Ride along

[rwik123]

Hey guys, I have just finished my basic class and am taking the state practical In a few weeks. I have emailed local agencies about ride alongs and have gotten a few replies! Looking forward to it. Can anyone tell me what to expect? Etiquette?(professional and respectful of course), do's and do nots? Also what to wear and just general info. It will be my first time being in an ambulance during a call and am very excited.

Thanks.

 

[Shishkabob]

You didn't have to do ANY ambulance time at all in your basic class?
:wacko:




Do- Ask questions AFTER the call.

Do not- think you know more / better than the medic.

Do- carry what you can.

Do-assist with taking of vitals.

 

[medicRob]

Do

Study the protocol manuals and ask lots of questions.

Ask how things are done on a daily basis with that particular service.

Ask up front what the paramedic/emt expects from you..

Ask about the equipment and where everything is.

Show them that you are genuinely interested in learning.

Do not

Be a know it all.

Question a Paramedic's treatment plan in front of the patient unless whatever the Paramedic is doing is an immediate life threat to the patient and you can back it up.

Sit around during down time doing absolutely nothing, there is always something to do, study the protocol manuals, help with ambulance
check-offs, etc.

Stick your finger in a sucking chest wound, or perform the modified scrotal lead if asked, lol.

 

[abckidsmom]

You didn't have to do ANY ambulance time at all in your basic class?
:wacko:




Do- Ask questions AFTER the call.

Do not- think you know more / better than the medic.

Do- carry what you can.

Do-assist with taking of vitals.

What he said.

Also:

Do- stand back and observe the entire scene, not just the patient. It may look like the AIC is only seeing the patient, but there's more to keep track of. For example, with a patient complaining of nausea in the house, I like to locate a puke receptacle just in case. I'm the quickest trash can draw in the east.

Don't- interrupt the flow of questions in the interview. Wait until a natural break.

Don't- wait for someone to tell you to get the vitals. You have the bp cuff in hand, a quick "I'm just gonna check your blood pressure" and go ahead and do it while the pt is talking to your partner.

 

[adamjh3]

Be respectful towards EVERYONE, the EMTs/Medics you're working with, the nurses in the ERs, the CNAs in the SNFs. EMS is a small world.

Don't question a treatment or technique during a call, ask the how and why questions after the call.

Work your butt off. There's always something you can do, help them with sheeting the gurney, learn where/what all their equipment is. Bring a notebook and a pen so you can take notes on stuff you want to look up and read about when you get home.

Whoever you ride with is a valuable learning resource, so don't be afraid to ask questions, just do it at the right time.

As for attire, slacks and a good pair of boots or decent shoes, your class shirt, or a Blue polo. Tuck your shirt in, and have a halfway decent belt. Dress professionaly but comfortably. You might be interviewing for these companies in the near future, you want them to know your name, but in the right way.

 

[rwik123]

Taking vitals? I was under the impression that because I don't have my actual EMT cert yet, I would not be able to have direct patient contact

 

[medicRob]

Taking vitals? I was under the impression that because I don't have my actual EMT cert yet, I would not be able to have direct patient contact

I see no problem whatsoever with you obtaining vitals. This will be great practice for you and the state shouldn't have a problem with it. I am quite sure the service you are riding with will expect you to help them with vitals and some patient care. Make sure to ask them before you start your observation shift.

 

[Porkchop]

Taking vitals? I was under the impression that because I don't have my actual EMT cert yet, I would not be able to have direct patient contact

I did on my ride-along during EMT school.

 

[Panda3scar]

Ride Alongs.

Many times when you do ride alongs you have to purchase some form of insurance from the company/school. This insurance is so you can perform the skills you've learned and practice them with supervision.

Do- Write your own run reports to get a feel for it.
Do- Ask the medics if your allowed to call it in. It really helps to make you feel more comfortable with the system and how to work it instead of just going in blind when a job comes along.
DO! Look like your genuinely interested in every aspect of the job. The more you learn now the better you will feel during other portions of your testing.

UNLIKELY but on my first ride along the first call was a call. 18 month old drowning. Intense is an understatment. Even after it didnt go well i still want/feel i can do some good in this field. Just need to find that job.

Later on in the ride along (about 7 hours later) there was a , i believe it was called, K by Protocol, meaning he's deceased just needed someone to legally pronounce him. Pretty bad solo mv accident. Motorcyclist. Graphic.

What I'm trying to say is expect anything from Traumatic to medical to transfers.

 

[jjesusfreak01]

Dress Code: Whatever the service you are riding with asks you to wear. I have worn khakis, tac pants, dress shoes, boots. It depends on what they want.

What you can definitely do: Carry equipment for the medics. Ask questions about everything, and questions about treatment between calls. Have fun and make sure the medics know you are there to learn.

