# clinicals



## emergancyjunkie (Aug 31, 2011)

I'm starting my clinicals soon any advice


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## mcdonl (Aug 31, 2011)

Don't kill anyway. If hospital clinicals.... Offer to clean beds, etc... when there is nothing going on. It will make them more likley to let you do cool stuff when there IS something going on. 

Ask questions if you do not understand something. Don't do something you are unsure about, just ask. That is why you are there.

Good luck, and have fun!!


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## Strap (Aug 31, 2011)

When I did my EMT-B ER clinicals, there were always a couple paramedic students there on the same shift doing their clinicals. I always latched on to them right away. All of PM students I encountered were friendly and helpful, and willing to show me things and let me watch them do things. Maybe they sensed the fear and total cluelessness in my eyes, so they had a little sympathy.  Plus I guess it was a chance for them to show off a little for a rookie. And if I had a question, I was more comfortable asking the PM students than I was asking the nurses.


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## Trauma_Junkie (Aug 31, 2011)

mcdonl said:


> Don't kill anyway. If hospital clinicals.... Offer to clean beds, etc... when there is nothing going on. It will make them more likley to let you do cool stuff when there IS something going on.
> 
> Ask questions if you do not understand something. Don't do something you are unsure about, just ask. That is why you are there.
> 
> Good luck, and have fun!!



I second what mcdonl said. Take every moment that you can to learn from the experience at clinicals and interact with the staff.


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## EMTSTUDENT25 (Aug 31, 2011)

Make sure you are early to each site, especially when your going to be on the ambulances.  There were people in my class who were late to their IFT clinical and the rigs left them.  Dispatch had to call 2 trucks back to pick up students. Can you say Embarrassing?

Ask questions (at the right times) and DO NOT negatively question the emt/medics treatment decision.

Be as aggressive with patient contact as allowed, dont be shy, your there for the experience.

Try not to freeze up if you see something you were not ready for..

Have fun!


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## tylerp1 (Aug 31, 2011)

I couldn't agree more with what everybody else has said.  When I was doing my Paramedic clinicals in-house, I would clean and stock rooms (it may have helped that I was an ER tech for 4 years).  If you show them that you're willing to get your hands dirty and not sit on your butt, they will come to YOU to do various things: start IVs, draw blood, give meds, etc. Being familiar where everything is located can also be helpful in stressful situations!

Just be wholeheartedly interested during your clinicals and you can't go wrong.


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## emergancyjunkie (Aug 31, 2011)

I don't think there gonna let me start Iv's seeing that I'm only doing my emt-b clinicals right now I'm going for paramedic in a couple years


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## EMTSTUDENT25 (Aug 31, 2011)

If its not in your curriculum then I would say probably not. Although EKG's were not taught in our basic class however we were allowed to learn and assist with those...who knows. Guess its not comparing apples to apples.


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## emergancyjunkie (Aug 31, 2011)

assisting in ekgs is in ours as well as assisting with Ivs but that would mainly be in spiking the bag and preparing the line while the medic is sticking the patient


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## EMTSTUDENT25 (Aug 31, 2011)

gotcha, well then they wont have you starting any.  IV therapy is in our scope in the state of TN, so we were required to get at least 5 successfull sticks.


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## usafmedic45 (Aug 31, 2011)

Eyes and ears open, mouth shut unless it's to ask a question is always a good start.


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## emergancyjunkie (Aug 31, 2011)

is that for emt b or emt p scope


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## EMTSTUDENT25 (Aug 31, 2011)

were licensed in the state of TN as EMT-IV, however as far as NR is concerned we are NREMT-B.  So, were are trained in IV therapy and are allowed to do it anyware in the state, agency permitting.  Although in FL where I live now, I'm considered EMT-B by the state and NR.


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## epipusher (Aug 31, 2011)

don't be annoying


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## EMTSTUDENT25 (Aug 31, 2011)

How would I be annoying?


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## emscrazy1 (Aug 31, 2011)

EMTSTUDENT25 said:


> How would I be annoying?



