waiting on the other shoe

[Apple Bill]

I've been on the FD for over a year. I've had my Basic since July. I've worked on an ambulance since November.
In all that, I have not made a critical call. I've never made a code.
On the ambo I've transported priority 1 only twice. One was iffy whether it was needed, other was basically CCT.
We've gotten some hairy medical or traumas on the fire side, but none were while I was there.
Probably the "best" I've seen was during clinicals. Full aortic dissection, stabbing victim, and a stroke.

I know it will happen, but this white cloud is bugging me. I'm not Ricky Rescue and not itching for some major pain & suffering. I just know it will happen and worry the basic stuff is getting me complacent. I want to be a great EMT, it's just hard when nothing is coming my way.

 

[Calico]

I would suggest volunteering at your local ER, using it as CE if possible. It may not be the stuff of legend, but in an eight- or twelve-hour shift, you're bound to see something more than a skinned knee.

 

[Apple Bill]

Good suggestion, I see value in that.

Where my concern lies, is when it is only me and my partner, or at the FD and I'm the only EMT on hand. That happened the other morning, me and 3 others (1 EMT student and 2 EMRs) responded to a semi vs semi on the highway. Oh the visions that raced through my head. Serious wreck, but no serious injury fortunately.

I'll get there, just never have liked the learning curve.

 

[Calico]

Sounds interesting. Do any of your fire guys have EMT-B+ training? On an accident scene like that (were it critical), I would not have a problem telling one to help me with something. Or if a policeman on scene has training, that could be valuable, too.

Visualization helps, too, especially if you are doing third-party critiques. For example, my husband loves Chicago Fire. I watch it occasionally, too. Oh, to hear him rattle off what they're doing properly or improperly. You can actually do a rough evaluation of yourself if you can watch a TV drama and say "Hey, they handled this patient the wrong way; in real life they just broke their patient's neck" or "Hey, they didn't inflate that O2 reservoir before applying" and so on. Being able to nitpick someone without them really hearing or being part of the situation can be good as long as it is occasional and you don't rely on it.

Also, when you're on shift, if you're alone or have a student, pick out a scenario from a recent call that wasn't from your station or something, recreate the patient as best you can, and do it alone. Do it slowly, hit all your bases, and find a groove that works for you. Engines work great for semi/plow substitutes. Even just sitting in the driver seat of an engine puts you in perspective of, say, "Okay, I'm slumped over the steering wheel and my leg is caught; what is it caught on and how am I going to get it free?" Be the patient. Be the combative "know-it-all, I-was-a-nurse-for-thirty-two-years" patient. Be the panicking patient. Be the altered mental status patient; that's especially fun in groups. ;P

 

[Apple Bill]

That was a rare moment at the FD. The majority of us are Basics and we have 4-5 paramedics. Just happened to be EMRs and me in the house at the time. I have no qualms about making EMRs or anyone else help.

That's good, I do that too. I run scenarios through my head all the time. The call log book is good to go through also, then talk it over with the guys who were there.

Last one sounds like a fun way to spend down time.

 

[planetmike]

Hmmm, a call log book. Interesting idea. What gets logged? Just the basic dispatch info? What is it used for? Training, shift documentation?

 

[Tigger]

Hmmm, a call log book. Interesting idea. What gets logged? Just the basic dispatch info? What is it used for? Training, shift documentation?

Ours is used to make sure that people write their reports in a timely fashion...

We put in the incident number, location, ambulance number/crew, shift, destination, and whether or not the call was related to gaming (gambling). Our office manager then uses it to track billing progress on each call

 

[Apple Bill]

The log book is used at the FD. It's a relic from when the dept was started that still gets used, even though everything is logged into the computerized system.
A lot like Tigger's, it has date, run #, address, type of incident, resources used, and a situation summary.