# Lessons Learned....



## MedicPrincess (Sep 16, 2008)

I was talking with some people about the things we have learned that can't be taught in school.... I'll start, some are mine, some are as witnessed by me... but what are some of yours...

You probably should not drive another agencies vehicle. You especially should not drive that vehicle INTO the ER. That is going to make a lot of people have a very bad day.

When they are pulling a drowning victim from the water, it is NOT necessary to help me have easier access to my equipment by taking my jump bag and dumping it out into the sand (thank you lifeguards!). Really, I am quite capable of grabbing what I need out at the appropriate time versus digging through the damn sand for my Epi!

Even if he leaves it open on your station computer, you might not want to read your supervisors email. But then again, you might want to read it..... There's some intresting stuff to be found there.

Clear... means..... Clear!

A paramedic and a FF coming together can sound amazing. However, an ambulance and fire truck coming together can sound nauseating. It's going to be a wise move to clear the fire truck on your right before proceeding past on the left.

Speaking of clear......... always...... Clear Right!

Two inch tape is not an effective patient restrainment tool. "Medical" Duct Tape isn't much better. However, when back board straps are low, the Medical Duct tape does come in handy!

Just because the handle is green, does not necessarily mean that is Diesel you are putting into your truck!

Once the low fuel light comes on, there is only about 7 miles before your truck makes that awful "Glugph" noise and shuts off.

NEVER look away from the patient are bagging. Sure as you do, the bag will come off, and you just might get the most unpleasent shower of unknown substances, which will vary depending on whether the patient is intubated or not! mmmmmm..........

That annoying dinging and awful smell..... well thats the emergency brake that you left engaged as you started driving your truck off.


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## Epi-do (Sep 16, 2008)

The laboring woman's bag of waters will only rupture as you are checking the patient for crowning of the baby, after being told she needs to push.


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## LucidResq (Sep 16, 2008)

Tape will stick to your gloves and make you look like a fumbling idiot. 

The bag on a non-rebreather *will* pop if you fill it too much, also making you look like a fumbling idiot. 

From a SAR perspective, people like to die in extremely remote and inconvenient places, making the recovery of their body extremely difficult and often necessitating the use of creative rope systems. The remoteness and difficulty of the recovery has a strong positive correlation with how much the victim weighs. 

Don't get started in a prank war with firefighters. They're experts. 

It's surprising, and kind of scary, how well you can perform in the fog of sleep deprivation after your body has adapted to repeated periods of lack of sleep. 

Even if their scalp is bleeding profusely, and even if they kinda deserve it, you can't put a tourniquet around someones neck. 

Things can and will go from zero to hectic in a matter of seconds, usually at the exact moment you start to eat a delicious warm meal or fall asleep. So you should sleep, eat and pee at any given opportunity because it may be hours before you get that chance again. 

If it's warm, wet, sticky and from someone else, don't touch it. 

Always have at least one, preferably 2, escape routes planned out of any location.


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## JPINFV (Sep 16, 2008)

Ripped from the headlines:

Helicopters are large and covered in flashy lights. Don't run into them.


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## VentMedic (Sep 16, 2008)

If the water covering the roadway looks deep, it probably is deep. 

Always have plans B and C to back up A.  Be prepared for D to be the right plan.


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## BossyCow (Sep 16, 2008)

If a pt is going to vomit its going to be as just you are putting the little elbow on top of the combi-tube.

Always point said elbow at your partner, not yourself.


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## Lisa (Sep 16, 2008)

*Lesson*

Never ever say your'e bored while on duty!  This will lead to a MVA with mutiple fatalities and mutiple fly outs!

Always look in the "run book" to see how many runs the shift before you had. How many they had directly effects how many runs you will have.


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## emt_angel25 (Sep 16, 2008)

Never say "ive never run one of those kinds of calls" because just as soon as you do you will be sure to run that call in the middle of the night after a long day


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## mycrofft (Sep 16, 2008)

*Humorous?*

If your rig has smooth vinyl seats, take it easy on the Armor-All. (My crewchief slid across the bench seat into me one time jumping in for a run. I've had a hard time staying by the patient on a curve when the back bench was all polished up).Same for the ambulance floor in wet or snowy weather; if it's smooth, leave  a little grit there, and NEvER use furniture polish or Armor All there, not even a little.

