Basic Student, Starting Ride Alongs

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SerenelyLiving

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Hey everyone, my name is Chelsey, and I have been in my EMT-B class since January of this year.
I'll tell you guys a little bit of what lead to my decision, of choosing to do this.

I have always liked helping people, and am a huge people person.. And just generally like being there for people. Because of that, I chose to enroll in college and complete pre-reqs for Nursing, so I could become a pediatric nurse ( I love kids.) However, at the end of one semester I realized how expensive it would be in order for me to achieve such a goal. So I skipped my summer semester, and fall mulling over my whole decision. I realized that I should do this first, and foremost before going into nursing. Mainly because not only do you see a lot more, but you also REALLY get to know if you are able to work in this field. That reasoning may seem naive, and stupid.. But I thought it was a good choice.

Now, to get on to the true topic.
In my class we haven't done a lot of hands on( a shame, but I soaked up as much as I could.) We got to play around with King Airways, taking one another's vital signs, and talking about situations and what we'd first do to treat the PT. We also have put a few "volunteers" *cough* into C-spine, from the floor, and from a car. Also scenarios when we did our CPR ( which my team did good *whew*)...

However.. Even though I believe that I have done well with all of these.. I am very, very nervous for my ride alongs starting a couple of weeks from now. But also excited ( vicious circle.)
And I was wondering if there is any tips that you experienced, gals, and guys could lend a newbie ^_^.

I have secretly been creeping these forums for tips, and have gathered that I should DEFINITELY ask questions, and that mistakes happen.
But I was hoping for some more :).

I do have a few questions if you guys would not mind answering for me. I don't know if anyone else has this problem, but... I am not that great at taking BP. I have a VERY loud class that I am in, and it is very hard for me to hear, and makes it hard to take an accurate BP. And I was wondering if you had any tips for getting good at it, and taking it in the truck.

:Warning: Brace yourself, the most absurd question ever asked....
I know that we can use anti-bacterial hand sanitizer three times, before having to actually wash our hands properly.. And I was wondering if we have to provide our own, or if it is on the truck? ( I know, silly, and stupid question.. But I was to embarrassed to ask my teacher about it in front of class.)

There is a handful more that I would like to ask.. But I don't want this to be a massive wall of text, that could potentially harm some of your fragile pupils.
Any responses would be fantastic, and thanks for answering!

P.S. I am in Salisbury, NC. So if any of you are from there, any good houses to be stationed at? :D
 
I've never heard of this three-hand-sanitizes-before-a-real-wash-is-required rule. You should wash your hands properly between every patient. That being said, I do use hand sanitizer a lot on general principle just because I don't always have gloves on in the truck (between patients). It's a good idea to bring your own little pocket-size bottle. Also bring a granola bar or protein bar and water bottle. Depending on the call volume, you might not have much time to eat, or even make it back to base at all.

Advice for the actual ride-along...real life is a bit different than the books so don't criticize the crew if you see something that's not going perfectly according to the textbook. Observe, ask why, but don't act like a know-it-all.

Most people I've seen are pretty much frozen and useless on their first day. Don't worry too much about it. Just get vitals, follow directions, and pay attention.
 
It may be on the truck, it might not. There is a dispenser outside every hospital room, and a sink in each room, too. Wash you hands as often as you can. I make it a habit to do it as soon as I give report to the nurse. I also don't wear gloves throughout the entire patient contact, so I use hand sanitizer often.
 
SerenelyLiving said:
Hey everyone, my name is Chelsey, and I have been in my EMT-B class since January of this year.
I'll tell you guys a little bit of what lead to my decision, of choosing to do this.

I have always liked helping people, and am a huge people person.. And just generally like being there for people. Because of that, I chose to enroll in college and complete pre-reqs for Nursing, so I could become a pediatric nurse ( I love kids.) However, at the end of one semester I realized how expensive it would be in order for me to achieve such a goal. So I skipped my summer semester, and fall mulling over my whole decision. I realized that I should do this first, and foremost before going into nursing. Mainly because not only do you see a lot more, but you also REALLY get to know if you are able to work in this field. That reasoning may seem naive, and stupid.. But I thought it was a good choice.

Now, to get on to the true topic.
In my class we haven't done a lot of hands on( a shame, but I soaked up as much as I could.) We got to play around with King Airways, taking one another's vital signs, and talking about situations and what we'd first do to treat the PT. We also have put a few "volunteers" *cough* into C-spine, from the floor, and from a car. Also scenarios when we did our CPR ( which my team did good *whew*)...