I think that was a response to the original question.


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## epipusher (Aug 31, 2011)

emscrazy1 said:


> I think that was a response to the original question.



yep, should of quoted it.


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## EMTSTUDENT25 (Aug 31, 2011)

ok, I was confused.


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## Chief Complaint (Aug 31, 2011)

usafmedic45 said:


> Eyes and ears open, mouth shut unless it's to ask a question is always a good start.





epipusher said:


> don't be annoying




These posts pretty much sum it up.

There isnt going to be much that you can do to help out in the ER, so stay out of the way and be attentive.  Ask questions, but ask them at the appropriate time (not in the middle of compressions).

Offer to help change sheets only if you wish, you are there to learn, not be somebody's errand boy.


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## Handsome Robb (Aug 31, 2011)

EMTSTUDENT25 said:


> There were people in my class who were late to their IFT clinical and the rigs left them.  Dispatch had to call 2 trucks back to pick up students.



They are lucky they called the trucks back. Here you might get lucky and get a ride with a sup out to the truck, getting an earful the whole time, or usually end up missing the ride without opportunity to reschedule giving you a 0.


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## emergancyjunkie (Aug 31, 2011)

what is emt b allowed to do during the hospital clinicals.


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## the_negro_puppy (Aug 31, 2011)

1) Bring in a cake or some food to share on your first day 

2) Be confident and polite. Introduce yourself to people at the station

3) Get involved. Offer to help with basic stuff like remaking the stretcher, carrying gear and the like

4) Don't get offended if you get an unstable patient and you get brushed aside. The crew is not trying to be rude, they just have alot to think about and do.

5) Feel free to ask a few questions here and there. The type of questions and timing is the key. If one of the crew does something and you are not sure why, later at hospital ask them and they should be happy to explain. The time to ask is not while pt care is being performed.

6) Relax and have fun. You are not expected to do much or demonstrate your skills.

7) As you will be the '3rd person' keep an eye out on scenes for things the attending crew might not see. You will be in a good position to spot any dangers such as a car coming at you guys at an MVA or dangerous bystanders.


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## MrBrown (Sep 1, 2011)

Be careful bringing food and cake, sometimes it looks as if you are being a butter-up or greasing.

TNP, those are all excellent points but in the US the EMT course requires Brown thinks 12 hours in ED and 12 hours on an ambulance so they don't really do much beyond simple primary survey ... from what Brown has seen.


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## Chief Complaint (Sep 1, 2011)

emergancyjunkie said:


> what is emt b allowed to do during the hospital clinicals.



Not much, its more of a chance to observe than actually perform any skills.  Keep in mind that you are still a student and hold no certifications, hospitals will be reluctant to allow much patient interaction for legal reasons.

If you are really lucky you might get to assist with compressions if a code comes in.  Other than that you are just there to observe.


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## mcdonl (Sep 1, 2011)

MrBrown said:


> Be careful bringing food and cake, sometimes it looks as if you are being a butter-up or greasing.
> 
> TNP, those are all excellent points but in the US the EMT course requires Brown thinks 12 hours in ED and 12 hours on an ambulance so they don't really do much beyond simple primary survey ... from what Brown has seen.



Right, just bring order forms on the first day


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## emergancyjunkie (Sep 1, 2011)

brown I'm actually required to do 40 hours ed and 40 hours ambulance for my class I'm not sure what the requirement for pa is


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## epipusher (Sep 1, 2011)

emergancyjunkie said:


> brown I'm actually required to do 40 hours ed and 40 hours ambulance for my class I'm not sure what the requirement for pa is



It would be nice if that was standard nationwide.


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## emergancyjunkie (Sep 1, 2011)

I think it will be because every state will soon have to follow NREMT by law


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## traumaluv2011 (Sep 1, 2011)

There really isn't much to it. See if the ER tech or whoever you're shadowing needs any help. If there are any trauma calls that come in, see if you can observe their treatment. If you think you need any reinforcement on medical assessments, go around and see if you can do a few. I was required by my class to do at least 5 in the 8 hours I was there. Of course try and do it on stable patients without altered mental status. You don't want to get involved in anything too dangerous when you're not a licensed EMT just yet.

