# Beginning a career but having doubts.



## Crystal42 (Apr 30, 2015)

Hello,

This question or thought has probably been asked or told before but maybe different advice will be better. Okay, so I'm starting my EMT-B career in about 3 weeks. I've passed my NREMT, and everything else. I've dreamed about being in EMS because i really want to help people.  I'm excited to start. But occasionally, I have (i guess you can call it doubts) about my ability to preform. I feel like I should know more than I think I know. At times i feel like this and others i feel like this is the career for me. I was born to do this.I feel like even on my first call the other EMT's will expect me to know 100% what  to do. I kinda feel like I might not know what I'm doing.  I have a fear I might not ventilate a patient correctly or manage the patient correctly. I have a fear of failing. I don't want to get someone hurt . I think it's the little details I forget that might burn me. Maybe it's just me but I just need advice on if I should keep going and see what happens or what.


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## LACoGurneyjockey (Apr 30, 2015)

You should feel that way. If you came out of EMT school and thought you had it all figured out, I'd be concerned. EMT school is a very basic course, and it's meant to prepare you to meet the bare minimum. Your FTO time is where you will learn the job. You passed your class, you passed the NREMT, you're just as well prepared as every other new EMT. 
If not everyone on here, the vast majority felt this way coming out brand new. It's all foreign and you feel like you have this responsibility to be perfect. But you don't. You have field training time to learn, that's what it's for. 
Don't worry about it. Don't over think it. Come in to your first day with a positive attitude and be ready to learn. Try your best to be confident in your skills (fake it til you make it has never been more true), but soak up all the info you can in field training. You'll get to the point where you're comfortable doing the job, but it takes time. There's no way around it. 
Good luck, don't stress about it, and come into your first day ready to learn from your FTO. 

What kind of job are you starting? 911/IFT, BLS/ALS, rural/urban?


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## Crystal42 (Apr 30, 2015)

LACoGurneyjockey said:


> You should feel that way. If you came out of EMT school and thought you had it all figured out, I'd be concerned. EMT school is a very basic course, and it's meant to prepare you to meet the bare minimum. Your FTO time is where you will learn the job. You passed your class, you passed the NREMT, you're just as well prepared as every other new EMT.
> If not everyone on here, the vast majority felt this way coming out brand new. It's all foreign and you feel like you have this responsibility to be perfect. But you don't. You have field training time to learn, that's what it's for.
> Don't worry about it. Don't over think it. Come in to your first day with a positive attitude and be ready to learn. Try your best to be confident in your skills (fake it til you make it has never been more true), but soak up all the info you can in field training. You'll get to the point where you're comfortable doing the job, but it takes time. There's no way around it.
> Good luck, don't stress about it, and come into your first day ready to learn from your FTO.
> ...




Thank you so much! I needed to read something like this. I'm starting BLS but definitely want to go up to ALS. I actually want to go back to school and also do medical coding.


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## Gurby (Apr 30, 2015)

Crystal42 said:


> I feel like I should know more than I think I know.



I'm not sure that feeling ever goes away.  There's always going to be some disease you don't know enough about, some drug you haven't seen before, etc.  

However, you don't NEED to know everything... Remember that our goal isn't necessarily to figure out what's wrong with the patient and to fix them (though it's great if you can do this) - our goal is to get them to the hospital alive.

You will have calls where you don't know what the problem is and you don't know what to do.  It will feel gross and you won't feel comfortable or in control.  If all else fails, just take care of the ABC's.  You have a BVM if they aren't breathing.  You have an AED and CPR if they don't have a pulse.  Do everything in your power to keep them breathing and having a pulse on their own.  Try to get a good summary of meds/history/allergies for receiving staff.  Do some research after the call so you're more prepared for the next time.

I had a call like this just as I was feeling like I was getting the hang of this EMT thing.  Sick patient, neither I nor my partner had a clue what was going on.  We got meds/history/allergies, requested ALS, scooped and screwed to the hospital.  It felt awful and like I was doing something wrong as I sat there staring at this guy, basically not doing much of anything.  He was having some trouble breathing so I put on O2 and had the BVM ready if necessary.  His vitals were crap but not much to do about that - maybe some blankets and trendelenburg.  

The call shook me up a bit at the time, but realistically, whatever was wrong with this guy, it probably wasn't something that could be fixed in the back of an ambulance anyways.  We provided supportive care and took care of the ABC's, rapid transport and got him to definitive care alive.  Sometimes that's the best you can do (and sometimes, you won't even be able to do that - I've never had a living patient code on me in the back, but I'm sure it's an inevitability if you do this for long enough).


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## wtferick (Apr 30, 2015)

First of all good morning  lol
congrats on starting.
feeling like this is normal just how every above post has said. Will probably not go away until you are out on your own without the FTO. Once you get through that first day, you go home and sleep. And wake  up feeling a bit more confident everyday. Dont let it get  to you.


