanks for the advise guys. I start on december so ill let yall know how it went

 

[james]

I did my clinicals in a US Army hospital in Germany. I learned so much from the Medics and the Docs there. About 90% of all the PT's I seen were wounded Soldiers from Iraq. It was hard for me to stay with in my scope of practice because in the Army you can giv IV's as a EMTB, im glad I know how because its hard to look a wounded Solier in the eyes and say I cant help you because im not alowed to start an IV. As an emtb in the Army we can push basic pain meds like tramidal and Morphine when we are in the feid.

 

[KillTank]

I start on sunday !!1 Woo! ill post pics up =p

 

[jakobsmommy2004]

ask questions

The ride time is the best learning experience. You make of it what you put into it. If you dont ask qusetions It wont be worth anything.

 

[ErinCooley]

Listen and let them know that you are interested in learning. Don't tell them what to do and know when to shut up!!

 

[thowle]

Better luck to you, as opposed to the luck I had.

We were required to have twenty-four hours total, 12-hours hospital ER time, and 12-hours EMS ride-time.

I stayed the full 12-hours in one day at a "relatively" local ambulance provider, and only had two calls. None of which had major action, but oh well.

As for advice, just act professional and offer to help where you beleive you can. Don't be affraid to ask questions, you are there to learn as well. The dumbest question is the one that isn't asked -- bare that in mind.

 

[james]

Nremtb

I passed. I was the omly one from my class to pass. But there were only 8 of us in the class.

 

[KillTank]

I ended up going to a station close to my side of town and stayed 12 hours but no dice. I was really hoping for a call to come in. i guess its a good thing cause no one needed ems yet im not getting any experience. I have 36 hours left to go so im gunna try a different station and hopefully we get some transfers. Thanks for the advise though, its good stuff and ive taking every bit in to help me get through this awesome learning experience. My next ride is on saturday. Ill let you all know how it goes!

 

[occipudding]

ive done 3 rotations so far. still feel as if i don't have a clue as to what im doing but with each rotation im learning so i guess it works out. seems like i got a white cloud hanging over me though so i dont have too many opportunities for any real experience. 1st ride was 1 pt with a charlie horse (whoopdie doo), 2nd was 2 pts, etoh & diff breathing. #3 was cool, back pains to get the ball rollin and my first cva about 3 1/2 hours later. the medics said they stayed and played too long (which to me, didnt seem like long at all but what do i know) but it was nonetheless inspiring to watch. i didnt do anything except hand one of the emts some 4x4s and was later praised on my ability to stay out of the way. i fumbled a little bit on each rotation, hard to get over those butterflies when the street is nothing like they teach you in class but i ask questions and i observe and when called on to perform my skills, i do my best. one of the emts from my 3rd rotation wrote on my report that i am "very knowledgable" and that i "will make an excellent emt someday." can't wait for next time. hope it's soon cause i start a&p in 2 weeks on top of the end of emt-b, not to mention my mother is having surgery today and ill probably have to help take care of her when im not in class. ho hum. hopefully transcare for a month or two will give me confidence and expertise enough to be a somewhat competent emt on top of my training. would rather have someone hold my hand for the next 7 runs though before i hit the streets alone and probably with another rookie who also doesn't know squat but ill make due anyhow.

 

[r6yr]

remember there are no stupid questions, just stupid people. :-D !!! just kidding. i have no advice but good luck!!!

 

[KillTank]

hahaha yes plenty of stupid people...thats why there is a such thing as ems =P

u dont plan on standing back

i really wanna get in the middle of things and kick some ***

 

[KillTank]

the ride was sweet, christmas eve and just about had everything possible. accidental poisoning, cardiac arrest, domestic violence, stabbing, 3 vehicle mva with 9 patients and a baby that was projected from the vehicle, had a kid that had partial burns to his arms from a portable heater. its was a crazy night but damn i learned alot! I did very well and was a great help during the mva. i had 2 little girls i was caring for. we also have x-mas lights inside of our ambulance and while transporting a strand flew down and popped me in the face which made the girls laugh all the way to the er haha. I dunno what the hell i was nervous about. everything seemed natural and i didnt have to think twice about anything. And i know now that for a fact this is something i wanna do. I know i havnt seen any amputations yet or mva fatalities but i know as long as im helping people i will love this job.

 

[EMTryan]

That's awesome Killtank!

My first ridealong was pretty boring (not as boring as your first though!)...there were only 2 calls and I was there 10 hours. The first call was exciting. We were dispatched to report of a 75 y/o male c/o chest pain. It was an active MI and I got to go with the medics as the transported him to the hospital. Then we got back to the station and sat around and didn't do much for the next 8 hours. This was actually good because it gave me time to catch up on my reading but I was hoping for a little bit more action. Another student in my EMT class did a ridealong at the same station a few weeks earlier and had a really, really busy night. Six calls, lots of action.

I guess it's the luck of the draw. I did other observations in training and saw a bit more action but still I am waiting for that crazy, crazy shift. I did two observerations at the regional trauma center in Seattle and on both nights the nurses told me they were sorry it was a such a slow night. I did see a lot and it was a great learning experience but still slow by their standards espeically since five students from my class got to do chest compressions on their observation shifts and one of my friends from my EMT class got to hold an amputated arm:wacko:

 

[medic8613]

Listen to what the medics and/or EMTs have to say. They know a lot and can teach you a lot in just 10 runs. And do exactly as they say...within reason...you could become the victim of a practical joke.

Someone who posted before me said to take as many BPs as you can and listen to everyone's lung sounds. Really good idea. Getting a good BP in the back of an ambulance can be tricky because of noise and a bumpy ride, so get really good at it (and don't trust the NIBP unless you get a manual one first). Lungs for the same reasons. Also the descriptions of lung sounds in the textbook aren't always accurate, or what you think it is supposed to sound like.

 

[Hastings]

Ah, the student curse (or blessing, for the employees).

Every time anyone from my class has a 12 hour shift, there are 0-1 calls for the entire period, in contrast to the 12 average that occurs whenever a student isn't assigned to that station.

Fire stations, that is.

 

[medic8613]

the ride was sweet, christmas eve and just about had everything possible. accidental poisoning, cardiac arrest, domestic violence, stabbing, 3 vehicle mva with 9 patients and a baby that was projected from the vehicle, had a kid that had partial burns to his arms from a portable heater.

Maybe I'm still too new at this to appreciate a quiet 1 or 2 call shift, but I need to move somewhere where I can get all those calls in one night. I may see calls like that over the course of a month, but not in a single shift. For me its nitro and narcan...I don't remember the last time I used a backboard (except for harmless jokes on the new guy.)