i'm feeling a little discouraged...help?

[certguy]

A little help

Earlier in this thread I mentioned size - up . I realized that , being new , you may not be familiar with this term . As I said before , sizeup is a continious assessment of a call that goes from it's start to it's finish . When you respond to a call , consider the following factors ;

FACTS - type of call , # of patients , weather conditions
PROBABILITIES - what am I getting into , what gear will I
need ?
RESOURCES - can I handle or do I need more help ?
TIME - response time and time of day which may effect
your routing due to traffic or construction . Also , transport
time to the appropriate facility . If too long , consider need
for ALS intercept or medevac chopper .

Many times there are other considerations also , first and foremost is scene safety . The safety of you and your crew come first . If you don't feel safe , don't go in . If you go to a crime scene , disturb as little as possible , make mental notes , and document well . All documentation is admissable in court .
Don't get discouraged , as time goes by , you'll get more confident and capable . You've got to roll before you crawl , crawl before you walk , and walk before you run .

THE FORCE IS STRONG IN YOU YOUNG SKYWALKER , BUT YOU ARE NOT YET A JEDI .

 

[firetender]

I'm very proud of this site and all of you for the quality of support you offer each other. This is truly a safe haven for any one in any aspect of EMS to air their concerns and find support. I can't emphasize enough how important this is to help the profession find itself.

 

[TheDoll]

thank you all so much for your helpful responses. i wish that i could respond to each one individually. you have no idea how reading through this thread has just taken some weight off of my shoulders. oh, and the reason i haven't responded until now is because i've been very sick for the past few days, and i haven't checked my computer at all. anyway, i figured this thread would be way down on the bottom of the list or something. i'm so touched that it has stayed afloat, and that all of you have taken the time to respond.

so, i'm gathering quite a bit of info from reading these pages, and it sounds like this feeling of not knowing what the heck i'm doing is going to leave me any time soon. what it does sound like, though, is that that is okay, and *gasp* maybe even normal? so, i will continue to try hard and keep my ears turned on. in fact, there is a lot in this thread that i am going to try to put into practice. most of all, though, i don't feel like such a failure.

thank you all so much, and i will probably return to this thread to read your advice.

 

[paccookie]

it sounds like this feeling of not knowing what the heck i'm doing is going to leave me any time soon. what it does sound like, though, is that that is okay, and *gasp* maybe even normal? so, i will continue to try hard and keep my ears turned on. in fact, there is a lot in this thread that i am going to try to put into practice. most of all, though, i don't feel like such a failure.

You're definitely not a failure and it is very normal to question yourself when you're new at something. Like I said, I'm new at this too and I question myself constantly. I have to think my way through most everything, although things are becoming easier every day. You need to find a good partner who is willing to answer your questions and encourages you to learn. As others have said, hang out with the more senior EMTs and become a sponge. They have a lot to teach you. Don't hang out with the ones who have the "God complex" and think they know everything. They don't and they will likely get you and themselves in trouble. Never stop learning and studying, even when school is over. Learn on your own. Look up things you don't understand and ask questions - ask your partner, the nurses, the doctor, anyone who will listen. LOL I tend to write things down and look them up when I get home.

Anyway, I should get back to work. It's been a slow day today. Maybe things will pick up. LOL We've had no calls yet and it's 3:30. Strange.

Hope you feel better soon!

Christina

 

[TheDoll]

thanks christina,
yeah, i definitely ask questions, but i look up a lot of stuff, too, when i get home. as far as being around the type of emt's (or people in general) who think they are gods...i just sort of keep my mouth shut and let them talk out whatever it is they just have to say. i'm not the kind of person who likes to talk over people to try and prove some sort of point. so, i don't end up spending much time around people like that anyway. i definitely try to pay attention to what anyone has to say, though. i figure if it's bad advice, i'll probably pick up on it pretty quickly.

thanks again, everyone!

 

[certguy]

Memories

Reading the posts from you new folks brings back memories from way back when I started . Things really don't change much over the years . I felt just like you do now . BEEN THERE , DONE THAT , GOT THE T - SHIRT . Hang in there , be a sponge , do your best and you'll do great . Soon you'll be swapping war stories with the rest of us .

 

[AntonioEMT]

"Practice, practice, practice and learning" is the right way....