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## Ewok Jerky (Apr 30, 2015)

Very normal. You went through a couple hundred hours of training, not the 10k needed to be an expert. Medicine is a life long learning process. 

Hopefully your company has quality fto time for you to be more comfortable as a new EMT. Don't be afraid to ask questions, have someone show you how to work equipment, and most important don't be afraid to say I don't know.

Every one was new once, you will be fine.


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## Crystal42 (Apr 30, 2015)

Thanks everyone. I'm glad I've stumbled upon this website about a year ago. Great feeling to know I'm not the only one feeling this way. Glad someone answered. I actually can't wait to start!!


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## Nightmare (May 8, 2015)

The day you think you have learned it all is the day you need to quit. Your mentality (at least by the sounds of it) is the perfect one to have, you aren't to bull headed to ask questions and you're eager to learn. If the company that you work for is worth while the employees there will help you. I was fairly green when I started with my company but I listened to the more experienced guys and girls and now there are medic and paramedic partners asking me to work with them. Keep that mentality, learn what you can when you can and you will be well liked and do very well.

KEEP IT UP!


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## escapedcaliFF (May 9, 2015)

You'll eventually learn that half the battle is your nerves. Once you get your nerves you'll slow down and dealing with people who are knocking on deaths door will just seem like a normal day. Some EMTs burn out cAuse they can't deal with the death aspect but it's really not that bad. People die its a natrual process and there's no way to cheat it forever.


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## RefriedEMT (May 9, 2015)

As everyone said keep learning, not just from your coworkers but by reading anything you can to absorb some new information such as medical terminology and a new A&P book so that you have some exposure(not physically) to many different diseases. I focus on pathophysiology myself so that I may know and understand any illnesses and diseases when I come upon them.


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## nick Joseph (May 9, 2015)

I had the same doubts,  Everyone ( at least in my company ) is very nice and knows your new and gives you a break if you don't know something as long as you don't act like you do and then when you get a bad call, you're  like ... what do i do .. Just ASK if you don't know something , thats all they will ask of you


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## Crystal42 (May 23, 2015)

Hey guys, Im back


I just finished the classroom orientation part of the new hire process. My feelings haven't changed. I still want to do this 100% i just have that feeling that I don't know what I'm doing. My ride time with the FTO is starting Wednesday and I'm so scared to go because I kinda know I'm not completely good with knowing how to treat someone. Or some illnesses we studied in school I totally forget about. I don't fully understand what some illnesses are such as chf or coup .


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## LACoGurneyjockey (May 23, 2015)

You'll learn all that in FTO time. Just go into it ready to learn and take what your FTO gives you. Nobody remembers every little thing that was taught in EMT class. Both CHF and croup, you'll treat with O2 and transport. You don't "need" to understand the disease process to property treat someone as an emt. You just have to recognize symptoms, treat those, and don't waste time on scene. You'll be fine, don't over think it. 
Let us know how day 1 goes


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## Crystal42 (May 24, 2015)

LACoGurneyjockey said:


> You'll learn all that in FTO time. Just go into it ready to learn and take what your FTO gives you. Nobody remembers every little thing that was taught in EMT class. Both CHF and croup, you'll treat with O2 and transport. You don't "need" to understand the disease process to property treat someone as an emt. You just have to recognize symptoms, treat those, and don't waste time on scene. You'll be fine, don't over think it.
> Let us know how day 1 goes


 
Thanks! Will do.


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## joshrunkle35 (May 24, 2015)

Remember that EMS is almost always a team effort. You will most likely be sent out with other people. They will show you what you don't know and you will remind them of things they have forgotten.


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## adamNYC (May 24, 2015)

The best teacher is the field. And you will see when your in the field nothing is done 100% textbook. If your certified jump right in there, be a sponge, soak up all the experiences you can.


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## Crystal42 (May 28, 2015)

Hey everyone!!! Just wanted to let you know how my first day went. I had the best FTO ever. She had so much patients with me! I wish i can have her throughout the whole ride time.She didn't push me too hard but for my second day today I'm on the radio, giving reports, doing pcr. This is awesome. Thanks everyone!!!!!


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## emsdave (May 31, 2015)

How's it going? Hope all is going well. What you will go through in fto  training will hopefully challenge you and be somewhat difficult at times. The more difficult situations you are presented with during this time will help shape you. Every call you can learn something from. The most difficult calls are the best because what seems impossible for you to figure out right now when presented later will be much easier to be dealt with. Always test yourself with questions you can ask a preceptor or FTO vast amount of knowledge base you can use. As for the doubts we have all had them. You know why? It was brand new to us. We know that we must make spit second decisions that will effect the outcome of someone's life. So consider this completely normal to feel anxious I know from experience.  Learn and have fun get out there and your nervousness and doubts will fade away.


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## Ziffon (Aug 11, 2015)

Wow thanks guys for confirming what my idea of the beginning would be. I'm still a student.


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