# What should i ask during my ride along and ER shift?



## Psychologist (Oct 3, 2012)

I have my ride along next week and my er shift 10 days after.  What questions would u recommend asking?  Also anything in particular i should pay extra close attention to?

I already have my list based on what ive learned in class but im assuming theres plenty to learn in the field that isnt taught in school.

thanks


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## Achilles (Oct 4, 2012)

Psychologist said:


> I have my ride along next week and my er shift 10 days after.  What questions would u recommend asking?  Also anything in particular i should pay extra close attention to?
> 
> I already have my list based on what ive learned in class but im assuming theres plenty to learn in the field that isnt taught in school.
> 
> thanks


Ask them what you don't know. When i did my  3rd rides I was an FD for 12 hours, 7-7. I ate with the FF's talked with them, helped them cook, and had the honor of doing dishes with them. Great time, I'd recommend them to anyone looking for a place to do 3rd rides. When we wern't going on calls, I had me face in my book and i outlined the chapters. Ask them to quiz you. nothing like a good quiz to warm up the 'ole noggin!


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## TreySpooner65 (Oct 4, 2012)

Ask everything. The worst thing you can do is not ask.
Pay attention, get in there and dont be afraid. You dont want your first patient interaction to be on the clock!


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## Psychologist (Oct 4, 2012)

Well ive done a good job at annoying every EMT/medic i happen to come across.  Now theyre gonna be stuck in a van with me for 8 hours lol. 

Be confident gotcha.  

thanks for the replies


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## wannabeHFD (Oct 4, 2012)

How did you annoy them?


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## Medic97 (Oct 4, 2012)

The point of the initial ride alongs and ER rotations is to get comfortable talking to patients.  The backbone of EMS is patient assessment, you have to be able to talk to your patients, and/or discover whats not being said.  As far as the medics and nurses, just be as helpful as possible.  A good ice breaker is to have the medic/nurse explain something to you, even if you already understand it.  Inflate that ego a bit and they will try to teach you everything in one shift.....


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## NomadicMedic (Oct 4, 2012)

wannabeHFD said:


> How did you annoy them?



By asking a bunch of questions. I'd guess.


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## Psychologist (Oct 4, 2012)

I annoyed them by firing away with question after question lol.  Now im in a bigger dilemma with employment because i need to stay in the bay area for spring semester for Nursing pre reqs and possibly even longer if i dont get a move organized.  Il have to apply to a different area early in the summer so i have enough time to get registered for classes in that area.  Just found out however that my parents know a medical director in alameda county which so maybe he might be able to get me in although im not sure if he has any influence over that.

How can i find out about event emts? I google'd around and cant find anything.


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## leoemt (Oct 4, 2012)

There is no such thing as a "stupid question" but there are questions that you should already know the answers to. 

Know what questions to ask and when to ask them. In the middle of a cardiac arrest when a medic is trying to get a line established is not the time to ask "why are you using an 18ga catheter?" Also, don't ask questions that make you sound like your telling the EMT or Medic what to do. For example "we were told you do 30 compressions so why did you stop and analyze after 18?"

Hopefully you will get good perceptors that will help you learn. Unfortunately, not everyone likes students - don't take it personally if they are a jerk. Learn what you can and move on. 

Finally, don't do what you don't know. If your not good at taking vitals, then don't volunteer to do them. You will get more respect for being honest about your abilities than trying to keep up with providers that have been doing this for years and have thousands of patients under their belts.

Most importantly, have fun.


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## Handsome Robb (Oct 4, 2012)

leoemt said:


> inally, don't do what you don't know. If your not good at taking vitals, then don't volunteer to do them. You will get more respect for being honest about your abilities than trying to keep up with providers that have been doing this for years and have thousands of patients under their belts.



Better yet, tell them what you don't know so we know what to focus on to help you get the most out of your ride! That's dependent on having a student friendly crew though. 

Otherwise I agree with leo.


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## Psychologist (Oct 4, 2012)

Lol well i have to take vitals for the class along with filling out an assessment and PE form.  Im pretty dam confident when it comes to skills though. 

Thanks for the replies.

Lol just noticed my last post.  I thought i was on my employment thread.


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## wannabeHFD (Oct 4, 2012)

Psychologist said:


> I annoyed them by firing away with question after question lol.


Ive noticed that some crews see students more of an annoyance and have no interest in teaching them anything. I dont know if they get so many students they get tired of it, or if they feel you were dumped on them. A few rotations Ive had, the place I was at actually seemed surprised I was there, and just tossed me on the the first guy who showed up.