However.. Even though I believe that I have done well with all of these.. I am very, very nervous for my ride alongs starting a couple of weeks from now. But also excited ( vicious circle.)
And I was wondering if there is any tips that you experienced, gals, and guys could lend a newbie ^_^.

I have secretly been creeping these forums for tips, and have gathered that I should DEFINITELY ask questions, and that mistakes happen.
But I was hoping for some more :).

I do have a few questions if you guys would not mind answering for me. I don't know if anyone else has this problem, but... I am not that great at taking BP. I have a VERY loud class that I am in, and it is very hard for me to hear, and makes it hard to take an accurate BP. And I was wondering if you had any tips for getting good at it, and taking it in the truck.

:Warning: Brace yourself, the most absurd question ever asked....
I know that we can use anti-bacterial hand sanitizer three times, before having to actually wash our hands properly.. And I was wondering if we have to provide our own, or if it is on the truck? ( I know, silly, and stupid question.. But I was to embarrassed to ask my teacher about it in front of class.)

There is a handful more that I would like to ask.. But I don't want this to be a massive wall of text, that could potentially harm some of your fragile pupils.
Any responses would be fantastic, and thanks for answering!

P.S. I am in Salisbury, NC. So if any of you are from there, any good houses to be stationed at? :D
Click to expand...

welcome to EMTLIFE
When I was in nursing school we were taught to not use alcohol more than 3-4 times between hand washes. Some facilities may have specific rules on this. That said it never came up in any of my ems training besides wash your hands as much as possible and don't just rely on hand sanitizer.

for tips.
-Show up 15 min early
-dress appropriately (some companies and or schools have dress codes for this kind of thing. if not avoid logos and "casual" cloths.......look professional)
-help with the truck check and or spend time in the back. It help you get familiar with setup and if you are asked for something you may even know where it is.
-do what the crew does, ex. if they are cleaning, help clean
- talk with your handler (preceptor) and find out what their expectations are for the day. it is much better to do it before you actually get a call.
-some questions are appropriate to ask in front of pts... some are not. for the ones that aren't wait until after the call to ask.
-the services protocols may be a bit different than what you are being taught. that doesn't make them wrong.
-read/know your (insert state/county/agency) protocols. this will allow you to better understand what is going on and what is coming next.

feel free to ask any question. the only stupid question is the one never asked.
 
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As far as taking a BP in the truck, there's a couple of good tips. Get your feet off the floor of the ambulance. Rest them on the rail of the stretcher and place the patient's arm in your lap. The only way to get good at 'em, is take a lot of them. Successful repetition builds confidence.
 
Just finished my 6 month course (passed my practicals and am waiting to set up NREMT testing), here's what I gathered during my time on the rig.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. That's what your preceptor is there for!

Be proactive. The sooner you start doing things without being told (grabbing equipment for your preceptor and his partner, taking vitals, interviewing, etc.) the better.

Get plenty of rest before going in for a shift. Eat prior and bring food with you.

When things aren't busy, study. And once again, ask your preceptor about what you're reading. They can help you understand things better.

However, keep in mind...like someone said above, not everyone does things in accordance to the book you're reading. Experienced EMTs are basically medical MacGuyvers and can come up stuff that's far from textbook in the field.

Learn where everything is on the truck.

If the need for CPR arises, you'll be compression :censored::censored::censored::censored::censored:. It's very tiring and very different from the dummy that clicks. If the patient dies, don't take it too hard. You all did the best you could do.

The BP stuff will come with practice.
 
-like someone else said, take your feet off the floor, put them on the rails of the gurney to block out road noise.

-if you cant get a BP, dont make one up! try again and if you still cant get it, say so and ask someone else to try. I've been an EMT for 5 years and still ask for another set of ears when I can't hear...unless the patient is crumping and they don't HAVE a BP.

-never be afraid to ask questions. If you don't ask, you will never know. Whenever I get intimidated about asking a question, I think "what if a student asked me this question?", I wouldn't have an answer for them, so ask and learn.

-never expect anything you need to be on the truck (*anything*)

-wash your hands, pee, and eat whenever you have the opportunity.
 
Thanks everyone ^_^, the tips are amazing!
And I never thought about the need to pee at any given moment :wacko:
 
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