I have literally lost count of the number of brand new basics' hands I've held through the first 6 months, and still, every time I get a new one, I consider it an honor.
Partially, that's because I get a partner I get to train up to do things EXACTLY the way I want them done, but partially it's because I remember the FTOs who held my hands, and this is how I can pay them back.
No one gets out of basic school truely having any idea what they're doing. The best any of us can hope for is that we know enough not to kill someone while we learn. I won't tell you that there aren't stupid questions, there are, but the threshold for stupid questions is much lower than I'm betting you think they are..."Hey, I know you're budy trying to drop a line on this trauma pt and all, but should I bother trying to stop this active bleed?" is a stupid question (loose paraphrase from an actual experience), "This patient has some respiratory distress, how much oxygen should I give him?" is not.
As to the issue of the o2 bottles, I'm assuming you're talking about not replacing them when they need replacing. The simple fact is that the truck check is the most important thing you do every day. No matter how good you are at diagnosing and determining a care plan for your asthma pt, if you don't have O2, you've failed them. That being said, when you first start, the truck check is bloody overwhelming, there are tons of boxes to be checked off, and every one of them requires attention, once you figure it all out, though, it's a lot easier. When I run a truck check, assuming I'm not bothering to check exp dates, I'm in and out in 5 minutes, but I've been doing this a long time, I've done enough truck checks that I know exactly how many tabs should be sticking out of that rubber banded pack of NPOs, and how thick the overall packet should be. Take your time, do it right and you'll get to where I am.
As far as the uniform issue goes, my attitude has always been that as long as I'm not doing something I wouldn't do while I was on duty, wearing my shirt on the way home is no problem. If I'm hanging out with a friend, grabbing some groceries or stopping to eat a meal, no worries. If I'm buying booze, stopping at the casino or shooting someone in the face, I need to change first.
The last question is at once the stickiest and the simpliest, direct interactions with co-workers. I am, by my nature, extraordinarily bad at interacting with other human beings. This job taught me how to do it. From your statements, you've got how to deal with patients, but dealing with co-workers is a different matter. If you have a set partner, odds are you're going to spend more time with that person than you will with any other human being on the face of this planet, including a spouse. You have to engage in coonversation with them. If you agree with me on a subject, I'll give you a high five and tell you you're the smartest person on the face of the earth, if you disagree, I'll tell you why you're wrong and wait for you to tell me why I'm wrong. If you refuse to talk to me, I'll think you're boring...and there's very little coming back from that. In short, talk to me, I don't really care what you say.[/QU
what part of the country do you serve unkiemt?