It was interesting to see some patients. I saw one patient who had liver problems and could see first hand what jaundiced looks like. I saw another patient who had chest pain. So when I palpated her pulse, it was actually skipping a beat, which was pretty interesting. 

It's basically, you get out of it what you put in.


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## EMTSTUDENT25 (Sep 1, 2011)

emergancyjunkie said:


> brown I'm actually required to do 40 hours ed and 40 hours ambulance for my class I'm not sure what the requirement for pa is



I would like to see this happen everywhere, we did a total of 56 hours. 20 in ER and the rest on the rescue.  Not nearly enough time as far as I'm concerned.


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## emscrazy1 (Sep 1, 2011)

I did 84 hrs on a BLS ambulance and 16 in the ER.


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## emergancyjunkie (Sep 1, 2011)

to be honest I don't think 40 for each is gonna be enough I would like to see at least 60 on the ambulance and 60 in the ed


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## EMTSTUDENT25 (Sep 1, 2011)

They told us we might be able to schedule extra ride time but that never happened.


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## emergancyjunkie (Sep 1, 2011)

EMTSTUDENT25 said:


> They told us we might be able to schedule extra ride time but that never happened.



I'm going to ask for extra ride time when I get 40 hours in


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## Tigger (Sep 1, 2011)

emergancyjunkie said:


> I think it will be because every state will soon have to follow NREMT by law



I think you may have received a bit of bad information. I work in a state that does not interact with the NREMT in the slightest, and there are no plans afoot to adopt any of the NR's policies or curriculum. Furthermore, the registry has no guidelines for class clinicals. There are some states that require little if any time, but completing a class in those states (I.e. Massachusetts) still gives one the opportunity to sit for the NR test.

Incidentally my class had me in the ER for I think 22 hours, I just acted like an extra ER tech without IV skills. Any skill that we had covered in class we could do in ER or ambulance, so tried to schedule my time for the end of class. After the first hour or so my preceptor set me loose on the floor and I just kinda floated through and asked the staff if they needed anything. A lot if the times I would great the incoming ambulances, get them to a room, lift the patient over, and then put them on the monitor. I think the ED is the best place to learn to draw sheet transfer since there are often extra hands around.

As said above, if you take initiative the staff will be more likely to take you aside and let you do the "cool" stuff.


Sent from my out of area communications device.


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## emergancyjunkie (Sep 1, 2011)

maybe it just pa that decided to adopt NREMT


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## Tigger (Sep 1, 2011)

traumaluv2011 said:


> Of course try and do it on stable patients without altered mental status. You don't want to get involved in anything too dangerous when you're not a licensed EMT just yet.
> 
> It's basically, you get out of it what you put in.



I think the last part of your statement is very true, but the first part is a direct contradiction. One of the reasons that students are required to have some clinical time is to, you know, see some sick patients and learn how to assess/treat them to their scope. All of your classmates are "stable" patients without ALOC, that's who you learned your assessments and whatnot on. When it comes time to go to the ER or ambulance, you _want_ to be able to help to attend the sickest patients. You are in an environment with much more supervision than usual, so take advantage of the fact that you can make a mistake and it will be instantly caught (hopefully). As a student, your clinical time is the time to take what you learned in the classroom and actually apply it for the first time, don't do yourself a disservice and stay away from sick people. Get right in there and do what you've been taught. Waiting till you are licensed/employed to finally treat sick patients does you, your coworkers, and especially your patients a serious disservice.


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## Handsome Robb (Sep 1, 2011)

Chief Complaint said:


> Not much, its more of a chance to observe than actually perform any skills.  Keep in mind that you are still a student and hold no certifications, hospitals will be reluctant to allow much patient interaction for legal reasons.
> 
> If you are really lucky you might get to assist with compressions if a code comes in.  Other than that you are just there to observe.