Oh, yeah. make sure you know if and where your rig has a battery switch.:blush:


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## Meursault (Sep 17, 2008)

mycrofft said:


> If your rig has smooth vinyl seats, take it easy on the Armor-All.



My college's SUV, which is used for response and transport of *very* stable patients, recently got vinyl seats after years of telling the patients "Okay, we're moving, don't vomit and let us know if you're about to.". Everyone was excited. Someone decided to polish the seats and possibly other interior furnishings to a nice shine.
There's nothing like pulling up to the ED door and falling out of your own vehicle, followed by the patient. Thankfully, I stayed upright and was able to slow her descent. It wasn't graceful, but no one had to fill out an incident report.


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## rchristi (Sep 17, 2008)

*Rule of thumb for guesses*

If you have a fifty-fifty chance of being right, you will be wrong ninety percent of the time. AKA the 50-50 90 rule.


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## Short Bus (Sep 17, 2008)

I love these little learning moments.  The ones that you can not teach to anyone...they just have to figure it out on their own.


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## Buzz (Sep 17, 2008)

A lesson learned in The Oregon Trail video game that holds true with ambulances: NEVER attempt to ford the river. ^_^

As soon as you get cleared from a call in unfamiliar territory, have no GPS, and are currently directionally challenged, you will get a Priority 1 call to yet another unfamiliar area. ALWAYS take the time to read the map and figure out exactly where you are BEFORE returning to service.

When a patient says their house is on the right, check to the left (they're facing backwards).


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## Short Bus (Sep 17, 2008)

Buzz said:


> A lesson learned in The Oregon Trail video game that holds true with ambulances: NEVER attempt to ford the river. ^_^



Oh, I have done this with no problem in a 2wd box type 1.  Once I was to the pt's house and looked at the BRT there, I asked how they got there.  They said they drive across the bridge beside the ford all the time.  :blink:


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## JPINFV (Sep 17, 2008)

Buzz said:


> A lesson learned in The Oregon Trail video game that holds true with ambulances: NEVER attempt to ford the river. ^_^



I've heard that the fjords are lovely.


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## BossyCow (Sep 17, 2008)

mycrofft said:


> If your rig has smooth vinyl seats, take it easy on the Armor-All. (My crewchief slid across the bench seat into me one time jumping in for a run. I've had a hard time staying by the patient on a curve when the back bench was all polished up).Same for the ambulance floor in wet or snowy weather; if it's smooth, leave  a little grit there, and NEvER use furniture polish or Armor All there, not even a little.
> 
> Oh, yeah. make sure you know if and where your rig has a battery switch.:blush:



LOL.. yeah.. and make sure that nobody Armor-alls the steering wheel...Wheeeeeeeee


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## johnrsemt (Sep 17, 2008)

never leave anywhere you are to respond on an emergency run UNTIL you know where you are going, and how to get there.
   watched crews leave the hospital signal 10;  go 2 blocks and turn around and pass the hospital to go the right way.
  friend worked at McD's and watched a crew pass them going all four ways at an intersection, signal 10; in a 3 min period.


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## RESQ_5_1 (Sep 17, 2008)

If the crew that had your rig before you used anything important and didn't replace it, you will most likely get paged out for a full code before you had time to do rig checks.

And, secondary to that, no matter how much you trust the people you work with, ALWAYS check the fuel level.


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## GreenEMT (Sep 17, 2008)

> Always look in the "run book" to see how many runs the shift before you had. How many they had directly effects how many runs you will have.




This is the truth!


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## aussieemt1980 (Oct 3, 2008)

The injury sustained is directly proportional to the expertise, speed, height and stupidity of what the idiot is trying to acheive.

The lesson about eating and sleeping when you get a chance is something I learnt in my army days and it pays off in this job. 

The injury is directly inproportionate to the pain and screaming exhibited by the patient, ie the patient that is screaming loudly and in agony likely has a scratch, while the patient sitting quietly in the corner is likely to have a large laceration.


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## Jon (Oct 3, 2008)

aussieemt1980 said:


> The injury sustained is directly proportional to the expertise, speed, height and stupidity of what the idiot is trying to acheive.


Except if they are severely inebriated. Then it is inversely proportionate.


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## aussieemt1980 (Oct 3, 2008)

lol, thats funny Jon, and so true...


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## MMiz (Oct 3, 2008)

Jon said:


> Except if they are severely inebriated. Then it is inversely proportionate.


For the win!


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