If they dont seem interested in you, I would just hang back and observe them. These guys will always give you perfect scores on your evaluations.
You will eventually get a crew who will test your knowledge, and actually force you into the middle of the action. One of our preceptors told us that he made one student the lead in charge of a call, and told everyone else to not talk or do anything until the student asked them to. It may seem like they are picking on you or just being mean, but these are the ones you can ask any question you want all day and they are more than happy to answer


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## Achilles (Oct 4, 2012)

leoemt said:


> There is no such thing as a "stupid question" but there are questions that you should already know the answers to.



That's not true! They're plenty of stupid questions!
Eg: what's red but smells like blue paint?


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## leoemt (Oct 4, 2012)

Psychologist said:


> Lol well i have to take vitals for the class along with filling out an assessment and PE form.  Im pretty dam confident when it comes to skills though.
> 
> Thanks for the replies.
> 
> Lol just noticed my last post.  I thought i was on my employment thread.



I was using that as an example, however I will tell you that taking vitals on real patients can be nerve racking your first couple of times. Don't be afraid to ask for help. ''

I have seen many students who were "confident" in skills choke when it comes to a real patient. Use your partner(s) to your advantage. Book smarts don't necessarily translate into street smarts. The whole point of preceptorship is to practice what you learn in class in the real world. 

The ambulance is a much different environment than the classroom.


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## Psychologist (Oct 5, 2012)

Well ive done it a million times on friends/family and in labs but yeah i see what you're saying


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## ZootownMedic (Oct 5, 2012)

Soo.....what kind of coffee do you like? That is called setting yourself up for success :rofl:


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## Psychologist (Oct 6, 2012)

Turns out my instructors know the people who il be doing the ride alongs with.  From what they told me, il be working with some awesome people.  

Id love it if they gave me the opportunity to treat a patient all on my own. I handle stressful situations very well and take great joy in doing so.  My friends and family have pointed that out to me many times.  However it is something ive never experienced so il expect the unexpected if given the opportunity.

"there is no such thing as a stupid question"  But there are stupid people 
I know u didnt mean that literally lol but i would refrain from using that phrase.

One of my classmates go to perform CPR on a patient.  Thought it was pretty cool that they let him do that.  Any of you ever do something worth mentioning in ur Ambulance ride alongs or clinical shifts for your emt-b class? Id love to hear some stories


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## firetender (Oct 6, 2012)

Psychologist said:


> "there is no such thing as a stupid question" But there are stupid people
> I know u didnt mean that literally lol but i would refrain from using that phrase.


 
That is not at all what was said



> Originally Posted by *leoemt*
> _There is no such thing as a "stupid question" but there are questions that you should already know the answers to._
> 
> _...and Achilles:_
> ...


 
I'm going to suggest you take some time editing your posts before you put them on-line. I know you're in a new world here but keep in mind, Forums are Shark Tanks and, right now, you're showing yourself to be a Guppy with a bullseye on your butt.

As you can see by the responses, lots of people are taking you seriously, so think before you post, and don't misquote or misinterpret what's clearly written for all to see. There's no reason to alienate yourself.

Technically this is NOT a "right" of passage. It's a "Rite" of passage you have to get through to earn the right to be respected.

Please interpret this as a welcome.


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## SubiEmt (Oct 7, 2012)

Psychologist said:


> I have my ride along next week and my er shift 10 days after.  What questions would u recommend asking?  Also anything in particular i should pay extra close attention to?
> 
> I already have my list based on what ive learned in class but im assuming theres plenty to learn in the field that isnt taught in school.
> 
> thanks



ER you will learn a ton. Pay attention to EVERYTHING. Touch Everything you can, and do 12 leads. Ask everything and anything that comes to mind. GL


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## EMT91 (Oct 11, 2012)

Whenever you see a drug used- ask how it works, and also ask if  there is an alternative to that medicine if the pt cannot have it for whatever reason.

Ask them to let you do vitals in the rescue, get used to the sound and the bumpy ride whilst taking vitals.

If you plan on working in the area, ask the staff of the ER and the Medics if there is something they see in particular on a regular basis. For instance, not too far from me, is a community with a lot of geriatric patients who "fall down go boom", that way you can have an idea of what things you might see.

With permission, follow specialty doctors in the ER, like if a neurologist comes in, ask if you can observe his assessment etc.


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## EMT91 (Oct 11, 2012)

SubiEmt said:


> ER you will learn a ton. Pay attention to EVERYTHING. Touch Everything you can, and do 12 leads. Ask everything and anything that comes to mind. GL



I was able to set the electrodes up on 3 leads as a basic in clinical rounds but not 12 leads.


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