I don't really agree with that. I dropped an ETT under the supervision of the Attending MD during my intermediate clinicals, helped the tech place and capture 12-leads, administered a breathing treatment under the supervision of an RT, mixed an amiodorone drip under supervision of the NP did way too many IVs on pt's coming into the ED from the waiting room.

It all depends how you present yourself and if the staff is comfortable with you and your competence.


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## Chief Complaint (Sep 1, 2011)

NVRob said:


> I don't really agree with that. I dropped an ETT under the supervision of the Attending MD during my intermediate clinicals, helped the tech place and capture 12-leads, administered a breathing treatment under the supervision of an RT, mixed an amiodorone drip under supervision of the NP did way too many IVs on pt's coming into the ED from the waiting room.
> 
> It all depends how you present yourself and if the staff is comfortable with you and your competence.



My post was referring to the fact that the OP is going in for his EMT-B clinicals.

At the I and P levels you should absolutely be hands on.


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## usafmedic45 (Sep 1, 2011)

Chief Complaint said:


> My post was referring to the fact that the OP is going in for his EMT-B clinicals.
> 
> At the I and P levels you should absolutely be hands on.



Same rules apply.  If he's competent, professional, polite and eager to learn, there should be no shortage of pertinent things for him to do.


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## Chief Complaint (Sep 1, 2011)

usafmedic45 said:


> Same rules apply.  If he's competent, professional, polite and eager to learn, there should be no shortage of pertinent things for him to do.



Im sure things are different across the globe.  Around here the hospitals do not want students with no certifications to do that much during their rotations.  

The most they will allow is putting patients on O2, and helping with compressions should a code come through the door.  

Its polite to offer to help clean beds/change sheets and what not, but there isnt much that a Basic student can do in terms of patient care in the hospital.  They are usually ok if you want to assess patients but those skills might still be in their infancy depending on when in the semester the student does their clinicals.


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## Tigger (Sep 2, 2011)

Chief Complaint said:


> My post was referring to the fact that the OP is going in for his EMT-B clinicals.
> 
> At the I and P levels you should absolutely be hands on.



How does that change things though? Sure basic skills are much well, basic, but they still need to be practiced. The hospital environment is a controlled place to do just that.

I can't emphasis it enough; practicing your assessments and skills on healthy classmates does your sick patients a disservice.

And while most are not licensed during clinicals, many hospitals and EMS agencies do in fact allow their students to function to the scope they are learning, and are appropriately insured. Obviously the student should not be acting alone, but isn't a likely scenario as a student.


Sent from my out of area communications device.


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## CheifBud (Sep 2, 2011)

*lemme help lemme help!*

Just try to be as busy as possible and seem as interested as possible.  I know in my clinical it sounds pushy but I kind of have to ask or put myself in there since my nurse isn't thinking about me but the person on the bed... Just offer to do simple things and you might get lucky and do something cooler.  Be confident but literally tell them to correct you or explain things just let them know you are interested in doing the job RIGHT, not just doing the job.

I just found a couple doctors and followed them around, they were teaching med students so I was able to just stand by and absorb the knowledge bombs.  I was very fortunate in my clinical rotation having quite a few codes, a lot of CPR, Admin meds, bleeding control, and the coolest thing ever.... I got to sit right behind the surgeon for an emergency craniectomy.  Not many fresh EMT-B's get to see brain surgery their first clinical. ^_^


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## Flightorbust (Sep 2, 2011)

I agree fully what every one has said. When I did my clinical's, My first Pt. Was a G.I. bleed with recent hip surgery that had messed herself. After jumping in to help clean the Pt. the staff started letting me do more and ended up teaching me how to hook up a 12 lead. It's all about what you put in. Don't be afraid to ask questions but don't cross the line from asking questions to questioning the basic/medic.


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## EMTSTUDENT25 (Sep 2, 2011)

We were required to purchase a student insurance policy for basic class...guessing that doesnt happen everywhere?