What you might be able to do: Take vitals on stable BLS patients. Talk to the patients (if they are not being treated w/ the medics permission). Handle the stretcher without a patient on it.

What you probably aren't supposed to do, but the medics might let you do it anyways: Handle stretcher operations with the patient onboard. Handle VERY basic BLS procedures, (eg, setting up a nebulizer w/meds for the medic), put O2 on a patient if needed, etc. Help hold a patient (I helped restrain a very young pediatric patient once).

What you should not be allowed to do nor attempt to do in any circumstances: Handle narcotic medications that have not been emptied or wasted. Handle live sharps (ones that don't have retractable or safety needles). Anything you do are not absolutely comfortable doing, even if they ask you to do it. Try to diagnose a patient in front of the patient (you'll feel stupid enough when you do this mentally and mess up half the time). Take PHI with you (the most I have ever kept is an unlabeled rhythm strip).

What you will probably do regardless that will annoy the medics: Implying that you wish you will get "cool" calls all day. "John, are you really really sure you don't want to take that CVA?"

 

[JPINFV]

I did on my ride-along during EMT school.

During EMT school and after EMT school are two different things.

 

[JPINFV]

To clarify the above post.


To clarify this post, a student is generally granted the full scope of practice of the level the student is studying to become provided it is supervised an a part of their education (which can be broadly interpreted). So a paramedic student is free to do any intervention a fully licensed paramedic can as a part of the student's training. However, the student cannot perform interventions between the time the student graduates from the program and the student becomes fully licensed, including any ride alongs during this period.

 

[medicRob]

To clarify the above post.


To clarify this post, a student is generally granted the full scope of practice of the level the student is studying to become provided it is supervised an a part of their education (which can be broadly interpreted). So a paramedic student is free to do any intervention a fully licensed paramedic can as a part of the student's training. However, the student cannot perform interventions between the time the student graduates from the program and the student becomes fully licensed, including any ride alongs during this period.

In the case of taking vitals, I don't think there will be a problem. Are EMT-B required to get malpractice insurance in school? We had to have it, but I dont know what the norm is with EMT-B since we had EMT-IV and that very well could've been because of our IV Therapy and Med Push training.

I agree though that they probably won't let you give nebs, or anything of the like. However, basic vitals shouldn't be a problem. Again, this falls under asking your preceptors what they expect from you when you get there.

 

[jjesusfreak01]

To my knowledge, for basics this is generally due to insurance issues, and for medics, it would be insurance and scope issues.

 

[dudemanguy]

I'm always amazed when I see posts like this. Clinicals/ride time were such a huge part of my EMT class. We had students that were dropped from the course because of unsatisfactory conduct/performance during clinicals. We had clinical objectives that had to be signed off by precepters etc and were actually graded on our performance. A lot of us were stressing towards the end of class because we didnt have all our objectives met and had to sign up for more clinicals right up until the end of class trying to get them. It actually became somewhat of a distraction when trying to study for our finals.

 

[rwik123]

I believe that ride alongs were not included in the curriculum because the place I took my course (northeastern university) is not an ambulance service nor affiliated with any.

 

[medicRob]

I believe that ride alongs were not included in the curriculum because the place I took my course (northeastern university) is not an ambulance service nor affiliated with any.

Wait, what??

You had no clinical time whatsoever and they are letting you take an EMT Exam???

 

[rwik123]

Yes sir. No clinical time or ride along. The closest to "clinical time" was extrication day where 3 ambulances came in and we ran a mci/car rescue scenario, which isn't anything like clinicals I know, just the closest to the real world

Don't know if it's a massachusetts thing or just my emt program

 

[JPINFV]

I know the old EMS curriculum put out by the NHTSA strongly reccomended ambulance clinicals for EMT-Bs, but did not require it because it was felt that not every place had the oppertunity to provide ambulance clinicals.

From the MA EMS website:

The course consists of 33 lessons involving 100 hours of classroom and field training, plus 10 hours of in-hospital observation and training for a total program of 110 hours. These specified training times are minimal; actual training time (including clinical experiences) is expected to range from the minimum of 110 hours to 150 hours or more depending on individual sponsor requirements and student needs. The curriculum follows the Federal Department of Transportation guidelines and is taught by a state approved EMT Instructor/Coordinator.

Emphasis added.
http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=eohhs2t...services_p_training_course_basic&csid=Eeohhs2

 

[medicRob]

Yes sir. No clinical time or ride along. The closest to "clinical time" was extrication day where 3 ambulances came in and we ran a mci/car rescue scenario, which isn't anything like clinicals I know, just the closest to the real world

Don't know if it's a massachusetts thing or just my emt program

Wow. Here in TN to even get a first responder certification you need at least 1 ride along, let alone the amount of ride-alongs you need for EMT-IV.