EMT-B Class question

[firemed17]

Im starting my EMT-B class soon and was wondering what you guys recommend, wether to do the ER clinicals first (24 hours), or do the Internship Ride times on the ambulance first (72 hours)?

 

[ihalterman]

We didnt have a choice, we had to do clinicals (ER) first. I would have loved to ride time first.

Now that I am done, I am glad we did clinicals first. When we got to ride time, I was much more confident and it showed. The patients were much more comfortable with my student ID after seeing that I wasn't scared.

Plus, doing ride time at the end of class will act to remotivate you.


On a side note, if you have the ability, make sure you do a pediatric rotation. I was scared to death of pediatrics. Dealing with them in my clinicals helped a great deal.

 

[firemed17]

We didnt have a choice, we had to do clinicals (ER) first. I would have loved to ride time first.

Now that I am done, I am glad we did clinicals first. When we got to ride time, I was much more confident and it showed. The patients were much more comfortable with my student ID after seeing that I wasn't scared.

Plus, doing ride time at the end of class will act to remotivate you.


On a side note, if you have the ability, make sure you do a pediatric rotation. I was scared to death of pediatrics. Dealing with them in my clinicals helped a great deal.

Thanks for the response, how many classes did you have before you were cleared to do the ER clinicals? I'm going to have classes Mondays and Wednesdays (lectures) and Labs on Thursdays.

 

[ihalterman]

We had to get through assesments. The instructors had to document two medical and one trauma assesments. I can't remember what week it was. Near the middle.

 

[LucidResq]

We had to do 4 hours in triage at the ER doing nothing but vital signs before doing anything else. It was awesome. Because you have more patients to work with and more time with them, I would consider doing ER first and check vitals on everyone you can. That way, when you are doing ride time and the medic tells you to get a BP on a big ol obese elderly lady as you're driving down the road with all the bumps and sounds of traffic, 10 minutes out from the ER, you're more confident and skilled at doing so.

 

[firemed17]

Also, as far as the clinicals, do we do straight 24 shifts or are they broken into smaller shifts? Like the Ambulance Ride-Alongs is 72 hours total, would we do 3 24's, or smaller shifts?

 

[LucidResq]

Totally depends on your program. I have a feeling 24-hour clinicals/rides are rare, though. I did some 8s and some 12s.

 

[alyssa_]

I agree with LucidResq. I felt like I learned a lot more on my ER clinicals and they definitely boosted my confidence level for my ride outs. Taking vitals for 8 hours straight in triage might be freaking boring, but you don't wanna have your first go at vitals in the back of the rig on a bumpy road.

What I did was alternate between hospital and ambulance clinicals, which worked out pretty well. And FYI, our ER clinicals were 8 hours each and the ambulance ride outs were 12 each.

And if you're stuck in triage with an automatic V/S monitor (and the place isn't currently swamped with patients), ask if you can take them manually, since you don't learn much by putting on a BP cuff, pulse ox, then pressing a button.

 

[feldy]

I agree...my class never had required clinicals and i felt that when i first did my ride alongs on a truck, my vitals skills were not at there finest and i told the crew that i need more practice before i can be 100 percent confident. The other day on my ride...in the city im in there are a lot of cobblestone streets and its near impossible to hear anything. Ive done some time in an ED and my vitals are getting better (except i would like more time manually instead of the machines, but im in triage and we usually fill up all 30+ rooms in the first few hours of my shift so they need to move quickly). But after some practice im getting more confident in them. But one thing is and im always honest about this and not afraid to admit it...if you are not sure...dont make it up. Tell someone to double check, they will understand that you are a student need the practice.

But if you can get good at it before you ride with medics, when they tell u get vitals, you can jump right on it.

 

[shadow5606]

I'll agree w/ everyone else here. I wish I had more practice with vitals before hopping in the rig. My first shift I took vitals on 5 patients. 3 I nailed and 2 I couldn't get pulse/BP. It was frustrating. Again, don't make it up, just asking someone else to get it.

It's a different ball game bouncing around in the back of the truck. Even respirations can be rough with the Pt. is bouncing too... Don't get flustered though, just get in there and try. You'll learn and your preceptor will appreciate the effort.

 

[LucidResq]

Again, don't make it up, just asking someone else to get it.

My favorite is when I'm teaching students BPs and they take mine and tell me something dumb like 125/93.

Oh really?

 

[feldy]

My favorite is when I'm teaching students BPs and they take mine and tell me something dumb like 125/93.

Oh really?

I remember someone in my class practicing on me doing the same thing...somehow i had an odd numbered pulse and and odd numbered bp...hmm...needless to say this was the same person that dropped me down 5 steps on a stair chair.

 

[jjesusfreak01]

Hey, just because they forgot to round up to the even number doesn't mean they didn't read the pressure right. They may have been accurate even if not correct.

 

[medicRob]

My favorite is when I'm teaching students BPs and they take mine and tell me something dumb like 125/93.

Oh really?

Lol. Love it! I had one tell me 142/61 the other day at Bonnaroo! lol.

 

[esmcdowell]

We did ride alongs first and then clinicals closer to the end of the class. The instructor's mentality was that it was an EMT class for people who would be in an Ambulance, so we did vitals on eachother in class for several weeks, and then when we were able to go on ride-alongs, we knew what to look/feel/listen for, and if you can take vitals in the back of a screaming box of metal barrelling down a bumpy mountain road, you can do them anywhere.

 

[dudemanguy]

Blood pressure is probably the hardest vital sign to do accurately consistently, and if your ER clinicals are like mine were, the only practice you get is putting on a cuff and pressing a button. In fact of all my ER and ambulance clinicals, I only took a manual BP maybe 3 or 4 times. Once we got in the rig it was an automatic cuff.

I hate to admit it, but I didnt really get good at taking vitals until after I got my EMT-B, when I was working as a CNA and took manual BP a dozen times a day on people.

I think Vitals should be a practical skill station for EMT B. For my CNA state practical test we had to take pulse respirations and BP on someone and get within 2 for R, 4 for pulse and 4 mmhg for BP....we also had to do BP by palp using the brachial before doing ascultation, and they watched to make sure you pumped the cuff up to 30 over what you told them you got, so you better be in the ballpark.

 

[Pneumothorax]

it depends on what ur program allows,

for mine we did clinicals first and then we do rides.

for me, i spent a good amount of time in triage doing bp's manually, because i was not to good at taking them, but i feel muuuuch better and more comfortable with it. i also feel more comfortable around different kinds of pts. from drunks to psychs to little old ladies who fell down. its nice to have them all in one placess so that when iits ride time and you come across a combative psych/drunk... there wont be a deer in headlights look on ur face hahah
good luck

 

[ollie]

for me the people with the higher grade got to do clinicals so it was a bit of a compitition and clinicals were 8 hrs and we had to do two 12 hr ride alongs and if we wanted to we could do as many as we wanted ride alongs that it, if i was you id pick the ride along first there funner and your outdoors but yea let us kno how it goes

 

[firemed17]

Sorry to bring this thread back, just wanted to say the I took my NREMT test yesterday, and found out today I am now NREMT Certified, Paramedic school here I come!

 

[HotelCo]

Sorry to bring this thread back, just wanted to say the I took my NREMT test yesterday, and found out today I am now NREMT Certified, Paramedic school here I come!

Congrats! Don't stop studying your EMT book, just because you passed the test!


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