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## dstevens58 (Sep 2, 2011)

As a Basic student, I did a lot of TPR's and bed making.  After a few of them, they started letting me do other things like discontinuing IV's, placing 12 leads after seeing a couple.  I had one of the male nurses apologize to me after he placed an IV (thinking I was a paramedic student), saying he could have let me start it.  He changed his mind when I reminded him I was a "basic".

Oh, Clinical time consisted of 10 hours in the ED and we didn't have a *"time"* for rides, we had to have at least 10 rides.


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## Flightorbust (Sep 2, 2011)

EMTSTUDENT25 said:


> We were required to purchase a student insurance policy for basic class...guessing that doesnt happen everywhere?



There was a required fee that we had to pay ($45 I think) that covered our malpractice insurance and workman's comp.


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## vamike (Sep 2, 2011)

I wish Virginia's EMTB program required clinicals.  I didn't know other states required that.  Clinical time would so much enlighten the EMTB, including me.  I am getting ready for the EMTI class and am very much looking forward to clinical hours.


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## WickedGood (Sep 2, 2011)

Yeah my state doesn't require any clinical hours for EMT-B training.  It's pretty much a firefighter thing here though.  You can't really get a paying job as an EMT-B unless it's a FF.


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## Chief Complaint (Sep 3, 2011)

vamike said:


> I wish Virginia's EMTB program required clinicals.  I didn't know other states required that.  Clinical time would so much enlighten the EMTB, including me.  I am getting ready for the EMTI class and am very much looking forward to clinical hours.



I may have asked you in another thread, can't remember, where in VA are you taking your EMT-I?


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## Bradley (Sep 10, 2011)

ED clinical are great for learning. Ask questions and listen, its amazing what you can learn from just watching and listening. When I was in the ED I did most everything the techs did as I like to stay busy and if there was not some skill I needed to be doing I am not above making beds and cleaning up.


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## emergancyjunkie (Sep 10, 2011)

Are standbys good for clinicals as well cause I just volunteered for one in october

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## Backwoods (Sep 10, 2011)

We are only required to do 20 hours where Im at in ohio. Not nearly enough!


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## IRIDEZX6R (Sep 10, 2011)

To second what others said. If you hear the tones for a trauma alert, head to the trauma room and help the trauma nurse or er tech prep. Additionally if someone calls in and the charge nurse answers.. LISTEN. It'll help with your call ins later on as well as allowing you to prepare yourself for whats comming in, i.e. CVA or a full code *had quite a few on my hospital clinicals*.  In your down time, if you see a bed that needs to be decon'ed and the linens swapped, go a head and do it; the nurses LOVED me on my clinicals for that. If you see a 5150 attacking a nurse and security hasnt arrived yet, glove up and jump in; just remember scene safety *if they have a weapon or if theyre big enough to hurt you, stay out of the way*. **and yes, I had that happen on my clinicals** 

When the hospital is slow, start talking.. Make some friends with the medics or emt's standing around, they make great references for future employment. But I have to warn you, don't be the kid that talks so much that you annoy everyone and their mom that will get you no where; it may even hurt your chances at employment. 

ASK.. If a code comes in, ask the er tech if you can take a rotation on chest compressions. Asking is a magical thing that will make your clinicals that much more of a learning experience.


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## traumaluv2011 (Sep 10, 2011)

Tigger said:


> I think the last part of your statement is very true, but the first part is a direct contradiction. One of the reasons that students are required to have some clinical time is to, you know, see some sick patients and learn how to assess/treat them to their scope. All of your classmates are "stable" patients without ALOC, that's who you learned your assessments and whatnot on. When it comes time to go to the ER or ambulance, you _want_ to be able to help to attend the sickest patients. You are in an environment with much more supervision than usual, so take advantage of the fact that you can make a mistake and it will be instantly caught (hopefully). As a student, your clinical time is the time to take what you learned in the classroom and actually apply it for the first time, don't do yourself a disservice and stay away from sick people. Get right in there and do what you've been taught. Waiting till you are licensed/employed to finally treat sick patients does you, your coworkers, and especially your patients a serious disservice.



