Medics and experienced EMT's, what are the top things you wish newcomers would know/do?

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I'm still new to EMS, and was just curious as to what you wish newbies would do/know when first starting to work as an EMT. Yes; I know knowing all material is important, I'm just curious as to what you thought was the MOST important, or perhaps most frequently needed addressed in the field.

Thanks for the responses in advance!
 
Not to talk to the patent when I'M talking to the patient. If for some bizarre reason I can't think of something to say, or get stuck trying to come up with the next question, I'll ask you for help.

Til then, zippa da mouf. :)

Listen, learn and ask me questions later...
 
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Don't turn into a drone- as in any career there will be people who no longer see it as a profession to be passionate about, but rather become like robots with only negative outlook on the job and treat patients like a piece of meat...

Have a positive attitude FOREVER
 
Don't try to act like everything's old hat to you (new people in general), like you've been there done that. We know you're new to EMS. The uncaring, unimpressed facade you're working so hard on is not the illusion of experience, but burnout.

Ask questions. Test out unfamiliar equipment. Don't wait until a patient's choking to tell your partner you don't know how to hook up suction. And definitely don't lie if your partner asks if you know how to do something.

If something you don't know comes up during the course of a call, signal your partner subtly, don't just announce, "I don't know how to do this!" or "I think it's broken!" It really kills people's confidence in our abilities and trustworthiness, which in turn can lead to lawsuits. Instead, try calmly saying, "Can you give me a hand with this?"
 
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- know where the hospital are

-know where the specialty hospitals are

-know how to place a 12-lead

-know where to get a good breakfast burrito (not just EMTs but any good partner)
 
Pretty much same as the above guys have said is a good guide!


But always ask how they like their coffee especially if they are morning starts ;)
 
Rin said:
Don't try to act like everything's old hat to you (new people in general), like you've been there done that. We know you're new to EMS. The uncaring, unimpressed facade you're working so hard on is not the illusion of experience, but burnout.

Ask questions. Test out unfamiliar equipment. Don't wait until a patient's choking to tell your partner you don't know how to hook up suction. And definitely don't lie if your partner asks if you know how to do something.

If something you don't know comes up during the course of a call, signal your partner subtly, don't just announce, "I don't know how to do this!" or "I think it's broken!" It really kills people's confidence in our abilities and trustworthiness, which in turn can lead to lawsuits. Instead, try calmly saying, "Can you give me a hand with this?"
Click to expand...
Thanks for the response, Rin! I don't really put up any facades, I'm naturally very honest with myself and others which has been both good and bad in my experience. Some people have reacted with "Wow, you really don't know that" or things like that in a snide manner, which is understandable but still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.

I like the bit about subtly, I never really thought about that but you bring up a good point. I'm sure I'll run into this in the future. Do you have an instance where this happened that you'd share?
 
beano said:
- know where the hospital are

-know where the specialty hospitals are

-know how to place a 12-lead

-know where to get a good breakfast burrito (not just EMTs but any good partner)
Click to expand...
Short and concise. This actually is one of the things I'm curious about because that's alot of routes to learn if you get hired on out of city (Which where I live is going to be the case). Learning the area is a challenge in itself. I'd be afraid to get lost honestly, so I know you're supposed to study the map and such but my instructor told us there would be GPS systems in the RIG if all else failed. Is that true?
 
If you know the hospital address, and know major roads, you should do ok. Work backwards from the hospital to your location.

If you drive into a neighborhood, you should be able to get out.

When in doubt ask the first responders how to get to out, to get to XYZ road etc...

GPS it to be safe.
 
If you know your major arteries (north-south streets, east-west streets, streets that cut diagonal to everything else, the one that starts north south but then turns east west just to turn north south again) and where in that network your hospitals are, all you have to do is find your way out of the neighborhood to the main street and follow it to the hospital, you'll be good. Have GPS as a back up, but it can fail or send you off in screwy locations (I've had that happen when I worked for companies where GPS was the preferred primary mapping system) so know how to read your maps.

If you're going to be in the back, learn the inventory and location of EVERYTHING in the back, and how to use it (know how to use your monitor/AED if you have it, your traction splints, suction, backboards and their straps, whichever splints your service uses, etc BEFORE you need to use them on a call).

If your going to be driving more at first, study the map books and hospital locations, look over past calls and which hospital they went to and how to get there. What I used to do is when I heard another unit get a call I'd look up the map to find the address, and then how I'd get there from where I was, then how to get to the main hospitals, that and mapping out simple stuff like when changing posts, map it like you're going to a call.
 
Post on forums that you are burnt out after working for two years. Calling an ambulance a bus because you heard it on tv or read it on a forum. Posting on forums about what others post on forums.
 
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