Your probably right. On my clinical time I never really got any codes or unstable pt's or anything to help out with. 

You should have your CPR card at least when you do hospital time so if they need someone to ventilate/do CPR, you're at the bottom of the ladder,


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## emergancyjunkie (Sep 19, 2011)

When I start my clinicals I'm not really going to get a lot of calls the company averages 4000 calls a year while another one in my area averages 16000

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## silver (Sep 19, 2011)

If things quiet down during your clinicals and you are looking for stuff to do, ask to follow the patient places such as the ICU, cath lab, OR, interventional neuroradiology lab. Go and ask questions.

scientia potentia est


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## emergancyjunkie (Sep 19, 2011)

What would be the best time to do the clinicals so its almost always gonna be busy

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## Flightorbust (Sep 22, 2011)

emergancyjunkie said:


> What would be the best time to do the clinicals so its almost always gonna be busy
> 
> Sent from my Desire HD



Roll some dice, Flip a coin. It can be random but usually Fridays and Saturdays can be pretty good.


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## Dpiner42 (Sep 23, 2011)

I know from personal experience clinicals are extremely important. In my paramedic program some peers were not allowed to test due to not meeting the class requirements for live intubations. Although this wasn't a state requirement, it influenced their ability to test. 


My advice:

Start your clinicals as soon as possible - a lot of my classmates waited until the last minute to start their emergency department time which totaled 120 hours. Over a 10-18 month span, it's not that much if you do 8-16 hours a week.

Suck up! - Yea, your classmates will pick on you for it, but it's worth your while. Back to those intubations. I got six in one day, because I sucked up - one of the anesthesiologists had an interest in motorcycles, so I began a conversation regarding this topic, and at the end threw in - hey by the way i saw you had a case that required an ET tube, can I come in and visualize the vocal chords at least? - The response, absolutely - the end result one successful intubation!

Show your worth - Nurses and providers we are asked to shadow are apprehensive about teaching newbies. If something goes wrong, it's on them. Go the extra distance and clean up rooms, chat with patients, ask questions - show you're willing to learn and you want to do things right. Make yourself seen as  a help not a hindrance.


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## epipusher (Sep 24, 2011)

silver said:


> If things quiet down during your clinicals and you are looking for stuff to do, ask to follow the patient places such as the ICU, cath lab, OR, interventional neuroradiology lab. Go and ask questions.
> 
> scientia potentia est



Yes, do this. When they page out a code blue in the er, or that a truama alert is inbound, you can run to the emergency room! It'll be just like on t.v.


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## emergancyjunkie (Oct 6, 2011)

So I have 12 hours done of my 40 on the ambulance and got one call that ended with a refusal. 


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## Nervegas (Oct 6, 2011)

emergancyjunkie said:


> So I have 12 hours done of my 40 on the ambulance and got one call that ended with a refusal.
> 
> 
> Sent from my Desire HD



That sounds like a typical day in a rural/suburban setting. When I did my medic MICU roations (10 24 hr shifts) we averaged about 2 calls a shift. My last 24 we ran 0.


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## fast65 (Oct 7, 2011)

emergancyjunkie said:


> So I have 12 hours done of my 40 on the ambulance and got one call that ended with a refusal.
> 
> 
> Sent from my Desire HD



Eh, that's EMS for ya, you can get bombarded with calls, have no calls or anything between. It sucks sometimes, especially as a student, but it happens.


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## emergancyjunkie (Oct 7, 2011)

It still was an exciting day looking forward to more time on the ambulance aswell as getting to know the medics and emts at the company

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## Handsome Robb (Oct 7, 2011)

Come hang for 12 hours here. We did 14 runs in 12 hours with 10 transports the other day.


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## emergancyjunkie (Oct 7, 2011)

NVRob said:


> Come hang for 12 hours here. We did 14 runs in 12 hours with 10 transports the other day.



Haha I wish I could but I can only do them through the ambulance company I'm taking the class at

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## fast65 (Oct 7, 2011)

NVRob said:


> Come hang for 12 hours here. We did 14 runs in 12 hours with 10 transports the other day.



Gah, you guys work too much, gotta learn to relax every now and then


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## Handsome Robb (Oct 7, 2011)

I like it! I'm trying to see if I can get on a 3x16 hour box for my internship instead of the usual 4x12.


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## fast65 (Oct 7, 2011)

NVRob said:


> I like it! I'm trying to see if I can get on a 3x16 hour box for my internship instead of the usual 4x12.



Haha, whatever floats your boat


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## jjesusfreak01 (Oct 8, 2011)

epipusher said:


> Yes, do this. When they page out a code blue in the er, or that a truama alert is inbound, you can run to the emergency room! It'll be just like on t.v.



I was shadowing in the ER the other day and a "Rapid Response" (not a code, but about to be one) was paged to ER radiology where one of my docs patients was at the time. We, along with some of the ER nurses, briskly jogged there.


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## Emergencyjunkie (Oct 9, 2011)

lol, i thought i had started this thread, we got like the same name lol.


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## Anjel (Oct 9, 2011)

Emergencyjunkie said:


> lol, i thought i had started this thread, we got like the same name lol.



Yea his is just spelled wrong lol


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## emergancyjunkie (Oct 9, 2011)

Emergencyjunkie said:


> lol, i thought i had started this thread, we got like the same name lol.



Haha thank god I suck at spelling

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## emergancyjunkie (Oct 9, 2011)

Anjel1030 said:


> Yea his is just spelled wrong lol



Is being bad at spelling going to effect being an emt

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## Anjel (Oct 9, 2011)

emergancyjunkie said:


> Is being bad at spelling going to effect being an emt
> 
> Sent from my Desire HD



It is if you expect people to take you seriously.

And there things that if you just switch one or two letters it means something entirely different.


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## Sasha (Oct 9, 2011)

You should at least be able to spell your title...

That said, I will google words I'm unsure of the spelling while writing reports. Your report is a legal document, it should be legible, neat, in black ink (or on a computer) with no spelling errors.


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## 18G (Oct 9, 2011)

Sasha said:


> You should at least be able to spell your title...
> 
> That said, I will google words I'm unsure of the spelling while writing reports. Your report is a legal document, it should be legible, neat, in black ink (or on a computer) with no spelling errors.



What she said ^^^. I do the exact same thing and Google words I'm unsure of. There are many times I know I have spelled a word a thousand times and for some reason that 1,001 time I can't remember. And than we have the words that no matter how many times I look them up I can never remember their spelling... for example... rendezvous. That z and v messes me up all the time.. lol. But instead of looking like an idiot in my report I ALWAYS have to look that word up to make sure it is spelled correctly. 

Trust me... spelling really does matter especially when you get the "little" words wrong like emergency.


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## Tigger (Oct 10, 2011)

emergancyjunkie said:


> Is being bad at spelling going to effect being an emt
> 
> Sent from my Desire HD



Yes it will. Not only is your run sheet a legal document, but if your work for an agency that bills, the run sheet becomes the basis for the patient's bill. Plus, many company's have QI programs where  run slips are read for content, no better way to lose credibility than having poor spelling in your narrative. Grammar and syntax counts too (that means proper pronunciation!).


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## emergancyjunkie (Oct 10, 2011)

Doing my first of many hours in the ed tomorrow

Sent from my Desire HD


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## emergancyjunkie (Oct 11, 2011)

Now that was a good time in the ED got to see a patient having an MI and another patient in respiratory failure

Sent from my Desire HD


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## Handsome Robb (Oct 11, 2011)

I don't think either of those patients would describe it as a 'good time'... I'm glad you got to witness it though. Education + practical experience is worth its weight in gold. Hopefully you jumped in and offered to help.


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## emergancyjunkie (Oct 11, 2011)

Yes I did jump in and help with the patient in respiratory failure. The most I did with the MI was a BP and that was on the monitor

Sent from my Desire HD


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